Dreadful customer service by DHL

albo2002

Don't really want advice, just wanted to relay my experience with DHL to warn people not to use them.

My ex-flatmate bought a dongle from 02 that was sent to my address (his credit card was still registered with my address, that's why).

It was meant to arrive yesterday but when I got home there was nothing waiting for me. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door, and my next door neighbour said he found a DHL slip that had been flung in the communal lift, but it might have my flat number on it.

I say might, because the number could have been four different numbers, one of which was his and he wasn't expecting a parcel. Anyway, even though the name on the slip was completely different to the surname of my ex-flatmate, I thought it most probably was a slip for me. However, none of the details, bar the parcel number, were filled out on the card as to what I was meant to do to retrieve the parcel.

So today I rang up DHL and inputted the service centre number into the automated response, and it didn't recognise it. So it then connected me to DHL. After about 20 rings someone answered and I explained the situation and said I was quite annoyed - and baffled - that the delivery guy had not put the slip in my letterbox, but had simply thrown it into a communal lift (shared by scores of flats), had not filled out the relevant details and, as it turns out, had misspelled my ex-flatmate's surname by three of his five letters!

"So," came the response, "when would you like to rearrange the collection for."

I said this wasnt good enough, at which point the DHL employee started getting audibly aggressive with me, a bit like in fonejacker when the guy said 'the customer isn't always right, the customer sometimes is talking bloody !!!!!!!!!'

I never got an apology, or an explanation or any attempt to make things easier for me to collect the parcel 'we only deliver between 12pm and 4pm weekdays, and you cannot change the delivery address'.

Twas a truly a pathetic customer service experience and in future I'll make sure I never buy a product that uses DHL to deliver it.

albo2002

Judas wrote: »

So basically you got a card; phoned up, rearranged delivery.

What exactly is your problem? Did you want to be offered a cuddle at the same time?

I think I'd have preferred it if:

a) the card had been put through my letterbox and not been thrown into a communal lift (it was only by chance that I even got given the card)

b) the name on the card had borne some resemblance to the surname it was intended for

c) all other details on the card had not been incorrect or left blank

d) their customer service weren't aggressive when I pointed the above three things out.

You're not a delivery driver for DHL are you?

mrLazy

Let all give him a hug? Poor man gets easily stressed. If it was me I would just say f that. You can deliver,as aranged, or I will just await my refund. Or in his case just tell my mate that he has a card?

I had guys turn up slightly earlier that I had expected and did not phone although they said they would call 1 hour before. I got a phone call while to say they had tried to deliver. The van was still outside my house so I said to the guy I am here now. He was sitting drinking coffee and said it was to late. I think I was supposed to beg. I just fair enough. I phoned the number on the card and explained to a stroppy woman that I did not get called an hour before but was here now as was the truck. She said that it was too late and I needed to call the company I had bought from. So I did and I was told had to pay for new delivery, truck still outside house. I said you can either deliver now or refund 100% of my money. She said that she would return 90% of the money an keep 10%. I said no you will not as either you deliver today or I cancel under the distance selling regulations. I said your call I am in for the next couple of hours and the truck is outside:-) Suprise of suprises I got it delivered 5 minutes later.

POPPYOSCAR

I don't think this applies to only DHL.

I have chased up deliveries to be told 'we left a card' - no you did not.
'no one was in' - have been in all day.
'The gates were locked' - eh what gates we don't have any gates!! and various other lame excuses.

Its just what happens these days with some drivers.

pcombo

Sue them and try get 100k or so. Seems like thats what you want to do. Although shoudn't your ex-flatmate be more uptight than you considering it was his/her package.

OlliesDad

albo2002 wrote: »

You're not a delivery driver for DHL are you?

No, just a bitter anti-consumer campaigner who is dead against anybody who has received any bad service.

He also likes to make assumptions to make the original poster ook bad, but is usually wrong, but will never admit it. Once proved wrong he will leave the thread and not comment again.

He has had many usernames in the past (including the very apt weirdlitttleman) but has always been PPR'd by the board admin. Still he comes back though to cause more torment to people who really only want help (fair enough the posters may not always have all their marbles, and sometimes want more than they deserve, but there is no need to be a !!! about it)

Kate78

Another thing to watch out for is drivers delivering things to neighbours. As long as they have a signature for a POD (proof of delivery) then it's their job done.

I've even started to avoid companies that use couriers, at least I know with Royal Mail that if the parcel is undelivered I can pick it up from the sorting office in my town, and not have to do a 50+ mile round trip to the nearest depot.

mrLazy

I bought something from outside UK once and DHL deliverd. Because it was deliverd to my work address they stuck the import tax onto my employers account. It was a £60 bill. They never asked me to pay. My employer did not pay so DHL sent it to debt collection and stopped picking up from any company in our building. I was on holiday for a week and got back to a meeting with my boss, his boss and the finance director. I also had to pay DHL £100 with all the extra charges, because a company who share our building needed stuff picked up ASAP.

albo2002

Judas wrote: »

1)The agent it seems didnt have the correct information to do this and made a judgement call. Card in communal lift arguably better than no card.

He had the flat number on the DHL box! If DHL don't give out addresses to their drivers then I can see a flaw in the DHL business model.

Judas wrote: »

2) Where did the wrong surname come from anyway. Probably your friends mistake or lack of clarity when ordering.

The name on the parcel was clearly printed. When the driver wrote it on the card however, he got three of the five letters so wrong that it spelled out a completely different word.

Judas wrote: »

3) Does it really matter if a load of irrelevent details are present.

Yes, because it unnecessarily made any attempt by me to clean up the mess more difficult.

Judas wrote: »

4) They weren't, they were to the point. There is a difference between rudeness and just being quick and not overly friendly. Tbh I prefer quick and efficient than an hour long conversation to get stuff done.

I prefer quick and efficient, and I also prefer people not making assumptions about things of which they have limited knowledge. When all the evidence you have is me saying that he was rude, why have you assumed that he was 'just being quick'?

albo2002

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

I don't think this applies to only DHL.

I have chased up deliveries to be told 'we left a card' - no you did not.
'no one was in' - have been in all day.
'The gates were locked' - eh what gates we don't have any gates!! and various other lame excuses.

Its just what happens these days with some drivers.

I told someone in the office my story earlier and apparently the other day they were waiting for a parcel to be delivered and saw the driver pull up, get out of the van without the parcel and simply put a card on the doorstep saying 'you weren't in when we came round' and then turn round and get back in the van.

He did manage to catch him just before he drove off though!

albo2002

OlliesDad wrote: »

No, just a bitter anti-consumer campaigner who is dead against anybody who has received any bad service.

He also likes to make assumptions to make the original poster ook bad, but is usually wrong, but will never admit it. Once proved wrong he will leave the thread and not comment again.

He has had many usernames in the past (including the very apt weirdlitttleman) but has always been PPR'd by the board admin. Still he comes back though to cause more torment to people who really only want help (fair enough the posters may not always have all their marbles, and sometimes want more than they deserve, but there is no need to be a !!! about it)

I did look through his old posts and saw that, as he was with me, he tends to make incorrect assumptions and be quite rude a lot of the time.

Personally I enjoy using the facts to make people like him look ridiculous, so it's disappointing to know that he runs away when he's proven wrong!