Ebay and SEUR deliveries - anyone else any problems? - Page 3

Oh dear it sounds even worse than France!! The postal service is still public sector there (think it has been privatised in Ireland 30 years ago).... They often have these 'surveys' at the counter which staff studiously ignore and ask you to complete!!

Well as it turned out I ordered a pair of shoes online from a shop in Paris to be delivered there... they arrived within 24 hours...but hubby came back from Opticians this morning to find that they'd flung them over the 2 metre gate...(the box would have fitted in our letter box)... but I also like you know that despite making complaints etc... nothing ever changes!! The only time I've had things 'move' is when it was either something ordered from the UK or elsewhere in the EU...there the company chased them up...but French companies don't care..so it sounds like the same here...

You do wonder who they recruit?? I do also wonder whether they are dylexic!! You'd think there'd be some type of exam.. in France there is...for the postal service...but private delivery companies are a different thing...Often things are subcontracted to 2-3 different companies...so a great way to avoid taking any responsibiity for service! I can't believe that Christmas cards got returned..... unbelievable!!  It does sound like it's the equivalent of flinging stuff over the wall doesn't it! I know years ago a colleague was on a bus in Paris and all the postmen were on it too..and they were already filling in the forms - the ones that say that they tried to deliver a package and you weren't there!! So I guess it's much the same here...will if nothing else I can't say I'm going to be any longer shocked!! I used those Citypag to pick up a package and at least there the package is 'safe'..the fact that the gps sent me off for miles in the wrong direction wasn't the service's fault!! But there I got a text message and email saying order on it's way, can be picked up... So those type of services seem to work...so something to think about for any future 'shopping'!!

Ray, it possibly depends upon where you live and exactly which person is doing the delivering!   I live in Almoradi, just down the road from you, and we used to have a postman who was very, very good.   If he couldn't get the item into your postbox he attempted to deliver it in person to the specific apartment.   However, he retired a while ago now and the person who now delivers does not give the same service - in fact, at times you are lucky if the postal item is put into the correct postbox, even when the name and apartment number are affixed to the box!   The actual post office in Almoradi is much better these days since they moved into their present place, as it much bigger than the previous one.

The couple of times that SEUR have been used to deliver to me I have had to actually go to their office in Almoradi to collect the item as their driver has advised them that he could not gain entry to the building, although I was sat in my place all day waiting for him?

If have read over the years that many on urbanisations have tremendous problems in getting post or packages delivered to them, all around Spain, very often because some urbanisations do not get delivery direct to individual addresses but only to central blocks of postboxes that are very often vandalised.

Ray,

I can communicate in Spainish very well and like I said I can only speak how you find and that is exactly how we find! We have had nothing but aggro and very rarely see even a postman!

We have been sat at a bar in Catral before now and a postwoman pulling a overloaded trolly was dropping more then she was delivering! I rest my case? Also how can they constantly put wrong letters in the wrong pigeon holes in the mailboxes in the post office where you collect them from? For years!!

Ok I realize not everyone has trouble but all our imeadiate neighbours are in the same boat as us! 

Wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole out of choice! Totally agree with the French system as well that another person has commented upon and found them to be just as bad generally! Not very often I would say it but besides the US postal service the UKs are up there with the Best!👍 and Iam very pro Spainish on many things!

Ray, I live in France and have done so for 26 years and therefore have no problem whatsoever in speaking with the locals...and that still doesn't excuse the bad service encountered!

As I said before for the private courrier services, if they are like in France, the guys doing the deliveries start at 5am in the morning... (well maybe that doesn't happen here!), they needless to say have way too much stuff to deliver in one day and are paid a pittance. My experiences with these guys is fine probably because I speak to them like normal human beings but often it is the companies which the French postal service has subcontracted to that are the worst...and no accountability..

Like everywhere, it depends on where you are, and the people who are providing the service where you live.  I have some Spanish and have managed to give directions to companies delivering large goods and had difficulty finding our urbanisation.. so I am not completely clueless..saying that it will depend once again, on the person providing the service, and not all of them are equally motivated in what they are doing, and that it seems is applicable to a lot of countries. I've had people call to ask where the urbanisation is exactly, and some who just didn't turn up... or worse damaged the products which then had to be resent from Belgium.

Again ray whilst I agree with some rude brits about  just as many spainish ones are about I think and Iam always curtious and civil !

I can only reiterate what I initially said and that was how i find it?

Credit were credit is due and Iam all for promoting good things and good advice where I can but in my eyes the delivery service and corres are very poor in my opinion! Just being honest and speaking from experience! The original poster Iam sure can make their own minds up with the help of the forum etc?

Regards

BB

Ray

Well I think most people can differentiate between a bad service and bad manners!! If you are a guest in another country or indeed your own, I consider it basic manners to say hello/please/thank you in whatever language that is... the fact that there are ignorant people in the world doesn't help in any country.. But I can assure you that the Spanish or the ones I've encountered having holidayed in quite a few different parts of Spain over the last 20 years, are much more tolerant of foreigners making an effort with their badly spoken Spanish than the average Parisian who just has to correct you even when you speak it fluently!   My experiences with the Correos (deliveries) have been excellent...I just feel sorry for the guys having to walk from the entrance of an urbanisation to find the correct property!  Just can't imagine how hot that would be to do in summer!  The issue is that there are problems with delivery/courrier servics and not just in one country (France has similar) but it's just good to know that when you do encounter such problems you are not the only one who has encountered this!

I think this forum is a mine of information since I found it last year  and I have found a lot of positive useful advice on it... and I think most people view the comments similiarly.

Same here Jim, we've always found SEUR to be one of the more reliable carriers.

Only once we were out when a delivery was attempted by Correos, so we just went and picked it up from the office in La Zenia, I must admit our hearts sank when we got to the office the floor was covered and I mean covered in parcels, amazingly they were able to locate our package immediately.

As you say key is putting a mobile number on delivery details, then if there is a problem in locating address they will call and get directions.

SEUR also do live tracking and give time slot for delivery, I love the live tracking, watching where the van is and how many drops it has before it gets to you, hours of endless pleasure! 🙂

Yup , great watching your item grounded in Madrid for 5 weeks and correos express saying they cant find it , then  suddenly they  locate it and  send you an email,  then promptly send it back to the uk , it then takes Hermes 4 mths to deliver it back to the sender …!!!!

Or an item  is again sent by Hermes and handled by c/express gets new labels in madrid and is swapped over for a high value collectors doll  whilst my order is delivered to a lady in Barcelona [ she was not amused ..!!] luckily the  spanish doll sender had good English and between us we sorted it out over 3 weeks , Hermes and c/express were absolutely crap, trying to charge us postage again for sorting out there screw up ….!!

And items from the far east mysteriously disappearing when the get to madrid , never to be seen again ..but very strange that I get items delivered from Cyprus in 3 days and they have been handled by four courier services in 4 different countries ..!!

I find our Correos to be pretty good despite the fact they only open for a couple of hours a day during the week which is their one weak point here because if you work and have to pick a package up it is not really possible to go and pick it up. Far better to have stuff sent to the workplace which isn't overly convenient either. It'd be nice to have a use for our mailbox too, oh and they go on holidays. The Correos Express guy is normally good but totally ignores any of the suggested times you can input on their website.

At first Seur were a nightmare but once the drivers know where you are then I can say they are pretty good. Most of the trouble comes from unfamiliar companies and new drivers. The whole ringing someone first is unprofessional and again not really workable for someone who is busy, it wouldn't be so bad if they still came but one missed call equates to one failed delivery attempt. Sure some may like it this way really unless you are lost or nobody is home you shouldn't be calling, but to their credit if you are not home they will call and leave it somewhere safe once they have your NIE.

I don't think it's too bad here but you need a little patience, no need to freak out if it isn't there when they said it will be, at least initially. Although if you are signed up to Prime for next day delivery then you are wasting your money. That said every year we don't receive things, maybe one or two packages at Christmas another around birthday times which is unacceptable but this I would wager is more to do with the wharehouses than the drivers.

Madrid customs is a lucky dip, so much so I don't want to order anything internationally. Sometimes you get something with no hassle or cost other times it wont be released until you pay their fees/tax which can be more than the item sent or if you are lucky it gets returned to sender.

Well I think the Correos is like a lot of national postal services: in France, in the suburbs they reduce their working hours during school holidays...so that means in June/July/August if you are working you can only pick up a package on Saturday morning as they actually only work the  mornings!! Still wonder how the company survives!!  But they are pleasant at least the ones who deliver locally....it's often the sub-contracting that causes chaos... where they don't bother to actually deliver something etc..  Or call but don't leave a message...

Well the reason why I was freaking out was because I'd received 2 emails from SEUR to confirm delivery the next day: when I checked the tracking the day of delivery their site said the package had already been delivered at 7am!! So somewhere in their system someone is 'updating' data which is incorrect...the guys doing the actual delivering aren't doing that.... but I'm sure it's not making their lives any easier either! 

In France they have a network of places where you can get stuff delivered to and you just pick it up when it suits you...very practical as often they are local small shops which get a bit of extra income... I guess SEUR must have something like that here in Spain too.....though I suppose the problem I had was that I ordered through Ebay which definitely seemed to complicate things!! Stuff came from Belgium no problem..