Credit Card Warning with Parcel Motel

ei9go

This was an unexpected issue that arose with my parcel Motel Account and should serve as a warning to all Parcel Motel users who have there payment information on file.

I received a notification that I had a delivery in my parcel motel which was news to me as I was not expecting anything.

I had previously purchased fridge filters from an eBay seller in the UK using Parcel Motel and they sent an unsolicited letter to try and sell me more filters.

This unsolicited letter cost me 3.95.

Because of this, I have deleted my credit card information so that I cannot be charged for something like this again and will put my card information in if I am expecting a parcel and then remove it again.

I did email parcel motel customer services about this issue but received no reply.

Be warned.

Peppa Cig

It is not Parcel Motel 's fault that someone posted YOU a letter to YOUR PM address.

ei9go

Peppa Cig wrote: »

It is not Parcel Motel 's fault that someone posted YOU a letter to YOUR PM address.

Never said that it was.

I am just warning you of the possibility.

That's a well known problem with the service. I did read one time that if you contact them and explain that you can get refunded.

Yeah you can get a refund.
My cousin got a origami crane sent to him all the way from Japan to his parcel motel

rubadub

Peppa Cig wrote: »

It is not Parcel Motel 's fault that someone posted YOU a letter to YOUR PM address.

Its is parcel motels fault for having such a poor system in place for this VERY well known issue.

As said before they have given refunds before. You can check online to see pictures of the item.

I would much prefer to have an option for them to bin all mail I get until further notice. Or at least bin all letters/non-parcels. Or give them permission to open and examine mail while in this notice period. A bit of cop on would go a long way. If a large parcel did arrive by accident I would hope it would not be discarded.

Beano

The problem with that rubadub is that they are not allowed to interfere with mail. The mail is addresses to the recipient, not to parcel motel. They are not allowed to open it or destroy it of there own accord. Can you even give a blanket permission for such a thing?

Virtanen

rubadub wrote: »

Its is parcel motels fault for having such a poor system in place for this VERY well known issue.

It really isn't. It isn't their call to decide what mail is important and what isn't. If they did, then they'd have people complaining about PM destroying their mail

And as for having the option to check mail to see what it is, that's just adding more work, probably driving up prices as a result. The system they have isn't perfect, I'll grant you that, but it is far better than any alternatives I can think of

tharmor

ei9go wrote: »

This was an unexpected issue that arose with my parcel Motel Account and should serve as a warning to all Parcel Motel users who have there payment information on file.

I received a notification that I had a delivery in my parcel motel which was news to me as I was not expecting anything.

I had previously purchased fridge filters from an eBay seller in the UK using Parcel Motel and they sent an unsolicited letter to try and sell me more filters.

This unsolicited letter cost me 3.95.

Because of this, I have deleted my credit card information so that I cannot be charged for something like this again and will put my card information in if I am expecting a parcel and then remove it again.

I did email parcel motel customer services about this issue but received no reply.

Be warned.

You should have been warned !!

delahuntv

maybe the OP should have double checked that they clicked the "No marketing" box when they did the original purchase. Or better still investigate who they are buying from.

But to blame parcel motel is like blaming a car manufacturer because you got stuck in traffic.

recipio

urbanledge wrote: »

Yeah you can get a refund.
My cousin got a origami crane sent to him all the way from Japan to his parcel motel

That was to an ROI address ? I foolishly cilicked an order for a sawblade from the US to Newtownabbey by mistake. The courier held it up in the UK and wouldn't allow me to use my credit card to pay duty. I had to get a money transfer from the Post Office and post it to them. Major hassle all around so I would definitely stick to the EU for future PM imports.

rubadub

Beano wrote: »

The problem with that rubadub is that they are not allowed to interfere with mail. The mail is addresses to the recipient, not to parcel motel. They are not allowed to open it or destroy it of there own accord.

I am not sure of the legalities of it, are you? If legality is an issue then I am suggesting they do have a legal disclaimer which does give them permission to destroy mail -to which you have no comeback. But as I said a little cop on would go a long way.

You would in effect be nullifying your account with them, and reactivating when you wish. I find it very hard to believe they could not come up with a solution to this.

If post arrives they could presumably just do a return to sender on it, which would hopefully also stop the marketers sending stuff in the future to that address. They would treat it like an unknown address as its deactivated, just like if post came in my door addressed to "Mr Beano", I would stick it back in the post if there was a return address on it. If not I would open it and try and determine if it was junk or if valuable I would try and make contact.

Beano wrote: »

Can you even give a blanket permission for such a thing?

I would certainly like to.

Virtanen wrote: »

It really isn't. It isn't their call to decide what mail is important and what isn't.

I would like to give them permission to decide, if you do not trust them then you simply would not select the option to destroy all mail until further notice.

I trust my parents and ex housemates & ex colleagues to open and destroy mail that arrives to old addresses. I expect mail arrives to my old workplaces which is destroyed, I have no problem binning mail which arrives to previous employees who had my job title, I get them all the time. If an iphone arrives of course I have the common sense not to destroy it and would contact them. It's not that difficult to decide, its not programming a robot.

Virtanen wrote: »

If they did, then they'd have people complaining about PM destroying their mail

They would have had to tick a disclaimer, and again I doubt the PM people would destroy what is obviously an expensive looking item. If I stuck something in my green bin I am not going to complain to the waste company that they destroyed it, I am giving tacit permission for them to do so. I have friends leave stuff in my green bin if I am not home and they are dropping off something, I know the risk.

Virtanen wrote: »

And as for having the option to check mail to see what it is, that's just adding more work, probably driving up prices as a result.

I think it could drive prices down for a few reasons.
-they would not be wasting time delivering junkmail to PM locations only to have to have admin deal with complaints and have to refund them for this unwanted junk.
-they would not lose customers over this stupid oversight, and so have more custom. They have gotten bad press over this issue, the weekend issue, and the littlewoods issue (they openly delcared they were increasing prices to all customers so they could cover littlewoods free returns policy). When people ask me about PM I warn them about the junk & weekend issue, and many remark about how stupid it is.

delahuntv wrote: »

But to blame parcel motel is like blaming a car manufacturer because you got stuck in traffic.

I don't see the similarities. I can't see what a car manufacturer could do about traffic.

They are already perfectly capable of refusing post.

What happens if there is VAT and/or Duty due on my item?

Please ensure that any charges payable are paid in advance of delivery. Parcel Motel will not accept responsibility for payment of any VAT or Duty charges due on items delivered. If the postal operator or courier asks for cash on delivery, your item will be refused by us.

They could highlight the risk of deactivating your account in the same way.

degsie wrote: »

Hi,
Say I purchase an item and have it sent via PM, what if the business I purchased from decides to send me junk mail (offers, catalogs) to my PM address. Am I liable to pay for motel stays if these get sent on? Can PM screen out this type of stuff?

Allyall wrote: »

No, it's up to you to screen it out.
If you login to your PM account, you can view what is in it by clicking the little camera icon beside the link.
If you go back to any sites you have ordered from and make sure that you have chosen not to receive any promotional material by mail etc..
(A few sites have that option hidden fairly well).

If you haven't ordered anything and something arrives, after you view it in your PM account, you can either leave it there and it will expire and Nightline will refund you, or you can ring or email them and tell them it's junk mail.

This woman below was the official PM rep

Parcel Motel: Orla wrote: »

If you receive junk mail to your Parcel Motel locker, please let us know and we will credit the €3.50 back to your account. We have to send everything out as we can't always be sure what is junk and what is not. Lots of our customers use the service to receive letters and magazine subscriptions are also very popular. You can log into your account and see a photo of the item, if it is a letter/brochure that you did not order, let us know and we will remove it, dispose of it, and credit your account.

So customers using it to receive letters or magazines would obviously not tick the box to destroy/examine mail until further notice.

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@ideasasylum Thanks Jamie. If you've been charged for junk mail, please let us know and we'll credit your account.
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5:34 AM - 25 Apr 2013

Virtanen

rubadub wrote: »

They have gotten bad press over this issue, the weekend issue, and the littlewoods issue (they openly delcared they were increasing prices to all customers so they could cover littlewoods free returns policy). When people ask me about PM I warn them about the junk & weekend issue, and many remark about how stupid it is.

I'm sorry, but I hardly think spam letters amount to bad press for PM. Again, it's not their fault they have to process them. Would you blame An Post for delivering letters that turned out to be spam? PM is not a premium service, you're not paying extra for better service, you're paying extra for a means of delivery that is more convenient to you. I don't expect them to do any more than that

I wasn't aware they admitted they increased prices due to their Littlewoods contract, and I would like to see where they did that, if you have a link? Unless you mean the email where they announced the price changes, where you can read between the lines to come to that conclusion?

I'm not saying PM are perfect, in the past they have lost a package of mine with very little in the way of an apology, and I am more than happy to out a company whenever they royally screw up. I'm just saying there's no point blaming them for doing what they are paid to do - deliver whatever they receive

Beano

rubadub wrote: »

I am not sure of the legalities of it, are you? If legality is an issue then I am suggesting they do have a legal disclaimer which does give them permission to destroy mail -to which you have no comeback. But as I said a little cop on would go a long way.

I would imagine it is covered by something here http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/26/part/V/crossheading/offences-of-interfering-with-the-mail

even if they did allow a disclaimer parcel motel would have to open every piece of mail received and make a call as to whether the recipient actually wants it. thats a lot of work for no money. that is presuming you expect them to provide this for free? If not how much do you think you would be willing to pay for this service? I just cant see it being economical.

The real problem here is that the OP was sent unsolicited mail. Any proposals around allowing PM to reject any letters are trying to solve the issue on the wrong end. And as for blaming PM for not doing this for its customers, well i think thats a bit silly.

firestarter51

just contact parcel motel and tell them it was junk mail, im sure they will credit your account, thread statement sounds more serious than the issue really is

rubadub

Virtanen wrote: »

I'm sorry, but I hardly think spam letters amount to bad press for PM.

In the large PM thread there are 48posts with the word junk in them, it is obviously a concern, its on twitter & facebook too, I have heard it being a concern offline too. I expect many have paid up and not know that they could have gotten a refund.

Virtanen wrote: »

Would you blame An Post for delivering letters that turned out to be spam?

If an post charged me €3.95 per delivery then yes, I most certainly would have issues with them if I had to go ringing them up for refunds.

Its a bit different to an post since most people using PM will be expecting a package. Its not like its your offical legal address and an unexpected speeding fine will be missed and you get in trouble, so you could not really put all your post on hold, or ask them to return it all to sender.

A closer comparison would be if an post offered a collection postal service, whereby you would leave stuff in a box outside your house and they collect it and then charge you. And them not having the facility to lock the box so any passerby can start sending stuff. And then its up to you to ring an post and complain.

Virtanen wrote: »

PM is not a premium service,

And I explained how they could be cheaper if they did have the policy I suggest.

Beano wrote: »

I would imagine it is covered by something here http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/26/part/V/crossheading/offences-of-interfering-with-the-mail

even if they did allow a disclaimer parcel motel would have to open every piece of mail received and make a call as to whether the recipient actually wants it.

The "Return to sender until further notice" solves both.

Beano wrote: »

thats a lot of work for no money. that is presuming you expect them to provide this for free? If not how much do you think you would be willing to pay for this service? I just cant see it being economical.

They already will deliver your junkmail from belfast, then pay someone to take your phonecall, then pay someone else to do the admin involved in refunding you. They do all that for free.

When my current topped up credit runs out I will be doing what the OP suggests. The already do have the right to destroy parcels by the way

I received a text to say my account has insufficient funds. What does this mean?

This means that we have tried to check in a parcel for you but there was not enough credit on your account to cover the transaction. Please top up your account or add a card. We recommend you add a card if you are receiving parcels on a regular basis as this way you can avoid delays due to insufficient funds. If after 3 attempts (over 3 days) we cannot process your parcel due to insufficient funds, we reserve the right to dispose of it

How long do you hold parcels which have not been delivered?

If we were unable to deliver your parcel due to missing address details or insufficient funds, we will dispose of any unclaimed parcels within 30 days of receipt.

http://www.parcelmotel.com/faqs.html

Beano

Its obvious you have a bee in your bonnet about this rubadub so i'm going to leave this to you.

rubadub

Beano wrote: »

Its obvious you have a bee in your bonnet about this rubadub so i'm going to leave this to you.

I have luckily never been caught out by junkmailers. I think its just ridiculous that they have done nothing about it, and are obviously wasting resources sorting it out, which in turn is no doubt going to be passed onto customers, plus the bad press from it. I am very surprised at the response in this thread, as though people would not even like the option.

I have shown the do have the right to discard packages, another option would be ticking a box to throw out all letters. All I ever get are largish parcels. If I got a memory card I would untick the box for that time in case they thought it was a letter.

This is a post from the big PM thread from last week, as I said there are plenty of people pissed off with the junk mail situation.

dl wrote: »

Parcel Motel is starting to take the piss now... same junk mail delivered twice in four days and billed for each delivery! Filled out their online contact request form asking them to ignore this type of mail but no reply... might be time to pull the plug on my account.

I am wondering if the OPs advice of cancelling the card details can solve both the junk mail AND the weekend issue.

I received a text to say my account has insufficient funds. What does this mean?

This means that we have tried to check in a parcel for you but there was not enough credit on your account to cover the transaction. Please top up your account or add a card. We recommend you add a card if you are receiving parcels on a regular basis as this way you can avoid delays due to insufficient funds. If after 3 attempts (over 3 days) we cannot process your parcel due to insufficient funds, we reserve the right to dispose of it

I am unsure if they are going to try charging you for these days. Sounds to me like they get the parcel and do not deliver it until you have money or a CC registered. So I would hope not to be charged as its not in a locker but in their depot.

So if I unregister a CC and my parcel arrives on friday night I get a notice and can put off registering the card until sunday, and therefore be able to collect it on the monday on my commute to work where I passby the locker. If it was registered on the friday I would have to go out of my way at the weekend, or else pay more money for another stay.