Why do reputable companies use poor delivery companies?

jaybeetoo

I stopped buying Nespresso because they used Yodel.  After I experienced so many delivery problems I decided it was no longer worth the hassle so a few years ago I stopped buying Nespresso.

I’m having problems with UPS who are used by Apple.  UPS told me they’d deliver an item to me before 2pm yesterday.  They didn’t.  I understand things sometimes go wrong but I’d have expected them to try again today.   UPS thought it would be a much better idea to take the item back to their depot and leave it there today instead.  Thanks guys.  It is impossible to get through to UPS.  They don’t answer the phone or contact us forms.

What is it about reputable companies using rubbish delivery companies?  Don’t they realise it is their reputation that is being trashed?

shaun_from_Africa

jaybeetoo said:

What is it about reputable companies using rubbish delivery companies?  Don’t they realise it is their reputation that is being trashed?

They use them because they are cheap and for a great many customers, the total price paid for goods and services is all that matters.
If company A advertises something for £x with free or very cheap delivery and company B has the same item at the same price but charges £10 delivery, many people will only see the £10 figure and immediately opt for the free delivery option.

Personally, I've had no bad experiences with Yodel but Hermes on the other hand! so it may well be down to individual drivers/depots.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Consumers demand lower prices through their shopping habits and the cost of this is has to be measured somewhere. Companies like Apple and Nespresso essentially sell a lifestyle rather than a product and their choice of courier is unlikely to alter the purchasing decision of the average person loyal to their brand. 

Generally speaking all the couriers are as good or bad as the driver who brings the parcel to your door, Royal Mail tend to be very good as they have a regular members of staff who know the round, Hermes have a bad reputation as the turnover of drivers is higher and they get paid less so have additional considerations (cost of fuel to keep going back if you are out for example).

Yodel have been fine for the last 5 years here, they appear to have a new driver on the round who dumped the last 2 Nespresso deliveries in an unacceptable place. 

CEO email has an email address for the head of customer experience at Nespresso, very doubtful an email will change their courier but they may possibly demonstrate the value of your custom with an offer of good will, or maybe only with an apology. 

All the couriers are busier than usual and fewer depots appear to be answering the phones but shopping online probably still beats the inconveniences of the high street, particularly at the moment. 

JJ_Egan

Recent delivery s to me , Yodel  UPS  both excellent /

Hermes collection again excellent .

But agree that its a pain phoning delivery company to get any sense .

JReacher1

I don’t believe they do use bad delivery companies. 

These companies deliver millions of parcels successfully but as with any operation there will always be a small number of problems. 

Companies will monitor the success rate of their delivery companies and if there was an issue they would terminate the contract. The fact they continue to use them would demonstrate that in the vast majority of cases deliveries are successful. 

ssparks2003

Which delivery company is "good" in your opinion? I promise you which ever one you name someone on here will be able to slag them off.

Jumblebumble

ssparks2003 said:

Which delivery company is "good" in your opinion? I promise you which ever one you name someone on here will be able to slag them off.

I like DPD who are organised enough to give you your delivery time to within an hour
Fed Ex are also good in IMHO
Of course it depend on who actually doing the deliveries
A casual subbie is not going to do as good a job as our Hermies regular who knows our entire family by name

Supersonos

Because, over everything else, 90% of consumers just want it cheap.  So the "reputable companies" oblige.

mattyprice4004

Yep, the courier race to the bottom strikes again. 
Over the last 8 years I've posted around 50,000 parcels - in terms of both delivery reliability and customer services when stuff goes wrong (the only two things that mattered to me) I'd rate the main players, top to bottom: 
- FedEx (always answer the phone, and all on time)
- UPS (usually on time, and never had issues getting in touch)
- TNT (never had to get in touch, usually on time but some inexplicably took 2 days on a 1 day service with no answer as to why)
- DPD (a pain to get hold of, and regularly a day late which is a shame because Predict is brilliant. International service was a little shaky too due to crap subcontractors)
- Royal Mail (usually get it right, but when they didn't it was hard to get hold of them)
- Hermes (usually get it right, contrary to popular belief - and drop off shops made dispatch easy, but hard to get hold of) 
- UK Mail (success rate a little less than Hermes, and absolutely impossible to contact)
- Yodel (just awful, things go missing, are a week late, impossible to contact) 

I kept a careful eye on the couriers I used, and the above is my findings without bias based on price (I'm based in NW England). 

ThumbRemote

Out of interest where in the UK is your parcel stuck? I'm waiting for a UPS delivery for work which has been stuck in a depot in Manchester since last Friday. No way to get through to speak to someone, no deliveries at all to our business park for a number of days - their whole operation seems to have ground to a halt.

DoaM

This thread should be in PV&W.