Couriers - don't use Hermes

I blame Royal Mail for all of this. How can you blame Royal Mail for Hermes' performance, you ask. Let me explain. When Royal Mail got privatised, they hired some halfwit jobsworth with McDonalds University degree in cheeseburger economics to re-evaluate their parcel delivery strategy. The effect of the changes was so severe that it's virtually impossible to send anything over 2kg via nations most advanced postal system without it costing an equivalent of flight to remote European destination. Let's say you want to send someone some hardware:

1 hard drive, weight 700g, 1st class signed for £4.40
2 hard drives, weight 1.40kg, 1st class signed for £6.55
3 hard drives, weight 2.10kg, 1st class signed for £16.95

What, where, how, why? That's right - magic weight at Royal Mail is 2kg. Anything above and you are screwed for 24 hour delivery. Split your shipment into two separate parcels, and of course it's under £11, it's now twice the size, twice the amount of scanning, twice the insurance, twice the legwork at depo, but the point remains - the motherlover who rejigged Royal Mail's pricing policy made a booboo that left most of the small shops in UK effectively courier-less and in desperate need of cheaper shipping solution.

Cue an army of random white van men previously contracted by failed courier attempts of City Link (nee Rentokill, now bankrupt) or Home Delivery Network (no rehashed into Yodel) being re-contracted under the name of Hermes - an Uber of courier deliveries, if you will - a network of over 10,000 independent couriers held together by bluetack, cellotape and a mobile app to provide doorstep delivery for under £5. The company where 48 hour delivery from within the same county can take up to 7 days (as I personally found out). The company even British Online Retailing Association call 'Wild West'.

And I blame Royal Mail for them. Because without Royal Mail bailing out on the nation, we wouldn't look twice at some Mickey Mouse couriers, they would starve, dry out and stiffly fall off the market within few months on their own...
 
My gf used Hermes last week to collect a parcel. Stayed in all day and nobody came. Rang them at 5pm and was told dont worry, it can be up to 8.30pm.

Still never came. Contacted next morning and was told they would definitely collect that day. Asked them why it wasnt collected the day before. Was told "driver forgot" :(
 
Best one was my dad. He ordered a chainsaw and it hadnt arrived. Checked with Yodel and they checked their records and said it was left on his front door step!

Well it wasnt there when he got home (why would it be in this day and age?)


So the supplier shipped him another one which he got.


Roll on 3 months later and the seasons changed and he went into the greenhouse in the garden and the first chainsaw was in there! So I got a free chainsaw :D
 
Used hermes for the last year and had 0 issues with things being delivered, granted I do drop them off at a 'parcelshop' rather than getting them collected at home.
 
Greebo said:
Best one was my dad. He ordered a chainsaw and it hadnt arrived. Checked with Yodel and they checked their records and said it was left on his front door step!

Well it wasnt there when he got home (why would it be in this day and age?)


So the supplier shipped him another one which he got.


Roll on 3 months later and the seasons changed and he went into the greenhouse in the garden and the first chainsaw was in there! So I got a free chainsaw :D
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Carefull saying that on here the ocuk hivemind will say its stealing.
 
Had a quite nice leather jacket and the last one in the UK in my size :(, go "missing" couple of weeks ago (BS was it "misplaced" I'm betting on someone at the courier stealing it) - seller refunded me and I assume claimed off the courier.

EDIT: Would be a bit of a moral dilemma of sorts if the original one did turn up eventually - as I've now spent money on an alternative but had my heart set on the original and only bought something else due to the courier's mess up.
 
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Hermes are a joke.
item bought 30th July
item posted/collected by Hermes 2/3rd Aug
Item lost in system on 6th Aug

Contact Hermes on 10th asking where it was using their online form which has a mandatory tracking number field.
Receive a reply days later asking for my tracking number before they can proceed.
I reply same day.
Yesterday receive another email asking me for photos of the damage.
I reply asking what the fug is going on. I'd love to do that but they haven't delivered the bloody package.
Now awaiting another request for tracking number to get this merry go round running again.
 
brendy said:
Hermes are a joke.
item bought 30th July
item posted/collected by Hermes 2/3rd Aug
Item lost in system on 6th Aug

Contact Hermes on 10th asking where it was using their online form which has a mandatory tracking number field.
Receive a reply days later asking for my tracking number before they can proceed.
I reply same day.
Yesterday receive another email asking me for photos of the damage.
I reply asking what the fug is going on. I'd love to do that but they haven't delivered the bloody package.
Now awaiting another request for tracking number to get this merry go round running again.
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Your contract isn't with Hermes, take it up with the supplier.

Hermes are their problem, not yours.
 
sanaxe1 said:
Carefull saying that on here the ocuk hivemind will say its stealing.
Click to expand...

Well by then the shipper had claimed off the courier and the courier was adamant it had been left on the front door step on the street without a signature.


They deserved it tbh
 
If you order a lot of stuff that gets delivered by couriers, the obvious answer is to become an independent courier.

You can deliver your own stuff to yourself (and fill out hundreds of 'we called but you weren't in' cards for everyone else).
 
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