MoneySaving Poll: Which are the best and worst parcel delivery firms?

Former_MSE_Rosie

Poll started 8 December 2015

Parcel delivery firms: which are the best and worst?

With the festive season upon us, parcel delivery firms are zipping around the UK helping out the big man in the red suit. Yet sadly parcel delivery horror stories abound - ranging from no-shows to “they threw the goods over the fence” or “they lied that we weren't in”.

So it’s time for our annual poll to sort the good guys from the cowboys...



Please rate your experience with each of these firms DURING THE LAST YEAR (don’t rate if you haven’t experienced their services).

Click here to vote in the poll

Did you vote? Are you surprised at the results so far? Have your say below. To see the results from last time, click here.

If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, read our New to Forum? Intro Guide.

Thanks!


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mjm3346

Hermes/Myhermes have to be the worst - they outright lie time and time again about delivery attempts and of course never leave a "we called" type card on their fictitious visits. No doubt claiming a delivery attempt for "next day" items is enough to meet the terms of the contracts they have.

Marvel1

Best for me is Royal Mail and Parcel Force, due to if I am not in I have no problem picking up from the sorting office or local Post Office which I prefer than leaving it with random neighbours.

sollc

For me, the most important factor for a parcel delivery firm, is what happens if you are not at home when they deliver. In this situation, I need the option to collect from a convenient location not too many miles away from my home, i.e. not the delivery firm's depot.

For me, the Royal Mail and DPD offer good solutions - allowing me to collect either from my local Post Office or sorting office, or redelivering to a Collect+ location, all free of charge. I much prefer these options than leaving a parcel unsecure at the back of my house, or delivering to a 'neighbour'.

I have had really bad experiences with Yodel - with them claiming to have delivered to a 'neighbour' (over a mile away, an unoccupied house), and not leaving a calling card so I had to chase up the missed delivery myself. Although refunded for the goods by the retailer, most of the items were then out of stock so I was unable to re-order.

I have also had a bad experience with Hermes - no problem if I am at home when the try to deliver. However, they only attempt 3 deliveries before the package is returned to sender. Despite me leaving many messages on the courier's phone saying when I would be at home, she still attempted delivery at those times and did not attempt to phone me back.

ilsave

UK Mail had problems delivering something to where I work. when I called to find out what went wrong they claimed that the building did not exist. to which I replied but you are our mail partner to send post to customers. that led to an awkward silence.!:rotfl:

chattychappy

My building is mixed residential and commerical. Lots of companies, 5 residents. Probably 6 to 10 deliveries every day, by various couriers.

DPD have a 100% record for delivering when they say they will and during the one hour window they specify. They are the best in my experience.

Amazon Logistics works most of the time, but when it goes wrong anything can happen. What tracking there is is wrong. Stuff goes missing forever or they say it was delivered when it wasn't. Amazon tend to demand waiting an extra day to see if it turns up (it doesn't) and then delay a further day before resending - so overall the delivery will be 4 days late.

Hermes is always delivered by the same woman "of a certain age" who does intelligent things if no answer. Eg rings the mobile number. She knows the building well, so knows who it's safe to leave things with. She'll even come back a bit later if she has time. I always get the impression that she has nothing to do for the rest of the day and delivering parcels is a hobby.

Interlink - strange - always two blokes do the deliveries together. Makes it great for bigger shipments. Always the same people - so again they know the building. Handy if something wrong with the address - they've even cleverely delivered stuff to companies when almost the entire address inc post code is wrong but they recognise the contact details.

So for personal service: Interlink/Hermes. But overall, DPD every time.

hieveryone

DPD have been fantastic with my deliveries.

I have also had really good experiences with My Hermes, but that is more down to my delivery man than the company I think. He uses common sense, will leave in a safe place if necessary, always leaves a card.

DHL are a total nightmare!

Hedgehog99

All I can think is that most households have someone at home most of the day.

Otherwise, why would delivery companies have such hopeless strategies for delivering parcels?

I appreciate the contract is between the courier and the sender rather than with me as the recipient, but it is so frustrating to have a parcel delayed by really obvious problems.

The big thing that would help is for online retailers to allow the customer to write really clear instructions at the time of ordering. So often, I order in good faith, knowing that the obvious thing to do is to leave it in the obvious safe place and yet time and time again my order is delayed. Hermes and HDN are the worst for this.

It's not always the driver's fault - one even wrote on my "sorry you were out card" that he wasn't allowed to leave it in the safe place he'd noticed.

So, retailers, allow customers to pre-specify things like:

• Safe place
• That you don't mind not signing for something left in a safe place
• A pre-agreed neighbour
• Vetoed neighbours

and couriers, don't keep sending the van out every day, arriving at the same time when someone's clearly not there! Duh! Let the customer give you useful information like their work address etc that you can deliver to instead - saves everyone time!

Grumpyswife

Most of the time delivery companies are OK. If I had to name and shame I would say Yodel are not good, but at least they come when I'm in, and My Hermes are unreliable although my local delivery chap is very nice and helpful if the parcel gets that far :-)


However the wooden spoon must go to DPD, normally very efficient with an hours time slot for delivery, but they delivered a box that had quite obviously been dropped (from a great height it seems as it was destroyed at one end). Was it breakable? Well yes, it was £6.5K worth of sewing machine, clear from the packaging what it was and that it was fragile. Luckily it was well packed inside with polystyrene that ended up broken, but I wouldn't have looked forward to trying to claim damages if the machine had been broken.

Anatidaephobia

Yodel and Hermes are always rubbish and I think twice about ordering something online if it's stated that it will be delivered by either of those companies. Whenever I've been home to see the delivery driver, it's been someone new/different. I think Hermes are worst but that's mainly because I've had many more parcels delivered by Hermes than Yodel so more bad experiences to choose from.

Hermes regularly leave my parcels in a "safe place" that isn't at all safe. For example, the bin, the neighbour's bin, wedged between two bins, and they've also chucked breakables over the garden fence onto the ground in the back garden (which is open, unsheltered and not even remotely secure), including a parcel which was marked 'fragile'. When ordering a parcel from ebay that will be sent by Hermes, you have to keep your fingers crossed that a) it will be well packaged and b) it won't be raining when it's delivered, otherwise you can easily end up with an item wrapped simply in brown paper sitting in a puddle in the back garden.

Once a Hermes driver didn't even knock on our door; I went into the back garden when I heard a noise only to discover a strange man moving things around. He retrieved the parcel from the place he had just hidden it, handed it to me then left without a word.

If we're not in and Hermes don't leave the parcel with a neighbour or in a random place located vaguely near my house, they will put a card through the door that hasn't been completed therefore no contact details to get in touch with them.

At least with Royal Mail or companies like Parcelforce, there appears to be a proper structure and process that is actually followed by most staff; if they leave a card I know I can go and collect the parcel at a specified place and I have confidence that they will keep it safe for me in the meantime (as opposed to it sitting in the living room of a Hermes driver who hasn't left me any contact details).

Penelope_Greaves

Due to my disabilities, I tend to buy everything online and have it delivered - but excluding my groceries (thank you Sainsbury's!) the great majority are from these two companies...

Hermes - oh, where do I start?! The infinitely quiet tap on the door, the complete lack of contact details on those <bleep>ing cards they leave, constant re-delivery delays...

Once, I had to complain that leaving an unprotected cardboard box in a brown 'food waste' wheelie bin, on top of a pile of rotting food and in the height of summer(!) wasn't exactly the best choice of a 'safe place'... and despite repeated requests for future parcels to be left in an ACTUAL safe place - a porch cupboard, ironically less than a metre from where 'that' bin had been - the guy now tries to leave everything with my bed-bound, elderly neighbour...!

Compare with Royal Mail parcel delivery... a courteous, friendly delivery guy, who knocks loudly and waits for me to get to the door - remembering I'm disabled - always with a beaming smile, and willing to bring the package inside for me if I'm struggling... if no answer, he leaves a detailed card, and it's super-easy to arrange for re-delivery, online or on the phone - and then delivers exactly when agreed!

It's not rocket science - prices can be pretty similar these days, wherever you go, so who we do business with can often be down to their customer care alone... so why do some companies persist in treating us like idiots and second-class citizens? :huh: :undecided