Parcel delivery firms: who are the best and worst? 2 January 2014 at 2:00PM edited 2 January 2014 at 3:24PM in MoneySaving polls 43 replies 12.9K views

NewForest_2

MSE - please add Amazon Logistics to the survey. This is a new name that delivers many low value items sold by Amazon or fulfilled by Amazon. My experience so far has been mixed. Sometimes it resembles the HDNL/Yodel end of the market, with very poor/sparse tracking info and items disappearing into a black hole called "in transit" for 48hrs with no updates for reassurance, and twice not delivered on the day "guaranteed" by Amazon Prime (free trial). But to give credit where it's due, they did deliver all of my weekend-before-Christmas orders on Christmas Eve.

Tinwhistler

Amazon are good as long as you don't order anything liquid.
Collect are reliable about taking my parcel at collect shop but as for receiving guy had attitude problem (expected me to hear him at shared entry door).

nonnatus

DPD a clear winner so far then, as reflected by my experiences. VERY professional company, great rates and 99% success rate for me. The text providing a one hour delivery window is just the icing on the cake.


There was no "should be banned from ever delivering anything ever again" category, so I had to label Yodel as "BAD" which doesn't even BEGIN to cover how awful and incompetent they really are!!

hogger84

The thing to remember with hermes and yodel is the last step of the chain is effectivly someone who has responded to a work from home advert. The quality vairies enourmously, they often work on a self employed basis and do not get a wage in the normal sense.

I had one guy who would not redeliver or allow pickup outside Monday-Friday 9-5, but I had another person who was really good and popped round the same evening as I found the card.

emmakelley

Hermes have broken literally every single thing I've sent with or received via them. And my company uses TNT daily; we have dozens of problems each month - they once delivered a broken cardboard tube to us. Empty. Why aren't FedEx on this list, is there something I'm missing? They're by far the best in my experience.

dastep

I started using Hermes several years ago after becoming disillusioned with the pricing structure at Royal Mail. I discovered that sending very small items is better through Royal Mail, but when it comes to larger items Hermes beats the Royal Mail hands down on pricing.

One thing that really irritates me about the Royal Mail is their greedy stance on sizing of packages and their use of that silly size gauge at the Post Office to squeeze more money out of your pocket.

I recently posted a very small item in a bubble pack envelope and thought the postage wouldn't be that expensive through Royal Mail, but because it barely wouldn't fit through that stupid plastic gauge, it cost me a whopping £2.60.

I also posted an item recently through Hermes that was picked up at my door for £4.20 which would have cost me over £8.00 via Royal Mail and with Hermes, I can track every package I send online free.

I am currently waiting for an item of clothing that I purchased online, and the company is using Hermes for their delivery. I can view the tracking information every step of the way, and I am also waiting for two things from companies that use Royal Mail, and the tracking is rubbish.

With hermes tracking I get an update every few hours, but with Royal Mail it just says 'being progressed through our network' and then suddenly it shows up at the door when you least expect it.

With Hermes, I have literally timed when I need to be home to receive packages but with Royal Mail, it's many times impossible to know when it's out and ready to be delivered.

TK Maxx uses Hermes, by the way, and they even sent me two text messages when the item was about to be delivered and then when it was delivered. Awesome!

Go Hermes!

UPDATE: Today my Lakeland order arrived and the Hermes delivery person rang my bell and delivered in the pouring rain with a smile on her face.

Now the bad news: Royal Mail also was scheduled to deliver a pair of trousers today per the tracking number on the parcel. When the postie came and went, I checked the tracking number on the website which before read 'out for delivery' but now reads 'The addressee was not available on 2014-01-04 and so item JC266665236GB is being held at DO. It will be delivered on the day requested by the addressee.'

I personally saw the postie pass my door and the really bad news is that they didn't even bother to leave a red while-you-were-out card.

How do I claim my package without a red card?

ROYAL MAIL SUCKS!

custardy

littleredhen wrote: »

Yodel worst
My local post office are brilliant, they always try and leave any parcels with a neighbour but if not my local collection point is close by anyway so no hassle

You send your packages at a Post Office.
Royal Mail deliver them

Cast1ron

It find it extremely frustrating to read some of the comments made about delivery companies on various forums when most people commenting are far too quick to point the finger at the delivery agent rather than the customer that they have purchased from.

Your supplier tells the delivery agent how they want the goods delivered i.e. signed for or left on the door step. Their choice and that drives costs for them.

How many customers actually thought how easy it is for a delivery agent to find you ? Do you have the house number on your property ? Is the address that has been provided accurate with the correct address and a contact number. If you live in a house that is named, can it been seen from the road ? Imagine actually being that driver for 5 minutes trying to find you.

I purchase a lot of goods on line and have received deliveries from all companies and the service has been excellent from all of them because when I purchase on-line, I know that someone I be in the house to receive the goods or someone else will be and not expect the courier to be physic to know when I am in or not ?

From my experiences of being in the industry, many customers actually claim to be in all day when evidence can now be provided to pinpoint where the driver is during the day to have to prove that they are outside your house but nobody rang the door-bell rubbish !!!!

I think that many internet purchasers should think a bit more about where they are going to be to receive the goods before ordering and then blaming the delivery agent and having a rant about poor service.

I also read complaints about damaged goods all the time. Do you think that courier companies practice trying to be Johnny Wilkinson with every parcel ? The main reason that goods become damaged when traveling through a sortation network is poor packaging and cost cutting from the supplier, not the delivery agent again.

littleredhen

custardy wrote: »

You send your packages at a Post Office.
Royal Mail deliver them

Wondered where I had been going wrong, thanks :rotfl:

littleredhen

Cast1ron wrote: »

It find it extremely frustrating to read some of the comments made about delivery companies on various forums when most people commenting are far too quick to point the finger at the delivery agent rather than the customer that they have purchased from.

Your supplier tells the delivery agent how they want the goods delivered i.e. signed for or left on the door step. Their choice and that drives costs for them.

How many customers actually thought how easy it is for a delivery agent to find you ? Do you have the house number on your property ? Is the address that has been provided accurate with the correct address and a contact number. If you live in a house that is named, can it been seen from the road ? Imagine actually being that driver for 5 minutes trying to find you.

I purchase a lot of goods on line and have received deliveries from all companies and the service has been excellent from all of them because when I purchase on-line, I know that someone I be in the house to receive the goods or someone else will be and not expect the courier to be physic to know when I am in or not ?

From my experiences of being in the industry, many customers actually claim to be in all day when evidence can now be provided to pinpoint where the driver is during the day to have to prove that they are outside your house but nobody rang the door-bell rubbish !!!!

I think that many internet purchasers should think a bit more about where they are going to be to receive the goods before ordering and then blaming the delivery agent and having a rant about poor service.

I also read complaints about damaged goods all the time. Do you think that courier companies practice trying to be Johnny Wilkinson with every parcel ? The main reason that goods become damaged when traveling through a sortation network is poor packaging and cost cutting from the supplier, not the delivery agent again.

Leaving a well packaged parcel with books in outside in the rain is why I commented on Yodel, can't speak for others