GLS The Grinch That Ruined my Christmas

Bozacke

I ordered a Christmas present for my son from a UK seller on the 10-Dec and paid extra for shipping that said usually 3-5 days. It was shipped via Parcelforce and I got a tracking number. I tracked it a few times, first landed in Belfast and then to Rep. of Ireland but never said where in Ireland. It was in Ireland for a good few days and I was getting worried, they didn't have a phone number on their website, just an email, I emailed them every day for a few days and only got an automated response. Eventually after googling I found a number for Parcelforce in Belfast and I called them, they then gave me a different GLS tracking number.

I then went to the GLS web which indicated the package was received in Knock, I'm in Galway and it sat in Knock for several days and after a few days indicated wrong address, which was a lie. I then called GLS, they already had my correct address and my mobile number, but they never called me. I was assured the driver would call me first thing in the morning for directions. By noon there was no call, so I called GLS they said it was on the truck to be delivered and the driver would call when close for directions, he never called and it didn't arrive. I called again and they assured me it would be delivered the next day. No call the next morning 23-Dec., so I called and they said it was on the truck and even gave me the drivers name and mobile. I called this number over 100 times, no answer and no voicemail. I even sent him several text messages requesting him to call me and even offered to meet him anywhere to collect the package, but he never called back. I called GLS again and they said it would be delivered in the morning and someone would call first thing in the morning.

Next morning Christmas Eve, no call so I called again. I got a very nice girl who apologised after seeing the history and said she would escalate to her supervisor who would call me right back and she also said I should receive it later in the day. No call and I tried to call them back many times, but no answer and the phone just rang and no package. I later learned from the seller that GLS only worked a half day on Christmas eve, but no one I spoke to at GLS bothered to call me and their telephone messages and website never indicated this. Now I'm all for people getting time off for Christmas, but come on - this is a delivery company and Christmas Eve is their busiest day of the year, that's like a Florist taking off Valentine's Day!

I also know there was some bad weather, but the package did make it from the UK no problem where the weather was a lot worse and then didn't get past Knock only 30 miles away from me for almost 2 weeks. Christmas is over and my son was very disappointed because of these scum at GLS.

Here's my GLS tracking details:

Date + Time Responsible GLS Location Event No Event
23/12/2010 08:01 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 11.0 Out for delivery on GLS vehicle
23/12/2010 06:22 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 2.0 Inbound to GLS location
22/12/2010 09:26 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 8.0 Stored
22/12/2010 06:08 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 8.0 Stored
22/12/2010 06:07 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 35.32 Retained at GLS location due to a wrong address
22/12/2010 06:07 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 4.32 Not delivered due to a wrong address
21/12/2010 07:33 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 11.0 Out for delivery on GLS vehicle
21/12/2010 07:33 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 11.0 Out for delivery on GLS vehicle
21/12/2010 07:20 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 4.1 Not delivered due to traffic problems
21/12/2010 06:06 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 2.0 Inbound to GLS location
21/12/2010 06:06 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 8.0 Stored
21/12/2010 06:05 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 35.1 Retained at GLS location due to traffic problems
21/12/2010 06:05 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 4.1 Not delivered due to traffic problems
20/12/2010 07:07 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 11.0 Out for delivery on GLS vehicle
20/12/2010 07:04 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 4.1 Not delivered due to traffic problems
20/12/2010 06:20 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 2.0 Inbound to GLS location
20/12/2010 06:20 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 8.0 Stored
20/12/2010 06:19 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 35.1 Retained at GLS location due to traffic problems
20/12/2010 06:19 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 4.1 Not delivered due to traffic problems
17/12/2010 08:46 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 4.1 Not delivered due to traffic problems
17/12/2010 07:14 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 11.0 Out for delivery on GLS vehicle
17/12/2010 06:13 IE 240 Knock, Ireland 2.0 Inbound to GLS location
17/12/2010 00:25 IEDUBL , Ireland 2.0 Inbound to GLS location
16/12/2010 18:02 GB0035 , United Kingdom 1.0 Outbound from GLS location
16/12/2010 18:02 GB0035 , United Kingdom 0.0 Data transferred to GLS System
15/12/2010 11:23 GB0100 , United Kingdom 0.100 Data transferred to GLS System as preadvice

It's sad because about 7 years we received a present from a friend in the US that came via GLS and they not only charged customs at a rate that was way too high but they also added a €20 handling charge, the amount owed was worth more than the gift and I didn't want to insult the friend by having it returned to them. I later heard about this on the Joe Duffy show and not too long later I heard Comreg changed the laws to minimise this customs handling fee, but I now see on the GLS website that for Customs issues you can only call them on a pay 1550 number at 33 cent per minute.

How can a company like this that lies, steals, cheats and doesn't care about customers stay in business? How can a company be so incompetent and so insensitive to customers still be in business? I've notified the seller and at my request they have requested Parcelforce not to use GLS for Irish deliveries, what else can I do? How can we stop them, can I take them to small claims court for not delivering the package in a reasonable amount of time?

jor el

Bozacke wrote: »

I've notified the seller and at my request they have requested Parcelforce not to use GLS for Irish deliveries, what else can I do? How can we stop them, can I take them to small claims court for not delivering the package in a reasonable amount of time?

GLS is owned by Royal Mail (as is Parcelforce), so this is not going to change. This is probably why GLS hasn't gone out of business too, RM have deep pockets. Problems with GLS are widely known, and have been for a long time. I don't know exactly why businesses and individuals still use them, but it's probably because they're very cheap.

You can't use the Small Claims Court, as you were the recipient, not the sender. The sender has the contract with the delivery agent, and even then, they can only make a claim if it fails to be delivered at all.

Bozacke

Thanks for that. I's amazing that GLS & Parcelforce are part of the same company, yet they have independent tracking numbers and tracking systems and they both try to blame each other.

I suppose the only thing we can do is to just continue to let all know that GLS sucks and GLS Ireland is scum and shouldn't be used and request all sellers not to use them!!

dudara

Get in touch with the seller, that is where your contract is. Let them know about the difficulties with the delivery. Unfortunately, you have no contract with the delivery company.

Bozacke

Hi,

Thanks I've contacted the seller and I told them if it doesn't arrive today I'm canceling the order for a full refund. I haven't heard back yet. Meanwhile I tried to call GLS this morning and it appears that they are also closed today. Do these people not realise they are in the delivery business and they have to work to make deliveries.

During times of job insecurity and competitiveness, how can such incompetence exist?

MysticalSoul

As much as I despise GLS, from past experience, today is a bank holiday (on account of both Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day falling over the weekend). An Post won't be delivering today either.

whiterebel

Before I start, no I have noaffiliation to GLS, but a few things need pointing out.

OP, you can't expect them to do Customs Clearance - handling fee - for nothing. The item has to clear customs, and you need to pay someone to do it. Unless things have changed radically you need to buy the software to do it also. There may also be a charge for sending the entries down the line. No excuse for them charging the wrong duty either, but there is normally only 1-2% in the difference. I don't see how ComReg would have anything to do with setting customs clearance charges either. AFAIK, they all charge between €15-20

Couriers busiest time isn't Christmas eve, they are normally well wrapped up by that stage. The weather would of, course, have pushed all deliveries back, but the runaround you got from GLS is appalling. A someone else pointed out, the contract is with the sender, so it is up to them to complain to GLS. In general I find the courier services gone to the dogs in the last few years, with drivers forging signatures, delivering to the wrong places, handing over to unknown people etc.

91011

You really have to account for the local weather - most courier vans are rear wheel drive and unless your riad was fully gritted and clear, they wouldn't have had a hope in hell of getting to you.

Yes weather was worse in UK, but the truck uses main roads and bith here and there main raods were clear. - Its to local raods that are not cleared that cause all the problems.

Rather than rant about a courier, just accept that it was the worst weather possible for the 10 days before Christmas and huge number of parcels got delayed.

Or do you want the courier to risk his life to get a small parcel to you? - Was it really that important???


Then you rant about somethign from years ago - customs charges are charged by revenue NOT by the courier company. Customs charges are Duty at the prevailing rate on the cost of goods PLUS hte cost of transport and then vat on that combined total.

eg pair of trainers costing equivalent of €70, shipping cost €30 - duty 4.5% = €4.50, vat would be about €22 and customs paperwork charge would be up to €15+ vat @13.5% (back then obviously €20 + vat @ 13.5%)

Same happens if you send a gift to USA - the USA customs charge duty & sales tax depending on which state the goods are delivered to.

Joey the lips

There is a thread dedicated to the poor performance of GLS. It says it all.

i use to run a business and i knew instinctvly that when a GLS van pulled up the delivery was late. I always called for the supervisor to check what was late. Just so i knew its importance.

I cannot see this ever being any different in the future.

Forest Master

GLS are the drizzling sh*ts. I'll always make sure never to use a company who uses them. I've NEVER had a delivery from them without issue - there has ALWAYS been an issue - failed delivery or non-delivery, and they usually lie and say they attempted delivery and there was nobody in. And they never answer their phones or e-mails. Complete dipsh*ts. 50% of the times I said "feck it" and just went out to their depot to collect my parcel. Have managed to avoid them since 2004 though. Was made easier when they lost their USPS contract.

doleman2010

I live in rural area 10 km outside a major town . I have found that gls just wiill not deliver to me or will do all they can not to , usually if im stuck id have to drive to meet them .
these guys are prob self employed and may only get 50cent a drop , so i know its not worth their while to drive to me , not really the drivers fault but gls are breaking their contract with you by not completing the delivery.

delllat

doleman2010 wrote: »

I live in rural area 10 km outside a major town . I have found that gls just wiill not deliver to me or will do all they can not to , usually if im stuck id have to drive to meet them .
these guys are prob self employed and may only get 50cent a drop , so i know its not worth their while to drive to me , not really the drivers fault but gls are breaking their contract with you by not completing the delivery.

trust me ,they are not any better in dublin city centre

daenerysstormborn3

I used to work in Clanwilliam Square and one of the GLS offices is located on Clanwilliam Terrace (not sure if it's a head office of some sort) and I had ordered things for my dog which had been dispatched and curiously over a week later still had not been delivered (this was months ago, no weather excuses). I called GLS and they said sorry about the delay it was in the depot etc etc, the box was sitting in their office on Clanwilliam Terrace, I only found this out after 2 days of phone calls and being fobbed off. I offered to go around to the office and collect it myself, against policy, fair enough. On the third day of phone calls I was told that the delivery would be with me late that evening, the driver was stuck in traffic.....

Owen

They're abysmal, we used to call them Gets Lost Suddenly. Nothing would ever arrive when it should. Having said that DHL screwed me over royally this Christmas, and my package only came today despite leaving Germany on the 16th with express delivery chosen.

delllat

they tried to tell me my address wasnt on the satnav

strange when i live in a large building on one of dublins most busiest streets and other deliveries ,pizzas ,taxis and everything else i ever order can find it straightaway