Home Delivery Network - warning!

cmm200

Unfortunately the Home Delivery Network have put me off shopping online...
I ordered a dress from Phase Eight

19/11/10 - Order placed (well in advance of when the dress was needed on 1st), check the tracking number for several days to no avail
23/11/10 Thanks to kind help from phase eight chasing, HDN processed order
24/11/10 Parcel taken to local HDN Depot
27 Nov 2010 08:56 The parcel has been loaded on to the drivers van - No attempt was made to deliver the item, however I rescheduled online for 29th.
29 Nov 2010 10:49 The parcel has been loaded on to the drivers van - No attempt was made to deliver the item
30 Nov 2010 14:51 The parcel has been loaded on to the drivers van - No attempt was made to deliver the item
1 Dec 2010 11:23 The parcel has been delivered

The part that really upset me is that I understood that November/December was a busy time so made several polite (expensive!) calls to HDN to place parcel. I had claims that they had tried to deliver parcel and left a card (My partner works at home and stayed in all day to receive parcel so I found this particularly offensive)

On 29th I rang them and offered to collect parcel - they said that they could not process request for 24hrs, but that I would be able to go there on the 1st to collect. I then (luckily) rang on the day to find out that the request had been ignored and that they had loaded onto the van - had I not checked I would have had a wasted 40 mile round trip.

As the dress arrived on 1st and was not as expected I ended up returning it to store. I love Phase Eight clothes, but will not be ordering again as long as HDN are delivering. I wished that other websites publicised who they used before I ordered

Bechet45

Good old HDNL!

They may get a lot of parcels delivered correctly - I don't know - but they get a high percentage of mine wrong! An Amazon item went onto their truck, it seems, on 4th January for delivery and it's still not here. Alarmingly, it is not logged as delivered or as returned to depot either.

On line, their site tells me that the UPi number and post code don't match - but this is the first Amazon item shipped via HDNL out of hundreds - and it's gone missing.

Seems to me that they are cheaper than other couriers because they under-pay and over-work their delivery personnel. Cheap outfit gives cheap service - QED.

Bechet45

pipple

My family had a horrible experencie with HDNL.

My parents were due to a parcel delivered on Monday, this was informed to me by a email. So they stopped in all Monday with no parcel arriving. When I went to see them after work, I tried tracking it for them. Surprise, surprise the parcel had returned to the depot just before 6pm. So I called their Customer service. Having worked in customer service most of my life, I can tell immediately that the lady on the other end, didn't not enjoy her job. I gave her the details, and she said the house was inaccessible. Then came the bombshell (forgot to say I had the phone on loud speaker so parents could hear the call) The house is derelict. Can you imagine, the reaction of my parents. Angry was not the word. There isn't a derelict house on the estate, let alone in the street. I had to ask her to repeat it, cause I didn't believe it. I immediately asked for a manager, they didn't have any availabe. When I said I hold, she said she had to cut the call off cause people couldn't hold. Which she did.

So I called back and allegedly got a supervisor, so you would think that the customer service would be better. Oh no, I repeated what was said on the 1st call. She got the info on the screen and said that could be case. (my parents were going mad at this time). the phone carried on, with still no apology and no solution. So my mom said she would go down to the depot and speak to someone. She said to the supervisor not to despatch the parcel.

On Tuesday I had an email to say it was despatched. She did go down and put in a major complaint to the depot manager. I really think this company don't know what each other do. Plus the most the staff have its not my problem attitude.

I had problems with them before xmas, my parcel spent a total of 45mins on the van. When I called the customer service again I was told it was due to the snow in the area. The depot is less then 5miles from my house and at the time we'd had not snow.

They just tell you anything to get you off the phone and don't care who they are insults.

doberryfirkin

I have written about HDNL on this website before having had nothing but touble from them and even wrote to Amazon stating that I didnt want my orders being delivered (or not) by HDNL. That said the ongoing saga relates to a 'card through the door' episode in Nov 10. Since then I have written to HDNL complaining that I didn't know what the card was for and a request for a re-delivery, placed over the internet, failed to materialise.
I have written to HDNL requesting an explanation and they received my letter in early Jan 11. I have not heard from them yet. What can I do to chase this? Is there a governing body or consumer org that can exert pressure? HDNL seem to consider 'customer service' a joke - I cannot believe that reputable organisations like Amazon associate themselves with them.

Amargi

Had a terrible experience with them over Xmas - yes, there was snow, but not that much, and not for that long, but still the package resolutely remained in the Newhaven depot. Complained to Amazon, who, to their credit, cancelled the order after 5 days and re-sent it out to me via Royal Mail - received all within 2 days. No problem.

So imagine my joy in finding one of their cards yesterday. Is for a modem, so do need it, so guess it means a trip out to their depot at the weekend to collect. Have complained to Virgin and suggested they use another courier next time

Why can't this company have a decent customer service, or at least have the ability to change the delivery address? have dealth with different courier services, both personnally and for work, and they are by far the worst.

bundly

I used parcel2ship which used HDNL to send a 1950s bathroom washbasin which I sold on Ebay for £100. The buyer paid me £5 to buy 10meters of bubblewrap and a roll of cellotape, and £8.50 for delivery.

I paid p2S £8.50 and put five layers of bubblewrap around the basin thence two layers of corrugated cardboard. I then plastered a HUGE sign across the parcel saying FRAGILE - CERAMIC BATHROOM SINK DO NOT DROP. When the driver colelcted I explained what the item was and asked him if he felt it was sufficiently wrapped and that it would be handled with care and not dropped. He was impressed by my packaging (took me 2 hours!) and the big warning label and said it would be absolutely fine.

A few days later I got an email from p2s saying they had smashed the basin beyond repair and it was unsafe to deliver, and was ready for me to collect from the depot many miles away. I was shocked and replied saying how could it be smashed to bits when I'd labelled it fragile? I also told them I have no car so cannot collect it. They replied saying all their parcels go on a conveyor belt that at the end drops everything three feet onto concrete! They added, sarcastically I thought, that conveyor belts cannot read "fragile" labels.

I refunded the Ebay buyer his £113.50. I was pretty hopping mad because HDLN has left me out of pocket. I've lost a washbasin worth £100 packaging materials and paid them £8.50 to delivery it!

I asked for compensation and was told that china, glass and ceramics are not covered by their compensation insurance. This was of course in the small print that I never bothered to read much of because it didn't occur to me that a sturdy, strong bathroom sink would not be covered. I wrote back to them asking why the hell the delivery driver had told me the sink would be all right and why he didn't point out that it wasn't covered by insurance, and they told me to write to the managing director if I had any complaints.

I then wrote by snailmail to the MD with my various complaints and in addition asked him to refund me the £8.50 I had paid them to deliver the parcel. OK so I accepted I wasn't going to get any compensation because it was a vitreous china item, but as they failed to keep their side of the contract in delivering the item, I think the least they can do is refund me what I paid them to deliver it!

I received a very snooty reply. Not only did the MD stand by his staff's actions, he then added that, as I had no car to collect the item from their depot, they were going to bill me what he called the "full commercial delivery charge" to send the thing back to me, even though I don't want it.

Well, I won't pay it. They will have to take me to court!

poppy10_2

bundly wrote: »

I then wrote by snailmail to the MD with my various complaints and in addition asked him to refund me the £8.50 I had paid them to deliver the parcel. OK so I accepted I wasn't going to get any compensation because it was a vitreous china item, but as they failed to keep their side of the contract in delivering the item, I think the least they can do is refund me what I paid them to deliver it!

I received a very snooty reply. Not only did the MD stand by his staff's actions, he then added that, as I had no car to collect the item from their depot, they were going to bill me what he called the "full commercial delivery charge" to send the thing back to me, even though I don't want it.

Well, I won't pay it. They will have to take me to court!

Their customer service is truly awful. It's bad enough thtat their delivery service is rubbish, but they are so rude and dismissive when you try to contact them, there's really no need for it. Hope they go out of business soon, no company can survive long treating its customers like this.

custardy

bundly wrote: »

I used parcel2ship which used HDNL to send a 1950s bathroom washbasin which I sold on Ebay for £100. The buyer paid me £5 to buy 10meters of bubblewrap and a roll of cellotape, and £8.50 for delivery.

I paid p2S £8.50 and put five layers of bubblewrap around the basin thence two layers of corrugated cardboard. I then plastered a HUGE sign across the parcel saying FRAGILE - CERAMIC BATHROOM SINK DO NOT DROP. When the driver colelcted I explained what the item was and asked him if he felt it was sufficiently wrapped and that it would be handled with care and not dropped. He was impressed by my packaging (took me 2 hours!) and the big warning label and said it would be absolutely fine. fragile labels offer no extra protection.would it have survived an item weighing 20KG plus falling on it? things like that happen

A few days later I got an email from p2s saying they had smashed the basin beyond repair and it was unsafe to deliver, and was ready for me to collect from the depot many miles away. I was shocked and replied saying how could it be smashed to bits when I'd labelled it fragile? I also told them I have no car so cannot collect it. They replied saying all their parcels go on a conveyor belt that at the end drops everything three feet onto concrete! They added, sarcastically I thought, that conveyor belts cannot read "fragile" labels. they are right. if you package cannot survive that kind of drop, then you need to use a pallet service

I refunded the Ebay buyer his £113.50. I was pretty hopping mad because HDLN has left me out of pocket. I've lost a washbasin worth £100 packaging materials and paid them £8.50 to delivery it!

I asked for compensation and was told that china, glass and ceramics are not covered by their compensation insurance. This was of course in the small print that I never bothered to read much of because it didn't occur to me that a sturdy, strong bathroom sink would not be covered. I wrote back to them asking why the hell the delivery driver had told me the sink would be all right and why he didn't point out that it wasn't covered by insurance, and they told me to write to the managing director if I had any complaints.its not a drivers place to deal with insurance.every courier and RM has a list of things covered and not covered under their compensation

I then wrote by snailmail to the MD with my various complaints and in addition asked him to refund me the £8.50 I had paid them to deliver the parcel. OK so I accepted I wasn't going to get any compensation because it was a vitreous china item, but as they failed to keep their side of the contract in delivering the item, I think the least they can do is refund me what I paid them to deliver it!
Its a safety issue.they arent going to ask staff to handle sharp pieces of glass,china etc
I received a very snooty reply. Not only did the MD stand by his staff's actions, he then added that, as I had no car to collect the item from their depot, they were going to bill me what he called the "full commercial delivery charge" to send the thing back to me, even though I don't want it.


Well, I won't pay it. They will have to take me to court!

..................................

aheaton46

custardy wrote: »

Its a safety issue.they arent going to ask staff to handle sharp pieces of glass,china etc

So you think it's still sat on the floor at the end of the conveyor belt?

The OP doesn't want it back. HDNL will have already moved it. If they can move it from the end of the conveyor they can move it to the bin.

custardy

aheaton46 wrote: »

So you think it's still sat on the floor at the end of the conveyor belt?

The OP doesn't want it back. HDNL will have already moved it. If they can move it from the end of the conveyor they can move it to the bin.

where did i say that? are my words coming out in an accent today?