I had a parcel delivery from DPD today. They give you 1 hour time slots, which is nice – the sort of thing which can’t be too difficult to do given a normal delivery schedule. So I waited in. When I’d got off the phone with PC support bloke it was the end of the slot. No parcel. So I check my e-mails – one from DPD saying they’d failed to deliver. Now from where I’m sitting, not only can I hear the door, I can also hear the vans turn up – I took in a UPS delivery for a neighbour. Also no card through the door. He’s been to the wrong house. So I phone them up – lots of automated systems, but eventually I get through to a real person by calling their sales line. She sent a message to the driver about having gone to the wrong address.

So here’s the punchline – read the first sentence again. Only half an hour after the end of the nominal time slot, and 10 minutes after getting off the phone to DPD. Driver had mistakenly picked up the wrong parcel first time around (hence wrong address).

A rant? You wanted a rant?

Why oh why can’t DPD be useless as all the other parcel delivery companies? Why do they have to be efficient?

In the light of everybody complaining about delivery companies I thought it worth sharing a positive experience. It’s not about when things go right, but how they deal with little mistakes. I came so close to starting a real complaint thread before I got the delivery…

+1

If you want something done properly then get the Germans to do it.

(some exceptions apply…)

I hate CityLink in general, but when I just miss them at home I can normally phone up, find out where the driver is on his round and he will meet me (locally) to give me my parcel. However, if I send a mate into their warehouse (miles away but next door to said mates work) WITH MY PASSPORT and the missed delivery card to collect the parcel, after having phoned them to tell tehm this was happeneing, he has the most ridiculous time.

sometimes you get outstanding service, sometime its just diabolical.

City Link has always been great for me. The fact that I live 400m from their depot means that I can book a collection for say Tuesday on their 48 hour service and drop the parcel to them on Monday. Every time the parcel arrives on the next day before I get carded by the collection diver saying I was not in and he could not collect! I always tell the guys at the depot to let the driver know that the parcel is already in the system and they always say that they will.
So 10/10 for parcel delivery and must try harder for internal communication.
The recent HDNL/DHL Domestic tie up shows how you can ruin a good service (DHL) by joining up with a crap company.

+1 DPD are pretty amazing but only because most of the others are so bad.

DPD’s service is how things should be

I sent them feedback saying how pleased I was. Well if it had turned out differently I’d have sent them a rant, so fair’s fair (I also made a point of praising the driver, as it was an honest mistake by the sounds of things, he was really friendly and I didn’t want to drop him in it). Curious to see what response I get to that!

I’ve had a nightmare with DPD this last week. I’ve been waiting for some car parts that were shipped last Wednesday. Supposed to be delivered Thursday and nothing came, then Friday passed and still nothing.
Checked the tracking and it took them 2 days just to get the parts to the hub depot and another to the delivering depot so an item shipped on Wednesday is out for delivery on the Monday.
Meanwhile my car is off the road waiting for the parts. Nothing arrives Monday – they claim due to snow (which had all pretty much melted by then), Tuesday and nothing still. Then yesterday the parcel shows as failed delivery / card left despite someone being in all day and no card being left.
So one week on and it’s still not been delivered. DPD are feckless idiots.

Had a new phone delivered this week by DPD, we were out so they left it with a neighbour. We had a card inside the door telling us who had it and where they were.
If O2 had been as good then DPD would have delivered it to my office which is where I asked for it to be delivered….