The deterioration in service and deliveries

Someone at GPS is sending drivers to the wrong road. So our parcels are going halfway down the next road apparently, and today, their parcels were at our place … three of them.

The food man arrived yesterday (not mine but someone’s lunch). He came to our place, I went downstairs and he’d gone, he came back, still lugging this large, padded lunchbox. No English. Wife worse. However, I showed he needed to be in the next road. I took a look at his readout ...  there was another address on it, looked like ours.  

Poor sod, he ended up taking it back to his shop.

That’s when my delivery man, English, turned up. Yep, he said, ggl have altered the directions … have a look where they sent me. “If you hadn’t been standing there … etc.”

Something else was going on out there too … there were vans and cars, all of them Morrisons Data Services. Who?  I searched, glanced at the tabs and they said British Gas and EON, the latter hounding me to put a smartmeter in and I flatly refuse … when hell freezes over.

Plus four “visitors to our shores”, followed by two more, swaggering, deepest middle-easterners in kaftans and open sandals headed my way as casually as you like, saw me and turned towards the shop instead. 

However, back to the smart meter biz … found this:

You wot?!!  That’s when I saw this:

https://rolfnorfolk.substack.com/p/not-so-smart

It’s about what The System can do to you if it wants; and if it can be done, it will be done.

It does begin with me, in a small way, but the implications are big. A short while ago I was emailed by my energy provider to say I needed to fit smart meters. 

Having made it clear that I wanted to be the last customer in the country to have a smart meter, I then got a message that someone would be round to fit it soon. I exploded with a how-dare you etc.

The complaints department replied:

‘The metering appointment booked for the 11th July shows booked by Customer using anonymous URL. This suggests that you have booked this appointment yourself I am sorry if this is not the case?’

I didn’t do it. I don’t know who did or why but I’m not after any particular individual or company and I don’t want any speculation; the point is about our vulnerability in the Information Age.

Which reminded me of this by Lord T:

It's not just deliveries that are going to hell but customer service as a whole. Most companies have traded complaints and pissed off customers for money by simply setting a complaints target and reducing customer support to minimum. 

For most people this isn't an issue as they get the service they wanted but now when the slightest thing goes wrong it takes forever to resolve. 

For example I'm in *cough* discussion with Eon whose customer service is the worst I've ever seen and we agreed that we couldn't agree so they would raise a ticket so I could escalate to Ofgem, who need a referral or 8 weeks, it is really that poor a service. 

I've waited three weeks now, still don't have the letter, and in 2 weeks I can go without the letter. 

It isn't just Eon either. Service as a whole is down across the whole country although there are still a few who provide it. I just don't seem to deal with them.

Last evening, some of our readers added to this. Ivan:

#18, Be happy James, at least you got your packages. Over here I have encountered one company that is totally useless at delivering to my home (I think the problem is their drivers don't like driving round the right angle bends to get to my road, yet the Amazon drivers don't seem to have that problem). It's either that or they don't like small villages.

I was given a parcel number and delivery day but nothing arrived. When I questioned the company I bought the item from they informed me the delivery company said I was out and must take the delivery message left in my letter box and go 30 km to the drop off point and use thar note to get my package. 

There was no note in the letter box and I asked the guys that were installing a new fire hydrent if they had seen a delivery van on the road - they hadn't, and without that note I was unable to collect. 

This is the third time this has happened with this company and the only way to contact them is by using 'messenger app' which does nor work on my computers. At least the supplier will refund me when they get the parcel returned.

Ivan's map, illustrating the situation there:

Hi James,  attached is a picture of the way to my place, red arrows.  It is simple when you know  but the first turn  appears that you are at a building until you get there then you see the road continues.

PD kicked in with this:

Here's another one. Ordered something from the UK over three weeks ago. Having dealt with the company before and been impressed by the speed at which the goods have been delivered in the past I had no qualms about this particular order. 

My heart sank however when I got a notification from E*** informing me they had the parcel and it was on its way. After 2 weeks of no-show and no further communication I received a message saying the order had been cancelled. 

Obviously it was not me doing the cancelling so I got onto the retailer to find out what's going on. After nearly a week they replied that according to E***'s tracking gizmo the parcel was on its way back to them - well duh! They could not explain what had happened and would not know until the parcel was back in their hands when they would investigate further. In the meantime would I like them to resend the order? 

As I can't get the item anywhere else at the moment I said yes and gently suggested that as E*** has a poor reputation and their reputation has made it over to France could they possibly consider a different carrier? I got an email earlier today. E*** are delighted to say they are dealing with the new order. Sigh! Watch this space.........

I replied:

JH: I asked the Amazon driver today about Yodel … he said they’re ok, expect a large van. I mentioned a firm over here I’ll name … Evri … we both agreed worst in Britain, esp. Herm**. He said the prob is the management at Evri demanding impossible time scales in order to get paid. He joined Amazon instead.

PD replied to that:

That's it! The E one!

Oh and one of our Post ladies won't stop to deliver even a letter if it is a) raining heavily or b) there is a dog wandering loose down the bottom of the lane.

Phew!  Let's stop and draw breath here.  It's clear that at least a few have noticed a deterioration in both service in store and in deliveries, plus coercion by companies.  My view is it is not just the overall drop in ethics but it's an induced drop in ethics in western society now, for example Evri's impossible demands on drivers when we'd be happy enough to wait an hour or two.

Take Amazon delivered Morrisons' groceries. They offer time windows and sometimes the one I'd have liked is no longer available.  Fine! If I'm pushing it, service will suffer ... so I opt for a later slot, drivers in my experience are more relaxed, unlike the poor Hermes boys, run off their feet.

Also, some companies, such as DPD, DHL, Yodel, give time windows ... your parcel will be delivered between 2:17 p.m. and 4:17 p.m. for example. Absolutely fine ... just inform me, I'll arrange to make sure I'm there, often downstairs waiting.

To my mind, yes ... there are criminal elements among drivers, seeing a great chance of a racket here ... yes, that may be so. But I'm sure there are others just trying to make that extra cash in what is now a lucrative market ... due to hiked up prices and rentals.

But why is it so lucrative?  Because the PTB have rearranged society to make it so ... we are being manipulated for sure.