BIG THANK Q BELFAST DONEGALL QUAY WORKERS - SPECIAL DELIVERY

[scarlet.1]

Dear All

How do I contact a delivery office manager or any helpful soul at Belfast Donegall Quay DO BEFORE they officially open at 8.00am? Does anyone have a direct number as at my local PDO in London you can usually get a real person before the official opening hour of 8.00am. I've googled for numbers but they are all automated and say opening hours are 8.00am onwards whereas I know the managers and workers are in before this time. This is my dilemma. I posted two special delivery items on Thursday to Belfast, at a cost of nearly £30 (paid for extra insurance). They were both addressed to an individual at a company/shop name with the address at 1 Victoria Square, Belfast However, I used the initials of the shop name in my address rather then the shop name in full (as I was told to by the staff). Both items went out on Sat morning and both came back at 12.42 pm as underlivered due to an incomplete address. I then contacted the shop and the individual they were addressed to and he said he would go to Donegall Quay DO himself to pick them up at 8.30 am on Monday (tomorrow) morning. Well, I have not slept all last night for worrying the guys and gals at Belfast DO will return both items to me (the sender's address is on the back) before the recipient gets there at 8.30 am tomorrow so I wondered if there is any way of me calling them first thing Monday morning and what would be the best time to call (?) to just ask if both packages could be held there and not sent back to me till the receipient comes in to collect at 8.30 am. Sorry this was a bit long-winded and hope someone can help me .

Thanks a million.

[DGP1]

Belfast is a big DO which covers several floors and many individual units (BT1 - 16) so I doubt there is a number that will get you through to the BT1 unit (I think BT1 covers Victoria Square), as for the packages, it's likely they have already been put into the system to be returned to you (it would be in my office). Unless someone from that office is actually on here then I doubt anything can be done before 8am on Monday.

[scarlet.1]

Oh No! That's the answer I was dreading really but was just hoping that as the DO closed at 2pm Saturday after the postie tried to deliver it at 12.42 that they may not return it till Monday morning. Based on your answer I guess with SD items they don't hang onto them at the destination end for very long. Thanks for taking the time to reply to me and I'll keep checking back here for any other responses. And, yes BT1 is the postcode for Victoria Square.

[Patrick Clifton]

Oh No! That's the answer I was dreading really but was just hoping that as the DO closed at 2pm Saturday after the postie tried to deliver it at 12.42 that they may not return it till Monday morning. Based on your answer I guess with SD items they don't hang onto them at the destination end for very long. Thanks for taking the time to reply to me and I'll keep checking back here for any other responses.

They are still treated as 'special delivery' even tho they are being sent back to sender. Mail does still move despite it being the weekend. I would guess that you would be too late come Monday morning.

[scarlet.1]

Thanks for the reply, Patrick.

[SpacePhoenix]

http://www.royalmail.com/trackdetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

try both tracking numbers there, it might give an idea if they have already left the delivery office at Belfast on their way back to you

[scarlet.1]

Hi SpacePhoenix

The message hasn't changed since Saturday at just after 12.42pm

Date: 14/07/12
Time: 12:42
Status: UNDELIVERED14/07/12
Track Point: BELFAST PDO



I don't know if this means the two packages are still sitting at Belfast Donegall Quay DO or that they''re already on way back from there to NI Mail Centre.

Thanks again.

[not me]

Hi SpacePhoenix

The message hasn't changed since Saturday at just after 12.42pm

Date: 14/07/12
Time: 12:42
Status: UNDELIVERED14/07/12
Track Point: BELFAST PDO



I don't know if this means the two packages are still sitting at Belfast Donegall Quay DO or that they''re already on way back from there to NI Mail Centre.

Thanks again.

they are not returned yet.
why do you think they are incomplete address?

as said already,what does the tracking say here

http://www.royalmail.com/trackdetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

this is not the system you have already tracked on

[scarlet.1]

Hello Custard

Thanks for replying. I have copied/posted the info I got when I used that link and it's still displaying the same info now (I mean details of the last line only and the line right at the top of all the info as opposed to the whole trail of tracking) which does seem to suggest the packets are at least still at Belfast DO. I am just hoping they don't start moving off at 4.00 or 5.00 am tomorrow! If they are both still there then maybe there's a chance the recipient will be able to collect them at 8.00 am tomorrow (he's now assured me he will be there as soon as the DO opens at 8.00 am). To answer your second question about the incomplete adddress, when I spoke to Royal Mail Customer Services at 12.50 pm on Saturday they told me both packages couldn't be delivered because the address was incomplete. I think this is because as mentioned in my first post I wrote the initials of the company/shop name on each package instead of the name in full and then the address 1 Victoria Square, plus full postcode. I then found out (from the shop) that 1 Victoria Square contains 40 shops so the postie obviously could not identify the shop from the initials alone and returned the two packets to his/her DO. I don't blame him/her. I am more annoyed at the member of staff from the company who instructed me to do this instead for putting the name in full.

I guess I was just hoping by some miracle that someone might have a direct line DO number as I have one for my local DO in my area of London. If you ring round 7 am you usually get someone. My googling has turned up a couple of Belfast numbers with automated messages saying they open at 8.00am and I managed to find one other number which just rings and rings so I might try ringing that in case I strike lucky and get a human being. Will also keep checking back here!

Thanks to all who've responded.

[MGB]

Pop the numbers you have in here
http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php

[scarlet.1]

Hi Matthew

Thanks , that is a great website, but the numbers I found (after much googling!) are already local Belfast numbers so they are not 0870 or 0845 numbers. Two of the three I found, even though they have local dialling codes are still automated ones which take you to customer services after 8.00am. As DGP1 said maybe I'm not gonna find a direct line.

[not me]

Hello Custard

Thanks for replying. I have copied/posted the info I got when I used that link and it's still displaying the same info now (I mean details of the last line only and the line right at the top of all the info as opposed to the whole trail of tracking) which does seem to suggest the packets are at least still at Belfast DO. I am just hoping they don't start moving off at 4.00 or 5.00 am tomorrow! If they are both still there then maybe there's a chance the recipient will be able to collect them at 8.00 am tomorrow (he's now assured me he will be there as soon as the DO opens at 8.00 am). To answer your second question about the incomplete adddress, when I spoke to Royal Mail Customer Services at 12.50 pm on Saturday they told me both packages couldn't be delivered because the address was incomplete. I think this is because as mentioned in my first post I wrote the initials of the company/shop name on each package instead of the name in full and then the address 1 Victoria Square, plus full postcode. I then found out (from the shop) that 1 Victoria Square contains 40 shops so the postie obviously could not identify the shop from the initials alone and returned the two packets to his/her DO. I don't blame him/her. I am more annoyed at the member of staff from the company who instructed me to do this instead for putting the name in full.

I guess I was just hoping by some miracle that someone might have a direct line DO number as I have one for my local DO in my area of London. If you ring round 7 am you usually get someone. My googling has turned up a couple of Belfast numbers with automated messages saying they open at 8.00am and I managed to find one other number which just rings and rings so I might try ringing that in case I strike lucky and get a human being. Will also keep checking back here!

Thanks to all who've responded.

happens all the time.
as for calling. really folks don't have time to answer customer queries early doors.
theres a ton of stuff to do.
good chance the items will still be there at 8am

[scarlet.1]

Have changed the title of this thread as this is a final UPDATE !!

Just wanted to say a massive THANK-YOU. It seems one of the numbers that I found by googling was a direct line through to the workforce and at 6.30 am this morning I spoke to a very helpful guy called Johnny, who found the postie who delivers to Victoria Square and between them they put the two items down for collection at the Enquiry Office and took the time to update the tracking status as 'held'. The recipient went in to collect them at 8.05am and sadly the guy in the Enquiry Office said he knew nothing and couldn't give out any special delivery items without a 'while you were out card'. I guess he missed the point that a failed delivery meant the postie didn't know which unit of 1 Victoria Square to attempt delivery to so he couldn't have left a 'while you were out card'. Anyway, receipient called me at 8.50 am to tell me he couldn't get the items and I then phoned the same number I'd called at 6.30 am, someone else answered (sadly I don't have his name) and he was equally amazing - he actually went down to the Enquiry Office where recipient was waiting and sorted it all out. WHAT AMAZING GUYS working there, so dedicated and so on the job

[DGP1]

Thankyou for coming back and letting us know, well done on getting a happy outcome

it always amazes me what way other offices work because in my office they'd have gone back on the transfer lorry on Saturday afternoon.

[PhilthyPhil]

It may well be the case that the item did not come back to the DO until after the final dispatch to the MC on saturday since they can be quite early. Ours is 1300 and a lot of guys come back after this. On a weekday though it would be returned to the MC the same day.

Glad everything was sorted out in the end anyway :)