Amazon & Yodel - a word to the wise

[Kepis]

A word to the wise chaps

If you are thinking of ordering stuff for Christmas from Amazon be aware they have decided (why i don't know) to use the idiots called Yodel, formerly Home Delivery Network as their preferred choice of carrier for larger boxes, i think they still send individual items via the Royal Mail.

A case in point, i ordered about a dozen items last Sunday for Christmas and a birthday next week and placed it on one order - 1st mistake, i got notification from Amazon that the goods had been sent on Monday and a tracking number and the words "your order has been despatched by Yodel for delivery on the 24th), when i saw the word Yodel, my heart sank as i knew this was now going to be a major problem - 2nd mistake, i should have cancelled the order there and then.

The tracking screen from Amazon says the package was received on Wednesday at the local depot for delivery on Thursday, it never arrived, so i gave them the benefit of the doubt, then it didn't arrive on Friday, so i got in touch with Amazon who told me they had arranged to get it delivered on Saturday, nope, it didn't arrive then either, ive since contacted Amazon, who to their credit are very apologetic, but this doesn't help me, they have told me they have lodged a formal complaint with the Cowboys called Yodel, but ive had this before and Yodel couldn't care less, Amazon have also advised that they have instructed their Transport Dept. to investigate the matter, but that they cant tell me the outcome, fair enough, commercial confidentiality and all that, been there done that myself.

I'm still none the wiser as to when the parcel will be delivered, i make a point usually of asking big companies and mail order who they use for a courier and if they say Yodel i take my business elsewhere and i tell the companies this and why, but until recently Amazon have used the Post Office and Parcel Farce and ive never ever had a problem with them, what really grates is the Yodel depot is 10 miles away and even if i take utility bill, passport, proof of address etc, i cant go and collect it from the depot, what really grates is my sister ordered some stuff from Amazon on Tuesday and it's already with her despite being on a super saver delivery.

I've since phoned my credit card company and placed the payment on query until such time i receive the goods and have told Amazon this.

So people if you intend ordering more than one item from Amazon for Christmas, please please please save yourself the hassle and place them on separate orders, i.e. one order - one item, as this way the Postman will deliver them and not the idiots called Yodel.


[/rant off]

 

[nunzionuk]

My neighbor works for Yodel, its parcel line who deliver to them, then they deliver out to local addresses.

 

[Kepis]

My neighbor works for Yodel, its parcel line who deliver to them, then they deliver out to local addresses.

Agreed, but my parcel has been sat at the local depot less than 10 miles away since Wednesday and im still waiting for the delivery, to me that's down to Yodel and nobody else.

Ive been screwed around by Yodel, formerly HDL so many times it's untrue, as i said above, these days if i find a company uses Yodel, i take my business elsewhere and i make a point of telling them why.

 

[andyc54]

Cheers kepis for spoiling my sunday just realised my order from millets is geting delivered by yodel well we'll just have to see what happens as it should be here by monday/tuesday

 

[ged]

In the UK at least it's very simple to deal with this kind of problem. There's a legal buzz-phrase that you can use.

When you place an order you are, legally speaking, entering into a contract. So you can say or write "Time is of the essence in this contract."

You can use this wording more or less whenever you think that there might be a problem with the delivery time. When I place an order by telephone, if I think that it might be an issue I always say that sentence at some point during the conversation. You can usually hear them wake up at the other end.

If you don't make time of the essence when you place an order, but subsequently it starts to look like there might be a problem, then you can make time of the essence simply by informing the supplier that you are "now making time of the essence in this contract".

Obviously you have to be reasonable. The law does not allow you for example to demand delivery in the next twenty minutes. But if when you place the order you make time of the essence, and the supplier says that the goods will be with you on the 24th, and they are not with you on the 24th, then you will normally be entitled to cancel the order, and get a refund if you have paid for the goods.

If you don't make time of the essence (why not?!) when you place the order, and they say it will be three or four days delivery, and the stuff doesn't arrive, you are entitled to make time of the essence and give them a reasonable time to make the delivery. I would suggest that giving them another three days would be seen as reasonable in that example but obviously different situations will require different treatment. For example if there's a train crash and your made-to-order goods were on the train, or if there was an unseasonable snowfall which caused traffic chaos for weeks on end, then your expectations might have to be more flexible.

For run of the mill deliveries of mail order stuff most of the time it will be pretty clear what's reasonable and what isn't. Don't forget we're talking about working days in most cases, few businesses will consider Sundays as working days and many won't call Saturday a working day either.

Be careful if you sign anything, for example in a shop. Sometimes sellers will put into their standards terms of business that "time shall not be of the essence" in any contract. If you agree to that you might have trouble later on making time of the essence, but you are still entitled to expect reasonable performance from the supplier.

This is not legal advice.

 

[Cliv]

I have had trouble with Yodel, I no longer make purchases from suppliers that use them

 

[BillyBlade]

Im having trouble with Yodel right now over a table and chairs I've been waiting on since 13th November. The supplier, in fairness, has been trying to sort it out, but to no avail.

New delivery date is the 30th of this month. Pretty much last chance saloon for them then I reject it completely. 7 day delivery my ****.

 

[pteron]

So that's yodel added to the list. We had a delivery the other day from them and it was such a pain dealing with them that we decided to stop buying from the company in question.

The other is citilink.

I refuse to deal with companies that use citilink.

 

[hiho]

Amazon has been using yodel/hdnl for over a year for super saver, as this keyboard im using came last august. after 2 1/2 weeks

I only use amazon as a last resort as there crap to deal with if anything goes missing. and i got an email thursday chasing up a non delivered parcel 11 1/2 months ago...

 

[Kepis]

So that's yodel added to the list. We had a delivery the other day from them and it was such a pain dealing with them that we decided to stop buying from the company in question.

The other is citilink.

I refuse to deal with companies that use citilink.

strange really, as down here Citylink are superb, never had a problem with them, think it's all horses for courses, but with Yodel, ive only ever had problems, big problems, i even wrote to their MD and i never got a reply, Trading Standards is always a good one to goto over them, but in this instance, im putting it in the hands of the credit card company as they have more clout over Amazon than i ever will.

 

[Kepis]

Cheers kepis for spoiling my sunday just realised my order from millets is geting delivered by yodel well we'll just have to see what happens as it should be here by monday/tuesday

sorry .

 

[Mesquite]

Cheers kepis for spoiling my sunday just realised my order from millets is geting delivered by yodel well we'll just have to see what happens as it should be here by monday/tuesday

Better forwarned as to what expect

 

[sapper1]

Yodel have closed a depot in South Wales with lots of job losses,the deliveries here will probably get better now.

 

[andyc54]

sorry .

not your fault cheers for the heads up if it does n't turn i know why and the depots only 20 minutes away

 

[tomongoose]

My stuff from amazon has been coming through hermes and they just leave the parcels in the front garden out in the elements I was not happy luckily only the outside was damp and the contents were fine

 

[Zingmo]

Last year a whole load of the kids presents ordered from Amazon never materialised. Eventually they told us that the delivery driver had left them in our recycling box, the day the recycling was collected! To be fair Amazon were very helpful and apologetic but the kids had to wait til after Christmas for their pressies.

This year we are trying to persuade the Next delivery people that they have more than one customer in this road: They just leave all the stuff in a neighbours garage!

Z

 

[British Red]

If you don't make time of the essence when you place an order, but subsequently it starts to look like there might be a problem, then you can make time of the essence simply by informing the supplier that you are "now making time of the essence in this contract".

<snip>

This is not legal advice.

D*** straight thats not legal advice!

Please point me to the law that allows you to impose contract terms, without the consent of the other party, after a contract is made.

Sorry ged, but you cannot make "time of the essence" after a contract is made without the explicit consent of the other party.

I'm sure you wish it was so, but it is plain old wrong.

Red

 

[tiger stacker]

As much as Amazon seems a good way to purchase items, is the lack of footfall for local shops not the bigger issue. Hard choice when Amazon undersells the highstreet.

 

[andyc54]

Well mine came today through yodel no complaints left it in my back garden hidden(i live in a quite village with elderly nieghbours) so im happy

 

[Kepis]

Mine eventually arrived today by "special courier" although the guy who delivered it didnt work for Yodel he had a Yodel signature sheet, he gave me some interesting insights to the way they operate, apparently the local depot is chaos at the moment and they have stuff going back two weeks that is still at the depot and are at the moment only delivering to those around here who shout the loudest