Bizarre collection experience

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imjb87

New member
I've recently ordered from PC Specialist, and as I live quite close by I thought I'd just collect the order to save the time and potential for it to be damaged in transit.

My order went into "awaiting dispatch" this morning, and then at 16:18pm I received an email saying it was ready for collection.

I got up there and there was no accessible way to speak to someone face to face, only a gate with an intercom. I spoke to someone on intercom who said they had closed the warehouse at 16:30pm and I'd need to come back tomorrow to pick up my order.

It seems very bizarre to me that I was given 12 minutes to collect my order.
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
imjb87 said:
I've recently ordered from PC Specialist, and as I live quite close by I thought I'd just collect the order to save the time and potential for it to be damaged in transit.

My order went into "awaiting dispatch" this morning, and then at 16:18pm I received an email saying it was ready for collection.

I got up there and there was no accessible way to speak to someone face to face, only a gate with an intercom. I spoke to someone on intercom who said they had closed the warehouse at 16:30pm and I'd need to come back tomorrow to pick up my order.

It seems very bizarre to me that I was given 12 minutes to collect my order.
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You have to create an appointment to visit site as outlined on the website.

Remember it's a manufacturing facility, not a public office or store, so it's not a place you can just walk in, there's health and safety issues etc. You need to phone to make an appointment.
 
I

imjb87

New member
SpyderTracks said:
You have to create an appointment to visit site as outlined on the website.

Remember it's a manufacturing facility, not a public office or store, so it's not a place you can just walk in, there's health and safety issues etc. You need to phone to make an appointment.
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Doesn't say I need to make an appointment on the email. It says I'm invited to collect anytime between 09:00-16:30
 
AgentCooper

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
So… the email said it was available for collection anytime between 9am and 4.30pm and you went to collect after 4.30pm? I fail to see what’s bizarre, to me it appears that in the excitement of seeing that your order was ready to collect you didn’t read your email properly.

Whilst I understand your disappointment, I don’t think PCS deserve to shoulder any blame in this scenario. It seems as though it’s your error. If there’s any extra info we haven’t heard yet, please update the thread. I will happily adjust my viewpoint for any extraneous factors 👍
 
I

imjb87

New member
AgentCooper said:
So… the email said it was available for collection anytime between 9am and 4.30pm and you went to collect after 4.30pm? I fail to see what’s bizarre, to me it appears that in the excitement of seeing that your order was ready to collect you didn’t read your email properly.

Whilst I understand your disappointment, I don’t think PCS deserve to shoulder any blame in this scenario. It seems as though it’s your error. If there’s any extra info we haven’t heard yet, please update the thread. I will happily adjust my viewpoint for any extraneous factors 👍
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AgentCooper said:
So… the email said it was available for collection anytime between 9am and 4.30pm and you went to collect after 4.30pm? I fail to see what’s bizarre, to me it appears that in the excitement of seeing that your order was ready to collect you didn’t read your email properly.

Whilst I understand your disappointment, I don’t think PCS deserve to shoulder any blame in this scenario. It seems as though it’s your error. If there’s any extra info we haven’t heard yet, please update the thread. I will happily adjust my viewpoint for any extraneous factors 👍
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The time they close wasn't the bizarre thing. It was the fact it was awaiting "dispatch" all day, and only until 12 minutes before they closed did they let me know it was ready for collection. Seemed odd to me.

Anyway I picked up the order the following morning and they were really nice, even offered tips on OS installation which was a nice touch.
 
SimonPeters116

SimonPeters116

Well-known member
In general, what "awaiting dispatch" means is.
It has been completed, and tested, and sent from the workshop to the dispatch department.
The workshop might mark your order, through the computer system, with Awaiting Dispatch as it leaves their domain.
Dispatch might mark your order as Awaiting Dispatch as it comes through their doors and onto the conveyor belt, behind who knows how many other items, all also "awaiting dispatch". Once it's packaged, addressed, all other labels applied (postage, job bar code, order bar code, self collect label, carrier bar code, whatever), then it is marked as "awaiting collection", and goes to the collection area, ie racking near the warehouse door.
When the carrier (me) arrives with the truck, the last thing done by PCSpecialist is scan the bar code. The package is passed to me, I scan the bar code IN to my system, then I stow it in my truck.
Their computer system then marks it as "collected, in transit".

My computer system has marked each package as "collected from customer".
I drive to my depot, the packages are unloaded and scanned IN to the depot. Loaded onto destination area trolleys, scanned OUT of depot, in transit to central hub, loaded onto another truck and sent off to the central hub. This bit is done overnight.
That truck arrives, is unloaded, goods are scanned IN to central hub, distributed to the holding areas for each destination area. Loaded onto other trucks, scanned OUT of central hub, in transit to destination area depot. Breakfast time that area truck arrives at the depot (driver goes home to sleep, to do it all over again tomorrow night). The truck is unloaded, goods are scanned in to depot, loaded onto small trucks/vans scanned out of depot, in transit to customer (you). This driver may have upwards of 150 parcels to deliver today. The vans are tracked, each parcel is scanned as it's delivered, which is sent back to the area depot via in-truck link systems along with photos if required etc. They are loaded, as far as possible, in delivery order. This is why they can message you to say eg "1 - 3pm" and then "our driver is 30 minutes away". They know the driver has 10 more packages to deliver, 3 minutes drop to drop, 10 x 3 = 30. No accounting for comfort breaks, road works, little old lady struggling across the road, etc. When the van arrives at your door 10 minutes later than you were promised, don't fly into a rage at the driver. Offer them a cuppa instead, they'll probably say "thanks but no thanks" anyway, another 10 parcels still to deliver, then go to PCS to load up before going back to the area depot to knock off. Your package will have travelled a good 450 to 500 miles, possibly even further, unless you live in the delivery area of the area depot which collected it. Everything else goes in to the central hub and out to the area depots.

I won't be the PCS collection truck driver, or the delivery driver, or even the night trunk driver (area depot to central hub to area depot). I've done it, hundreds of times. I hate it. Van and other day drivers, far too much peopling for me. Night trunking bores me to tears. Same route every night, twice, night after night after night, for as long as you can stand it. And besides, days are for working, nights are for sleeping :D 3 months at that kind of work is about my limit. I'm a tramper, I start Monday morning, load for somewhere, go there, deliver it, go somewhere else and load for somewhere, go there, deliver it, carry on all week. Finish back at home Friday night usually, sometimes Saturday morning.
I've been all over the UK doing this, John O' Groats to the South West. And then Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark. I can do "peopling", in short bursts, I speak Euro-trucker-German, French and some Dutch, Spanish, Italian and Greek, and for a Scotsman my English isn't too bad either 😁
 
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