Damned City Link

Wirral_paul

Evenin all

A week and a half ago i bought a Tacx Fortius VR Multiplayer from a guy for £400. He is in Kent while I am on the Wirral and although he'd put collection only, we agreed that i could arrange a courier to collect from his work.

Transaction went smoothly and a courier was booked via one of the guys advertising online on Ebay - 20kg weight limit (the item is 16kg boxed) with the Ebay listing asking that a list of details including item value, dimensions be emailed after purchasing.

Good service from the trader saw the booking confirmed with City Link to collect last Monday 16th between 8:30 and 5pm. Despite the collection being from a busy Europecar office open from 7:30am to 6:30pm - no collection!! Driver claimed he left a card (but there's no postbox!!). Ebay trader re-arranged the collection on Tuesday and it was duly collected Weds lunchtime (email received from the seller who said his secretary just called him at lunch). Tracking confirmed this online. Thursday i'm off to London for 2 days so 3 members of staff all aware at my office and await collection. Saturday, pop into the office and no parcel - email from staff confirmed this (and no failed delivery card). Check online tracking and it says the account holder cancelled!! Rung City LInk and they say their tracking says collection was attempted and failed at 6:30pm so they cancelled. At this point i'm getting annoyed and point out the earlier collection which they can see and are then equally baffled as a delivery cant be cancelled after collection!! They try to call Ashford depot but no answer - promise me Monday they will chase it up. Monday evening, no response so call again - they had done nothing!! Formal complaint raised!!

This morning at 9:30, called back to find out what was happening and push them as i dont trust them. Call back promised by 10am. 9:45am - call to ask item description (its a plain cardboard box!!) so dimensions given from the original booking. Call back by 3pm promised after passing details to Ashford and Chester (local depots). 3:30pm - no call so call them again.

Woman tries telling me the item wasnt collected according to their system at 6:30 and do i have proof it really was?? - YES - an email from the seller and 5 witnesses plus their own online tracking at 12:15pm!! Were you there yourself to prove it?? Errrmmmm let me think on that one you dopey woman!! Still waiting to hear back off them but a manager gave me her email address so i've sent her a link to a Tacx Fortius now.

So whats the point of this? Well i feel better after a rant and a warning about City Link really. DPD collected and delivered a pair of wheels perfectly to a member on here - also ordered via Ebay.

Anyone else had bad experiences with Sh!tty Link??

redvee

Wirral_Paul wrote:

Anyone else had bad experiences with Sh!tty Link??

Only one delivery from them has been pain free. Just be thankful it wasn't in the week before christmas, I spent 2 hours at their local depot waiting for them to find my box from Wiggle. I was lucky in that I walked away with the item I went to collect, others waiting either walked away empty handed or with only one of the three parcels they'd gone to collect. Of the four missed deliveries I've had one card. When I've phoned the depot and complained about the lack of cards I was told more were being delivered the following day and I nearly said I hope CityLink aren't delivering them.

LeicesterLad

Not a fan of City-Link, the local depot is a good 25 miles away...

However I BLAME WIGGLE , they should state if City Link are doing the delivery, because they ALWAYS want a sig and there depots are ALWAYS much further away than the nearest royal mail, and seeing as most people tend to work for a living, the 25 mile drive become the only option...

sfichele

Yeah city-weak-link are pain. When I had my bike delivered they claimed they had knocked and left a card.
Lying toads. They had't, I know because I had been in my front garden working on the bay window all day. Phoned them at 5.30pm and managed to force them to come back round and actually get out of the van and delivery the damn thing.

Gazzaputt

Posted this before but watched the CityLink delivery driver push my new carbon steed out of the van and let it drop to the floor :shock:

He was well pissed I made him wait whilst I unpacked it and check for damage.

capt_slog

I don't recall any problems with City-Link, I don't think I've ever used them for sending stuff out, but I'm sure I've had things delivered by them without any trouble.

The one I usually use is Hermes via the Parcel-2-Go website. Cheap as chips and the stuff has always got where it's going.

Aggieboy

bianchimoon

I've had exactly same trouble as you with city-link, claiming they've left cards at my office as no one was in! (when it's manned 7am till 9pm 6 days a week)
I guess they MUST have to LIE to save being penalised for not hitting same/next day delivery targets. They're by far the poorest delivery company we've ever dealt with. Would never use them out choice it's only if a supplier sends stuff to us via this amatuer operation we have to put up with it

Pross

No but Yodel are as bad, ordered an iPod dock just before Christmas. To be fair they tried to deliver next day but no-one home. Card left saying it would be delivered the next day (23 December) so my wife stayed home all day waiting. Just before the last delivery time we rang to check it was coming - "no, it hasn't been put on the van - we'll try to get it on for tomorrow but it may be too late now. If not it will be delivered on 28th". Unsurprisngly, someone waited in all day Christmas Eve and it didn't come. 28th we waited in all morning and then phoned. It still wasn't on the van, we asked to speak to someone to make a complaint and ended up dealing with a call centre who couldn't understand the basic complaint that we were making and ended up hanging up hanging up in frustration. It eventually turned up on the 30th. Now, I would expect a longer delivery time at Christmas as was impressed with how quickly they first tried to deliver (although as this was quicker than expected no-one was home!) but if you leave a card saying it will be delivered the next day then make sure it is!

t.m.h.n.e.t

Pross wrote:

No but Yodel are as bad, ordered an iPod dock just before Christmas. To be fair they tried to deliver next day but no-one home. Card left saying it would be delivered the next day (23 December) so my wife stayed home all day waiting. Just before the last delivery time we rang to check it was coming - "no, it hasn't been put on the van - we'll try to get it on for tomorrow but it may be too late now. If not it will be delivered on 28th". Unsurprisngly, someone waited in all day Christmas Eve and it didn't come. 28th we waited in all morning and then phoned. It still wasn't on the van, we asked to speak to someone to make a complaint and ended up dealing with a call centre who couldn't understand the basic complaint that we were making and ended up hanging up hanging up in frustration. It eventually turned up on the 30th. Now, I would expect a longer delivery time at Christmas as was impressed with how quickly they first tried to deliver (although as this was quicker than expected no-one was home!) but if you leave a card saying it will be delivered the next day then make sure it is!

Yodel are terrible,if they collect as HDNL and then there is nobody home/neighbours they leave a yodel card so you have 2 tracking numbers for 1 parcel and no bloody parcel

I rang their automated number and requested redelivery the next day but also used the second number to tell them I'd pick it up (I was going to the gym the day after anyway which is close by their depot)

They delivered it after 6pm having spent the whole day at home waiting

Wirral_paul

Well guys - its semi-comforting to find out that i'm not alone in thinking their drivers are liars!!

Latest update is that the driver remembers picking it up and he was recognised at the collection by the staff (Europecar Office in Dover) as someone who had hired from them. They therefore know they have the parcel but STILL cant find it - a week now after collecting it. The manager there called me this morning and informs me they are looking in Lost Property (probably a 500 acre warehouse spread across 3 counties!!) as well as various depots.

Still no Tacx Fortius for me though!! Not a happy bunny!!

Sirius631

Just to throw a spanner in the works, our club's CTT handbooks have just arrived via City Link, promptly and first time.

mallinov

Hey Paul, I had an inkling it might have been you that won the fortius!!

One of the girls in the office ordered christmas presents that were due to be delivered by city link. She waited a few days and no sign of any delivery, she called them to chase it up. They said they delivered it to our next door neighbour. Our office is a port-a-cabin in a car park in Dover Marina. We have no neighbours. You can't get to the boats without knowing the marina pass codes and the marina office is half a mile away over 2 bridges (not exactly a next door neighbour! They didn't have it anyway!). When she called them again to explain they said driver tried to deliver and left a card at which point she lost it, told them there was always someone in the office all day and we didn't have a letter box. Lo and behold, parcel arrived next day.

Hope you have the same result!

redvee

One incident that sort of worked out in my favour was when the driver couldn't deliver to me as it was too late, after I had waited in all day. Allegedy he got from my part of town to the depot in 30 mins in rush hour when I have a friend who lives a mile away from the depot who says it takes 45 mins on a good day. Anyway I phoned up the depot saying I needed the item asap as I was going away the following day and paid extra for the next day delivery service, I could have got the item elsewhere but not as quick. The driver delivered the parcel on his way home at 18:30

dilemna

They're not known as Shitty Link for nothing. The monkeys dropped a microwave I purchased from Amazon a few years back. They did the same to the replacement right in front of me! I ordered stuff from Wiggle last summer and Shitty link managed to crush the box twice as the first item was returned. The second wasn't but I got a refund from Wiggle. Monkeys!

DHL are total wonkers. I bought a couple of tents on-line. The monkeys deilivered it to my postcode but 80 miles away, some where in Lincolnshire twice! They maintained the location they delivered them to was the same as mine and were going to charge extra to having it re-delivered to another postcode which was the same but mine in Cambs. What utter losers. When the package turned up it was all ripped. You could tell it had been kicked around their depot by some knuckle dragging monkey.

Parcels to Go are total a-holes as well. I paid for next day delivery but it took them 10 days to deliver. Next day not next month!

Then Yodel left stuff I bought off Amazon a week late, left a card and the package in the neighbour's bin!

The only outfit I have not a had a problem with is Royal Mail surprisingly. CRC used to send most stuff RM first class post which was always fine. If not in the postie would push a card through the door then take the package to the nearby sorting office for safe keeping. Simples.

jim55

i had grief with cl as well ,,bought a brand new bike via ebay and got sent an email from cl to say it would b del mon ,,i took the day off work to await delivery ,,they said anytime between 9-530 ,,it got to 4 and i thought they should have been ,,phoned them to b told it was all going to plan and i would get it shortly ,,it never turned up ,,,,phoned them back ,,no answer :evil: so i emailed them as it appeared the depot was shut.
the girl phoned me the next day(when i was at work)and said they tried to deliver it to 38 (and i stay in 36)!!i said they were incompotent and i would go to their depot and pick it up myself as i didnt trust them,,true enough ,,i took the rest of the day off and drove (at my own expense )to their depot and got it ,,and on the box it said 36!!!!i am /was really pissed off at them ,,will never use them again and anything i buy online will b asking about the courier used and if city link are mentioned il b going elsewhere

NWLondoner

Way too many issue with shitylink

main reason i only use wiggle for small purchases now.

Drivers always saying they called/left card etc when i know damn well they didn't

Royal Mail used to be very reliable, however since moving to a secure building they are beginning to be a pain as well. My postbox is in a downstairs hallway that is behind a secure main door and they keep forgetting the secure key fob to enter and are too bone idol to USE the intercom FFS!! To make matters worse when i have bulky packages the key fob doesn't open the secondary internal door so they just put a calling card in the postbox, again as they don't want to use an intercom.

My block had a months post backed up at the sorting office as they were too f****** lazy to press a buzzer and the post manager couldn't be arsed to raise an issue with my landlord!!!


I'm finding that Evans online ordering with price match facility is working out best for me. I can get it delivered to my local branch FOC and collect when it is conviennent.

Wirral_paul

mallinov wrote:

Hey Paul, I had an inkling it might have been you that won the fortius!!

Hi Malcolm, yes it was me
City Link have decided that it is now officially lost having checked their Ashford (Kent) and Chester (near me) branches, plus the lost property section that must be HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEE. They have told me to submit a claim through the account holder I arranged it with...........and it seems he's not answering his emails!! City Link confirmed the name of the account it was booked through at least, so i'll be emailing them directly myself if i havent heard anything back by tomorrow. I have a feeling this will go to small claims court (unless City Link honour a direct claim against them from me).

cooldad

I'll keep it short: Off their website:
Day one - No one to take delivery - reschedule - rescheduled
Day two - ditto - have to pay! for third attempt
This is to my office - always someone there.
Called them, told them they were a bunch of liars - they say delivery drivers take pics to prove they were there - I said send me pic - everything goes quiet.
Call again, same converstaion.
Call again, same converstion.
Call seller, tell him to send me another or sort out rubbish courier co.
He calls them, I call them, finally they find it, hasn't been delivered because the box 'burst'
I agree with seller to take delivery, any damage he'll pay me to send it back with a decent company.
Finally delivered after ten days.
Fortunately works (a computer).
Saga over.
Moral - City Link are sh1t.

bill_gates

dilemna wrote:

They're not known as Shitty Link for nothing.

Agree totally, lowest level of 'courier' company in the UK. They now have a 'minimum spend' policy for businesses sending via their network, I had one of their sales people sit in my office begin for business a few years back. The irony that they can be picky and choosy on their clients. Pffft.

Wirral_paul

I just cant believe they get away with it continuously it seems!! Well i requested the ebay trader's details who i booked the courier company with so will call them tomorrow. Still wont respond to my emails despite me informing him that City Link admit liability and should pay out! Why do i think i'm about to have to go to small claims court??

I'll speak to City Link again tomorrow and ask them if i can claim myself.

ilm_zero7

so many couriers are all the same - why bother even going to the address just to leave a postcard? So many times i have been in the house, or in the garden all day, and find they have been to the gate, but not sounded a horn or rung the mobile number which i have purposefully given to them !!

Royal mail/parcel force for me - at least they have now started taking failed deliveries to the local post office for collection, not some depot 20 miles away

redvee

RM delivered my PSU to the local Post Office when I missed them. A trek of 100 yds each way