To ask why parcel delivery services are so terrible?

[InveterateWineDrinker]

So, I've ordered a couple things for home delivery. It's quite a rarity for us: unlike some neighbours who have multiple deliveries every week even once every three months is unusual for us.

Yesterday, Royal Mail emailed at 5.25am to say that a parcel would be delivered between 12.50pm and 4.50pm. Signature required. Fine, I rearranged my day to make sure I'd be at home.

Then they emailed again at 2pm to say it would be delivered between 5.45pm and 7.30pm. Inconvenient and irritating, but there you go. It didn't actually arrive until 7.55pm, which meant I had to get a slippery, dripping DC out of the bath to stop them drowning while I went downstairs and signed for it.

Also yesterday, DHL WhatsApped me to say that the other parcel would be delivered tomorrow, signature required. Again, I re-arranged various commitments to ensure I'd be at home. Just now, they've WhatsApped again to say it's out for delivery now and due between 11.45am and 1.45pm - a whole day early. I'm not at home because I'm out doing something I'd planned to do tomorrow and rescheduled on the basis of the information they gave me less than 24 hours ago.

What is wrong with these people?

I think that’s why the lockers are so popular

Yes they are unreliable but I wouldn’t rearrange my day around a parcel tbh. Unless it was an essential item. They can leave it somewhere or try again

Yep- they're all morons.

The last few times Ive waited in only to get a card though the door saying sorry we missed you! I was in the whole bloody time, if you had bothered to ring the doorbell. I dont get it- you spent time filling out a stupid sorry we missed you card and yet you cant be arsed to ring the doorbell which I know works because I tested it to actually deliver it. It makes me so mad

Yo be fair, my local Evri driver is superb. Occasionally we’ll get a message to say the delivery will be delayed, but generally he does a good job.

These are rare, high value items from overseas. I didn't have the option of a locker delivery and it's possible one of them will have customs charges. I rearranged to be at home from bitter experience.

Royal Mail is the only reliable service we get here. Evri never turn up at all, DPD is pot luck.

I dont get many deliveries but as a household we do and have very few, if any, problems

I think it's very area specific

TBH I usually find DHL the most reliable. Royal Mail varies. Evri always just leave things on the doorstep even if I'm in.

When I get things from Amazon I usually try to get a locker deliver where possible. Apart from anything else this usually means you get free delivery

I guess it must depend on where you live, as it's the complete opposite for me. Royal mail often don't turn up, or shove a sorry we missed you card through, without even trying to deliver.

OP, i'm sorry you've had a bad experience, but like other posters I wouldn't have rearraged my day for a parcel.

The problem is they often take parcels away and they then get lost in the system, or they leave them in a ‘safe place’ like on the doorstep in full view of a busy street, or at some stranger’s house.

Same for me- Royal Mail is shit and just leaves a card regardless if you are in or not. At least evri gives you updates

I really can't relate I'm afraid. I have anywhere from 1 to 10 deliveries on a weekly basis (some work related) and cant remember the last time I had any issue.

There was obviously some issue causing a delay with the first delivery you had, but it showed up less than half an hour after the advised time frame so you're being a bit unreasonable.

To be fair they are paid minimum wage, have x amount of deliveries to make irrespective of the conditions weather or traffic wise, need to knock on every door and wait, find someone's house where the whole road are to lazy or to posh to put up house numbers. Have to deal with number 1 being two hundred yards from number 2 with a number 57 in-between.

And don't get me started on house fuckiing names...and this is me trying to find a new customers house as a gardener...never been a delivery person

Royal mail are dreadful, their app makes no sense, you cant change a delivery option once its been changed, If you specifiy a date, they will still try to deliver on the original date.

writing out a sorry we missed you card takes longer and is far more inconvenient and a hassle than simply ringing the doorbell and waiting 2 seconds though. It also means you have to take the package back to the depot. It still makes zero sense and even when I was at college and had minimum wage jobs I didnt do them half arsed

Amazon are bad here ether leave it down the stairs or leave it on the door step but don't knock. Dpd are usually good and its usually live fish so they will call me . Dlp or what ever there called are thick and have more than once left my parcel a few house down outside a student accommodation.

They are terrible because they are incredibly cheap. If you want a really good delivery service for valuable items then use and pay for a better service.

It seems odd they say they need a signature. I think they usually just beep a machine and that counts as the signature? It is a bit annoying but at least they are telling you it's changed. Rather than you chasing it or just not being there.

These messages aren’t someone scheduling a delivery for you.

They are an algorithm reacting to your parcel being scanned in at it the various points it reaches before it goes on the van.

So for example when your parcel
is going through the Royal Mail process the time you’re getting is based on the time that your van is on a parcel route- 12.50 - 4.50 is actually the shift of the delivery person, not specific to your parcel at all.
If there are delays that timing shifts, so if your parcel didn’t make that shift or was scanned onto the van late, your times are being adjusted to reflect that.

If there are customs charges they won’t deliver it at all. You’ll have to go to collect it and pay there.

As per my post below the beep is the final tech stage- confirming that they have ended the parcel journey. But this doesn’t prove the customer received it, so to prove that at a later date they get a signature or photo.

The problem is the drivers are quite poorly paid, and have a massive number of deliveries to make. It only needs a slight hiccup and it has a knock on effect on the rest of the days deliveries. Then you get customers with unreasonable expectations. When we used to ship from our business we had customers as if they driver could contact her when they arrived and she would pop back from work, she was only 10 minutes away! Another complained her delivery hadn't arrived, when I phoned she said her lane was completely blocked by snow, during the Beast from the East. Then houses with no numbers or numbers that can't be seen from the road. I would make house numbers a requirement like cars, standard size, clear from a vehicle, in dark wet conditions.
Some delivery people are bad, but the majority are struggling to make a living under difficult circumstances.

We're very rural so lockers not really a viable option but I can't fault any of the delivery services. We buy pretty much everything online and have yet to have a parcel go to the wrong address or go missing. The drivers are stars here and we tell them so.

But I am not talking about unreasonable situations or customers, I am talking about flat out lying about attempting to deliver and not doing that. Really basic customer service.

Its not my fault as the customer that people arent paid well - there isnt an alternative to royal mail for letters and for parcels I dont get a choice when I order online which delivery service they use so its not like I have any control over that and I am allowed to be annoyed if I've paid for a service thats shit!

My DH refers to Evri as Nevri.