Missing parcel signed for by a colleague

dh010010

Hey!

I am hoping someone can give me some advice on how to deal with this issue.

I ordered an item online for next day delivery, which DPD's online tracking shows was delivered and signed for by my company's main switchboard.

Problem is no one can find it. I contacted the retailer (PC World) who has launched an investigation and also involved DPD the courier. DPD have come to my work and viewed all the CCTV which is inconclusive as to whether the parcel was actually delivered. (DPD delivered another parcel at the same time and they have one signature for it and mine - not one signature each).

DPD have interviewed the driver who insist the item was delivered and now DPD say that as a signature was obtained that is proof of delivery and they are closing their investigation.

PC world are now following suit, saying that if I wish to take it further I should contact the police and they will pursue the person that signed for the item, but they don't seam to want to help any further - all they keep talking about is internal process and procedures and the ins and out of DPD's service.

Where do I stand? CAB have told me that because I have not signed for the item (I should mention it was for me personally not a business delivery) I can claim my money back or get a replacement, but PC world will not honor this.

I do not believe the person that signed for my parcel had any wrong doing and I certainly don't want to call the police on the poor woman - after all we still have to work together and we have never had anything like this before - been there over 10 years!

The lady that signed is now petrified that she is going to get carted off and is now scared to sign for any deliverys that arrive.

I personally believe the item never made it off of the delivery van (looking at the CCTV - but its very hard to distinguish anything) - I am at a loss as to what to do now.

Thoughts, sugestions or recommendations would greatly be appreciated.

Regards,

Dean

Fosterdog

This is one of the problems with a delivery to a workplace, as far as pcworld and DPD are concerned the parcel was delivered correctly. No courier will deliver to a workplace and wait for the named person to turn up to sign for it, a delivery is to an address rather than a specific person regardless of who's name is on the parcel.

The CCTV can't be very good if it can't even tell if it was just one or two parcels delivered.

As for one signature, the company I work for uses DPD for a lot of deliveries and it does state the number of parcels that are being signed for on the same screen that gets signed, anybody who regularly signs for deliveries should know to check the number being signed for against what is received. Also when we get DPD deliveries the individual barcodes on each parcel have to be scanned by the driver for it to be added to the parcels to be signed for so it must have been taken off the van in order for the driver to scan it which in turn assigns the signature to it.

hollydays

:(That's a massive responsibility you've put onto your work colleague by sending that to your workplace.

Hedgehog99

I had a problem with a company who insisted my neighbour had signed for a parcel on my behalf.

Consumer Advice (which I believe is now under the CAB umbrella? There is a consumer helpline at the CAB anyway) dictated three excellent letters full of "legalese" about the Distance Selling regulations etc so that I was fully armed with how to reply if they refused at each stage. (As it happened, my saying I was hanging up so as to call "Trading Standards" was enough & they rang me back with a refund as soon as my call to CA ended)

Hopefully CAB can tell you where to find suitable templates?

Basically, the gist was that unless you authorised the supplier to allow another named person to sign on your behalf, then the supplier's duty was to get the goods to you.

They haven't, so you get a refund (or replacement goods if you still want them). Do not let the supplier tell you otherwise. If DPD messed up, that's the supplier's problem.

whitewing

I think you need to speak to one of the bosses of your workplace or HR because anything you do will impact on your company.

If you paid by card you could speak to Visa etc about the possibility of a chargeback, but you may find that isn't possible in these circumstances.

Auntie-Dolly

Cant the lady on the desk remember whether it was 1 or 2 parcels? What happened to the other one?

Hedgehog99

hollydays wrote: »

:(That's a massive responsibility you've put onto your work colleague by sending that to your workplace.

What else is someone working full time meant to do when their parcel must be signed for?

wealdroam

Hedgehog99 wrote: »

What else is someone working full time meant to do when their parcel must be signed for?

They need to make other arrangements.

Sorry to be glib, but remember those things called shops?
Perhaps a Saturday delivery can be arranged?
Maybe arrange a late start at work one morning to coincide with an early delivery?

It doesn't sound likely, but if the OP causes 'issues' her employer could easily say 'no more private deliveries to the office' - especially if the receptionist no longer feels comfortable accepting them.

naedanger

dh010010 wrote: »

Hey!

I am hoping someone can give me some advice on how to deal with this issue.

I ordered an item online for next day delivery, which DPD's online tracking shows was delivered and signed for by my company's main switchboard.

Problem is no one can find it. I contacted the retailer (PC World) who has launched an investigation and also involved DPD the courier. DPD have come to my work and viewed all the CCTV which is inconclusive as to whether the parcel was actually delivered. (DPD delivered another parcel at the same time and they have one signature for it and mine - not one signature each).

DPD have interviewed the driver who insist the item was delivered and now DPD say that as a signature was obtained that is proof of delivery and they are closing their investigation.

PC world are now following suit, saying that if I wish to take it further I should contact the police and they will pursue the person that signed for the item, but they don't seam to want to help any further - all they keep talking about is internal process and procedures and the ins and out of DPD's service.

Where do I stand? CAB have told me that because I have not signed for the item (I should mention it was for me personally not a business delivery) I can claim my money back or get a replacement, but PC world will not honor this.

I do not believe the person that signed for my parcel had any wrong doing and I certainly don't want to call the police on the poor woman - after all we still have to work together and we have never had anything like this before - been there over 10 years!

The lady that signed is now petrified that she is going to get carted off and is now scared to sign for any deliverys that arrive.

I personally believe the item never made it off of the delivery van (looking at the CCTV - but its very hard to distinguish anything) - I am at a loss as to what to do now.

Thoughts, sugestions or recommendations would greatly be appreciated.

Regards,

Dean

I think you should check the terms and conditions of your order. Are you sure the contract was not for PC World to deliver the parcel to any adult at the premises you chose? If it was and they have evidence that the parcel was delivered then I don't think you have a good case. (However CAB seem to think you do, so certainly worth checking further.)

However if the contract was for PC World to deliver the item to you personally, or there is no evidence that two items were delivered, you could sue PC World. (You don't need to report the matter to the police but PC World might, and obviously you will need to give a statement saying you never received the item.)

If your company did sign for two items, but you can still successfully sue PC World (e.g. because the contract was for them to deliver to you personally, or because CAB are correct) then you will most likely be creating extra work (and possibly a liability) for your employer and possibly trouble for your colleague who signed for the item. This is worth bearing in mind.

Hedgehog99

wealdroam wrote: »

They need to make other arrangements.

Sorry to be glib, but remember those things called shops?
Perhaps a Saturday delivery can be arranged?
Maybe arrange a late start at work one morning to coincide with an early delivery?

It doesn't sound likely, but if the OP causes 'issues' her employer could easily say 'no more private deliveries to the office' - especially if the receptionist no longer feels comfortable accepting them.

I can see you've never had problems with this.

Companies rarely tell you clearly if a signature will be needed.
Drivers are not allowed to use their initiative.
Nobody seems to read the "delivery instructions" comments I bother to write.
Parcels end up going back & forth, out on the van, back to the depot with two days' delay at a time and there's nothing you can do except wait for it to go back to the supplier & re-order & this time get them to put the right instructions on the bloomin' parcel in the first place.

I've even tried phoning a company to arrange a specific delivery date in advance, yes, they can do that, they assure me, then booking the day off to wait in for it (yes, a whole day because they can never tell you the time of delivery until after you'd have had to arrange leave). Got home the day before to find a Sorry You Were Out card.

It's exasperating. It wastes everybody's precious time.

But, clearly, most people are at home most of the time because otherwise surely delivery companies and suppliers would have to change their policies, right? Or maybe not.

Rather than the faff described above, I think it's reasonable for employers to allow employees to receive a reasonable number of parcels at work (nothing outsize / refrigerated / toxic etc. of course). It means staff can reliably attend work instead of asking to come in later/leave early, only to still miss their delivery because the driver was late or whatever.

But this is a whole other thread and distracting people from OP's problem.

wealdroam

Hedgehog99 wrote: »

But this is a whole other thread and distracting people from OP's problem.

That's right. You asked a question. I answered it.