Locomotion Models Shildon

[VESPA]

I have received a model of Mallard with a faulty cabside and am trying to send it back. LM have raised a returns lable but UPS claim to have delivered it. I am at a point of sending it back by Royal Mail and cancelling the order after spending nearly 5 hours trying to get UPS to sort the lable out. They came to collect without bringing a lable and then disappeared. Has anyone else had anything delivered by UPS and had problems?

[VESPA]

The saga went on and on as the day progressed with contact only through Facebook. What is that all about? UPS are only contactable via Facebook and Twitter until you delve a bit deeper and find a phone number. That person, contacted by phone, could hardly speak English and promised a call back within an hour. Never happened along with another 4 promises of call back throughout the day (8 hours in total trying to sort things out) via Facebook. Today I tried to contact Locomotion Models as they are now only taking calls Tues, Wed and Thurs between 10-4. One ring and then 2 1/2 mins of music to get an answerphone (2 messages left). I also sent them 2 completed contact forms from their website. In the end I have sent the loco back via Royal Mail special delivery for £8.95. A totally horrid purchase experience and by far the worst of any mail order purchase ever. I was going to have MALLARD in LNER blue as in the NRM and the Dynomometer car for Christmas. Once again another Christmas year of railway presents not to be seen at Christmas. I have asked for a refund on Mallard and await a repaired Dyno car from Rapido trains. The latter were all recalled due to overheating of the lighting circuit. From now on no more train related items for Christmas presents. A very stressful few days which was unecessary.

[Brew Man]

Good luck getting your money back. I am always very wary of little known companies that I have never dealt with and those that make it difficult to contact them. Very hit and miss.

[5Dublo2]

Good luck getting your money back. I am always very wary of little known companies that I have never dealt with and those that make it difficult to contact them. Very hit and miss.

 

 

Not sure Locomotion Models counts as an unknown company they are the model railways retail outlet of the NRM in Shildon, which is why NRM Licensed model trains are often sold with Locomotion branding.

[mjb1961]

Hi Vespa,,sorry to hear of your experience with ups and locomotion models, when your mallard has arrived at there shop I would again phone them and if you get through ask them to refund your postage as well.

[Brew Man]

Good luck getting your money back. I am always very wary of little known companies that I have never dealt with and those that make it difficult to contact them. Very hit and miss.

Not sure Locomotion Models counts as an unknown company they are the model railways retail outlet of the NRM in Shildon, which is why NRM Licensed model trains are often sold with Locomotion branding.

Maybe I should have said, "or those that make it difficult to contact them". Any company worth its salt would make contact an easy thing to do.

 

 

[96RAF]

From memory of a long ago visit to Shildon the shop is manned on an occasional basis.

[VESPA]

Update..... I was contacted by email by the owner with apologies as he was away on leave hence the delay replying. A refund was issued that day in full. So thanks for that. However the UPS saga was interesting as they had altered the dates in their tracking records. I even had a phone call from them to collect the loco on the day I returned it by Royal Mail. One thing UPS cannot alter are sent emails and the useless customer care via Facebook. All of which I am keeping for the time being until I decide whether to take the issue higher as a formal complaint. Avoid UPS if you can along with Hermes now Evri. They are so bad they had to change their name. My new name for UPS is Useless Parcel Service.

[Brew Man]

I use DPD wherever possible. Their service is excellent. They give you a 1 hour delivery slot which very rarely fails.

[Topcat2018]

The problem is that when you buy things you usually can't choose the courier. I don't trust any of them 100%, even Royal Mail.

I've probably mentioned this before but I once had an order delivered by Royal Mail that was supposed to be two parcels, but only one arrived. When I complained they sent a photo which was supposed to be proof of delivery. It was a picture of a white uPVC porch door, identical to many on our estate. The door was closed so you couldn't see the one package that had been delivered inside the porch, and it didn't even show the house number which is right there on the door jamb.

[Rana Temporia]

I think a lot depends on individuals in the delivery service. i got told off for mentioning one particular courier a few years ago on here who lost a Tri-ang Swedish diesel I’d bought off eBay in a colour I still don’t have, sent another parcel all round the UK for 3 months, smashed a Jouef 2D2 electric loco beyond repair and left a Gaeity pannier in 3” of water. Then I got a local delivery person for them who couldn’t be more helpful, even putting a note through my door explaining where she lived so i could collect the parcels if I wanted to. This doesn’t stop all the other nonsense but at least someone I trust to look after my parcels is at the final stage.

When I now very occasionally sell stuff on eBay I will only use recorded delivery with Royal Mail as then at least if the parcel goes AWOL I can get my money back. It’s not that difficult a process either having had to do it a couple of times, and then neither the buyer or I are out of pocket.

[VESPA]

I prefer Royal Mail in our area. It's the same man or woman who are extremely good opening the outer doors for anything that could be be valuable such as magazines. Parcels always arrive perfect. On one occasion our old postie went out of his way when I told him we were going away later in the day and I was expecting a parcel. He went back to the deopt, found it and was back about an hour later. The item was a Bachmann Royal Mail coach. Evri was rubbish with most things until we got a new chap and then it became reliable. Now he doesn't care. Yodel actually thieved 2 cases of wine over 2 Christmas periods and thieved one bottle out of a case of 6. I hope whoever that was choked on it.

[96RAF]

Royal Mail for letter post and a van delivery by Parcel Force for bigger stuff. DPD is excellent and Evri one complains about Evri, who dumped a load of parcels in the Close rather than deliver them.

[atom3624]

I generally prefer Royal Fail, agreed. DPD seem reliable enough, and fast.

I've not had any bad experiences with 'Evri' as Hermes is called now, just that they're slow unless an express service has been requested.

Al.

[ColinB]

With Evri/Hermes the local courier is excellent, trouble is the organisation behind it is rubbish. The Royal Mail or Snail as I tend to call it was brilliant but just lately the service has gone down hill rapidly. The local postman is really good but you never know what time they are delivering, again a lot relies on the organisation behind which seems to be getting worse. I get the opinion Royal Mail is trying to race to the bottom to compete with Evri, I recently got delivered a package from Peters Spares that was in their system for 2 months (yes, two months). I must admit I have had no issues with DPD.