Why are couriers so useless

[fisicx]

My partner buys loads of stuff from ebay and other places. The postie knows us and leaves the packages in out greenhouse round the back.

Couriers on the other hand are hopeless. They require a signature but deliver during the day when we are out. We then have to go through the hassle of rearranging delivery and getting them to leave the package in a safe place or picking it up outselves. One depot is an hour away.

I'd rather pay 50p more and get it delivered by RM than pay the cheapest rate and get some idiot in a white van to leave us a note. Some of them don't even bother to bring the package to the door, they have written the note before they even get to the house. I watched them do it.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

You are obviously on The Black List.

 

[Philip Hoyle]

We had a classic a few weeks ago. Van driver tried to deliver office products at 7am (we're an office, so there's never going to be anyone in that early!). When phoned to arrange re-delivery, told that they only ever pass at 7am because that's the circular route from their depot and they don't pass again, so given option of us collecting from their depot or having someone at the office that early to accept delivery. Needless to say, quick telephone call to the supplier threatening a cancelled order and they managed to deliver within office hours!

Given online shopping trends, the whole delivery/courier business will have to evolve as it's still running under the old way of things which just isn't viable these days. The whole ethos of trying to hit a moving target to get the driver and recipient in the same place at the same time will have to develop so that time slots can be booked, and also evening/weekend delivery options. Alternatively or maybe additionally, the development of more centralised hubs for delivery/collection - I'm watching the Collect+ system with interest (where you can have it delivered to a local shop for you to collect at your convenience).

At the very least, I think we'll see more delivery choice options on websites - where you can choose whether to receive your parcel by Royal Mail, certain couriers, Collect+, etc - that way it gives the customer the choice rather than, as seems the norm at the moment, where most websites dictate how the goods will be delivered (some don't even tell you, let alone give you a choice). In the OP's case, it's clear that the ability to choose RM would be sometime they'd like to see, and maybe something that would help them choose one online retailer over another.

 

Do a couriers job for 2 weeks and you may change you're mind.

 

[MASSEY]

There are certain couriers who are better than others. I would personally pay extra to have Rm deliver as opposed to a courier company when the website you are buying from doesn't state the courier until the sale has gone through.

I find DPD to be the best because they text you about a time slot for delivery (a 2 hour period) and they give you the option in the text to cancel and have it delivered the following day. You can also log onto their website and arrange delivery for another day should it become inconvenient or tell them to leave it somewhere and they will.

It's companies like Yodel that spoil things. No texts, doesn't always come the day they say it will, no rough pin point of time to deliver.

 

[KM-Tiger]

So its always better to provide your office address where you work.

You cannot always do that. Some will only deliver to the registered cardholder address.

 

[MASSEY]

You cannot always do that. Some will only deliver to the registered cardholder address.

Yes, i have had that with mobile phones. But i generally find that with clothing and such that it is not so much of an issue.

 

[TotallySport]

Surely its the retails issue not the couriers, the couriers always tell the retailer the delivery hours, normally between 6am and 6 pm, for the cheapest rates, if they pass that information onto the buyer, they can take the risk or they can opt to upgrade to a timed service to find out about offing different delivery address, at the end of the day the courier is full filling their contract.

 

[Hedgie]

There is also the other side of the coin when people order next day delivery or am/pm deliveries and they are not in when the courier delivers. This is frustrating as the courier can get penalised / shouted at if they don't deliver on a timed delivery and all it takes is for the customer to actually be in!

I think if someone set up a central unit in an area and had parcels delivered to the unit for customers to collect say up til 9 at night for a small fee? You could put the unit down as a delivery address instead of your home / office. Obviously it wont work with mobiles etc but what about general goods?

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

You are getting the lowest priced transport service in the country and complain about the service !!!!!!!!!!!
If you order it and your not there to receive the order on the day that it is agreed then that makes you more useless than the courier .

We don't do these cheapo jobs but just for you I personally will deliver your next item and also mow your law and weed your garden for you

How would that be ?

 

[debbidoo]

I spent £400 on posh crockery in January. Bloke that delivered it threw the boxes from the back of the van onto his trolley, thought it was bloody hilarious didn't he

Needless to say, when I opened one of the boxes to discover everything in it was smashed to pieces, I was not a happy bunny. The company I'd bought from was great about it but when the same delivery driver turned up a few days later with the replacements, needless to say I was not my usual friendly self! Made him stand there and watch me open the box and made him wait while I checked every piece for damage. Was he bothered that my stuff had arrived in smithereens? Not a bit of it. Just trotted out some lame comment about it all being covered by the merchant's insurance, it wasn't going to cost me any extra, blah blah - erm yeah but when they have to claim off their insurance and their premiums go up, it's the customers who pay eventually because the prices have to go up to reflect the additional insurance costs. Durrr!

Tesco grocery delivery drivers, on the other hand, are absolute angels and pretty much the only thing I like about the Big T these days

Sorry, did I go off topic? Not like me at all!

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

I spent £400 on posh crockery in January. Bloke that delivered it threw the boxes from the back of the van onto his trolley, thought it was bloody hilarious didn't he

Needless to say, when I opened one of the boxes to discover everything in it was smashed to pieces, I was not a happy bunny. The company I'd bought from was great about it but when the same delivery driver turned up a few days later with the replacements, needless to say I was not my usual friendly self! Made him stand there and watch me open the box and made him wait while I checked every piece for damage. Was he bothered that my stuff had arrived in smithereens? Not a bit of it. Just trotted out some lame comment about it all being covered by the merchant's insurance, it wasn't going to cost me any extra, blah blah - erm yeah but when they have to claim off their insurance and their premiums go up, it's the customers who pay eventually because the prices have to go up to reflect the additional insurance costs. Durrr!

Tesco grocery delivery drivers, on the other hand, are absolute angels and pretty much the only thing I like about the Big T these days

Sorry, did I go off topic? Not like me at all!

Im at loss to understand why somebody would use an overnight courier for an expensive fragile delivery !!!!!!!!!!!!

You lot on here can be very green sometimes most of you have been dealing with overnight couriers for years yet have learnt nothing !!

The job of the overnight courier is to move things very fast from point to point with no messing around in between the items will get dropped and thrown . You must also be in to sign for the goods ( that's your problem you ordered it !!) Its none f your concern where the driver is or when he passes your unit you just need to be there to sign for it !!!!

Its a fantastic system you can get a box from one end of the country to another in 16 hours overnight !!!!!!!!!!! Its clever and whats more you get for £6.00 and still you complain .

If you would like a better service it will cost you a lot more !!!!!!

 

[fisicx]

You are getting the lowest priced transport service in the country and complain about the service !!!!!!!!!!!

I don't get a choice!

We brought some catfood from a nationwide company. The only option was next day or normal delivery. They arranged the courier not us. As I said I'd be quite happy to pay more but we don't get the option. We don't even know who the courier is or when they will deliver.

We even left instructions on the ordering page and a note on the door. The courier still just left a note.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

I don't get a choice!

We brought some catfood from a nationwide company. The only option was next day or normal delivery. They arranged the courier not us. As I said I'd be quite happy to pay more but we don't get the option. We don't even know who the courier is or when they will deliver.

We even left instructions on the ordering page and a note on the door. The courier still just left a note.

The driver could be sacked for leaving it .He is told to leave the note if your not in to sign for what you have ordered .
It makes no difference what notes you put on the order it is policy for most couriers to have goods signed for unless the sender has requested other wise

 

[debbidoo]

Im at loss to understand why somebody would use an overnight courier for an expensive fragile delivery !!!!!!!!!!!!

Dunno - I didn't choose the courier, that's just who the retailer was using. I don't use couriers on a professional level, only personal. You're not normally given a choice, as a customer, as to which courier will be used

Its a fantastic system you can get a box from one end of the country to another in 16 hours overnight !!!!!!!!!!! Its clever and whats more you get for £6.00 and still you complain .

Like I said - the retailer I bought from chose the courier, not me. I guess, because you quoted my entire post, you're assuming that I in some way chose the courier that delivered my crockery to my home, for my personal (not business) use. I didn't.

If you would like a better service it will cost you a lot more !!!!!!

Happy to pay more for a service where a parcel clearly marked 'fragile - handle with care' is not thrown around right in front of my face and then the driver laughs it all off as a big ol' joke. I would never, NEVER treat someone else's property so disrespectfully, no matter how little I was being paid to deliver it.

 

Im at loss to understand why somebody would use an overnight courier for an expensive fragile delivery !!!!!!!!!!!!

You lot on here can be very green sometimes most of you have been dealing with overnight couriers for years yet have learnt nothing !!

The job of the overnight courier is to move things very fast from point to point with no messing around in between the items will get dropped and thrown . You must also be in to sign for the goods ( that's your problem you ordered it !!) Its none f your concern where the driver is or when he passes your unit you just need to be there to sign for it !!!!

Its a fantastic system you can get a box from one end of the country to another in 16 hours overnight !!!!!!!!!!! Its clever and whats more you get for £6.00 and still you complain .

If you would like a better service it will cost you a lot more !!!!!!

You tell em Jeremy,all them desk jocky's have no idea what a tough job couriers have.

I had a small london delivery company in the 70's.

I've never been the same since.:|

 

[TotallySport]

I don't get a choice!

You did get a choice, you could have chosen a company that gave you the information, or the choice of delivery.

 

[paulears]

You can't have it both ways - if Royal Mail don't get a signature then they shouldn't leave it. If you are not at home - how do you expect to get deliveries- Magic?

If you sell something, and people give you their home address - that is where you deliver. If you ship it to the work address, and it goes missing, the credit card company will duck out, leaving you with a chargeback.

Take the day off work, and wait in for it - or don't order it!

 

[kzandco]

I use to have the same problem's with parcels I used to miss a lot of deliveries and go through the hassle of having to go to the depot or rearranging deliveries.Then I found out about Mailboxes etc where you rent out a mailbox then packages can get re routed to that address, the staff then sign for packages and keep it safe until you come pick it up, it makes things a lot easier and my local store is open on Saturday's which is a bonus.