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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have hijacked the DPD van!

163 replies

IchWill · 16/12/2018 13:58

Just taken a Christmas delivery and DP reminded me about something that happened a while ago. Feeling a bit mortified on reflection! Blush

I ordered some shoes in-store at Kurt Geiger, got home from work to see DPD had tried to deliver and the card said to go online to book a new slot. The next morning I went online to rebook and see the next slot was the next day, at lunchtime so I could be home from work to accept the delivery.

Then later that day, I was home from work, saw the DPD van pull up and notice it's the exact time I had rebooked for, but it was obviously the day before.

Thinking I'd made a mistake, I went out to the driver as he delivered at the house opposite and was looking like he was about to drive away, I showed him my card and asked if he has my parcel, he checked the back of the van and he did. So be scanned it and said that he couldn't give it to me as the delivery was cancelled that morning (at the time I'd gone online to book a slot) and it seems that DPD had put the parcel back in the van to reattempt delivery that day, despite the fact that I hadn't booked a slot myself at that point.

So when I'd gone online, I effectively "cancelled" it from his deliveries that day, in favour for delivery the day after. Odd system.

Anyway, I said to him, well look you're here now, as am I. I really want that parcel, so please can I have it. He refused. Said he can't. So I asked him to call someone senior to ask if they can authorise it, he started to get rude and said no. I understand they are under pressure for deliveries, but I was frustrated by his rudeness and just being a bloody-minded jobsworth. I'd been extremely polite to him.

I pleaded with him, to please call a supervisor, he's stood there with my parcel and I can't have it.

Again he refused and lobbed my parcel into the back of his van and started to close a door.

I saw red at this point, the way he threw the parcel and his manner tipped me over the edge.

So before he could close his second door, I flung myself into the van like a mad woman and sat in it, with my legs dangling out of it and said I wasn't moving until I got my parcel. He was speechless and said I need to move. I again asked politely and asked him to call someone to get authorisation to give me my parcel.

Seeing I wasn't budging, he complied and rang someone. I heard them say to him, "Of course she can have the parcel, don't be so silly!", so sheepishly he gave me the parcel.

I thanked him, apologised for my drastic action and went back inside.

My shoes are lovely by the way. (See pic).

To have hijacked the DPD van!
OP posts:
Original poster
IchWill · 16/12/2018 14:26

@Boredspice Thank you. I got them for my birthday party. I've got a slipped disc, so can only wear heels for a few hours and when there's the option to sit as much as possible.

OP posts:
IncyWincyGrownUp · 16/12/2018 14:28

What an utter brat you were. I hope you’ve managed to grow the fuck up since then?

Original poster
IchWill · 16/12/2018 14:29

@IncyWincyGrownUp Why, thank you.

OP posts:
Babygrey7 · 16/12/2018 14:30

bonkers and alarming behaviour!

Goodness, who behaves like this?!

EffOrf · 16/12/2018 14:33

Ikea sent 2 different vans on 2 separate days to pick up 2 pieces of wrong flat pack, they couldn’t take them together as paperwork said no. Apparently only one piece was booked onto the first van so they had book a second van to collect the other bit at a different time.

AppleKatie · 16/12/2018 14:41

Yanbu OP.

You didn’t shout and scream or swear or intimidate him.

You didn’t ask him to circumvent his system and suffer the consequences.

You asked him to phone his boss for authorisation he refused. You staged a peaceful protest.

He was being a jobsworth and his mananger immediately gave authorisation. Proving you were right.

Original poster
IchWill · 16/12/2018 14:43

Thank you @AppleKatie and I can confirm that genuinely I didn't shout, swear or be rude. Peaceful protest is a good description.

OP posts:
recently · 16/12/2018 14:43

Well done OP!

Eifla · 16/12/2018 14:52

Jeez. I cringed reading that. Were you not embarrassed to be acting like such a... prick?

Original poster
IchWill · 16/12/2018 14:53

@Eifla nope.

OP posts:
Augusta2012 · 16/12/2018 14:53

For goodness sake, he phoned head office and they clarified that he could hand the parcel over. Nothing suggests he would have got into trouble if he had used common sense or not got paid! He could have simply phoned his supervisor when the OP originally asked and avoided all of this!

Do you know how the gig economy works? If they work absolutely flat out they might just about scrape minimum wage. If they’re standing around ringing up supervisors and dealing with nutters who are so over privileged they can’t possibly wait a few more hours for their designer shoes then they will probably make significantly under the minimum wage.

The reason why they can’t just give out parcels willynilly when they don’t have the order on their electronic system to be signed for and scanned out is to stop DPD drivers stealing. He would no longer have had her order details available to complete the administration needed to hand it over to the OP. If he’d just given it to the OP, she could have swanned off into her house with the shoes, denied she’d ever been delivered the shoes, accused the driver of theft and been refunded and had both her designers shoes and her cash back. And the driver would definitely have been sacked and could potentially have faced criminal investigation. And what happens to people who are so poor they have to work in the gig economy when they get sacked? Well there’s usually a strong chance they and their family will lose their home and have problems getting things like food and heating and shit and it’s just before Christmas, but who cares because, designer shoes!

She wasn’t even in her home address FFS. She was just some woman in the street who could have pulled the card out of a letterbox or anything.

And no whoever he called didn’t say ‘No of course she can have her parcel silly’ (DPD aren’t known for being that relaxed. It’s far more likely they said ‘If you feel threatened, hand it over and we will notify police if anything untoward is reported’.

DPD are very hot on blacklisting addresses and they usually will for much less than this.

InsomniacAnonymous · 16/12/2018 14:55

Don't you think the OP was proved not to have been unreasonable by the fact that:-
"Seeing I wasn't budging, he complied and rang someone. I heard them say to him, "Of course she can have the parcel, don't be so silly!", so sheepishly he gave me the parcel."?

Original poster
IchWill · 16/12/2018 14:56

@Augusta2012 that's EXACTLY what they said on the phone I heard them.

Also, the parcel had my address on it and I came out of my address.

OP posts:
blackteasplease · 16/12/2018 14:58

Yabu becuase that could have been dangerous if he's started driving any way.

It is a silly system but may be not his fault.

blackteasplease · 16/12/2018 14:58

But perhaps he could have phoned them to start with.

hannah1992 · 16/12/2018 14:59

A quick Google suggests that DPD drivers are not paid per delivery but are on average paid £8.14 - £9.63 per hour. So above minimum wage as well. Not great pay but I doubt giving the OP her parcel a day earlier would effect his pay

OP I wish I was your neighbour 😂😂

Bombardier25966 · 16/12/2018 15:03

This reply has been deleted

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Bombardier25966 · 16/12/2018 15:04

A quick Google suggests that DPD drivers are not paid per delivery but are on average paid £8.14 - £9.63 per hour.

The self employed drivers are paid per delivery. The vast majority of their workers are persuaded to be self employed.

Bombardier25966 · 16/12/2018 15:05

This is how DPD treat their drivers:

www.theguardian.com/business/2018/feb/05/courier-who-was-fined-for-day-off-to-see-doctor-dies-from-diabetes

Feel better now OP?

Original poster
IchWill · 16/12/2018 15:06

@Bombardier25966 I'm not a nasty person, far from it. I volunteer for different charities and also carry out random acts of kindness on a regular basis.

The phone call took 20 seconds and the office said I could have my parcel. He could have done that when I first asked him.

OP posts:
Dontsweatthelittlestuff · 16/12/2018 15:07

The delivery issue aside why would you pay good money to cripple your feet, ankles and knee joints?

Original poster
IchWill · 16/12/2018 15:09

@Dontsweatthelittlestuff Well I'm hardly the first or last person to like wearing high heels.

OP posts:
gamerchick · 16/12/2018 15:09

A quick Google suggests that DPD drivers are not paid per delivery but are on average paid £8.14 - £9.63 per hour. So above minimum wage as well. Not great pay but I doubt giving the OP her parcel a day earlier would effect his pay

Employed drivers are paid hourly, ODFs are paid per stop. Can you tell the difference between the 2 at first glance because I can't.

Yes the system seems nuts but you can't blame a driver for the system. Just as they can't deliver early. The Saturn simply will not allow it. Do you think they like waiting for 10 minutes on a drive way?

tabulahrasa · 16/12/2018 15:09

“A quick Google suggests that DPD drivers are not paid per delivery but are on average paid £8.14 - £9.63 per hour.”

Nope, they’ve agreed this year they they’ll pay the equivalent of at least £8.14 an hour.

But how they calculate their hourly rates is decidly iffy tbh.

Callmedarcy · 16/12/2018 15:11

Bombardier25966 yes that was awful and I do remember that from a documentary. DPD have since changed their policy. Not that it bring that man home to his family.

OP don’t bother justifying yourself now. I didn’t find your story funny but I really think the hysterics of him losing his job and his family ending up on the streets is frankly laughable.