Couriers .. the worst and best

[BecauseIamabear]

With so much on-line shopping these days, we are now becoming beholden to the couriers to deliver our goodies after ordering. Some are better than others, so who are the best and worst..? and do you choose to not order from a website if they use a rally bad courier?

For a start I nominate FedEX as one of the worst for their performance yesterday. I had a delivery scheduled and waited in all day.. needless to say it never turned up. so a day wasted unable even to tidy the garden or vacuum the house in case I missed the doorbell.. I contacted them today to ask what is happening and got the runabout. Evasive and trying to not answer a simple question, "where is my parcel?". I was told to speak to the shipper. After speaking with the them and having to wait for a reply it turns out the delivery operator failed to deliver it and it was returned to the depot then .... they lost it!

OTOH there is an outfit who send you a text with about two hours warning to say they will deliver within a two hour slot giving you time to get home and listen for the doorbell.. Problem is, I don't remember who they are .

Worst: Yodel. Lovely habit of putting a card through the letterbox and going away before you realise what it probably was (i.e. not just post). Work locations they go to the wrong place. You can't get through to anyone useful on the phone. Their depots are never in convenient locations.

All the others it varies locally. You might get great couriers or rubbish ones depending on the area. But Yodel, and before them, HDNL, have been difficult everywhere I've tried to take deliveries from them. Instances where they have been okay are the ones that stand out.

DPD are usually good, I've found, but they did lose something of mine one Christmas, and if they're picking something up for return, they're often getting back in the van by the time someone answers the door - the company literally only gives them about 90 seconds for these jobs, which isn't the drivers' fault.

Oh raptious day
Galloo Galay
I chortle in my joy...

It has just arrived!
Speaking with the driver he said the parcel has got lost on the shelf above the drivers cab!!.. I could actually see how it got there and was very easy to miss..

Still lousy service from the so called customer service team on the phone

Sometimes we get couriers delivering at 9pm at night when it is dark and I don't really want to answer the door. Hermes are really good here and the DPD one hour slot is helpful. Don't like DHL (once delivered parcel to someone else with a completely different name and said I had signed for it!). Recently had a lot of courier drivers who don't know the local area and ask how to find their next address!

*KatieB
*
the main reason they are delivering so late is they have near impossible targets to maintain unless they are out all hours. My dad would start at 5/6am to load his van hoping to get home at 6pm, not getting home until 10/11pm regularly especially at Christmas.

DPD are great! Yodel and Hermes are actually not too bad where I live. The worst I've dealt with recently are UPS - they have a ridiculously buggy tracking system called UPS My Choice, then they ignore or reject all delivery instructions you give them!

Yodel are by far the worst. If it turns up, it will be broken. If it doesn't, I hope you enjoy spending your weekend in a metal building fourteen miles outside of civilisation with a hundred other people and nowhere to sit.

Best are DPD and DHL. Citylink were excellent as well, but sadly gone. UPS and Parcelforce are decent enough.

The best is DPD. I can follow the van around town from the map on their website. Very reliable expected times. The driver is very friendly.

Worst is Hermes. I had a parcel delivered at 10pm once. The doorbell was rung half a dozen times and the door kicked. I was tutted at when I opened the door for apparently taking too long. And was snapped at when I spelt out my name. (He did need it spelt out as it was wrong) turns out it wasn't even my parcel.

Another driver for Hermes is terrifying. She always looks pissed off and is also rude. I often end up taking in parcels for neighbours and I dread seeing her. 'Number 5' box thrown and off she goes. One day I might say '5s over there' and throw it back.

In our area Fed-Ex are great, but I think that's down to the particular driver; once had a parcel delivered by two numpites when he was on holiday who put a card through the door without even knocking, I had to leg it down the street to catch them before they drove off. Also, the old depot were great if you phoned them up direct. Haven't had to do that in the last couple of years since it relocated though so I don't know if that's still possible or if it's all centralised.

My Hermes are the worst locally. DPD have been very good on the odd occasion we've had deliveries via them though. And our local Royal Mail and Parcel Force are good too.

Best are DPD. IME the 1 hour slots are adhered to and if the time allocated isn't convenient you can rearrange online.

Worst: Hermes. Without a doubt. Their use of self-employed couriers means that raising complaints is almost impossible and their concept of "customer service" is laughable. They also do not want to deal with individuals so give the impression that all complaints must go via the retailer that have used their services (this isn't actually true and it is possible to complain direct). I was a victim of harassment by our local courier. Despite police evidence, their customer service team told me I would just have to have my parcels delivered to an alternative address. Yep, woman harassed in own home during deliveries, dropping by randomly and stalking me on the street when on school run etc is simply told "tough". I finally complained to the CEO who, not surprisingly, took a different view, was incredibly helpful and supportive and the courier was finally sacked. But that entire process took 18 months, was virtually a full-time job and put me on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Best one DPD via parcel monkey. Collect from my 82 year old mum on a MONDAY mornings. Drivers always really sweet to her. Arrives in Northern Sweden on Friday morning. 20 kilos for 22 quid. BARGAIN when you consider how much it costs to send a birthday card abroad these days.

When I lived in UK. It has to be YODEL or HERMES for my worst ones

Another one for DPD love their app with clarity of foute/delivery. Our driver was really disappointed once as the dog was at the groomers as he had a treat for her

Agree Yodel and Hermes are the worst.