LATEST MOAN FROM YOU AND ME - 2022

Still no landline/internet so today T'other Half is going to spend the morning contacting the Mayor of the Town, the Mayor of the County, the head honchos of the entities involved, the newspapers and DECO (association for the defence of the consumer) and the Complaints Book (every business here has to have one and they do not like entries in them!)

 

Bloomin disgusting ( put very mildly) . Well done J.

Whenever we've been down I always let them know that I have vulnerable persons ( Dad , brother) that I need to be able to keep constant contact with and likewise they too need to have the reassurance that they can contact us . You do get a priority rating here, It normally does get things moving I must admit that now I know that my brother is cared for I didn't push it too hard last time as I don't want to take a priority slot from someone in real need.

 

To be honest, I don't think that would make any difference here. Portugal (certainly at one time) had the highest number of mobiles per capita in Europe. It is amusing to see little hunched-over old ladies in black hobbling along with canes talking on a mobile! A lot of people do not have landlines, in fact it is quite novel!

 

Most people seem to have all kinds of stuff running off the broadband these days.
I find using a phone a bit of a PITA to be honest every bit of it is too small.

 

I first got one in the late 90s because I travelled with my work ... but it was for emergencies in case I needed it. I do not use one now and totally detest these flat models as it is like holding a book to your ear!!! I actually don't use the phone (I am an e-mail person having been a letter writer in the old days. J has one permanently attached to his hand!

 

I have just had notification that the missing plant )for which I have been reimbursed) will be delivered to me by 7pm tonight in Armacao de Pera ... a town by the sea a half hour from me!!! That's 19 days today in transit. You have to laugh.

 

Slight update on the missing curtain rail. Cancelled the order and told DHL to send it back.
Shame that such a good firm as Dunelm (the curtains by the way are everything one would expect)has its good name spoiled by poor service from their carriers.

 

I now see on tracking that it is in Algoz (where our post box is located) for me to pick up till 21 December! T'other Half will stop by there on his way home this afternoon. Perhaps, just perhaps ...

 

With all this online purchasing it's got to the point that any company is only as good as the carrier they use.

It's down to the companies to be mindful of which carriers they use as their reputation relies on it.

 

Unfortunately it's not that straightforward, the big boys acquire other companies and then they have a monopoly. There is no incentive for them to be cheaper or provide a better service when they control the market Since we set up our website in 2004 we have used, City Link, UK Mail, ANC and TNT. FedEx and DHL acquired these couriers between them.

 

What is odd is that Evri here has always managed to deliver properly, but it gets a lot of flack from other places. Amazon find us here, but never could at our previous home.
AO just delivered a washing machine, no bother finding us either.
How do companies choose their delivery companies? The first part of our order came via Evri , but the second bit was sent to DHL.

 

I think in most cases there is a choice of more than one, depending on what you want to send of course.
When I was working it was not unusual to have three different delivery services turn up on the same day with different items.
The companies have choice and presumably try different ones if they have problems, large companies like Dunelm have enough clout if they want to use just one company.

 

Just had a similar experience. After 15 years with nothing going astray, we've now got a road name and number as well as the house name. So Amazon recently managed to lose half of a two-item order (Their own delivery service).It's taken 10 days to convince them that no, the envelope hasn't 'turned up' or been found chez a neighbour. They've finally agreed a free replacement. Now this was an honest claim, but how much must they be losing in false claims?
All it takes round here is for a postie to retire or change routes and it all goes pear-shaped with temps or new posties that don't know the routes or the residents. So much for technology...

 

False alarm ... it was an order from China! I shall give up on this now.