Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[garbon]

I loved when Evri was like we don't recognise there are widespread chronic issues. If a customer is having consistent problems I would urge them to get in touch.

BBC presenter was like that's exactly the issue they can't communicate with you. Customers recognise packages will sometimes have delays but they will try your chatbot and phone lines and they can't get any information.

Also did you know sites like which see you ranked near last, if not last, on customer satisfaction. What do you say to that?

[Josquius]

I'll have to seek this out. They need a good kicking.

[HVC]

You guys need fedex

[garbon]

I'll have to seek this out. They need a good kicking.

He just weaseled around but it still was funny to see a minor BBC correspondent skewering him.

[garbon]

You guys need fedex

It exists here and I've got a FedEx before. (Autocorrect adding the capitalisation...)

Biggest issue for me is that you often can't pick shipping carrier when ordering so you just have to fall onto existential despair (/give up all hope) when you see Evri was assigned as the carrier.

I don't know why a sender would ever use them. High reputational risk so I can only guess they are cheap?

[HVC]

Yeah, you'd think using a courier everyone hates would be bad business.

[Sheilbh]

I also don't really ever have issues with Royal Mail or DHL.

Separately some local news from my mum and dad's area. Again I think there are possibly a few supply side/gatekeeper issues in this country

Weymouth café owner told to close after neighbour complains about noise and 'smells of bacon'
The popular cafe is now in limbo
ByMike TaylorRegional Senior Reporter
    17:05, 13 DEC 2023Updated23:02, 13 DEC 2023


Caddy Shack, based in a section of the car park at Weymouth and Portland Rugby Club, has been forced to immediately close down her business following a complaint about noise and smells from a resident. (Image: Emma Ayles)

A café owner has been forced to immediately close down her Weymouth business following a complaint about noise and smells from a resident. Caddy Shack has been based in a section of the car park at Weymouth and Portland Rugby Club off Monmouth Avenue since March 2021 after relocating across town.

Based in a converted steel box container with fencing, the business has been a hit with customers and dog walkers. Yet a neighbour's complaint sparked a planning war that has seen reported claims of smells and nose against the business.

Owner Emma Ayles denied any problems with her business and has been left reeling from her appeal being rejected by the Planning Inspectorate. She told Dorset Live: "I needed a new space and Weymouth and Portland RFC approached me to move my café to their ground.

"They emailed the leaseholders Dorset Council for permission and said I could be there on a temporary basis. Before I opened, neighbours were complaining. I think they kept on to the council and they said I had to get planning permission.

"We put in an application to retain the change of use and it went to a decision in February 2023 and all was going well at that point."

The application sought to retain the change of use from club parking to cafe area as well as the steel box container and fencing. Emma explained that while the application was well received, she was hit with criticism about having no toilets. She clarified that they had use of the club's toilets, but this was not enough to appease Dorset Council's South and Western Planning Committee in February.

She also faced an objection from one nearby resident, who claimed that they were unable to put out their washing due to the smells of the cafe. He wrote: "This business overlooks our back garden directly.

"It is a busy cafe that creates problems with noise as well as parking issues as customers regularly park behind our back fence it operates seven days a week as well as the obvious problem of being overlooked there is also the problem of cooking smells and we are often unable to put our washing on the line due to it smelling of bacon."


One neighbour objected to the plans to retain Caddy Shack at Weymouth and Portland RFC and complained he was unable to hang his washing outside. The Planning Inspectorate also noted issues with noise, something owner Emma Ayles disagreed with (Image: Emma Ayles)

In response to the Monmouth Avenue resident's complaints, Emma rubbished the objection's claims and said: "If you look on Facebook or on the petition everyone says how quiet it is and there are no issues."

Supported by Weymouth and Portland RFC, Emma appealed the decision to the Planning Inspectorate, with a case officer visiting the area on October 24. Referencing noise, he wrote: "However, the seating area for the café is entirely outside and therefore there is no containment of noise created by patrons.

"As such, the site's close proximity to residential properties gives rise to the high potential for harmful noise disturbance to occur."

Emma pointed out that she had used bamboo and other materials to resolve the noise, but felt the Planning Inspectorate officer's observations were nonsensical. She feared another planning application could take another nine months to resolve.

She said: "I was there and it was rainy, wet and didn't have a load of trade or got much takings. I closed down at around 12.30pm or 1pm as a result.

"We saw the report they refused it on the grounds of noise. There was no noise in the day and they presumed there would be in the summer and that's why he's closed us down.

"If they can close me down on based on one neighbour's complaints, it is beyond me. There are eight employees made redundant as a result.

"On Saturday afternoon I found out about the decision and we had to close down. We are trying to arrange if I can move elsewhere."

Since the decision, more than 2,300 people have signed a petition urging the Planning Inspectorate to rethink their decision. Many have championed the local business and called it an "asset to the community".

Emma welcomed the comments from customers on the petition and social media, but was concerned whether it would have any impact. She said: "To submit a new planning application, that is a nine months turnaround and I cannot run my business. Therefore I have no income and cannot trade. I am in limbo and unsure what to do."

A spokesman for Dorset Council said: "The democratic planning process has been followed. The original decision to refuse was made by the South and Western Planning Committee against officer recommendation.

"If an applicant doesn't agree with the planning decision, they have the right to appeal. This is considered by the Planning Inspectorate. The Planning Inspectorate is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities."

The Planning Inspectorate was unable to comment on the matter. The petition can be found through this link.

I am reminded once again of objections to planning permission for a GP's surgery because of the noise of car doors opening and closing. From another report on this story the noise complaint was about "clinking teacups" and "clattering crockery" which hardly seems harmful noise.

For context, the location of the cafe which doesn't look particularly close to residential properties:


The Facebook group and petition makes me think again of just how much of this problem is caused by a few very loud locals. It reminds me of the "estate votes" which were introduced for housing estates getting redeveloped (either refurbished or knocked down and replaced). I think they tend to be overwhelmingly approved in a ballot of residents - in part because they've improved how developers behave in pitching their projects but also, I suspect, because a lot of opposition is often a very vocal minority.

[HVC]

I also don't really ever have issues with Royal Mail or DHL.

DHL is the shitty company in these parts.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah, you'd think using a courier everyone hates would be bad business.

You don't know until you've made an order and can't usually choose an options. You can often choose timeslots etc but not who the courier is and the timeslot is kind of useless because time is very much an abstract concept for Evri.

So the problem is unless you remember or use someone a lot it's tough to move to someone else over it.

[HVC]

Yeah, you'd think using a courier everyone hates would be bad business.

You don't know until you've made an order and can't usually choose an options. You can often choose timeslots etc but not who the courier is and the timeslot is kind of useless because time is very much an abstract concept for Evri.

So the problem is unless you remember or use someone a lot it's tough to move to someone else over it.

Sorry, I meant the vendor picking a renownedly shitty courier would be bad for their business.

[garbon]

I also don't really ever have issues with Royal Mail or DHL.

DPD is pretty dependable for me.

Royal Mail now works great during the week but falls apart for me a bit on weekend. Like when they sent a package I'd ordered from Czechia back because I'd refused to accept it - which hadn't happened. I'd been out the one day and postal woman left increasingly exasparated messages on my answering machine (door buzzer) but then never tried again.

[garbon]

Yeah, you'd think using a courier everyone hates would be bad business.

You don't know until you've made an order and can't usually choose an options. You can often choose timeslots etc but not who the courier is and the timeslot is kind of useless because time is very much an abstract concept for Evri.

So the problem is unless you remember or use someone a lot it's tough to move to someone else over it.

Sorry, I meant the vendor picking a renownedly shitty courier would be bad for their business.

I've become an Amazon Karen and complain about every Evri delivered package as if Evri gives a time window - it never matches what Amazon has + they never ever honor it.

[Josquius]

Yeah, you'd think using a courier everyone hates would be bad business.

You don't know until you've made an order and can't usually choose an options. You can often choose timeslots etc but not who the courier is and the timeslot is kind of useless because time is very much an abstract concept for Evri.

So the problem is unless you remember or use someone a lot it's tough to move to someone else over it.

Sorry, I meant the vendor picking a renownedly shitty courier would be bad for their business.

I've become an Amazon Karen and complain about every Evri delivered package as if Evri gives a time window - it never matches what Amazon has + they never ever honor it.

Amazon use evri there?
Here its always officially marked Amazon vans. Really quick and reliable too.
I wonder if "Sorry We Missed You" gave them a kick to be particularly good in the area.

[Sheilbh]

I had one with Evri where they said delivered while I was out and based on the photo they'd just wedged it into the partly open bathroom window, which actually just made the fact that I had a parcel and was out more prominent. When I got home someone had nicked it.

I hope they were profoundly disappointed by that book

Also on Amazon they are the biggest example of a once genuinely helpful internet company gone shit. The number of promoted or sponsored options that are just really bad products that bear no resemblance to what's on the site. The whole move to Marketplace has been a disaster. I've not used them for books since bookshop.org opened in the UK (I think it started in the US) but I basically don't use them for anything now that isn't super-basic/interchangeable.

[HVC]

Yeah, with Amazon you have to be really careful to check who the actual vendor is.