OT: Citylink Couriers

[Pete Zahut]

Anyone know how Citylink works? Because, after a phone conversation with them this morning, I'm confused.

I ordered something from ebuyer.com on Thursday and paid extra to have next day delivery because I needed it quickly. According to Citylink's online tracking system it was picked up from ebuyer at 22.04 on Thursday and arrived at my local Citylink depot at 14.33 yesterday, but it never made it to my house.

I called Citylink this morning to see if it would be delivered today, only to be told no - but it may be delivered tomorrow. I then pointed out that I'd paid for next-day delivery because I needed it yesterday, and because I didn't get it yesterday, today I don't just need it; I _really_ need it, so can I come and get it instead?

She said that they were asking customers not to go and collect their parcels because the weather had created a big backlog of stuff. We will get it to you as soon as possible, she said. They're even working tomorrow (Sunday) to clear the backlog. I really do need the parcel so again I asked if there was any way I could collect it - and here's what I don't understand.

I'm assuming that parcels that come in to my local Citylink depot for distribution around my local area come from some sort of central or regional hub somewhere and as they come in, they'll be scanned and allocated out to delivery routes, ie, parcel comes in from hub, is scanned and allocated to route 23; next parcel scanned is for route 12 etc.

What seems to happen in practice though is that it comes in from the hub and gets chucked in a big heap somewhere to be sorted out later because, when I asked if I could collect it, she said I'll have a look for it and ring you back in half-an-hour. When she did ring back, she said that she couldn't find it. They know it's been scanned into the depot but it's just one of hundreds of parcels and she doesn't know which one.

So, if she can't find it, how does the delivery driver find it tomorrow - or whenever they decide to get to me?

[Peter Crosland]

In my experience Citylink are very good but maybe I am lucky in having a good driver who usually serves my area. AIUI the local depot knows what parcels it will have delivered long before they arrive courtesy of the bar code scanning at the collecting depot. This enables them to plan their deliveries for the next morning. Obviously with a large backlog of parcels it can be hard to pick out a single one for collection. You probably will just have to wait until they can scan the backlogged items to go onto the delivery vans. It is known a force majeure.

Peter Crosland

[Frank Erskine]

You should really chase this up with your supplier of the goods. Citylink's contract is with them, not you.

[Vernon]

Indeed and when there is no one in to receive the parcel he will be left a card offering redelivery or more likely giving details of how to collect it from the depot. DOH!

[geoff]

In message , Pete Zahut writes

They all fell over last week

I had failed consignments with CityLink, APC an Fastway

DHL just had an outgoing message saying that they weren't making collections until further notice !

The problem is that if they have a pile of several thousand parcels, how are they going to home in on yours ?

[Pete Zahut]

Well, that's rather the point - why/how do they "have a pile of several thousand"? Surely the most efficient way to work would be that stuff comes in from the hub, gets scanned and then gets put into 'van sized' piles labelled with route numbers ready to be loaded onto the delivery vans?

[Vernon]

That is probably what has happened, but they just cannot be arsed to go through several piles looking for your (and probably several others) parcel. Far easier to do nothing unless they "have to". Typical behaviour of companies that do not care about customer service.

[geoff]

Well, you would have thought so, wouldn't you

... but it would prolly have involved making an effort

[Mathew Newton]

You ought to suggest it to them - they may well have been scratching their heads for years about what the most efficient method is.

Mathew

[Dave Liquorice]

Maybe in normal circumstances the van sized piles don't get much over van size but if stuff is still coming in from the hub but not going out for delivery the van sized piles will rapidly grow to artic sized... Finding one particular parcel in such a pile will not be easy.

[Alan]

In my experience Citylink are one of the better carriers but all of them seem to work with minimal staff at the depots. The drivers do a lot of the work and they are not there when you attempt to collect a parcel. The collection system works because it appears that it is only failed delivery items that can be collected, thus minimising the number of parcels that have to be found.

At Citylink collecting a parcel can take as little as 5 minutes per customer but for some of the others a half hour wait while they try and find your item is not uncommon.

[Bob Eager]

My experience is of waiting well in excess of half an hour - and that's just for the phone to be answered. Mind, I think that Citylink in Ashford (Kent) are probably one of the worst depots.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I found them weird when I tried to use them some years ago. They had a depot opposite work so could have been very convenient. I wanted them to send something for me - and they wouldn't accept cash or credit or debit cards. Only way a non account customer could pay was by cheque. And even those years ago I'd pretty well stopped using them, and didn't carry a cheque book around.

[The Natural Philosopher]

perhaps by having put all the urgent stuff in a different pile?

last week was nightmare. we tracked one parcel going from Norwich to Baldock, to DROITWICH??? where it went on a van, and then promptly came back to Droitwich..and stayed there.

Same issue, but it was non urgent.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not QUITE that simple. people far from the hub may potentially have several different drivers that could take the parcels. There is no postal style 'round' - they do some kind of best fit algorithm for drivers..quite possibly manually.

[Pete Zahut]

You'd have thought so wouldn't you - they must know what's next-day delivery stuff and what isn't. If anyone's still interested, my parcel isn't on the van for delivery today either :o(

[Pete Zahut]

Ah right, didn't realise that.

[The Medway Handyman]

I should get yourself to the depot & nake it plain you will wait while they find it. Offer to help.

[geoff]

In message , Alan writes

My local depot (Hemel) used to have nine girls in the office, they now have three

I think that its also down to individual depots rather than the carrier itself - some good, some bad

[The Medway Handyman]

Thats what the bean counters call 'improvements in efficiency'.