Royal Mail parcel being diverted via ParcelForce Coventry hub

[3942rick2005]

Just posted this in buyers but has relevance in sellers?

Royal Mail tracked 48 parcel being diverted via ParcelForce Coventry hub, apparently to be delivered by Parcelforce also.

Has any one else experienced this?

I had a quick google and found that there is some sort of pilot scheme running for this to happen with large parcels ( mine shouldn't be a very big parcel though 😞

Couple of extracts:

"

The Building the Future project, documented via LTB 040/25, provides Parcelforce the required IT capabilities to enable interoperability of parcels between the RM and PFW networks. This is alongside other initiatives, including First Mile Integration starting with PFW POL Collections transferring into RM, covered in LTB 076/25.

The plan is to migrate up to 14m format 4 and above (F4+) parcels from RM to PFW in financial year 2025/2026. "

"In RM on outward, Collection Hubs and Outward Mail Centres (OMCs) will segregate T48 F4+ items, conducting a scanning process and loose load items onto PFW trailers. These trailers are then sent to PFW Coventry National Hub (CNH) overnight for processing on the day shift and once migrated to PFW these items remain in the PFW network through to final delivery."

Now what could go wrong with Simpleton Delivery and this?

[applerepair]

This is happening to me for an item I bought on eBay that was faulty so I requested a return. eBay provided a royal mail 48 tracked label and I sent off on Tuesday, no update on tracking since then except the initial scan when I dropped it off at the post office. I assumed it had been lost and the seller is getting funny about the refund. Today (Friday a day after it should have arrived back to the seller) I see the tracking updated to say 'Item received' (by royal mail) and 'Coventry PFW National Hub' which led me to this community post. 

I now don't expect the parcel to get back to the seller until Monday a full 4 working days later which is ridiculous. This had me worried for a few days as it was a £300 item and I don't know what eBay would have done in this situation. 

Thanks for the information though.

[jstringy]

It's happening to me  at this moment, I've sold a longcase clock movement with its weights etc, I only had the choice of simple delivery,  my parcel came to 21.4kg & I would have in the past used parcelforce,  royal mail medium parcel is 20kg max, so I took the clock weights out & arranged royal mail 48 myself at my cost, as I didn't want the buyer to pay a surcharge. 

Royal mail collected the 2 parcels on Monday the simple 1 with the clock in that the buyer paid for & the weights I paid for, as I like to keep my 100% feedback. 

I found out today the weights I sent are being delivered in Cornwall,  the simple delivery  went to Coventry & I've checked the tracking and they sent it back up country to Rotherham? It says they've rerouted it immediately,  when it should be in Cornwall with the weights,  I had spoke to Ebay  at the beginning on Monday about simple delivery,  & how its ruined things, but unfortunately the very good customer service person tried their best to sort things, I said that Ebay should have consulted sellers before  changing p&p as it was obvious whoever's thought of simple delivery hasn't got a clue. I also didn't know that the items were going to be transported with parcelforce? I've now messaged the buyer to let him know what has happened,  as he will now have the weights & no clock at this moment.