Why do reputable companies use poor delivery companies?

unholyangel

Because it's cheaper than hiring your own delivery staff. Especially when the orders may not be local to each other. 

tonyhender

Thread should stay her

DoaM

tonyhender said:

Thread should stay here

Why am I not surprised that you've taken the polar opposite viewpoint to me? 🙄

ceh209

JReacher1 said:

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. 

The company I worked for switched to Hermes from DHL as they were cheaper. 2 months later and customer service were so overwhelmed with the number of complaints (~3000 a day, compared to maybe 3000 a month previously), staff were being drafted in from all over the business to help sort them out, and our reputation was rightly taking a bashing on social media . Hermes were swiftly abandoned and now Royal Mail is used

shaun_from_Africa

shaun_from_Africa said:

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.

Looks like I posted a day too early.
I had a Yodel delivery coming today and their tracing website gave a 2 hour estimated timeslot and the ability to track the driver.
At 1425, the tracking updated to "Delivered to number 14. Unable to sign, COVID 19" but my doorbell hadn't gone and there was no package left on my doorstep.
I attempted to contact Yodel using their online chat but it was a case of "We're sorry, all of our operators are busy"
A couple of hours later, my doorbell did go and it was my neighbour from No 9 who found the package for me in his back garden (dumped over a locked 6 foot high gate.) The address label was nice and clear and it was impossible to misread the No 14 for No 9

bilbobaggins

We all seem to rely on these much more, now. And the cost of the service is embedded in the price of the product we buy online.....

Some provide a better service than others. The converse is also true...

F'r 'zample, we had a large cardboard box left dumped by our door a couple of weeks ago, apparently by ParcelForce. The contents, a score of 'hydro-spa head cushions' had been shipped from the US to a company in Blackpool, and our address bears no relation.

That company, once telephoned, agreed the goods were intended for them and offered to have ParcelForce pick them up - by agreed arrangement - last Tuesday.

No show.

No phone call.....

I contacted the Blackpool company today to query WIHIH. Apparently, ParcelForce had indicated they'd attempted pickup, but 'no-one was available'. Untrue - both of us were here all day, 'isolating'. The manager at the Blackpool company, short of a ~£1000 delivery of spare parts, advised that ParcelForce operatives are doing this 'lying' all the time with respect to domestic drops and pickups. That generates a cost and a chargeback to the retail company, which becomes reflected in the prices to us, the public.

How can we hold these bandits to account?

Since I pay for deliveries of goods bought online, I have determined to specify which delivery companies I will not agree to. ParcelForce is now one of them....

gettingtheresometime

I seem to be having an issue with Hermes atm.

I've had two parcels from Aldi  and another from Hobbycraft marked by Hobbycraft as being returned at my request when they certainly wasn't.