Monday, 29 April 2013

Parry Hotter, mail dleivery and TNT



29 April 2013

I'm late today I know ... sorry ...

School uniforms are getting sillier by the day it seems.  This morning's News has the story of Hartshill School now has a different coloured tie for each of its houses.  How daft can any one head teacher be?  O}Perhaps he's a Parry Hotter fan and has OD'ed on the DVDs?  Whatever, it's crazy!

Just sat and watched this week's Despatches on Channel 4.  An interesting show showing just how poor some of the private mail and parcel companies are.  A UK Mail depot in Bournemouth was filmed for a month and they showed clear footage of parcels clearly marked as fragile being thrown around the depot, and falling off the conveyor belt they use while staff stood and watched and laughed about.  One parcel contained bottles of wine at £400 a bottle.  One bottle broke so the rest should have been returned to the sender but that was before the staff got their hands on some it.  One of the said that it would be on eBay later that day. 

TNT hasn't improve any it seems.  Now they are delivering letters from the NHS and Barclays Bank as well as other high profile companies.  Deliveries are left unsecured on bikes outside of companies while the postys goes inside to deliver to the addresses inside building.  The worry with the letters from the NHS being delayed or lost is obvious of course.  The worry about letters from banks being left unsecured should also be a worry too.

I first came across TNT when I worked for Interlink in Bed'th.  As far as I am aware they still have a good reputation for their service and lack of insurance claims made against them.  TNT however were a different kettle of fish!  One Saturday I had a delivery to company who repaired HGV trucks.  When I got there I asked the manager if he used a courier company.  "Yes," he said, "I use TNT."  "I'm sure we are cheaper than they are," I replied.  !In know you are but 
I can't afford to use you.  You see, if I know I have a truck coming in on Wednesday for new engine or gearbox to fitted say, I would order then component to arrive here by Monday.  But I know that TNT won't get it here until Wednesday morning when I actually need it.  They have failed on their contract and I get the delivery fee refunded.  I can be sure you would get it here on time and I would have to pay.  Why pay for something if you can get it for free?"  There was no point in pressing the case.

Parcel Farce was just as bad, and no, that isn't a typo!  Far too many examples of their silly game to mention.  What puzzles me is how they make any money out of it all. 

Even so Interlink was open to a lot of fiddles for those so inclined.  An example ... I have always wanted a large Yamaha electric piano thingy.  One morning I arrived and started sorting my deliveries and found I had eight small and four large such pianos.  What we drivers did was to use a scanner to scan the barcode on each parcel and that gives a clear chain of receipt and so on.  But what would happen if I only scanned eight small and 3 large boxes?  All I had to say was that there was only 3 large boxes, not four at the manifest said there was.  Who can prove otherwise?  Another time I had 25 computers on board for a shop in Dorktown.  How easy would it be for one to go missing?  I would hope by now that all of these gaps have been closed.  But the thing is, I'm an honest man.  One boss I had once told me I was too honest for my own good.  But if I could see such holes, how much more could someone who was wasn't honest? 

So, a photo ... 

was this a lovers tiff?

And a funny ...

The NHS have started to give old men Viagra to stop them rolling out of bed.         

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