To think that tracking deliveries is a complete waste of bloody time?

[Adnerb95]

So, you find that perfect item at a less-than-extortionate price and are looking forward to receiving it safe and sound.
Being a trusting soul, when I then get a text/email saying I will be able to track my delivery online, I think "Yippee, at least I will have some idea which century my nice new table/dress/lawnmower will actually arrive at my house."

However, I am beginning to think I wish they wouldn't bother.
I expect the website to tell me that my order is still in the warehouse/on the van in Croydon/stuck in traffic on the M23 or due to arrive in around half-an-hour. What would be nice would be a little arrow indicating exactly where the van is currently parked/stationery in a jam/offloading. A photo of my goods being carefully loaded on to the vehicle by smiling, efficient-looking operatives would be even better and if they are fit and strong, it's a bonus!
Maybe the map with their position could be interactive so that I can hurry them along a little -or maybe divert them from that diversion to the previous delivery which is going to take way too long and mean that they are late with mine-
Instead, I get "your goods have been despatched" which bearing in mind they are usually coming from China/Bolton/North Wales helps me NOT A BIT!!!

DPD's tracking is very good in that it tells you an actual time slot and you can follow it in a map so you can see when your parcel is 15 minutes away ( usually when DPD Paul is knocking on the door) 😄

Feel your pain. I got the message saying my good have been dispatched and will be with me by end of day on the 22nd of July on Wednesday. This is apparently tracking! So today I am not leaving the house. Till I have said parcel in my hand! At least I have a lot of sorting and cleaning to do!

DPDs tracker is great. Royal Mail on the other hand is shit. They keep sending me texts to say 'your parcel has been delivered to you'.

Err, I know.....

I agree with DPD being good for this, my driver is also always called Paul . I'm never home to meet him though, but it is handy to know that Paul has safely delivered my X package to the purple playhouse in the rear garden. Easily pleased

Not sure which courier is delivering me a package from Germany, the only info I have is that is is dispatched and is estimated to arrive on the 18th.... It's now the 22nd.... Let's hope it gets a wriggle on 'cos I'm going on holiday with my ndn next week..... If it was DPD I could relax safe in the knowledge that Paul has it all under control.

I've had good experiences with Parcelforce recently. Even had texts to say it was being/had been delivered. At Christmas had a fiasco with a tiny envelope being delivered by van signed for, you could literally track where it was on the delivery round and when it was coming. Only for the driver to misplace it in his van on arrival. It did arrive the following day though. Recently Amazon delivered books through letterbox of a completely different address, despite saying they had handed to resident. Very dubious about using them now.

Some companies do get it right. Ao.com for one (agree DPD are always good). AO.com text you at the start of the day to tell you within a few hour window when your item will be delivered and also that you a number X of Y deliveries that the van has to do. You then get a link where you can see the van's progress and track it's route to you, so you know if they are round the corner, or a little while away, so if you have to nip out, it is safe to do so.

Brilliant.

DPD are brilliant, being able to check where the driver is and what number in the queue you are. Many times I've been able to go about my daily business and get back to the house 5 mins before he comes (mine is Steve ). It's also good for setting an alternate location, like if you're stuck somewhere and can't get back before he comes, you can tell him to leave it in the shed or something.
The others should follow in these footsteps! No more being stuck in the house waiting.

I am obviously using the wrong delivery company - or, to be more accurate, the shops I am ordering from are ... 😊

Another one here with warm fuzzy feelings for DPD. All the others are crap, however - how the hell do I benefit from knowing my parcel has "left Dartford" or "Arrived at Wakefield"? I'm not trying to write a fucking travelogue for my Gap t-shirt.

DPD knocked on my door a couple of days ago with a parcel for NDN who have barely spoken 2 words to us since they moved in a couple of months ago. They are both retired so they clearly didn't track their parcel otherwise they'd have made sure they were in. I had to go out but took the parcel around as soon as I got back 1 1/2 later. She barely thanked me and shut the door straight away. Sorry DPD - as efficient as you are, next time you knock with a parcel for No 11 you can keep it!

I once waited in all day for a parcel to be delivered by Parcelforce as the tracking said it would be delivered that day. It arrived the following day whereupon the driver made the excuse that he had the day off the previous day and the replacement driver had taken loads of parcels back to the depot as he 'couldn't find the addresses". We live in a small housing estate in a large village which no one has ever had any difficulty finding in the 23 years we've lived here.