The owner of a bike repair business says he has been left with a wave of angry customers after more than £1,000 worth of his equipment became 'stuck' at a McColl's store. Martin Dallaghan took dozens of parcels to the shop in Reddish, Stockport, so they could be shipped out earlier this month.
A member of staff accepted and scanned the parcels, which contained cycling equipment sold by Mr Dallaghan's bike repair business, Never Mind the Bike Shop. However, when customers began complaining that they hadn't received items they had ordered, Mr Dallaghan discovered they had never left the shop.
It coincided with the collapse of the company into administration. Parcel, courier and delivery service Yodel pointed to 'unusual and unfortunate circumstances' and said it was now talking to McColl's and Mr Dallaghan.
"They showed me a room full of parcels, including mine," he explained. "I've got a grands worth of stock sitting in there.
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"I'm stuck in limbo. There's nothing I can do and they won't give them back to me. Some of my customers are hopping mad and are becoming crosser by the day. We're not a massive business, we only have five staff.
"This will affect our ratings and position on eBay but I can't send this stuff out again because some of the equipment is quite expensive. It would be a big loss to us."
PayPoint services at McColl's stores across the UK were temporarily suspended earlier this month as the firm fell into administration.
However, a spokesperson for McColl's said any issues 'have now been rectified' as supermarket giant Morrisons is currently in the process of purchasing all of its stores and saving 16,000 jobs.
Mr Dallaghan said that when he took the parcels to the shop, in Broadstone Road, between May 4 and May 12, a member of staff told him they were still being accepted. But after received complaints from customers, he was able to track the parcels online and found they had 'not moved an inch'.
When Mr Dallaghan visited the McColl's store, he said a member of staff confirmed his parcels were still there, but that he could not collect them as they had already been scanned. He now fears it could be weeks before he is able to get his hands on the parcels.
"It feels like I'm going round in circles," he said. "I'm being passed from pillar to post. Nobody is helping me.
"I understand they have been going through a tough time, but what were McColl's management thinking to not stop accepting parcels? It's so frustrating because if they released them, I could take them to a shop up the road and send them from there.
"I've been using that store on a daily basis since 2007 but the relationship is broken now. I don't want to go in there again."
A McColl’s spokesperson said: "Following the company falling into administration on 9 May and subsequent sale to Morrisons, the entire McColl’s team has been focused on business continuity.
"One of the impacts of this transition was the temporary suspension of certain services that meant customers might have had problems with collecting parcels. These issues have now been rectified and we apologise for any inconvenience caused."
A Yodel spokesperson said: "We regret the inconvenience caused due to these unusual and unfortunate circumstances. Our team is in conversation with McColl's and Mr Dallaghan to ensure that correct processes are followed and that all parcels are accounted for and delivered in a timely manner."
