RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted February 22, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2017 Last Thursday morning I ordered some Tillig HO Fishplates from Hattons as they work quite well with the new PECO Bullhead track. I recieved an email on Friday to day they had been picked and packed, I thought this a little strange as it was only two small packs and it's taken a day to pack them. Nothing arrived on Saturday and I was a little surprised but these days you do get used to next if not same delievery from the likes of Amazon. On Monday I recieved the following through the post box :- I had only been in the shed and so missed the postman. I pondered what could be so big that wouldn't fit through the letter box, I hadn't ordered anything else, so this left either the Hattons package or yet another HUB from BT! Could I have ordered the wrong thing and ordered 12 inch to the foot fishplates by mistake? I had to wait till the following day to find out. Yesterday I went down to Royal Mail office in Preston and picked up my parcel:- It was little bigger than two packets of fishplates! I got back and opened the package and this is what I found inside:- And buried at the bottom were the two packets of fishplates, I hadn't ordered the wrong scale after all! I had to laugh on the one hand at the excess packaging but on the other I was not happy that I had to make a trip to Royal Mail office to pick up a parcel with items that could have fitted in a small envelope or jiffy bag and fitted through my letter box, all would have been needed was to put the fishpaltes between two pieces of card to protect them. What a waste of material and for me time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Jackson Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Wow just wow! Now I know amazon had this problem recently and it was featured on some BBC programe and was resolved, but honestly I don't mind the over packaging as its good modelling material . Saying that however looking at your case above I still can't believe it, surely an A4 padded envelope would do if they wanted those leaflets and flyers to be included. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark axlecounter Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Bet you thought sally had bought you a Dapol 08 Hat....................coat.................door Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold toboldlygo Posted February 22, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2017 Last Thursday morning I ordered some Tillig HO Fishplates from Hattons as they work quite well with the new PECO Bullhead track. I recieved an email on Friday to day they had been picked and packed, I thought this a little strange as it was only two small packs and it's taken a day to pack them. Nothing arrived on Saturday and I was a little surprised but these days you do get used to next if not same delievery from the likes of Amazon. On Monday I recieved the following through the post box :- IMG_0570_rsz.jpg I had only been in the shed and so missed the postman. I pondered what could be so big that wouldn't fit through the letter box, I hadn't ordered anything else, so this left either the Hattons package or yet another HUB from BT! Could I have ordered the wrong thing and ordered 12 inch to the foot fishplates by mistake? I had to wait till the following day to find out. Yesterday I went down to Royal Mail office in Preston and picked up my parcel:- IMG_0572_rsz.jpg It was little bigger than two packets of fishplates! I got back and opened the package and this is what I found inside:- IMG_0576_rsz.jpg And buried at the bottom were the two packets of fishplates, I hadn't ordered the wrong scale after all! IMG_0578_rsz.jpg I had to laugh on the one hand at the excess packaging but on the other I was not happy that I had to make a trip to Royal Mail office to pick up a parcel with items that could have fitted in a small envelope or jiffy bag and fitted through my letter box, all would have been needed was to put the fishpaltes between two pieces of card to protect them. What a waste of material and for me time. I hope with all that packaging the fish-plates weren't damaged Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted February 22, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2017 I've had five packets of Peco 'Individualay' fishplates delivered in a similar sized box filled with bubble wrap. It did seem a little excessive at the time! l've ordered them from elsewhere since and they (10 packets) came in a little 6"x4" Jiffybag. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I had a similar sized package arrive today - three Scenecraft buildings, two 5 plank wagons plus a load of S shaped foam bits to fill the excess space. Mine was free postage to boot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew F Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 You don't have to go to the main post office to pick up a parcel if you miss a delivery. You can arrange a Royal Mail re-delivery on-line and specify which day you'd like the parcel to arrive. Annoying stil,l but more convenient. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I suspect the best place to start is to consider Hattons mail order department. They likely ship out via one carrier and it is easier to prepare a stack of boxes than boxes plus jiffy bags. In fact, the carrier might ask Hattons to place Jiffy bags in the carriers plastic bags. The alternative is to send an employee down to the nearest post office to post jiffy bags and that is wasteful. Time and speed is of the essence and so it is simpler to drop a catalogue and small packets of couplings in a box and fill the unused space with air-bags. This is all guesswork of course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Sidelines Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Perhaps big boxes are easier to track. Maybe the cost of the packaging dwarfs claims for broken or lost packets? Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Limpley Stoker Posted February 22, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2017 I suspect the best place to start is to consider Hattons mail order department. They likely ship out via one carrier and it is easier to prepare a stack of boxes than boxes plus jiffy bags. In fact, the carrier might ask Hattons to place Jiffy bags in the carriers plastic bags. The alternative is to send an employee down to the nearest post office to post jiffy bags and that is wasteful. Time and speed is of the essence and so it is simpler to drop a catalogue and small packets of couplings in a box and fill the unused space with air-bags. This is all guesswork of course. I leave a sign on the front door asking couriers or postmen to leave packets in small shed if no reply to their knock. SWMBO doesn't monitor these packets! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I would expect that it is a Contract rate from Royal Mail and will cost considerably less than personal customers via the Post Office and is probably one size fits all! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGR Hooper! Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I got a sheet of plasticard packed in a bigger box... A bit of a waste, though it did protect the plasticard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bescotbeast Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Last Thursday morning I ordered some Tillig HO Fishplates from Hattons as they work quite well with the new PECO Bullhead track. I recieved an email on Friday to day they had been picked and packed, I thought this a little strange as it was only two small packs and it's taken a day to pack them. Nothing arrived on Saturday and I was a little surprised but these days you do get used to next if not same delievery from the likes of Amazon. On Monday I recieved the following through the post box :- IMG_0570_rsz.jpg I had only been in the shed and so missed the postman. I pondered what could be so big that wouldn't fit through the letter box, I hadn't ordered anything else, so this left either the Hattons package or yet another HUB from BT! Could I have ordered the wrong thing and ordered 12 inch to the foot fishplates by mistake? I had to wait till the following day to find out. Yesterday I went down to Royal Mail office in Preston and picked up my parcel:- IMG_0572_rsz.jpg It was little bigger than two packets of fishplates! I got back and opened the package and this is what I found inside:- IMG_0576_rsz.jpg And buried at the bottom were the two packets of fishplates, I hadn't ordered the wrong scale after all! IMG_0578_rsz.jpg I had to laugh on the one hand at the excess packaging but on the other I was not happy that I had to make a trip to Royal Mail office to pick up a parcel with items that could have fitted in a small envelope or jiffy bag and fitted through my letter box, all would have been needed was to put the fishpaltes between two pieces of card to protect them. What a waste of material and for me time. I've encountered this as well Peter, I've even said to the missus "come and look at this", then shown her the tins of humbrol paint sitting in a large box Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KNP Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I've just had two Bachmann 6 pin decoders delivered today in exactly the same size box and matching paperwork!!! My first thought was exactly how many had I ordered......... Had trouble finding them at first as they had worked themselves into the bubble packaging during transit. Do doubt it saves in having many different size boxes but like a previous reply a Jiffy bag would have been sufficient. Kevin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleset Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I've also noticed this recently to. They used to send things nicely presented in a box fitting to the size of the contents, not sure why the change. To add insult to injury my last purchase sent in a giant box like yours. Was shoved on top of a huge pile of bubble wrap as if it was an after thought. They'd actually had to tape the end of the box over it so it bulged outwards to get it in. I'll let you guess the condition it arrived in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick G Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 My Dapol class 68 came from Hattons with less packaging than that! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted February 22, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2017 Probably because nowadays most parcels are sorted by a machine which is based on an old track plan of Toton Hump. Jiffy bags don't go too well through the points and over the retarders. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Roy Langridge Posted February 22, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2017 Whilst the packaging is excessive, I am not quite sure why you seem unhappy to have got the delivery service you paid for nor why this is posted in the retailers commissions section. Roy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 ... the cost of the packaging dwarfs I expect they have to be paid the same wage these days. Or do they just pack Lilliput items? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted February 22, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2017 Whilst the packaging is excessive, I am not quite sure why you seem unhappy to have got the delivery service you paid for nor why this is posted in the retailers commissions section. Roy If I had known it was to be sent in a big box I would have had it delivered to my office as I can't stay at home to wait for a parcel. I presumed that as it was a very small order it would be sent in a small packet that would through a letter box. As to posting it in the commissions section that was a genuine mistake as all I seen was Hattons and I wrongly presume it was all things related to Hattons - I'll book the apppintment with Specsavers tomorrow! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Roy Langridge Posted February 22, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2017 If I had known it was to be sent in a big box I would have had it delivered to my office as I can't stay at home to wait for a parcel. I presumed that as it was a very small order it would be sent in a small packet that would through a letter box. As to posting it in the commissions section that was a genuine mistake as all I seen was Hattons and I wrongly presume it was all things related to Hattons - I'll book the apppintment with Specsavers tomorrow! It wasn't so much that you got a box, but you must have selected and paid for Royal Mail 48h as that is what the label is for (costs £4). That specifically says if may *not* be processed same day and will be 48h delivery (i.e. 2 working days). You just seemed unhappy that that is what you got. Roy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted February 22, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2017 It wasn't so much that you got a box, but you must have selected and paid for Royal Mail 48h as that is what the label is for (costs £4). That specifically says if may *not* be processed same day and will be 48h delivery (i.e. 2 working days). You just seemed unhappy that that is what you got. Roy For your information I paid £2 but so as it turns out Hattons make a loss on the postage but the main point of the post was the excessive packaging but perhaps you've missed that! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gismorail Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Blimey all this interest in two packets of fish plates ......well I should have known really it's track components and anything to do with track is the 'Holy Grail' on here isn't it Totally agree with your surprise on the size of the packet Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Roy Langridge Posted February 22, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 22, 2017 Blimey all this interest in two packets of fish plates ......well I should have known really it's track components and anything to do with track is the 'Holy Grail' on here isn't it Totally agree with your surprise on the size of the packet Hattons must have been learning from Amazon who seem to similarly over package a load of goods. Roy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted February 22, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 22, 2017 From having one had a Parcelforce account for sending books out, I suspect that Hattons will pay rather less than £2 for that package. Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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