If sending/recieving parcel Warning!! City Link gone BUST!

[mitsuru]

For those of you who have parcels in transit eitherthrough the UK courier firm City Link
has called in the administrators on Christmas Eve and made the announcement about
it on Christmas Day! Talk about a kick in the teeth for unknowing employees who have
probably ran themselves into the ground to deal with the holiday rush, then hearing you've
no job from the media!

The company has stopped accepting parcels from customers at its head office and transport
hub in Coventry, its three other transport hubs and 53 UK depots.

Operations will be suspended at all the company's depots until Monday when customers and
recipients will be able to collect their parcels, which they have been urged to do as soon as
possible.

The firm's online parcel tracking system remains live and a help phone will be open on
Saturday and then from December 29.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30602326

Hope nobody order anything too big that they can't collect them selves!! (bonnets, engines,
transmissions and the like)

[Battles]

This is a rotten situation all round.
Rotten for the staff, thoughts are with them, and a total ballache for anyone with stuff in transit.

[penski]

Still more likely to make deliveries than Yodel.

*n

[ferny]

I'm really not shocked or surprised after my recent experiences with them. I sold some bits on eBay and two had to get to Wales and the buyers arranged the courier. City Link arrived and asked for the parcel, when I asked "which one" I simply got stared at. Eventually we parted ways with me stating that unless he tells me which he's collecting then I can't give him any. Next time he arrives and when asked again which one he wanted he said "the one going to Wales". Again he had to be asked which one and he still stared at me. No tracking number, no name, no post code. Claimed they don't get any information about what they're collecting so I can only assume that their depo is full of unlabelled parcels none of their staff know where to send. Eventually he came back and I could work out which one to give him. The other parcel? Collection by courier was arranged and guess who collected it... yep, the same ignorant and surly driver.

Still better than Hermes who didn't even bother to turn up. After a month of trying over and over again I asked for a refund which was met with, "I'm sorry to hear that sir, would you like me to re-arrange it rather than refunding you?"

[compass]

Yes, doesn't surprise me at all. They were the worst couriers I've ever dealt with, and I generally send around ten parcels out on a daily basis.

Non of their drivers are employed either, all sub contracted our agency staff. No labels on collection, and shocking customer service over the phone. I gave up using them about 6 months ago.

[bazzateer]

Never had a problem with good old Post Office/Parcel Force.

[turbom]

Not nice to hear on christmas day.
Good old parcel force/post office hard to beat but you do pay for it.
As for hermes never had a problem courier in our area was great but shes stopped doing it now.
Yodel are rubbish saying they tried to deliver when we were in all day!!!! put a few fff"s into the driver and yodel and the company supplying the stuff now they use parcel force.

[welshpug]

I find yodel and hermes pretty rubbish tbh, on a par with city link :/

many parcelforce drivers are self employed too, I did some sub contracting work for two a few years ago.

I tend to use ups via interparcel as they tend to be good on price and are reliable.

[Mercdan68]

Dec 26, 2014 8:41:43 GMT compass said:

Yes, doesn't surprise me at all. They were the worst couriers I've ever dealt with, and I generally send around ten parcels out on a daily basis.

Non of their drivers are employed either, all sub contracted our agency staff. No labels on collection, and shocking customer service over the phone. I gave up using them about 6 months ago.

Nearly all parcel companies have sub contractors working for them, I worked in the industry for 20 years as a subbie we gave much better service than the employed staff every parcel delivered means payment every collection means payment, I worked hard for business post now known as uk mail for 18 years.... But city link have been in decline for years they have been left behind by the big boys tnt, uk mail, dpd and ups . This happens to all the smaller parcel firms this happened to a firm called ÉLAN I started out with back in 1992.... Yodel need to get there house in order soon i can see them being the next one to fold ,, tbh I'm glad I sold my vans and got out of the industry I really hope all the staff and sub contractors get work elsewhere horrible to get this happen at Xmas

[dodgerover]

Our current local myhermes driver is good but the last one was just plain stupid, leaving parcels on the door step in the rain and dropping a guitar over an 8 foot gate.....

[mjphotography2016]

feel sorry for the staff friend of mine sub contracts for them luckily long term lease on his van is up in a few days.

never sent through yodel never will they are useless! had so many problems not receiving goods from them

only use post office/ royal mail when desperate they have lost so much stuff and never compensate had over 40 signed for items lost within a few months last year! never got any compo from them and the good's never arrived at the customers!

MyHermes, send most of my parcels through them only had two problems out of several hundred parcels 1 customer tried denying they had recieved item Hermes eventually proved that they had. and 1 item got damaged and they wouldnt forward it or return and it wasnt worth trying to get compensation.

citylink, only used once for item i had purchased, recieved damaged so sent it back the company sent out a replacement and citylink managed to damage that item aswell!.

tnt, ive only sent big stuff through them and they have always been helpfull fast and efficient and never had any problems wouldnt send smaller items through them though as more expensive.

[Mercdan68]

Please remember all those subbies that have worked their socks off all thru December will definitely not get paid, just soul destroying I feel for those lads and lasses just hope that uk mail and tnt snap up some of the quality owner drivers.... And I hope that the government start tightening up on the car owners doing the job, most have no goods in transit insurance and most no security checks done on them I've lost count of my mates telling about cars full of parcels being nicked by opurtunists after cars have been left running whilst these people deliver our goods.... Real subbies treat the job far more seriously

[mitsuru]

Parcel force, more like parcel farce! I sent a parcel through them with insurance and the did everything short of drive over those mr2 lights! I had to refund the buyer his money, and the insurance was voided for no reason!

I have used yodel many times before and get on well with my local driver as he is a fellow car nut. If you buy stuff from ebuyer they use yodel. And I have used Hermes along with others on parcels2go website .

The latest news brodcast on sky and BBC, is that senders and receivers of parcels will need to be collecting them asap as a hint of we might sell it to recoupe looses was thrown in suitily!

[slomoshun]

Just in time received a one off exhaust via city link who said it is due to be delivered on one date but actually came a day early. Asked the driver but he couldnt really speak English but not cpmplaining as the parcel contained bespoke parts not easilt made again without incurring loss of cash. Shame for drivers and other staff / real kick in the nuts.

[slomoshun]

should be words complaining and easily my fault entirely

[fogey]

PITA re City Link, especially during the busiest parcel time of the year. Always happy with Royal Mail and Parcel Force and use them frequently, and the self employed Yodel driver in this area is a diamond - goes out of his way to deliver when I'm most likey to be at home and has even flagged me down when I'm out and about to give me my parcel.

[mikeymk]

How can they get it wrong? Mail order has boomed, you'd think the courier business would be flying..

[Mercdan68]

Dec 26, 2014 19:37:40 GMT mikeymk said:

How can they get it wrong? Mail order has boomed, you'd think the courier business would be flying..

Bad management big competition... Home deliveries being done in private cars, there are too many carriers out there expect another big name to fall this coming year

[mattmk1]

Worst time of year for the employees! Best of luck to them...

As for couriers, I work with most on a daily basis, its the management, we had citylink collect for a while... but they only turned up 50% of the time... and complained at the number of parcels...

My understanding is that they just get paid to drive a wiper motor 200 miles to keep a customer happy... thats not sustainable

DPD is the choice for me, an hour time slot and the company can call the depot/driver on demand and all are tracked!!!

[mattmk1]

Dec 26, 2014 19:47:48 GMT Mercdan68 said:

Dec 26, 2014 19:37:40 GMT mikeymk said:

How can they get it wrong? Mail order has boomed, you'd think the courier business would be flying..

Bad management big competition... Home deliveries being done in private cars, there are too many carriers out there expect another big name to fall this coming year

It will be one of the so called "home couriers" with private drivers... yodel and/or hermes, back to Royal Mail, Parcel force, DPD and UPS... job done!