Which of these do you think is the 'least bad'?

[wheresmymojo]

I'm a long time mumsnetter and have to make a decision at work that I feel like you guys might have an opinion on...

If you were ordering something online and it was due to be delivered yesterday and it didn't arrive which of these is the least bad experience?

• You contact the company you bought the product from and they tell you they need to contact the delivery company and will come back to you within one or two working days with an update (and they did come back the next working day with an update)

• You contact the delivery company directly and get an update straight away (but this means the company you bought the items from have basically directed you not to bother contacting them and to go straight to EVRi/Hermes/Yodel/etc)

I realise these are both not very good experiences but I have to choose which one to go with until we can put a much better experience in place (where you contact us and we give you an immediate update because we have all the same info as the delivery company).

I have a fairly strong opinion on which I think is least bad but there's a lot of back and forth discussion amongst colleagues.

(And yes, we will obvs do some proper customer research/testing but I'm interested to see what people think...)

I pick option 2. Delivery uncertainty is a pain, and customers are used to dealing directly with the delivery company.

make sure you have a solid customer complaint procedure if you can, just to capture the times it goes badly wrong.

Definitely the first one

Is there another possible option of tracking package where we can check the status update online? I like doing this... If not then 2

Option 2.

Yes, in both options you have online tracking with the delivery company

Option 2 without a doubt, at least then the customer feels in control.

Well you say that but have you ever managed to anyone at Hermes/evri?

*to speak to

Option 2 plus reassurance that you’re putting the better experience in place

I would prefer Option 1 based on previous experience of trying to reason with Hermes (now Evri). Would far rather someone else had to deal with them!

Least bad = the company you purchased from get back to you.
I'd be inclined to blame them as their delivery contracts are not your problem.

I would pick Option 1. I want an online retailer to take responsibility for my order, and if there is any chasing up of the delivery company to be done I want them to do it. I do not want to be ping-ponged between them! Also, I have never had a positive experience of trying to get any sense out of Hermes.

I'd prefer option 1 based on previous experiences of trying to contact delivery companies.

Option 1 is what we do with the small business I work part time for. That's the only option there is - Evri etc won't speak to the customer anyway, so I have to fill in a form if I can't help them find it using the online tracking (with photos etc) and ask the company to respond. It can take 2-3 days and I let the customers know that.

So far, I can't see any alternative as we aren't the courier company so we can't access their systems to get any extra information / phone the depots / speak to the driver to ask what the hell they've done with a parcel.