ParcelForce Workers Agree to a below inflation pay rise

However, Royal Mail Sorting, Collection and delivery Staff have rejected the offer and the CWU are calling for more discussions to at least match the rate of inflation.

If things get out of hand, and with the majority of the group not accepting the offer, this could end up in a strike affecting the whole country.

And the issue isn't restricted to just Royal Mail. It appears that TNT use Royal Mail in some circumstances to complete delivery so it could affect them (and us).

To make things worse, if strike action is taken, Royal Mail haven't had assurances that any fines as a result of failing to meet standards targets will be waived.

Adam Crozier and the CWU really need to get this sorted ASAP!

If you wish to review the service you've received from Parcel force then feel to add your comments here.

Royal Mail Loosing Business

The ThisisMoney.co.uk site is reporting that Royal Mail is loosing business customers hand over fist to rivals such as TNT and UK Mail (part of Business Post).

I've always believed competiton is good for the industry as long as people compete on customer service and not simply offering the lowest cost.

PayPerDrop Added to Forum Reviews

I've just added a section on the Delivery Hell forum for people to review the PayPerDrop courier.

Bad Courier Service is not limited to the UK

It's not something we'd naturally think of, but the Patricia Tourist Office in Riga, Latvia have reason to complain about the lack of service they've recently received from DHL Brussels.

Mike Johnson commented on the Complaints board that one of their clients went to Berlin but forgot some special medication. Mike contracted DHL to send the client some medicine at his hotel on the Saturday.

Despite being located at their Brussels facility on the Friday, it didn't move from there the entire weekend.

Despite calling DHL USA and getting the medicine re-routed he had no satisfaction from DHL USA, Belgium or Latvia as they want a letter being signed saying Mike will arrange payment for the shipment before it's returned.

He complained that their level of service was just unacceptable and has stated that he'll close his account with them.

In my mind there needs to be more pressure like this for unacceptable levels of courier services. Without pressure from clients shoddy service will remain.

I congratulate Mike on his actions - especially when someones life could have depended on a delivery that was guaranteed.

Gardening Express pursues delivery company for loss of earnings

The online gardening centre - Gardening Express has asked it's insurers to pursue the delivery company Amtrak for loss of earnings.

The Chief Executive, Chris Bonnett was upset after Amtrak pulled out of providing a daily service after a number of non-deliveries. Allegedly some of the Gardening Express customers said that deliveries were appalling.

Losses amounted to something like £40,000 and Mr Bonnett wants compensation. He said: "We've had a lot of angry customers, who we have had to refund because we could not ship, and negative comments have been posted about us on internet message boards."

Allegedly Amtrak gave Gardening Express 6 days notice that they'd be ending the service. It is alleged that Mr Bonnett asked for more time. The information we have is that Amtrak have resumed delivering Gardening Express orders.

Amtrak said that the matter resolved around the transportation of shrubs and trees that were over-sized and that they refused to carry them.

In the end the transportation of shrubs has resumed but there is no news whether the large trees will be taken.

In my experience as a consumer I've never had any problems with Amtrak. I'd love to hear from businesses. You can leave your thoughts on Amtrak here.

Amtrak Review

I just took delivery of a nice new LG 32LC2D for the bedroom and have had a great experience with their courier (Amtrak) which I've logged.

Am I being too harsh on City Link?

We know that City Link took over Target Express in December last year and that any crap service I've had recently could be due to teething problems?

Yeh maybe but if I was managing the integration project and closing down branches then I would have redirected all the phones to the new branch thats looking after the location. To me that's a very simple thing.

In an interview with Logistics Manager, managing director Michael Cooke said: "We have been working hard to understand what really matters to our customers and what changes need to be made to not only secure their loyalty but also to grow our customer base."

That's all well and good, but they seem to just be focusing on those sending items and not those recieving them. I don't think they understand "consumer power" and our ability to pressure retailers. A big retailer like ebuyer is already reviewing the use of City Link due to consumer pressure.

Michael, you've got a long way to go!