DPD - Appalling... Truly Truly Appalling

viz

Garp said:

This is my experience with DPD:



When I eventually got through to someone on 21st December (after about 30 mins) at the Oldbury depot I was told (by a very apologetic chap) that they were "in a bit of a mess" and weren't sure where my parcel was. Clearly - as it was delivered about an hour after the "We were unable to deliver your parcel" email.

At least it arrived.
Eventually,

That’s actually not as bad as I initially thought.

(I was reading it from top to bottom thinking that was the sequence of events.)

Bigsby

I guess it's a postcode lottery. (Sorry) For me, DPD have been the best delivery service since I moved here in 2011. Always providing a one hour delivery slot, never missing it, reliable online tracking and the ability to reschedule a delivery on the day. Yodel and Hermes have been a bit crap. Other firms have been pretty good, but none seem to offer the same level of service as DPD. Really sorry you've had such a crap experience.

But don't get me started on Royal Mail... Anything that doesn't fit in the letter box is likely to result in a 'sorry we missed you' card, despite me being home and waiting for it. I'm convinced they leave the parcels at the depot and head out with a bunch of cards. One arrived yesterday, but dated two days ago... (I was in).  Useless.

meltedbuzzbox

Wazmeister said:

Snags said:

In back-handed defence of DPD, all couriers are the same. General quality varies area to area, based on the local team and often on how much of a turnstile recruitment is. It also varies over time.  DPD and UK Mail both used to make my heart sink around here; now they're amongst the better ones. 

With all of them,  it's when it goes wrong that it really goes wrong. IME if it's not simple and re-delivered the next day then it becomes a painful shit show of blatant lies and broken promises,  regardless of the company. And it is almost always not the driver's fault, nor any of the people you can actually interact with.

Spot on.

The driver is the least to blame here... it's the of DPD with its absolute indifference to the customer's needs, and the inability to speak to a real person. 

There is a deep-seated culture issue here.

Shame as the App, notifications and map updates are very good.

meltedbuzzbox said:

To be fair, on this forum someone always has something positive or negative about any courier company/music shop/guitar brand/toaster etc

It's one of those things

With respect Jack, no. This isn't "one of those things", this is a repeated systematic failing...

Courier company falling short is one of those things.
I get the frustration and hats off to you for going to such lengths to get it sorted.
However, using the search function I am sure you will find the same posts about ups/parcelforce/Hermes/yodel/FedEx/tnt and any other courier.
They all fuck it up somewhere

lukedlb

So? did it arrive?

Wazmeister

lukedlb said:

So? did it arrive?

In fairness, DPD prioritised it.... 3.20 pm

Modellista

Another comedy of errors for a simple little parcel delivery which should have got to me ages ago - this one has apparently been delivered twice and signed for by two different people.  Mad.

Monkeybone

I had to help out another driver today, he had parcels on board for a shop but couldn't find it. The sender had put the wrong postcode (one letter wrong) on which sent him somewhere completely different. Thankfully, I knew where the shop was, and ironically had delivered there earlier in the day, so delivered them for him, and helped him out with a couple of other deliveries.

So, we're not all useless. Sometimes it can be outside of our control. 

Snags

Just to spread the love, I'm currently trying to unpick a comedy of errors with TNT.

They delivered a package, but nobody knows where to. It should have gone to a client they regularly drop to with no problems. They have a POD and the timestamp is in line with normal practice for the route. But the signature is nobody anyone knows.

The whole thing is exacerbated by the recipient taking a fortnight to say "The thing isn't here yet" despite me giving them the due date and copying them into all shipping info.

Customer services say they've identified another premises with the right-named signatory, but won't tell us where it is ...

TeleMaster

Yesterday they claimed they couldn’t deliver to a pickup shop. I called up and they called the driver who said he’d try again. It was later than expected but they did indeed deliver it. I have to say that was good service. 

Wazmeister

TeleMaster said:

Yesterday they claimed they couldn’t deliver to a pickup shop. I called up and they called the driver who said he’d try again. It was later than expected but they did indeed deliver it. I have to say that was good service. 

The thing is for me, DPD is very good service... when it works...

It when things go wrong that the frustration starts; there is literally no recourse or even the chance to talk to a real person.

TeleMaster

I found a real person. I called the number and then when it says put in tracking number I make one up, then it put me through to a person as it doesn’t recognise it. That normally works with most automated systems. I also have my local depots number. 

Wazmeister

TeleMaster said:

I found a real person. I called the number and then when it says put in tracking number I make one up, then it put me through to a person as it doesn’t recognise it. That normally works with most automated systems. I also have my local depots number. 

Yep, did all of that

jeztone2

Monkeybone said:

jeztone2 said:

Someone at the DPD depot in Southall tried to steal my PRS when it was delivered. Then a Camera lens went AWOL. Fortunately the guy I’ve got now is ace. But I think the is the whole pay peanuts, get monkeys scenario. 

We don't get paid peanuts  it's actually a reasonable wage (I'm an employed driver rather than "owner driver"), and if I'm honest  the wage is the only reason I'm still there. 

I was thinking for the South East. The one local to me is fine. But that Southall depot was a nightmare. 

bgmartinsbridge

They're all as bad.
I prefer parcelforce but UPS. 

So yesterday the UPS van turns up a day late.
Driver can't find the house so I wave. 
He then can't find my parcel and is remaging in the back. 
As he throw a big parcel, with fragile written across it, across his van to make space - I shout out that'll be the one!

You can't make it up! 

NelsonP

I'm currently waiting for Royal Mail to sort their sh*t out. When it goes wrong they are all as bad as each other.

In the meantime here's some light entertainment while you are waiting....

bbill335

UPS guy was supposed to collect from me yesterday. 

Waited in all day for the homunculus in the brown van. Nothing. Tweeted UPS and Interparcel who give me the “collection attempted” rubbish. 

FUUUUUUCCCCKKKKK OOOOOFFFFFFFF

Currently on day 2 of waiting

JezWynd

Wazmeister said:

TeleMaster said:

Yesterday they claimed they couldn’t deliver to a pickup shop. I called up and they called the driver who said he’d try again. It was later than expected but they did indeed deliver it. I have to say that was good service. 

The thing is for me, DPD is very good service... when it works...

It when things go wrong that the frustration starts; there is literally no recourse or even the chance to talk to a real person.

DPD aren't alone in that failing. Getting stuck in phone option hell is an everyday occurrence. It used to be that if you refused to press any of the numerous options offered, that you'd get to speak to a human but they seem to have got wise to that one now and it works less frequently.

TeleMaster

At least it’s not Fedex, that poor guy!

NelsonP

Postie showed up empty handed again today. He'd better not try that again!

Alnico

In around 10 days I'm getting an HX FX.

I *Was* going to order it from Andertons who are usually my first choice to buy from online and they've always been excellent.

Dawsons have it for the same price and Dawsons Liverpool is about 2 miles from here in town with friendly staff and Turkish kebab house around the corner.

Knowing that Andertons use DPD and knowing I can just pop into town to get it, why should I bother risking it?

The whole point of this post is really only because I seem to remember Warren pointing it out to DPD and maybe they'll read this.

Shitty couriers risk peoples business'.

Yes, I know Lee isn't going to go under because I don't buy my Helix from him, that's not my point at all. I'm a tiny, insignificant customer in a crowd of millions but if enough people say "Fuck that I'll go somewhere else to avoid DPD", then it becomes contributory to the demise of business', whether they're bricks and mortar shops like @guitars4you providing mail order service or big box shifters like Andertons, it all hurts them somehow.

I'd rather see a collection not available until the following day because the couriers are fully booked than have them collect a parcel and then fuck up the delivery or worse still, lose it completely. Like the rest of the transport industry they're scared to say "Sorry, we're fully booked today" and the drivers and customers pay for their mind bogglingly stupid expectations.

It's no different when it's 44 ton HGV's and pallets, trust me!