UKNM: RE: ParcelForce

[Andrew Bowman]

I absolutely agree - I buy a lot of books, and find that very often the

'force' in ParcelForce describes their approach to parcel treatment.


I've given up using bookshop.co.uk because their packaging is, IMO,

inadequate for posting hardback books vi Royal Mail/Parcelforce (they

use pretty thin corrugated wraparounds, usually without any bubblewrap).

We exchanged a number of emails about it, before deciding to stop

wasting our breath on one another.


Nowadays I find that Amazon and BOL mostly package stuff okay, but even

then stuff still arrives damaged sometimes - it's as if packaging costs

a lot!* Even if it is costly, it's surely a lot less costly than

handling a damaged return...


I confess I'm fussy about books (I never take the top copy in shops, and

don't usually buy bashed books unless they're discounted or

remaindered), however, it's surely not beyond the wit of online

bookshops to give consumers an option for delivery via White Arrow or

for extra packaging or whatever.


I imagine none of them will worry too much while the market is growing -

a few dissatisfied customers won't be missed yet, however, in a year or

two they might start to pay more attention to maintaining their market

share.


Andrew.


* Recently, in a book shop in Uxbridge that I often shop in, I had

several bags of shopping. When I asked for a carrier bag instead of a

paper bag for the book I was buying (explaining that it was to make all

the stuff easier to carry) the assistant gave me a stern look and said

"I don't normally give out carrier bags for one book". End result - one

point made, many brownie points lost, all for the cost of a carrier bag.

If it had been in the U.S. they'd probably have fallen overthemselves to

give me one or more plastic bags, and it wouldn't shock me if they'd

even offered to help carry the stuff to my car. Will we never learn

about looking after customers in this country?


Ian Tester wrote:

 > 

 > Parcelforce have pretty appalling delivery, but the virtue of being cheap

 > which is why so many e-commerce guys use them. Couriers are pretty well

 > always the weak link however good the rest of your supply chain.

 > 

 > Someone's gonna make a lot of money by improving the service and making it

 > cheaper, or offering a sensible alternative . . .

 > 

 > i

 > 

 > " > Whinging aside, delivery is an issue that on-line shops have to take

 > very

 >   > seriously. After a bad experience with Parcel Force last week, I shan't

 > be

 >   > shopping at eToys again, unless it stops using Parcel Force. Drastic, but

 >   > bad delivery makes on-line shopping neither cheap, convenient or fast.

 > 

 > Hear hear. I will no longer shop with Pets Pyjamas for the very same

 > reason."



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