Thanks for replying, i know what you mean, and what makes it worse is this government are doing nothing to stop what the Tories started by taking away all employment rights.

God knows how they work it out. I think it's supposed to go on mileage and number of drops but they seem to make it up as they go along. I got fed up and left. Sadly the glory days for courier work were 20 years ago. You will make a living but you'll work long days - have to do 6 days a week really and that's if the work's there. No guarantees and you won't know until the morning if you're working or not. They want all the advantages of emloying people with none of the disadvantages and if you don't like what they offer they say 'tough'. Personally I wouldn't recommend working for this lot to my worst enemy

Cozmik Courier, can you tell me how much per parcel SMS pay? Is it the same for all parcels, or are some paid at different rates? Also, in your opinion, what is the best way to make courier-ing pay? Same day or multi-drop? I'm thinking of working for SMS if you can make it pay.

I am no great fan of this company. I think they treat their couriers contemptuously and dismissively. What I will say in their defence is that they are contracted by various companies to deliver itmes to their customers who lay down any rules and regulations which SMS then has to abide by or lose the contract. Therefore, if you aren't happy with the system it is the Passport Office, the bank or the ticket company or whoever you are dealing with to whom you should complain. SMS are not working for you, they are working for the company who has despatched the item. Consequently no 'permission' or instruction you give them has any bearing at all on how they go about their business. It is not the courier's fault. When I was a courier the 'customer' got as good as they gave. If they treated me well, I treated them better but I did not get paid enough to take their sh*t and didn't do so

Funforus, Hope you haven't forgotten me. I was involved in the famous cash-back scam and you tried you absolute best to help me recover my funds.

I need your help quite urgently so if you get this message, Please can you email me on my email address in my profile. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks Ash

I spent a whole day waiting for my parcel last friday. Nobody ever turned up

If you met him in the street and he had phoned you up, who else could you have been? You can't get much securer than that really.

This message is for oi oi saveloy. I am thinking about working for this company. Can you tell me how they pay (monthly or weekly) and how much per parcel. The only thing putting me off is having to pay for your own CRB disclosure. Most companies will pay this for you. I live in Wakefield and my nearest depot is Normanton near J31 on the M62. Can you make this job pay? I was quoted being able to earn £150 per day. I am at present a lifestyle courier for DHL but the money is crap at 75p per parcel. Some are pretty big parcels and i can only really do about 30 a day, but if it were just envelopes, i could probably do more, but 100 a day seems a lot to me.

I have had the "Pleasure" of dealing with SMS lately, and I have been waiting for a "Guarenteed 24 hour delivery" of my sons passport for 4 days now....and I had to pay an extra 40 odd quid for this "service"...Although I think that may be more down to the passport office than anything, putting scare tactics on me saying they would get my boys passport to me in time for travel (despite sending off his application 5 weeks ago)..

I was even told to be at home on the 1st day of delivery, and waited around taking time out of work to wait in for soemthing that wasnt coming..Just wished someone could have told me exactly what the score was....put my mind at rest a bit..

If anybody is waiting for more than 3 days for a new bank card, it's a good chance that it was sent by SMS and they didn't leave a "you were out" card.

The bank will say you have to wait 7 working days. If redelivery is attempted with SMS, whatever mishap the 1st time may happen again and again. It makes you think that maybe SMS have a "difficult address" guy who will get it through to your house on the 4th attempt.

The drivers I guess have 60 deliveries in a day, and pick the 50 easy ones so their quotas are good. If there is too much traffic outside your house for them to park, or they can't see the right house number driving past then "leave it to the next day".

0800 0197 847 will get through to SMS, but why bother. Try your bank, if you are a "premium" customer and can get through to an effective call-centre, then they can send a fax to SMS requesting them to put your card in the post and you'll get it via RoyalMail in 2-3 days. Fingers crossed it's not lost because RoyalMail is not a secure delivery company like say SMS.

What deal SMS offered to the banks to get the delivery contract I can't imagine.

I fully agree. I've just got off the phone to them and they claim they tried to deliver a package to my work address on Tuesday. Which is a blatant lie. Reception at my place of work is permanently staffed by two persons, and it would have been open at the time they claim the delivery was made.

Furthermore, their so-called delivery took place almost an hour after the stated delivery times they mention.

It has now been a week that I've been waiting for this. And they simply don't care.

I do wish companies would not use them because they are simply rubbish. I will complain to the company I am using and hope others will do the same.

The worst courier company I have ever deal with.
They had a delivery from the Border Agency at my home address which was the only possible.
In a week time I phoned them to ask where is the package, but they say that they tried to deliver the package, but somebody said them that I did not live there any more and they had to wait for a fax from the Border Agency confirming that I still live there before the could arrange redelivery.
The Border Agency was supposed to ring me in 10 working days since I let them know about the issue, but nobody rang.

The company is driving me mad, and all the posts are just confirming that the company is rubbish.

I had another experience with debit card from Lloyds which was arranged to be delivered to a local branch, and according to SMS's records was delivered, but in the Branch they did not find it and just said that it happens when SMS lie about delivery.

Totally agree,

By the way the courier always knows what is in the envelope and has particular instructions regarding to be carried out relating to each type

These instructions have been asked for by the client if they want i.d they the drivers have to get it, if they are caught braking these rules a couple of times they will be out of a job.

Yes i.d is asked for at home addresses as well, Items have been stolen by people pretending to live at an address when they have been broken into, or stealing the yellow card and getting it re-directed. Seems unlikely but I still have the email warnings supplied by SMS to the courier.

This company is indeed generally a nightmare, though they seem to have improved slightly in recent times.

I personally order lots of tickets which are usually delivered by the Royal Mail, or if I'm unlucky by SMS. The beauty of the Royal Mail is that if you're not in and can't sign for your recorded delivery then at least you can invariably go and pick it up from a nearby sorting office. But with SMS its often a nightmare.

- They only deliver between 9am-5pm, which happily coincides with when I'm at work.

- So why not get it delivered to my work address? I work for a defence company that has very tight security and doesn't generally let people into the building without prior authorisation.

The SMS courier comes into the building and asks for me by name. He won't simply let the receptionist sign for the envelope - so she has to call me down from the 8th floor to sign for them in person. This is immensely irritating, especially when I'm usually otherwise engaged in a meeting. Just how utterly security conscious do these people have to be over some concert tickets??? (and yes they do know they are only concert tickets as the courier seems to know the contents of the envelope!). You'd think the were delivering enriched uranium the way they carry on.

Even when I have been at home and they have called by chance (something of a fluke!) I have even had to show them ID - when in my own house!!! Who else would I be? A burgler?

As I say....they have seemingly got a bit better recently, but they still remain a generally annoying company to deal with. Every time I get home and find a little yellow missed delivery slip I think "here we go again.... I wonder how long it will be this time before I finally get my envelope"...

To all the companies out there - please use the Royal Mail instead and save my sanity!!!

DFENCE:

Well, let me tell you something. I have an outstanding debt with a company, and have no credit card due for delivery - YET this company has sent me a letter saying they have a card waiting for me as they couldn't deliver it...

The address where I am, is available for delivery during all working hours of every day of the week including Sunday - so how a delivery could have been missed - is clearly a LIE.

IN ADDITION! most companies that miss a delivery - leave you a letter in your post box - nothing left here (not that they would have had to do that as I say).

So if they miss a delivery why spend money on sending out a letter?

Does not compute I'm afraid - the logic is flawed - seems very suspicious to me.

ANY COMPANY that also has an unscrupulous front in order to assist debt collection - is a company that deserves contempt. I would stay away from them - and I speak from first hand experience, and have no other malice when I say this.

I hate them, i really do - i've just had to deal with them this week for a replacement bank card and they are a nightmare. I had the same deal as you - tried to deliver apparently, but no card or anything.

But - they are not a front to assist debt collection - if a debt collection agency uses them for delivery then they will deliver the item - if they are told its a card then thats what they'll put on the docket. That is certainly debt collector behaviour - not mail delivery company behaviour.

Alternatively if your debt is with a company that they have a card delivery contract with, they might assume its a card.

The bottom line is that they are not malicious, they are just really really bad at what they do.