Fastway and the mystery of Eircodes

jo187

Been waiting on two packages, being delivered by Fastway.

I didn't realise Fastway was delivering them, until I looked into finding out where the hell the packages were.

According to the tracking code they had tried multiple times to deliver but no response and needed additional information.

I never received a call from any of there drivers so I doubt they even bothered trying.

I emailed and no reply, what a shock. I rang the phone number, only to be told by an automated voice they no longer take phone calls. How the hell a company like this doesn't have a phone number that the public can called them, must be illegal.

I ordered these items weeks ago for a birthday and should have been here by now. I started to panic as I reading all these horror stories about fastway, as I was googling them to try and find some way to contact them.

Thankfully I found an helpful story of someone who contacted the depot and included the phone number.

After an hour on hold finally got through to someone. A nice enough person who helped me sort it out.

We started by verifying my name, address and tracking number that all match the information they had on there system.

I changed the address to where work and was told the reason why they couldn't deliver to me was because they didn't have my eircode.

It wasn't until I hung up the phone how stupid this was. They had my address? All they had to do was put my address into the eircode finder and bingo.

Clearly a load of bull the poor phone staff are told to say. I avoid ordering off these companies or any others that use fastway.

Rket4000

The Eircode finder is fine for urban areas where houses are numbered amd streets have names - not so reliable in rural areas where multiple houses can have the same address. Also, as far as I remember, the eircode finder limits the number of addresses you can check on the same day. So courier firms may have a policy of not checking for either of those reasons. Totally agree that if they had a phone number or email address for you they could have contacted you for any missing information.

jo187

Wow didn't know eircode finder had a limit.

That makes no sense, why would they do that?

Green Peter

Fastway are diabolical, eircode finder is no use when your driver has difficulty spelling.

Rket4000

Don't know if it's still the case but it was when eircodes were rolled out - it was something to do with trying to prevent firms using them for junk mail.... Dunno why they'd need eircodes to do that!

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118039725#Comment_118039725

For info only --- Royal Mail provide 6 postcodes daily per IP address.That would slow down a marketting campaign quite a lot.

Flinty997

This isn't an eircode problem. Though I think its a flawed system. That ship has sailed. Sounds more like issues with that courier.

corks finest

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118039716#Comment_118039716

Yes they’re pretty bad, left my last 2 parcels 📦 over the wall , as I live in a cul de sac not many cars or ppl there during the day just lucky parcels were still there , on a side note DPD are as bad

magicbastarder

i think it was fastway we had problems with for a while; our road on is the boundary between the areas of operation of two of their distribution depots, and they treat the two sides of the road differently. except an post don't, so our package would go to their distribution depot and they wouldn't be able to deliver because they only deliver as far as the other side of the road, and not to our side.

hasn't happened in a year or two though.

corks finest

It’s down to lazy shoddy practices

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118039725#Comment_118039725

NO, it was more to not under cut their commercial side, why pay for a licence if ye can do it all for free on the web.

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118039716#Comment_118039716

Fastway are a franchise, so some areas are good, other are sh1t

Green Peter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040411#Comment_118040411

Galway is shite

jo187

Got a phone call this morning. From the fastway driver saying he is outside my apartment! I told him it was change to where I work. He said he knew nothing about this and they don't have a customer service number so he doesn't know who I was talking too.

I rang again and the guy said the address wasn't changed but he will change it now and the package will be with me tomorrow. I'm sure it will be.

I ask to speak to the manager. He said he couldn't connect my call as he was working remotely? And the manger will call be back. Still waiting of course.

Fann Linn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040484#Comment_118040484

Agreed.My postal address is:

Galway,

Co. Galway.

My eircode address is:

Castlerea,

Co. Galway.

So my normal delivery goes grand regardless of where the package has come from and then 'bang' as soon as it hits Athlone, it's back up and down the M6 with me chasing them up on twitter, Facebook etc.

corks finest

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040484#Comment_118040484

Cork definitely is, deliver wrong parcel then list the return one so I was in limbo for months, turns out the Fastway chap collecting the returns forgot to scan it , so I couldn’t prove he actually picked it up despite the shopkeeper giving me a receipt- sorted it by physically going down and confronting them- turns out a guy down there knew me from a club we worked in years before and he sorted a refund—— still took another week to get it though

corks finest

Excuse the typo

Grab All Association

The old adage of “Pay peanuts, get monkeys” comes to mind. Then again An Post are no better lately.

until the likes of Fastway etc pay better, companies start using multiple couriers like Amazon does instead of the cheapest and there’s a single European Union postal service like the USPS, nothing will change.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118040350#Comment_118040350

Couriers aren't paid enough to do that, they're hardly paid enough to deliver the package never mind spend time looking for information that should have been included.

Green Peter

I think it's an area that should be licensed like the private security area. I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for delivery if it arrived on time by a trustworthy driver.

VinLieger

Fastway are an horrific company, early this year a security researcher discovered they had a bunch of customer data open and visible to the entire internet. This researcher contacted Fastway and told them and they promptly fixed it. however they then sent out press releases lying about how they were maliciously hacked.

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118039697#Comment_118039697

They charge for commercial access to the database

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118049903#Comment_118049903

The OP didn't have an Eircode on their package. You said that the courier should look it up if its not on a item that the courier is delivering.

jo187

The main issue was none of the drivers called me. Even with my eircode you need a code to get in to my apartment block. I doubt they even tried to deliver it.

Tuesday first time I got a call of any of there drivers. Packages promised yesterday to new address. No sign of it. Rang yesterday after 4 got same guy again. Apologise and said they be hear today. No sign of them yet.

Ask to speak to manger, he told me his gone home, great job gone at 4.

Darc19

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118052854#Comment_118052854

Do you really think that they start at 9?

Most courier depots will have their managers in at 6am and certainly no later than 7. Hence a 4pm finish after a probable 9+ hour day

It is for you to provide as correct address as possible and not hope that a driver will ring you, or search databases for you.

jo187

Well I got the packages yesterday, I tore the new label off, to find my old label on it. Guess what was on it? My eircode. I knew I put it on the order but wanted to see the label to make sure.

The issue was I live in a apartment complex and the drivers couldn't be bothered to call me.

Regardless of whenever the manger starts, I'm been waiting three days for a call back. Obviously the manger gone home is a line they used.

The good news, I got in touch with the company's I got the products off. As you can imagine after all the messing around the packages weren't in new condition. I got full refund from both of them.

Hopefully they stop using Fastway soon, as won't buy from them again after this.