City Link is driving me insane!

[fiwen30]

Not Pony, but still damn frustrating!

I ordered a new cage and some toys and a carrier for my soon-to-be new hamster. The tracking number was scanned as in the local delivery office this morning, and was 'out for delivery' in the van at midday. It gave a delivery time of between 7.30 and 17.30.

I sayed in the house all day, waiting, and saw nothing of the courier. after 17.30 I spent an hour trying to reach a human rather than an automated voice on one of their phone line, and was on hold 3 times for 15 minutes each. After much searching online, I found a direct number to the local delivery office, only when I phoned at 18.15, there was a message saying they closed at 6pm, despite the website saying that that office is open till 7pm!

Furious doesn't even begin to cover it. I filled a complaint form on their website, though they wont reply to that over the weekend, and I'd like this delivered tomorrow. I'm moving house in 10 days, and don't have a day spare next week to sit in the house all day like a muppet, waiting for these chumps to deliver!

I can't even go and pick the package up, as you need a card from the van driver, and noone bothered to even attempt a delivery. If they refuse to come out tomorrow I'll have to pray they don't come Monday morning, and waste the rest of the day waiting around. 

[DaffyDilly]

You need to contact the retailer, as if this was the second delivery attempt, City Link won't attempt a third without the retailers authorisation. It costs us £6 for a third delivery attempt and heaven forbid we want to change an address - looking at a £25 plus for one consignment!

City Link will leave parcels with authorisation, so that might be an option?

[hathorcat]

Oh the wonder and joy and fantasticness that is City Link! Seriously of all the couriers in the UK I have dealt with over the years, this lot are the absolute worst. And delivery to Rep address were a particular nightmare.

The seller will want to help you get the parcel because, as Daffy says, it costs the account holder [the seller] money when the parcel is returned. When I worked for a brief time for an online retailer we used to do everything to ensure a customer got the parcel as City Link charged £5 for the delivery to customer but if they were forced to return the parcel to us they then charged us a further £22.50. Often there was no come back on the £22.50 as the buyer was so fed up with the process they simply wanted a refund and as the seller we had to eat the charge.

The key is to put it back on the retailer - ask them why a delivery attempt has not been made. If City Link claim delivery was attempted you can ask them for details of where they tried to deliver [drivers should make notes along the lines of "white gate, black front door"] and where they left the card [again a note should have been made] and such notes should be in City Links system against your consignment number. As they wont be able to provide anything of any accuracy you can insist upon an actual delivery attempt. Dont be surprised if you are told the driver simply ran out of time on scheduled delivery days - this was an excuse I got a lot when attempting Rep deliveries with City Link; I think they have to cover a tremendous area and often they run out of shift time.

And all that being said if you are taking City Link direct make sure you have your consignment number from your seller as without that City Link can be even more unhelpful than normal.

[DaffyDilly]

They don't make notes about door colour now, they take photographs. So if the driver has been and carded a property, CL should have a picture of it on their system. It's about the most useful thing they do.

I always hate bad mouthing CL because the customer care team at our local depot are (all bar one person) excellent and really nice to talk to, but generally we have more problems with them than we do the other two couriers combined!

[hathorcat]

Lol its been about 5 years since I worked with them so I guess technology has moved forward if they are now taking pics...thats a step in the right direction.

I think my negatively with them stems from how easy some other couriers are to deal with and how few problems I have and had with others...but then again everyone has different experiences I just know I always want to *head-desk* when anyone tells me something is coming via CL.

[DaffyDilly]

I've never had delivery problems with any courier, but we have customers who absolutely will not use CL, many who won't use DPD, and some who won't use anything but Royal Mail!

Most of the CL problems we have is drivers going to the wrong properties, which I suspect is what might have happened in Fiwen's case. I don't know how they process addresses but if it is missing the second line, despite having house number and street name, and the correct postcode, they still get it wrong!

[Ringlets]

I have nothing useful to add since I've never had to deal with City Link, but wow they sound like such a pain!   here's hoping they get your parcel to you by Monday Fiwen