Parcel Motel Thread (post all related questions here)

ABajaninCork · 23-01-2014 09:06PM

My parcel that I collected today wasn't...

pm1977x · 23-01-2014 10:18PM

Barti wrote: »

Quick question, I was looking around the Parcel Motel website and searched on Google but I can't find anything at the moment to do with the Refer a Friend option where I would get a free stay when they signed up. Is this promotion still going on or did it stop at some point?

I did this a few weeks ago, had to chase them for the credit but got it in the end, they say the credit is added at the end of every month but they missed mine:

when your 'friend'

is registering, under:

PART 4. Questions...How did you hear about us?
Select 'Friend Recommended It'
then a new option appears: 'do you know their PMID?'

Presume it still works...

Nuphor · 24-01-2014 03:01PM

Anyone else noticed their delivery times to PM increasing quite a bit since Christmas?

I know they were slowing a little in the rush up to Christmas - I sort of thought that things would improve after the rush, but that doesn't seem to be the case. For instance - I'd usually see deliveries hitting Belfast one day always arrive in my locker in Waterford the next day, but no longer. Now it takes an extra day (for the 3 or 4 deliveries I've had since). Also noticed the local Waterford Nightline folks would do the delivery, so you'd see it at mid-day in lockers as opposed to the morning (although that isn't a big deal I guess).

ABajaninCork · 25-01-2014 01:26AM

Yeah, I've been noticing that deliveries seem to have slowed quite a bit too. I ordered three items from Amazon, all at the same time about three weeks ago. One turned up on Wednesday. The other two hadn't yet come, so I called PM this afternoon to ask where the packages were. They tried to tell me it was slow service from the supplier. I know it isn't Amazon, as they're usually quick posting to the UK. Post to NI takes 1-2 days. Which I pointed out to them.

A strange thing happened. I just checked on the PM website just now, and guess what? My two other parcels have turned up! Funny that...

ABajaninCork · 25-01-2014 12:37PM

Seems there are a few problems with PM today. There are IT issues with the Leitrim St PM in Cork as well as Dublin (not sure where) and Shannon. Waiting for technician to fix & PM should be letting us know when fault is cleared.

rusty999 · 27-01-2014 01:12AM

Just dont order anything from the USA that may have customs duty due on it. It will sit at UK customs and they will NOT advise you or parcel motel that there is duty to be paid. They will simply send it right back to USA. This is from experience of 3 different deliveries from usa that went missing and I have still not received my money back on one of them. It sucks that this can happen so buyers be aware.

rusty999 · 27-01-2014 01:22AM

eamonnq wrote: »

I think there is a perception that it is less likely to attract the attention of customs going through the UK, not sure if it works, but would be afraid to attempt it myself as I think there could be a lot of hassle if there was a payment required and PM refused the parcel.

You got that right !! Do not attempt to bring item in from USA because all that will happen is that UK customs will send it right back. I had this happen on 3 occasions and I am still fighting to get a refund on one of them as it has disappeared. It seems that parcel Motel have no arrangement with customs and dont want to know and may possibly be refusing deliveries with duty not paid.. I understand that some sellers in Usa will estimate customs duty and charge it at source but this is rarely the case and usually you have to arrange your own payment of duty so how do you do that if the item is bound by Uk customs and you live in southern Ireland. I am also of the opinion that Parcel Motel will in fact refuse deliveries with UK customs due instead of asking their customer if they would like to pay the duty. I would have gladly paid if i had the opportunity but there was zero correspondence so i aim to find out if they had in fact contacted parcel motel about this. Hope I'm wrong about this but the only point of contact would be the addressee--ie Parcel Motel.

ABajaninCork · 27-01-2014 02:16AM

rusty999 wrote: »

You got that right !! Do not attempt to bring item in from USA because all that will happen is that UK customs will send it right back. I had this happen on 3 occasions and I am still fighting to get a refund on one of them as it has disappeared. It seems that parcel Motel have no arrangement with customs and dont want to know and may possibly be refusing deliveries with duty not paid.. I understand that some sellers in Usa will estimate customs duty and charge it at source but this is rarely the case and usually you have to arrange your own payment of duty so how do you do that if the item is bound by Uk customs and you live in southern Ireland. I am also of the opinion that Parcel Motel will in fact refuse deliveries with UK customs due instead of asking their customer if they would like to pay the duty. I would have gladly paid if i had the opportunity but there was zero correspondence so i aim to find out if they had in fact contacted parcel motel about this. Hope I'm wrong about this but the only point of contact would be the addressee--ie Parcel Motel.

Maybe you should read the T's & C's again. It is clearly stated that Parcel Motel WILL NOT accept parcels for which duty has to be paid.

Perhaps you could get non-EU parcels sent to you direct?

Kenny Logins · 27-01-2014 09:58AM

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Maybe you should read the T's & C's again. It is clearly stated that Parcel Motel WILL NOT accept parcels for which duty has to be paid.

Perhaps you could get non-EU parcels sent to you direct?

You don't even need to dig into the T&Cs, it's in the FAQ between "How can I pay?" and "How long does it take for delivery to Parcel Motel?".

rusty999 · 27-01-2014 10:15AM

ABajaninCork wrote: »

+1. It also saves me getting my Mum/mates to post stuff over or holding it until I get to London!

Another thing I don't understand. Why are people getting stuff posted from outside the EU to a PM? It makes absolutely no sense to me. Surely it cannot be that much more to get the items sent direct? Saves time. And it saves hassle with Customs re: paying duty. For example - I've just ordered some stuff from the US. It's £6.90 for them to send it to me direct. And I don't have to worry about duty as the stuff is below the threshold to pay it. If there is duty to be paid, then the carrier will contact me direct and I'll then pay it. End of story. And no hassle waiting around for PM to take action or trying to find out if Irish or UK Customs have the parcel. Which they won't and it's clearly stated in their T's & C's.

You make a good point there and I admit to being one of those people who made that mistake--never again though. My thinking was that i'm never home to collect stuff so I will have it sent to PM and collect it at my leisure but its cost me the loss of at least one shipment and plenty of hassle with 2 more from USA. What I cant understand is that the parcel that went missing was worth around 85 dollars--surely that below the threshold for duty ? PM want nothing to do with duty or customs charges and it would appear in some cases that they refused to accept my shipments from USA. Personally I am looking at other methods of shipping from now on as I had about 100 deliveries by PM last year and not all of them were satisfactory to say the least.

Kenny Logins · 27-01-2014 10:27AM

rusty999 wrote: »

You make a good point there and I admit to being one of those people who made that mistake--never again though. My thinking was that i'm never home to collect stuff so I will have it sent to PM and collect it at my leisure but its cost me the loss of at least one shipment and plenty of hassle with 2 more from USA. What I cant understand is that the parcel that went missing was worth around 85 dollars--surely that below the threshold for duty ? PM want nothing to do with duty or customs charges and it would appear in some cases that they refused to accept my shipments from USA. Personally I am looking at other methods of shipping from now on as I had about 100 deliveries by PM last year and not all of them were satisfactory to say the least.

Less typing, more reading.

rusty999 · 27-01-2014 10:39AM

Yea , well I've had to do quite a bit of typing in the past to try trace packages that were lost by PM or sent to the wrong depot in some cases. But I take your point. Thanks

eamonnq · 27-01-2014 10:41AM

rusty999 wrote: »

I am also of the opinion that Parcel Motel will in fact refuse deliveries with UK customs due instead of asking their customer if they would like to pay the duty.

As mentioned in their FAQ ?

ABajaninCork · 27-01-2014 10:48AM

rusty999 wrote: »

You make a good point there and I admit to being one of those people who made that mistake--never again though. My thinking was that i'm never home to collect stuff so I will have it sent to PM and collect it at my leisure but its cost me the loss of at least one shipment and plenty of hassle with 2 more from USA. What I cant understand is that the parcel that went missing was worth around 85 dollars--surely that below the threshold for duty ? PM want nothing to do with duty or customs charges and it would appear in some cases that they refused to accept my shipments from USA. Personally I am looking at other methods of shipping from now on as I had about 100 deliveries by PM last year and not all of them were satisfactory to say the least.

$85 IS liable for duty!! Do yourself a favour and have a read of Revenue's website to acquaint yourself of the rules...

Kenny Logins · 27-01-2014 10:55AM

There's a very handy calculator here - http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/

styron · 27-01-2014 11:17AM

ABajaninCork wrote: »

$85 IS liable for duty!! Do yourself a favour and have a read of Revenue's website to acquaint yourself of the rules...

It's not liable for duty (below £135 exempt) but anything over £15 (gift £36) is liable for import VAT (where not zero rated in UK) and the Royal Mail £8 handling charge that goes with it.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/buying.htm#3

joeKel73 · 27-01-2014 01:59PM

Note for anyone sending packages....

I tried yesterday and it didn't work. It didn't scan the barcode, but I think this was due to rain on the sensor. I entered the barcode manually and was told the service is unavailable.

Checked with customer care today and it was because the label had expired after 5 days. Didn't know this was an issue, they refunded the €10.50 today and I created a new one.

So if you're creating a label to send a package - use it within 5 days!

rusty999 · 27-01-2014 03:57PM

ABajaninCork wrote: »

$85 IS liable for duty!! Do yourself a favour and have a read of Revenue's website to acquaint yourself of the rules...

Nah, just wont use them again.

ABajaninCork · 27-01-2014 04:02PM

rusty999 wrote: »

Nah, just wont use them again.

Ah, the title of your post isn't quite true though, is it? PM DIDN'T lose your parcels! They simply refused delivery as there was duty to be paid. It's down to you to chase Royal Mail and your suppliers to see where they went.

PM's absolutely fine to use, if speed isn't of the essence and you want to save a few quid with the postage. As long as you understand that, it's perfectly fine to use. However - NO service is perfect!

rusty999 · 27-01-2014 06:11PM

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Ah, the title of your post isn't quite true though, is it? PM DIDN'T lose your parcels! They simply refused delivery as there was duty to be paid. It's down to you to chase Royal Mail and your suppliers to see where they went.

PM's absolutely fine to use, if speed isn't of the essence and you want to save a few quid with the postage. As long as you understand that, it's perfectly fine to use. However - NO service is perfect!

I see that theres a fair few apologists for Pm on this forum--strange that ? If you read my other posts properly you will see that you are wrong there--parcel Motel lost several of my packages last year and delivered others to the wrong depots as well as sending another back to belfast by mistake. In fairness to them they gave me several free stays and letters of apology but only after I chased them up via phone calls and emails --something I could do without as I run a busy business . I'm off today and can spend my time ranting here but I dont make a habit of complaining unless theres a genuine reason. I was one of the people who hailed PM as a great service when it first appeared and passed on details to many of my customers at the time but I fear that there are now a lot of flaws appearing in the service. I'm entitled to my opinion and can prove everything I say and I have no agenda here other than to express my opinion . If certain people dont like it then thats tough, but I will continue to tell it as it it is !!

ABajaninCork · 27-01-2014 06:19PM

rusty999 wrote: »

I see that theres a fair few apologists for Pm on this forum--strange that ? If you read my other posts properly you will see that you are wrong there--parcel Motel lost several of my packages last year and delivered others to the wrong depots as well as sending another back to belfast by mistake. In fairness to them they gave me several free stays and letters of apology but only after I chased them up via phone calls and emails --something I could do without as I run a busy business . I'm off today and can spend my time ranting here but I dont make a habit of complaining unless theres a genuine reason. I was one of the people who hailed PM as a great service when it first appeared and passed on details to many of my customers at the time but I fear that there are now a lot of flaws appearing in the service. I'm entitled to my opinion and can prove everything I say and I have no agenda here other than to express my opinion . If certain people dont like it then thats tough, but I will continue to tell it as it it is !!

You're entitled to your opinion. I am no 'apologist' as you put it. I am simply a customer of PM who uses the service and accepts their limitations - as many as there are. I understand and accept the service they provide and don't try to use them as a clearing system for my parcels from overseas for which duty has to be paid.

rusty999 · 27-01-2014 06:27PM

ABajaninCork wrote: »

You're entitled to your opinion. I am no 'apologist' as you put it. I am simply a customer of PM who uses the service and accepts their limitations - as many as there are. I understand and accept the service they provide and don't try to use them as a clearing system for my parcels from overseas for which duty has to be paid.

Good point. And at least you are admitting that they have limitations which is something they dont seem to be aware of. Hopefully this will improve.

Esel · 28-01-2014 11:27PM

To restate the advantages/reasons for using PM:

For delivery of a package, on which no duty or tax is due/outstanding, when either the total delivery cost is cheaper than courier/regular post or more convenient than those methods (i.e. no-one at home to accept delivery; collection from An Post depot awkward for you).

Also for items on eBay UK, Amazon UK etc. where seller does not offer postage to Ireland.

Extra charges may apply if the package exceeds standard dimensions/weight, as per PM's site.

DeepBlue · 29-01-2014 06:23PM

This has probably been asked and answered countless times but there are over 4000 posts to read if I was to check the entire thread so I'll just ask again.

Freshly registered to PM and am trying to add the PM address to amazon.co.uk and am getting the following problem -> http://i.imgur.com/I5G8hh9.png

Do I just put name and PMID all in the name field and accept "Nightline" instead of "Parcel Motel"?

username123 · 29-01-2014 07:50PM

Just select the address you put in, "original address".

CB19Kevo · 29-01-2014 08:47PM

PM have lost one of my packages.
They have been searching since Friday and have been provided with a tracking number which has shown it was delivered nearly 2 weeks ago.
Seems like a long time to be looking..

Davy · 29-01-2014 08:51PM

CB19Kevo wrote: »

PM have lost one of my packages.
They have been searching since Friday and have been provided with a tracking number which has shown it was delivered nearly 2 weeks ago.
Seems like a long time to be looking..

That would be longer than usual.

Have you ordered from the company before?

Reason I ask is if the label is printed incorrectly, it would cause the parcel to be identified wrong and either sitting in their warehouse or possibly gone elsewhere which has happened.

Giving them details of the box size, contents etc might have helped in the search if your name and PMid are not fully on it.

CB19Kevo · 29-01-2014 09:19PM

Davy wrote: »

That would be longer than usual.

Have you ordered from the company before?

Reason I ask is if the label is printed incorrectly, it would cause the parcel to be identified wrong and either sitting in their warehouse or possibly gone elsewhere which has happened.

Giving them details of the box size, contents etc might have helped in the search if your name and PMid are not fully on it.

Bought off ebay.

PM are aware of time of delivery,box size and contents.
Most ebay sellers just print off the address so would be strange if my name was put on incorrectly.

rusty999 · 29-01-2014 10:50PM

Quote

PM are aware of time of delivery,box size and contents.
Most ebay sellers just print off the address so would be strange if my name was put on incorrectly." ..............................

Did you check that your PM number was included on the address ? If not that would explain it and its probably still in the warehouse in Belfast

Roger00 · 30-01-2014 08:07PM

Anyone know of any way to make a suggestion to Parcle Motel/Nightline about delivery of oversized items. Why can't they automatically send the oversized item to the depot that services the locker where the client is registered?
Yesterday evening I got notification that my oversized item was in Finglas to be collected, so I phoned them & arranged for the item to be sent to Nightline Sligo. I sent an email at 6.15pm today to make sure it would be in Sligo tomorrow only to be told nothing had being arranged to have it forwarded to Sligo. So the guy (Rory) I spent 10 minutes yesterday talking to never arranged to have it moved. So annoying!

Parcel Motel Thread (post all related questions here)

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