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Hermes courier service

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I've seen an advert for self-employed couriers to work for Hermes.


Has anyone ever worked for these? Are they any good? And if self-employed what is the earning potential like? Would you need to have your own transport?
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Comments

  • Missme
    Missme Posts: 293 Forumite
    As a customer, they are appalling and they have been voted one of the worst in the country.

    Can't imagine they'd win any awards for how they treat their couriers in what I read is a difficult industry anyway.
  • tomtontom
    tomtontom Posts: 7,929 Forumite
    Missme wrote: »
    As a customer, they are appalling and they have been voted one of the worst in the country.

    Can't imagine they'd win any awards for how they treat their couriers in what I read is a difficult industry anyway.

    Many customers experience little or no problems with them, but you're not going to read those experiences online because people rarely post when things work as they should. My usual courier is excellent.

    OP, I know someone that worked for them (SE) for three years and was happy enough, as long as he completed his deliveries there was little interference from above. He is now employed by one of the 'better' companies and feels he is being watched constantly. He would go back to Hermes but does not want to lose the perks that come with employment.
  • Missme
    Missme Posts: 293 Forumite
    tomtontom wrote: »
    Many customers experience little or no problems with them, but you're not going to read those experiences online because people rarely post when things work as they should. My usual courier is excellent.

    OP, I know someone that worked for them (SE) for three years and was happy enough, as long as he completed his deliveries there was little interference from above. He is now employed by one of the 'better' companies and feels he is being watched constantly. He would go back to Hermes but does not want to lose the perks that come with employment.

    The basic expectation in the transation is that things will work.

    I don't go to the supermarket for beef mince in the expectation there'll be horse meat in the package. So, too right, one is most likely to hear about complaints rather than praise.
  • My Dad worked for them for a while. I helped him out on a number of occasions and The amount he was paid barely ended up covering his petrol. He was doing it to keep himself busy as he is retired but you couldn't live off the amount he was making.
  • doll-eyes
    doll-eyes Posts: 9 Forumite
    I see my local courier more than i see my boyfriend lol. The service is quick but i do stay in a smallish town.
  • HI to all who have had the misfortune to use myhermes .


    Before I sent my parcel I checked the rules of what to send, sizes, etc and there was nothing written that said you cannot send picture frames containing glass. There was however a caveat stating that I couldn't send anything made either wholly or partially of glass. A picture frame does is not made either wholly or partially of glass , it contains a glass item unlike say sending a parcel containing a hundred wine glasses , made wholly or partially of glass, or a piece of glass itself... anyway... I send two identical parcels containing one large framed picture with a glass insert. Dutifully wrapped in masses of cardboard and bubble wrap with 'fragile ' written all over them, and indeed when the driver trned up he too was informed about the contents and said 'no problem' and they 'wont get damaged... anyway, on receipt, both frames, were totally destroyed, I mean smashed to pieces, not just the glass broken through mishandling but the wooden parts smashed in identical fashion. making a claim through the complaint proc was fruitless as myhermes continued to argue that the picture frame was 'made' of glass and did not simply contain glass. this resulted in one of the staff agreeing that it wasn't made of glass but did contain glass and therefore as glass was mentioned din the exclusions it wasn't covered... anyway,,, arguing more resulted in a member of staff phoning me and the basis of the call was that I was not going to be compensated regardless of the meaning of 'made of glass' or 'containing glass' so forget it and move on . I have now put this to my solicitor who agrees there is a fundamental difference between the two things - there have also been reports locally that parcels have been seen to be transferred between vehicles by one gy throwing the parcel into the other van regardless of contents or markings... not the best way to send your valuable goodies... I await the reply.
  • bugslet
    bugslet Posts: 6,874 Forumite
    It doesn't matter which courier company you use, they always get thrown about. They move from at least one van to a trunk vehicle to another van and that's aminimum. Thousands of parcels handled by the same loaders. Most arrive OK, but I'd not send something fragile by courier personally.
  • Tiddlywinks
    Tiddlywinks Posts: 5,777 Forumite
    I've been Money Tipped!
    merlyn1111 wrote: »
    HI to all who have had the misfortune to use myhermes .


    Before I sent my parcel I checked the rules of what to send, sizes, etc and there was nothing written that said you cannot send picture frames containing glass. There was however a caveat stating that I couldn't send anything made either wholly or partially of glass. A picture frame does is not made either wholly or partially of glass , it contains a glass item unlike say sending a parcel containing a hundred wine glasses , made wholly or partially of glass, or a piece of glass itself... anyway... I send two identical parcels containing one large framed picture with a glass insert. Dutifully wrapped in masses of cardboard and bubble wrap with 'fragile ' written all over them, and indeed when the driver trned up he too was informed about the contents and said 'no problem' and they 'wont get damaged... anyway, on receipt, both frames, were totally destroyed, I mean smashed to pieces, not just the glass broken through mishandling but the wooden parts smashed in identical fashion. making a claim through the complaint proc was fruitless as myhermes continued to argue that the picture frame was 'made' of glass and did not simply contain glass. this resulted in one of the staff agreeing that it wasn't made of glass but did contain glass and therefore as glass was mentioned din the exclusions it wasn't covered... anyway,,, arguing more resulted in a member of staff phoning me and the basis of the call was that I was not going to be compensated regardless of the meaning of 'made of glass' or 'containing glass' so forget it and move on . I have now put this to my solicitor who agrees there is a fundamental difference between the two things - there have also been reports locally that parcels have been seen to be transferred between vehicles by one gy throwing the parcel into the other van regardless of contents or markings... not the best way to send your valuable goodies... I await the reply.

    What on earth has this got to do with becoming a courier - you resurrected an old thread just to have a rant.

    Thanks for that.
    :hello:
  • hop3y
    hop3y Posts: 517 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 100 Posts
    lakes17 wrote: »
    I've seen an advert for self-employed couriers to work for Hermes.


    Has anyone ever worked for these? Are they any good? And if self-employed what is the earning potential like? Would you need to have your own transport?

    I wouldn't go near them with a barge pole. They are the worst company I have ever used (as a customer!)
  • mattcanary
    mattcanary Posts: 4,420 Forumite
    They're a very bad company to work for (I did for around eighteen months)


    You work on a self-employed basis but get virtually no freedom in how or when you work. Also extremely difficult to book holiday time off.


    Added to which, it appears that Hermes are currently going back on their word and expecting their couriers to work 7 days a week, every week (even though assuring them earlier that they didn't need to work Sundays if they didn't want to).
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