The Parcel Force Next Day Saga

Well, I'm going to be up all night over this, I might as well b*tch about it a bit.   

NOW (about 02:00 Sat morning) Parcelforce tracking says

20/10/2018   18:12   STN  Arrived in destination country  .  Note the time (18:12 on Saturday the 20th - basically 16 hours into the future!)

The stamp that was 20/10/2018 00:17 STN Arrived in destination country has now changed to 20/10/2018 0:17 STNExported from the UK

Now, over on the FedEx side, it says   20/10/2018 - Saturday 00:22 In transit STANSTED GB .

So, I can only hope that it's on the way to Ireland now, and not sitting in Stansted, GB. 

I have filed complaints with every possible entity I could find on this. I am especially annoyed that the Post Office insists the problem is Parcel Force and Parcel Force insists the Post Office goofed. And FedEx says they are BOTH wrong. 

Holy Frijoles, I'm glad I'm not waiting for a shipment of antivenin!!!!   

Edit Saturday morning -

FedEx tracking -  20/10/2018 - Saturday 07:19 In transit STANSTED GB
ParcelForce Tracking - no change from earlier. I assume it's cleared customs and is sitting in a big bin somewhere in England.

Phoned ParcelForce a few moments ago to ask if they could see exactly where the documents are. I got someone in India who couldn't do more than read what's online. Referred me to FedEx. Phoned FedEx. Got someone who said I needed to talk to "the international team" who doesn't work weekends, domestic team can't tell me anything about where the documents actually are. Couldn't be arsed to look in their system.

Wow, it just keeps getting worse.   

Dropped off a tracked letter to the Irish Govmt at the Post Office this morning (our local one) when it opened. The PO Lady there was horrified, checked and saw in the system that the PO I used was within the zone where the documents absolutely should have gotten to Ireland by yesterday.  She ~was~ very nice, and gave me phone numbers to call to complain - as if that will speed anything up? The Foreign Team, after all, doesn't work weekends. 

She said the tracked letter might make it by Tuesday as it'll go out at noon today. At least it's sent. There's nothing else I can do.

I see several hundred pounds evaporating, and having to do this all again in my future.   A kicker - I sent the Daughter to make copies of everything in the formal application immediately before it went out. Instead of making paper copies, she used the Uni's library copier that was supposed to send it to her email address. She didn't check to see that the transmission went through. It never arrived. I didn't know that until after the application was on the way across the water.  So I don't have copies of anything. We'll have to get all the notarized documents re-notarized, as they are now more than 60 days since being notarized and that's outside the allowable window. After I get copies of them all again. The Daughter needed a third character witness to sign the re-redone application, and didn't want to "push" anyone, so dawdled for over 30 days after the application was ready to go before she got someone else to sign off. One of her other witnesses is now critically ill and may or may not be around long enough to serve as a witness....

Hopefully they'll return everything so we don't have to do the like 30 page application document again.

Hang in there, Nan.

Oh Nan, I hope they give some allowance with the tracking info sent to them. I have my fingers crossed for you!

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I could get lucky and it could get there Monday before they close for the day....

And pigs fly.

EDIT Sunday morning. No change in tracking on either website. In the future, if I have enough lead time, there seems to be DHL air express that seems to promise next-day to Ireland, but it's still looking like two days to the USA. Surely there is SOME company that does overnight express?

EDIT Sunday Afternoon - it's in Dublin. Ohthankgod, at least it's in the right country now! Just another 130 miles to go.... Please, please, please, please.....

Sooo, Monday afternoon. Parcel Force website shows no movement. FedEx website shows it at a depot in Dublin, but not with a recent timestamp. So I chatted FedEx to ask if it was out for delivery. They would not discuss it with me because the parcel was sent via Parcel Force!

So, contacted Parcel Force and told them I'd checked the Fed Ex site and there hadn't been any recent updates on it, and that the Parcel Force website was even farther out of date. And that Fed Ex would not give me a status because it came through Parcel Force.

His brilliant reply - "Well you couldn't look it up on the FedEx website with the Parcel Force number. That won't work."

To which I said, "No kidding. That is why I obtained the FedEx number from Parcel Force shortly after the parcel was sent. I just want to know if it is  out for delivery or, as the FedEx website says, stitting in a depot."  (Jeezus, seriously.)

Him - "Oh, well it's due to be delivered today by 18:00 in Ireland."

Me - "Yes. I know that. It was sold to me as "overnight express" and due to be delivered Friday. But online it says due to be delivered today by 18:00. I am asking you if it is actually out on the delivery truck or not. The online tracking shows it as still at the depot."

Him - "Oh, it is definitely due to be delivered today."

Me - "You are telling me that for sure it is out on the truck, correct?"

Him - "It says by 18:00."

Me - "It is on the truck or not on the truck right now?"

Him -  "Yes"

Me - "Yes which -  yes not on the truck or yes on the truck?"

Him - "It will be delivered today by 18:00."

The place is not open at 18:00, so I sure hope it's sooner. And yes, they can see if it's on the truck or not - been through this before with FedEx.

JFC!!!! Seriously. Never again.

Parcel Force just sent notice that they are cutting another check for the late delivery to California. whoop.de.do. 

I have everything crossed for you! They don't know the wrath they'll endure if it's not delivered today!

That guy would do well as a politician! 

SO

I just got a call from Parcel Force.  They tried to tell me that it was held by Irish customs and so it would be delivered tomorrow. And that the delay was not their fault.

I told her it was sold as "next day" on Thursday, they'd mis-routed it to France, then the USA, then back to the UK, and finally to Dublin, where it arrived on Sunday.

I told them that the tracking online said it was released and at the local depot as of +/- 7:34 this morning.

I told them that I had just spoken to someone at Parcel Force on the phone, 45 minutes ago, who said it would be delivered today as it was on the truck.

She said that tracking had not been updated and she could not tell where it was. It was possible that it was on the truck but she could not say that for sure.

Then she told me that the recipient could phone and ask for information and gave me the number to call. Which could be called if I was IN IRELAND but does not work otherwise. "They can make arrangements to go pick it up."  I had already told her it was to the IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE, an government entity.  They are freaking not going to phone and make an arrangment to go pick up my paperwork at their freaking depot.

They should be sending a freaking hotshot courier with it, because this delay is THEIR FAULT.

She'll "keep me updated when the tracking updates and has put in an urgent query."

I. Hate. Them.

It was signed for five minutes after Parcel Force phoned to tell me it would not arrive until tomorrow.

I cannot get a proof of delivery letter from FedEx because it went through Parcel Force.

So, that's over. T.h.a.n.k.g.o.d. I will never do that again.

Now we wait to see what the outcome might be.

*phew*

Fingers still crossed for a good result!

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Yay! 

Yeah, at 8:00am on the dot this morning I got a phone call from Parcel Force to tell me the documents were delivered yesterday (Tuesday).

Of course, the FedEx tracking says they were delivered on Monday to the front desk, the time/date, and who signed for them. 

Thankfully we also received an email from the caseworker handling the Daughter's application, on Tuesday morning, that she was examining them at that moment. So we beat the deadline by a hair.

The special, tracked letter requesting extra time that I sent out late last week didn't even get to Langly distribution center (London?) until yesterday, and, as far as I know, is still in the UK. SO, it's good the docs arrived.

Seriously, the next time something important has to go there, I'll take the bus to Belfast and then down into the Republic and, if possible, deliver it myself. If they won't take hand-deliveries I'll stop in the nearest town and courier it over. It'd be cheaper and get there faster.

So glad it's there! What a hassle for you indeed

Beyond bizarre. I have shipped overnight express all over the world from work and at home (in the USA) for decades and only very rarely were there ever problems. Here there's a problem with every single item. It's truly... spectacular. 

And all that for a citizenship application that is likely to be turned down anyway.    But at least I can rest now, knowing that I have done literally everything I can have done to make it happen. Ya never know if ya don't try!

 Ya never know if ya don't try!

You went above and beyond! Fingers crossed they have some sense and approve it