How to Avoid Parcel Delivery and Collection Delays During the Olympics

In a few days’ time, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh will officially open the Games of the XXX Olympiad. Approximately one month later, the Paralympics will also be hosted here. Mid-July to mid-September will be a busy and congested time for residents of London and for those who live near the numerous official Olympic venues. Although massive efforts have been made to limit traffic jams and commuting delays, the temporary influx of more than 550,000 athletes, officials, and visitors will not go unnoticed.

Parcelforce have been working for the past year on strategies which should limit the amount of disruption to its collections and delivery services. During the Olympics, only UPS, the official logistics partner for the Games, will have access to the Olympic Village and the other official venues.

You can also request that Parcelforce Worldwide transfers your order to UPS for last-mile delivery into these restricted areas. However, UPS has announced that it will charge a minimum £5 handling fee and £20 security fee per package for offering this service. Using local post offices as alternative addresses is a way to avoid these surcharges. A third option for customers is to use an alternative address that lies outside the restricted or congested areas.

Parcelforce Worldwide has made some adjustments to its routes during the peak-traffic weeks. It has revised some routes slightly to choose roads with less traffic congestion. In other situations, entirely new routes have been created.

The company are also providing some “on-foot” and “2-person” collections and deliveries as well as extra staffing, equipment, and vehicles to maintain the company’s next-day and 2-day service reputation. To avoid delays, customers are encouraged to check the daily service updates which will be posted online once the Games have begun. Web bulletins will carry any changes in scheduling or service. Parcelforce Worldwide hopes that, by working together, the company and its customers can keep service disruptions to a minimum during this busy time.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.