[Geoff Sleath]

I ordered some electronic ignition parts from HobbyKing to convert the Champion 25cc engine I bought on eBay with a duff magneto ignition.  (It was sold as such. The seller was quite honest)

Unfortunately they hadn't arrived before we went to France for 3 weeks.  I took the delivery slip down to the PO this morning only to find the package had been returned to sender as undeliverable!  Apparently the GPO only keep 'signed for' packages for 7 days before returning them.  That's an incredibly short time and one that even a short absence from home will make difficult.

I've contacted HobbyKing and hope they'll resend it though I suppose I'll have to pay postage again.  I'm not in a huge hurry but it's somewhat annoying and I'm sure others have fallen into the same trap.  At least we had a good time on our hols

Geoff

[RGN]

Rather than a HK issue, that sounds like a GPO issue that will affect all manner of signed for parcels.

Hope you get it sent back soon.

Imagine the airmiles that item will be eligible for when it arrives

Richard

[Cactus]

about time the post office was shut down and given to a bunch of blind limbless monkeys to run, they couldn't do much worse

[Geoff Sleath]

Rather than a HK issue, that sounds like a GPO issue that will affect all manner of signed for parcels.

Hope you get it sent back soon.

Imagine the airmiles that item will be eligible for when it arrives

Richard

You're right, of course.  This issue is likely to arise with any mail order purchase needing a signature.  I simply wasn't aware of the very short time scale to pick packages up from the post office.

Geoff

[Thoughtful_Flyer]

You're right, of course.  This issue is likely to arise with any mail order purchase needing a signature.  I simply wasn't aware of the very short time scale to pick packages up from the post office.

Geoff

Rightly or wrongly this rule has applied for as long as I can remember. I think it is 14 days for items that don't require a signature.

I agree it is more of a problem with items from overseas, where the delivery times can be vary variable, but presumably a line has to be drawn somewhere.

[leccyflyer]

I ordered some electronic ignition parts from HobbyKing to convert the Champion 25cc engine I bought on eBay with a duff magneto ignition.  (It was sold as such. The seller was quite honest)

Unfortunately they hadn't arrived before we went to France for 3 weeks.  I took the delivery slip down to the PO this morning only to find the package had been returned to sender as undeliverable!  Apparently the GPO only keep 'signed for' packages for 7 days before returning them.  That's an incredibly short time and one that even a short absence from home will make difficult.

I've contacted HobbyKing and hope they'll resend it though I suppose I'll have to pay postage again.  I'm not in a huge hurry but it's somewhat annoying and I'm sure others have fallen into the same trap.  At least we had a good time on our hols

Geoff

To be fair, Geoff, what would you consider a suitable time for which the Post Office ought to retain undeliverable parcels for? Three weeks would seem to be a bit optimistic - there's only so much space in a local sorting office.

[PDR]

This is one of the reasons why I get nearly all mail-order stuff delivered to my office address (because there is always someone here to receive/sign-for the parcels). The other advantage is that it avoids worrying SWMBO over things she doesn't need to know about...

PDR

[Jeezeypeeps]

The RM operate a 'keepsafe' service for just this purpose. Naturally, you have to pay for it 

http://www2.royalmail.com/delivery/inbound-mail/keepsafe

[leccyflyer]

This is one of the reasons why I get nearly all mail-order stuff delivered to my office address (because there is always someone here to receive/sign-for the parcels). The other advantage is that it avoids worrying SWMBO over things she doesn't need to know about...

PDR

Its why I order things next day delivery if possible and, so far, haven;t been let down in that. Well worth paying the extra 2-3 quid on an order to have it in your hands within <24 hours of placing the order, plus it's usually trackable.. If I was going to be away for a few weeks I wouldn't order anything, personally, but I suppose that's a great disadvantage of the indeterminate length of time for a delivery to arrive from Hobbyking, I don;t use them myself.

[markg]

This is why I work from home.  Our neighbours find this pretty convenient as well.

[Cactus]

half the trouble with HK is the processing time, i brought something 2 days ago and it's not yet left the warehouse, all processed and picked, just going nowhere.
i'd be nice to get it by wednesday in time for woodsprings but i'm not optimistic.

last order said sent on the 25th, but the package turned up with a post date of the 31st

[julianb]

Don't talk to me about the bloody post office and royal mail.

They've lost a grand's worth of stuff that I posted recently - having had to sell it to make ends meet because of redundancy. Now have to give all the purchasers their money back.

Great!

Personally I think some distribution hub lackey has got sticky fingers...but how do you prove that. The Post Office are blaming the Royal Mail and vice versa....

[Dizz]

half the trouble with HK is the processing time, i brought something 2 days ago and it's not yet left the warehouse, all processed and picked, just going nowhere.
i'd be nice to get it by wednesday in time for woodsprings but i'm not optimistic.

last order said sent on the 25th, but the package turned up with a post date of the 31st

It is the luck of the draw though - I ordered 2 EDF motors on a Sunday last month and they were delivered the following Thursday.................I was at work so picked them up from the PO on Saturday.

[Cactus]

i think it's this royal mail big box theory that was posted here when it was first announced. you either catch it right, or not.
i went with the inof that said it;s quick, normally under 7 days.

2 days to pick and pack, 3 now it's not dispatched is taking the wee tho

[RGN]

Don't talk to me about the bloody post office and royal mail.

They've lost a grand's worth of stuff that I posted recently - having had to sell it to make ends meet because of redundancy. Now have to give all the purchasers their money back.

Great!

Personally I think some distribution hub lackey has got sticky fingers...but how do you prove that. The Post Office are blaming the Royal Mail and vice versa....

Sorry to hear about the loss and your redundancy. Didn't you insure it or at least get recorded delivery? I don't send anything through the RM unless it is at least signed for and anything of value gets insured too.

Richard

[Thoughtful_Flyer]

half the trouble with HK is the processing time, i brought something 2 days ago and it's not yet left the warehouse, all processed and picked, just going nowhere.
i'd be nice to get it by wednesday in time for woodsprings but i'm not optimistic.

I agree, I have the same problem at the moment.

I ordered several in stock items from the German warehouse two and a half days ago. I sent a chaser email today to ask why still "processing". Got a useless reply then an automated notice that it was now "picked and awaiting dispatch"! However, still not sent. I find this poor.

Although I am critical of Giant Cod in some respects, this is an area in which they are excellent. If they can't deal with the orders the same day they suspend ordering so at least you know exactly where you stand.

There is little point in offering various faster / more expensive post options if they are going to take a random length of time to actually dispatch.

[JohnP]

i think it's this royal mail big box theory that was posted here when it was first announced. you either catch it right, or not.
i went with the inof that said it;s quick, normally under 7 days.

Hmm, can you try again please Phil?  I've read it three times,  I recognise most of the words, and they look like English.  But in the order they're written I can't work out what the heck you're talking about...

[Cactus]

hobby king have started using royal mail for delivery. the theory muted here was that they would put all the orders together in a container and once full send it on it's way. when it gets here the contents get posted.
so you either catch it at the start when it's empty and you wait, or just as their filling the last gaps.

[JohnP]

Ah,  got it now! 

[Bad Raven]

Though I'd relate the warranty experience I have just had.

Had a HK500 Heli Tail Assembly on watch, waiting for stock. When it arrived I ordered, it alone.

It arrived in decent time, well boxed, box seemingly undamaged, so opened.

However, on opening the large bubble pockets used were not a complete wrap, and sadly the tail servo drive horn, which projects the most of all underneath, had been exposed to the cardboard case inner for knocks and was broken off inside the plastic sealed bag.

Resisting the temptation to open it, I took pictures of it still in the sealed bag and submitted a warranty support request.

The reply, again fairly prompt, asked for pics of all faces of the packing outer and of the label.

Did as asked, and again in reasonable time have just received a credit to my account to compensate me.

I have heard people bemoan the after sales service, but I don't think that's too bad, do you??

[The Saint. (Owen)]

Very good if you ask me. 

[jetster]

Like others I  have suffered the same problems with the post office only in my case it was the numpty 'delivery officer?!' who being too lazy to actually bring the packet out to deliver also forgot  to leave a glad and sorry card so I knew to collect. After my patience  ran out I contacted HK for an explanation and they suprisingly quickly replied that the tracker advised them it was at the post office for collection. When I arrived I was told that as I had not turned up for it they had returned it back to HK a day or so before. But the guy behind the jump told me that the 'delivery officer' in question 'was always doing that'. After a very straight conversation with the postmaster He reluctantly agreed to investigate the complaint and eventually agreed to cover the cost of re posting at 35 quid express!

[metcalfeclive]

Buying from hobby king I always get it delivered to work, it can take several weeks to arrive and like geoff if you have to go away you can be in the kakky la la's with respect to returning undeliverable.

As for processing being unacceptable?  thats the nature of the beast, cheap prices, slow service, mainly because they are on the other side of the world.

CM

[PDR]

"Processing" is just an indication that there are a finite number of staff. Orders come in on the computer and someone needs to take the next one, walk the warehouse to collect up the stuff, pack it into a box and attach shipping labels etc. The internet is not a robotic warehouse, and there is always a human in the loop with any of these transactions (for some reason people seem to think that clicking on an order button makes stuff fall into boxes and ship itself!). They could add more warehouse staff, but that would add to the fixed costs and so increase the prices.

I've always used HK as a supplier only for things that I need "within the next month or so" - as with all overseas suppliers there is always the risk that HMR&C could delay the import by several weeks no matter what efforts were made by the supplier to deliver rapidly.

PDR

[The Stig]

Hobby king always delivered to "work",cos delivery is somewhat variable

however a pal of mine had his package returned by the PO because he was on holiday !  , but HK deneyed they ever got it ! but he had it traced and eventually HK said Yes they had it and returned his cash !

it took 7 months to sort out !!

I still find it an excellent "shop"

stig

[Mole Hunter]

HK have around 120 staff just packing stuff, IIRC.

[metcalfeclive]

Hobby king always delivered to "work",cos delivery is somewhat variable

however a pal of mine had his package returned by the PO because he was on holiday !  , but HK deneyed they ever got it ! but he had it traced and eventually HK said Yes they had it and returned his cash !

it took 7 months to sort out !

I still find it an excellent "shop"

stig

Again a human will have had to recieve the package and log it back on the system as returned.  If they get distracted by a text message, rcmf, or maybe just someone in a very short skirt that they had an ogle at, then this logging might not take place and there will just be a random parcel knocking around the shop.  I guess after a time they might notice it still there and investigate, hence it suddenly is identified on the system as returned.

Probuild once failed to post something for me, it was about £30, they insisted they had and were quite rude saying that they have customers spending thousands and they couldnt be bothered with my £30 order.  Several weeks later the item arrived with a note saying "sorry found this behind the filing cabinet or something similar"

We are all human

CM

[Mole Hunter]

It seems that HMRC are being a bit keen at the moment and it's causing big delays. I've just had a parcel from HK reach the UK on the 16th, sit in customs for a week and then get delivered to me yesterday- with no charges due.

The HK forums are full of people complaining about the delays. I've got a very low value package I'm waiting for too- a couple of keychain cameras. I suspect they're with customs too, but as I accidentally failed to select registered airmail for it I can't be sure.

[bobt]

It seems that HMRC are being a bit keen at the moment and it's causing big delays. I've just had a parcel from HK reach the UK on the 16th, sit in customs for a week and then get delivered to me yesterday- with no charges due.

The HK forums are full of people complaining about the delays. I've got a very low value package I'm waiting for too- a couple of keychain cameras. I suspect they're with customs too, but as I accidentally failed to select registered airmail for it I can't be sure.

Is it possible that items are being scanned very carefully and all 'odd' packages investigated because of terrorism concerns re the Olympics/Jubilee?

[Mole Hunter]

Possibly, but I don't think a box full of (very nice) wooden props is a threat to national security! 

[Bad Raven]

Possibly, but I don't think a box full of (very nice) wooden props is a threat to national security! 

Well, that depends on what they are put!!