In October I used Parcelforce Worldwide’s alleged 24-hour service at a cost of almost £50 to deliver an urgent item to our son in Switzerland. Two weeks on and it has still not been delivered.
The tracking website indicates that the item spent the first eight days in the UK awaiting export. This follows a similar experience during the summer when a simple letter to Switzerland, using the same service, took four days to be delivered.
I am aware that a refund is available, but that is hardly the point. Nor does it compensate for the sheer worry and inconvenience of a service failure of this magnitude.
I did complain the first time this happened and received the standard corporate bluff in reply. My purpose in contacting you is, firstly, to try and obtain a meaningful explanation to which I believe I am entitled, and, secondly, to warn readers that, unless I have been extraordinarily unlucky, £50 simply doesn’t buy you an acceptable level of service from this company.
For very little more, I could have flown to Geneva and back myself. MY, by email
Parcelforce Worldwide’s loss of one £50 guaranteed delivery to Switzerland may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.
We’d like to be able to offer you an explanation as to why your letters both failed to arrive as promised, but as is the nature of things Royal Mail was unable, or unwilling, to offer us one either.
The fact that the second letter spent the first eight days in the UK suggests a serious failure. The log shows it sat in the east London sorting office that whole time, making it a pointless service. The company says it has a strong track record for express delivery, however on this occasion it has clearly failed to do that. It is processing a full refund of the £50.
You may want to look for another courier if you have to send any further letters quickly.
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