Why these days is the simplest of things cocked up by morons and life made unnecessarily complicated!
Decided my caravan battery was teetering on the edge of it's final charge after 8 years use and tester saying SOH now only 70%, so before it fails totally and lets me down, time for a replacement for this new season.
Sorted correct replacement from a reliable supplier, Tayna, only to find idiot courier, Yodal, had shipped it upside down DESPITE clear all round labelling saying 'This Way Up'!
I refused to accept the delivery, it's been 2 days in transit, I've no idea if any acid has leaked out inside the packaging (it's only an ordinary flooded lead acid battery, so MUST be kept right way up). I could have opened the package to inspect before accepting, but wasn't prepared to be arguing with a courier about how much leakage was OK or otherwise! It's been upside down, it's not good for it in any way!
Message rattled off to Tanya explaining reasons for my rejection, very prompt reply and apologies, refund to be issued when Yodel gets the battery back to them! Just hoping now that the dopy sods at Yodal don't loose it and mess up my refund!
One simply job to do, yet such moronic people employed, even a simple job is beyond them doing correctly!
So here I am, back where I started, one dying battery, and a new one still to be ordered, and 4 days of my life passed with not a lot to show for it other than my blood pressure raised!
I'm well old enough to remember when even the humblest of employees doing the most mundane jobs could do so reliably, these days I struggle to get ANY task done without complications because seemingly hardly anyone can do their jobs anymore! It does make me despair! Youngsters seem to accept this as normal and not a cause for complaint, but I've lived in better times and KNOW it could and should be better!
There’s a lot to be said for going to a store & buying something to take away. Yes, do the online homework first & no,it doesn’t apply so well to unusual items.
We’ve always got our MH leisure batteries from Halfords, never had a problem.
I've just had a new battery fitted to one of our vehicles and considered online.
However for the hassle involved in testing the old one, sourcing a new one, fitting a new one, testing the new one and disposing the old one the £5 extra I paid to the local car spares outiet over an internet sourced battery was well worth it.
Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 03/4/2025
Sorted correct replacement from a reliable supplier, Tayna, only to find idiot courier, Yodal, had shipped it upside down DESPITE clear all round labelling saying 'This Way Up'!
Message rattled off to Tanya explaining reasons for my rejection, very prompt reply and apologies, refund to be issued when Yodel gets the battery back to them! Just hoping now that the dopy sods at Yodal don't loose it and mess up my refund!
One simply job to do, yet such moronic people employed, even a simple job is beyond them doing correctly!
Could have been worse and they could have squeeze it through your letter box. LOL!
However if we know a company is using Evri or Yodel, where possible we look elsewhere even if it means paying a few quid extra. Companies use these "cheap" companies to improve their profits, but if goods get returned or never delivered then it impacts their bottom line.
Parcel delivery couriers work long hours on low payed piecework, they often own their own vehicles and buy their own fuel. You get cheap or free parcel delivery because they don't know and don't care about what's in the parcel and have no time to look at the labels.
You need to be stupid to be a parcel courier!
EVRI managed to lose a lot of parcels at Xmas, including one we sent to our mother in law.We got a refund from the supplier who told us that we were not the only ones. I hope they got compensation from EVRI.
Post last edited on 04/04/2025 17:47:58
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
Living in a village with an excellent Post Office, I always use Royal Mail when sending parcels. However, I have recently had a few which are sent to me being delivered to the "local" collection point (both Yodel and Evri do this). It drives me mad! The nearest collection point is in our nearest town, 3 or 4 miles away and means getting the car out, driving there, finding parking etc. etc. Grrrr!
------------- Freedom is a light caravan and an open road.
I was in a hurry so bought my last battery from halford, they wanted to test my old battery to make sure I needed a new one, but as it was stinking of gas I didn't need a test, instead I took it to the local scrap yard and got nigh on a tenner for it.
However if I'd had more time buying from Tayna would have saved me a lot more than a tenner
We were expecting a parcel a few weeks ago and I got the email to say it would be delivered in a two-hour window. I knew no one was going to be at home so I clicked on the link in the email to go to the delivery company’s tracking page and set my delivery preferences. We have a very kind neighbour with a severely disabled adult son who doesn’t go out much, so there is always someone in their house and they are happy to receive parcels for us, so I specified their address as my preferred neighbour. I also put a note on the tracking page to say that under no circumstances should they leave the parcel on the doorstep as we live in a very dodgy neighbourhood. We arrived home that evening to find the parcel (in a cardboard box) had been left on the doorstep in the rain and was now a soggy mess. Fortunately everything inside was salvageable but it made me wonder why these companies give you the opportunity to specify where to put the parcel if no one is home, and then completely ignore what you tell them.
Pixie, I had a similar 'dumped on the doorstep in the rain' experience with some moderately expensive camera equipment bought from a VERY reputably and highly regarded camera shop. - but the couriers are another matter altogether, not a single one that rates as consistently reliable!
I've got a dog, and if you so much as place a hand on my front gate she will normally let rip, she doesn't miss a trick as a good housedog, the door bell is not going to be missed by either the dog or me! This courier either threw the package at the step from the street, or was incredibly stealthy to not alert the dog, but most certainly NEVER rang the doorbell! Pure chance I discovered the soggy parcel when I took the dog out for a walk, and lucky someone hadn't swiped it! It was never intended to be a water resistant package, and the contents certainly weren't water resistant, but thankfully the contents were undamaged. The 'rate your experience of your purchase' enquiry/review that followed was my opportunity to express my displeasure! - I did get an apology from the shop.
This photographing package on the doorstep as confirmation of delivery is a curse, it's wildly abused, certainly not the first time a courier has dumped and run without a 'proper' delivery!
As to buying my battery from Halfords, sadly they don't really do the one I want/need, the nearest they offer is over 60% more expensive! Even if I 'borrow' my mate's staff discount, it's still over 21% more expensive! And the nearest remaining store is a bit of a pain to get to. - not much of an incentive to buy from them! About the only reasonable option to purchase the battery I want/need was online with courier delivery. Despite living in London, not many physical stockists of Leisure Batteries these days it seems, and then no guaranty of actual stock at the store, used to be able to get them at Costco at a good price, with a choice of 3 stores not too far away, but they no longer do them, local GoOutdoors closed and batteries are mail order only now anyway! Every other outlet I know, and there aren't too many anyway, either doesn't stock what I need and/or is outrageously expensive! - I could buy 2 batteries elsewhere at price for one charged by some!
As unimpressed by mail order and couriers as I may be, it's rather enforced upon us these days!
Which recommends you don't give couriers permission to leave your parcels anywhere. Legally, it's your problem once they've left it because you said they could. I'm not sure how it would work out if they didn't follow your instructions, but I suspect if a parcel was stolen you would have to prove they hadn't left it in the appropriate place. When the parcel is missing that could be difficult! Anyway, food for thought.
We purchased a replacement battery for the van from Tayna last year. It was delivered correctly upright and well packaged. I don't recall the courier probably not Evri.
The driver rang the bell and asked me to sign on his phon3 screen
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
"Wet" batteries are something I would not personally risk buying online, however the battery supplier I have used for years has now closed down so I'm not sure what I will do when I need a new one.
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