What happened to it?

I am sick of large companies being uncontactable, except via pointless and misnamed "customer services" ''phone lines / email.

I am sick how they treat you as a cash cow and when they cock up they don't want to know.

What annoys you and which companies?

Tesco annoy me on many levels - not least the fact they have often tried to overcharge me. Today I had a good one. I was due 3p change. I thought I'd wait for it but there was not 3p in change in the till. So the guy went to the next till - none. Asked a colleague - none. By now despite the embarrassment, I had decided to stick it out. He rattled in his till and found 2p, offered it me and said "sorry it's 1p short." Now, recalling days of yore when if an independent shopkeeper didn't have the correct change they'd give you more as they valued your custom, I just said "well give me 5p then!" He did. A small, insignificant victory for decency but it cheered me up!

I think I've identified your problem.

Nearer the mark.

Probably something to do with consumers (by and large) demanding that retail should be nothing more than a race to the bottom so that we can have everything cheap, cheapest and cheaper still?

...and directly as a result of that you'll find that as far as mail order services are concerned you rarely deal direct with the retailers own employees from the moment you click the "Checkout" button - sure the order goes to their premises but the people who go and pick your order, package it, and then right through the delivery to your door, will be agency or sub-contractors, will more than likely be on the minimum amount that can be payable for that job spec, could well be on short term or temporary contracts and as a result feel no loyalty to the brand that you thought you were buying in to, or to you as a custoemr, because you're not their customer - despite what the talking heads for those companies will tell you, the people on the ground who do the work do not feel connected to you in any way.

I've found a couple of options that work really well in mail order - eBay dealing with registered eBay traders with good and hefty feedback (because they depend on you giving them good feedback, ie they actually care), and the "click and collect" service that many retaillers (I'm thinking Asda) offer, mainly because there is someone accountable when you go into their store and because they often use their own distribution methods to get your product to your nominated collection store.

Talking about online ordering. Why people like Amazon use Royal Mail is beyond me.There is always trouble with them - again as staff are given unrealistic delivery targets and so can't be botherted knocking, etc.

Pre-Christmas we ordered a few items from Amazon. I ordered some books which did not cost alot and they were efficiently delivered by a courier to my office and signed for.

Where they use Royal Mail, things are somewhat different:

- we found a cardboard package on the doorstep in the pouring rain when we got home
- a coupke of years ago Mrs D ordered an expensive iPod as a present - it was left on the doorstep!
- Postman has seen Mrs D through the window and left expensive things o0n the step without knocking or put we tried to deliver but you weren't in card through the letterbox!
- Mrs D sent a Christmas present to her brother. Royal Mail left it in a Wheelie Bin with an illegible note. When they went to collect it next day they were advised it was in the Wheelie Bin - but the bins had been collected! Luckily, Amazon despatched a replacement without question.
- Another present was delivered to the same houe and just left outside even though they were in.
- An incoming letter with some Christmas money to one of our kids was openened and money knicked (not for the first time).

All in all, Royal Mail do themselves no favours and are hastening their demise through poor management and poor motivation.

Welcome to capitalism

Have you ever stopped to wonder why this keeps happening to you?

From hospitals via supermarkets and delivery services, I doubt there is another UK citizen who has attracted such consistenly poor levels of service.

Do you ever ask "Is it me?"

I take the contrary view in that I dispatch goods on a fairly frequent basis to customers and always use my local Post Office in preference to a courier service.

In the main its much cheaper, occasionally the stuff I send (artwork) can be posted via regular mail for a couple of pounds, for larger items like the 3 foot square framed canvas I sent yesterday it goes over the counter and sent via ParcelForce on a 48 hour service, insured and a trackable signed for delivery for £11.

They have never yet lost an item of mine in the post.

I've used courier services via one of the online conduit providers who allegedly have accounts with all of the major carriers and guarantee the cheapest courier prices, they never quoted less then £12 for a single package, and depending on who they used they didn't turn up to collect when stated and on two occasions didn't turn up at all, basically you are a single non-account collection for these companies and you are not important in the great scheme of owner-operator drivers who get paid by the number of items completed, if you live too far out they'll identify you as the one to drop off the sheet if traffic is heavy.

The reason that the likes of Amazon use Royal Mail should be obvious, they are reliable.

I can just picture his postman peering through the window and thinking "aw, fook, not him", before dumping the parcel in a plant pot and legging it.

Just about everything I've ever ordered either from Amazon or EBay has come through the Royal Mail and ive never had a problem. Especially with Amazon, on most occasions the free delivery option gets to my house within a day or 2 of ordering.

As someone who deals with both couriers and RM on a daily basis I'd say RM were streets ahead of any of the competition for both delivery and collection.

I must admit that I am very impressed with DPD - they seem to be a shining beacon in the frankly terrible courier industry.

Even just small things like a text when the driver is an hour away and the option to defer delivery to another time - it's not difficult but it's a bloody nice touch.

Postal deliveries are usually ok, if we are out they leave a card to say a parcel had been left at a neighbours or taken back to the sorting office, but we did have an odd one just before christmas when we were left a card to say that it had been left with the neighbour (we have only the one) but when we knocked they new nothing about it. We chased it up with the courier and was told it was delivered by a sub contractor and to ring them direct. They said they had definately left it next door, but no one could find it. About an hour later we got a call from the sub contractor (local car owner doing a bit on side) to say that it was in fact his daughter who had dropped it off and put it in the 'green bin', luckily enough the bins had not been emptied and my wifes new boots were found safe in 'next doors' bin.

I note you say "often" … why not take your custom elsewhere?

You do know that it is YOUR responsibility to tender the correct amount and that stores are under no obligation to provide change, don't you?

I'm a Labour supporting Catholic - I don't do personal responsibility.

Or comedy by the looks of it.

Thats another thing that I take into consideration when posting out stuff to customers who live anywhere in the UK - if they are not in when the delivery is attempted then what happens ?

At least with the Post Office you have a good chance that they won't be too far away from their local sorting office which is normally where the parcel is returned to, my sorting office is about 1 mile away. If its a courier then their collection office might not even be in your town or city, in Leeds for instance I've had to collect parcels addressed to me from City Link across the other side of the city, if I didn't live in Leeds then christ knows how far I'd have to go to collect and not all couriers will make limitless re-visits.

One anomaly I haven't yet fathomed is: If RM attempt a delivery, they will "card" you and you have to go to the sorting office to collect it. If Parcelforce do something similar, they leave the item at your local Post Office.

Parcelforce don't operate out of the same depots, RM will leave the parcel at your PO if you ask them and pay the 50p charge.

UPS are absolutely dreadful. A few weeks ago I had something shipped over from Germany overnight before midday because I knew there'd be someone in to receive it. They turned up at 4pm, there was nobody in. I called customer service to rearrange to be told it was my fault nobody was in and they refused to put a time on the next delivery.

Flip side I ordered some food online from Sainsbury's to avoid going in whilst it was busy over Christmas. They did 1 hour delivery slots, it pulled up outside my house 2 minute before the slot started, everything was there in good condition and with no short use by dates on the fresh food. The delivery charge was less than the price of a taxi from the store. Was very impressed.

UPS are absolutely dreadful. A few weeks ago I had something shipped over from Germany overnight before midday because I knew there'd be someone in to receive it. They turned up at 4pm, there was nobody in. I called customer service to rearrange to be told it was my fault nobody was in and they refused to put a time on the next delivery.

Flip side I ordered some food online from Sainsbury's to avoid going in whilst it was busy over Christmas. They did 1 hour delivery slots, it pulled up outside my house 2 minute before the slot started, everything was there in good condition and with no short use by dates on the fresh food. The delivery charge was less than the price of a taxi from the store. Was very impressed.

With you on the this. They're getting worse. My other half's phone took 3 weeks to arrive