Awaiting Dispatch
- Thread starter tnxiram
- Start date
Did you order Saturday delivery, if you did it won't be dispatched til Friday, if not then possibly there is a bit of a backlog.
Given its been a few days, you might want to ring up PCS tomorrow to see if it is just a backlog or in case something else is holding it up.
Toxophilix
Bright Spark
I'm in the same situation - order went into "Awaiting Dispatch" on Monday morning and stayed in that state for the rest of Monday and Tuesday. I mailed PCS about it last night and got a reply at lunchtime today saying that there is, indeed, a backlog which they expect to clear in the next day or so.
I then got a Dispatched mail from PCS earlier this evening. The package is not showing up on DPD's site yet, however, so I'm not really expecting it until Friday. No dbout we'll all get our PCs soon.
I don't think this is a big problem but I would suggest to PCS that they could handle this situation a little better from the customers' point of view. The problem is that, unlike the other order-processing milestones which just give information, the dispatch date has a practical implication for the customer - they need to arrange to be at home to sign for the package. So, when they see the order go into "Awaiting Dispatch" they are thinking that they need to be ready to receive it next day, or maybe the day after (based on the guidelines on the website and on the mail you receive at this point). If that expectation isn't going to be met it would be useful to be told. Of course, it would be ideal if we got a projected dispatch date for the order showing on the website, but if that is not possible (and it would doubtless incur some development cost), then just a blanket statement on the website that the current pre-dispatch period is 24 or 48 hours (or whatever) would do fine. Either way, this would help customers plan their whereabouts and cut down on chasing mails to PCS, which seems like a win-win.
As I say, I don't think this is a major issue and this is not in any way a complaint. However, I think PCS could fine tune this part of the process a little in cases where dispatch is delayed, because overall I've struck by the way in which PCS builds a relationship with its customers through its website, forum and email contact. It's pretty impressive.
I then got a Dispatched mail from PCS earlier this evening. The package is not showing up on DPD's site yet, however, so I'm not really expecting it until Friday. No dbout we'll all get our PCs soon.
I don't think this is a big problem but I would suggest to PCS that they could handle this situation a little better from the customers' point of view. The problem is that, unlike the other order-processing milestones which just give information, the dispatch date has a practical implication for the customer - they need to arrange to be at home to sign for the package. So, when they see the order go into "Awaiting Dispatch" they are thinking that they need to be ready to receive it next day, or maybe the day after (based on the guidelines on the website and on the mail you receive at this point). If that expectation isn't going to be met it would be useful to be told. Of course, it would be ideal if we got a projected dispatch date for the order showing on the website, but if that is not possible (and it would doubtless incur some development cost), then just a blanket statement on the website that the current pre-dispatch period is 24 or 48 hours (or whatever) would do fine. Either way, this would help customers plan their whereabouts and cut down on chasing mails to PCS, which seems like a win-win.
As I say, I don't think this is a major issue and this is not in any way a complaint. However, I think PCS could fine tune this part of the process a little in cases where dispatch is delayed, because overall I've struck by the way in which PCS builds a relationship with its customers through its website, forum and email contact. It's pretty impressive.
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Grimezy
Prolific Poster
To the above, I think it is a very rare scenario which may explain why they haven't done too much about it in terms of alerting the customer. As they were very busy trying to meet the christmas deadlines, I imagine they have a backlog of orders left still from before christmas who missed the cut off date, and then they'll have received orders during the christmas break while they weren't working and they'll have received even more in the new year now that people have been paid, etc. If you look at the fact that the average build is around 10-12 days normally, and that most companies came back to work on 2nd/3rd January; they have probably been faced with a huge backlog of orders which they're trying to complete as quickly as possible, consequently backlogging the packaging and delivery procedure and they probably haven't had much time to come up with a way of alerting all of the effected customers. I imagine they are doing their best to rectify the issue though and considering it's barely been a week since they'll have returned to work, it sounds like they're doing extremely well to even get their orders to dispatch stage in that period of time.
I appreciate your point in that people need to arrange to be home, etc but once it is actually dispatched the process is usually brilliantly informative. You should receive an email the night before to let you know it is now with DPD, then you should get emails and a text message in the morning saying it is on a van and an hour time slot which in my experience was spot on.
You will still be receiving the same notice that everybody else receives to plan to be home as everyone is normally emailed after 3pm on the day it is dispatched and it will normally arrive the day after. Therefore, in a sense you're getting more notice than other people because you know that it's completed and everything is fine and you know it is going to be dispatched in the next few days, therefore, if it's work that you're having to miss, you can at least let your boss know you may need a day off in the next few days with not a lot of notice or you can say that you might have to pop home for an hour in the next few days just to be there to sign for it. Rather than somebody who gets the email at 5pm on a Monday, they've already left work so can't tell anyone and it's arriving on the Tuesday at 9am.
Also, the package will not normally show up on DPD's site until after midnight on the day PCS dispatched it I believe you so it probably would still be the day after (which is today I believe).
I appreciate your point in that people need to arrange to be home, etc but once it is actually dispatched the process is usually brilliantly informative. You should receive an email the night before to let you know it is now with DPD, then you should get emails and a text message in the morning saying it is on a van and an hour time slot which in my experience was spot on.
You will still be receiving the same notice that everybody else receives to plan to be home as everyone is normally emailed after 3pm on the day it is dispatched and it will normally arrive the day after. Therefore, in a sense you're getting more notice than other people because you know that it's completed and everything is fine and you know it is going to be dispatched in the next few days, therefore, if it's work that you're having to miss, you can at least let your boss know you may need a day off in the next few days with not a lot of notice or you can say that you might have to pop home for an hour in the next few days just to be there to sign for it. Rather than somebody who gets the email at 5pm on a Monday, they've already left work so can't tell anyone and it's arriving on the Tuesday at 9am.
Also, the package will not normally show up on DPD's site until after midnight on the day PCS dispatched it I believe you so it probably would still be the day after (which is today I believe).
Toxophilix
Bright Spark
I think your are right that it's probably a rare situation and may therefore not be a priority to improve.
I don't entirely agree that the delay is giving the customer more notice, however, because once the same-or-next-day dispatch has not happened, they actually don't know what the situation is - whether it's a case of clearing a backlog (likely short delay) or some specific problem with their order such as a peripheral being out of stock or an elephant rolling on it (possibly longer delay). They do know they'll be getting a delivery in the next week or so, but they've known that since the moment they ordered the computer.
Either way, I think it could be good tactics from PCS's point of view to push that information out to the customer.
Basically, I was very relaxed about this because:
a) I can see everyone here has received their machines in a timely manner.
b) I haven't been waiting long over all (and btw I agree that PCS seem to have done a great job of picking things up after Christmas).
c) I've had a good service from DPD in the past.
But not everyone is as calm and reasonable as me
I don't entirely agree that the delay is giving the customer more notice, however, because once the same-or-next-day dispatch has not happened, they actually don't know what the situation is - whether it's a case of clearing a backlog (likely short delay) or some specific problem with their order such as a peripheral being out of stock or an elephant rolling on it (possibly longer delay). They do know they'll be getting a delivery in the next week or so, but they've known that since the moment they ordered the computer.
Either way, I think it could be good tactics from PCS's point of view to push that information out to the customer.
Basically, I was very relaxed about this because:
a) I can see everyone here has received their machines in a timely manner.
b) I haven't been waiting long over all (and btw I agree that PCS seem to have done a great job of picking things up after Christmas).
c) I've had a good service from DPD in the past.
But not everyone is as calm and reasonable as me
Grimezy
Prolific Poster
Got an email this morning saying it was dispatched. I could have probably worded the question a bit better because it makes me look like i was complaining, which i didn't mean it to.
Congratulations
And your question was fine, I'd be genuinely quite concerned if the website says it should go through 'awaiting dispatch' within 1 day and it hadn't done.. At least it's sorted now though! Good luck with your rig
Toxophilix
Bright Spark
Looking good here also. Got a text from DPD a few minutes ago.Got an email this morning saying it was dispatched. I could have probably worded the question a bit better because it makes me look like i was complaining, which i didn't mean it to.
Enjoy your PC