DPD - A discurteous, dishonest false economy

Mr_Angry_of_Mayfair

People use companies like DPD because they're cheap. It's a false economy & a game of Russian roulette. The measure of a company is how they behave when things go wrong. And with DPD that's more often than not.

For the last week  I've been engaged in what can only be described as a farcical exchange with the "Escalations Team". That's the "highly trained" cubicle monkeys DPD CEO Dwain McDonald uses to avoid having to deal with great unwashed when things go horribly wrong. Which they do. All the time.

This is my very own farcical experience with DPD
Prior to a delivery DPD send you an email. That email states that to avoid contact delivery - something vital currently - you should put a note on your door with instructions as to where to leave the package.
All good, right? I mean, if you're isolating or shielding you want stuff left at the door & no contact. So, in theory,  this is a great move.

I did that. A4 sign. Portait. Arial font. "Couriers & Deliveries. If there is no answer please leave packages here" There's a big arrow pointing to a corner spot on the floor. Idiot proof.
Not DPD proof.

The driver didn't leave the package.
He did tear up a blank missed call card & stuff the bits through the door before buggering off. It would have taken less energy to just put the box down.

DPD's communications are awful. Their "contact us" link leads to a "page not found" Their phone number is a kept on hold for hours nightmare waste of time & money.
So, I tracked down Dwain's corporate email address & sent him a note.
He's the boss. Take it to the top & point out what his company has botched.
Well. Dwain doesn't give a stuff. He has cubicle monkeys to sweep things under the carpet for him.

Long story short, the depot & driver in an act of spiteful solidarity didn't even try to deliver my kit. They returned it to sender as "undeliverable" after not bothering to show for the second delivery slot they arranged. It was blatant retaliation for my daring to complain.

After a week of to & fro communications platitudes & excuses from trained cubicle monkey in Dwain's "Escalation Team" I today received the following excuse.

"... the parcel was not left because the note was not left on the inside of the property."
I'll give you a moment to draw that mental image of a DPD chap coming in, reading the note you left for them next to your hat stand, then going back out to leave the package behind the gnome gesturing suggestively at passers by.
.
Me? I'm thinking DPD clearly operate an army of international cat burglars & I stupidly should have put my note under one of those novelty magnets on the fridge and not on the front door.
"Mindaugas" my driver could have left the package on the kitchen table having first fixed himself a lovely snack.
Perhaps they have those calling cards like the fella in the old Milk Tray ads?
Should we swoon when they get it right? Does that ever happen?

The torn card was flatly denied. Of course. As for why they didn't show up for the 2nd delivery attempt or why they returned my package as undeliverable, that was not addressed in any way mean shape or form. It was simply ignored.

I never expected the complaint process to go anywhere & had already spoken at length to the vendor shipping my goods with DPD, but this was even more of a farce than my imagination could conjure.

Bottom line? A shambolically unprofessional company whose employees clearly feel empowered to treat recipients with disdain & disrespect in the full knowledge that they will face no repercussions whatsoever, whose communication is deliberately difficult to engage, whose complaints process is an exercise in whitewashing that yields nothing worthwhile, & whose CEO, Dwain McDonald, responds to no communications & clearly has no interest in how his employees behave as long as his tills go "kerching".

In our "new normal" [hate that phrase] delivery companies will play an increasingly important part. Companies who behave like DPD have no business in this field.

Pick another company. Never - EVER - DPD. Stop Dwain's "kerching". It's the only way to force him to take responsibility & get his staff to operate in a polite & professional manner.

Hasbeen

OP your post is a bit rambling and to revert to calling the staff monkeys, might not be so good?

However you have had your rant and will now be hopefully calmed down?

Instructions from DPD asks for the door note to be signed, so driver can take picture. You did this I assume?

Also the contact us page, works very well for me anyway?  https://www.dpd.co.uk/content/how-can-we-help/contact.jsp

Hopefully you will eventually get your order and to be honest if this is the only thing that has upset you then you are very lucky in life.  

Carrot007

Well you have lofty expenctations of a delivery company.

And yes it varies among which driver you get.

DPD offer a gps position of your driver. I like these best. I open the door as their van appears and step back.

Maybe amazon prime now is more for you. taxi to your door. no issues?

JReacher1

I think they mean by inside in the window so it can be read from the outside. 

An external note could be put there by anyone.  

mattyprice4004

DPD are expensive, not cheap (as a business owner) - just FYI. 
UPS and DHL are both cheaper for a standard parcel. 

Undervalued

I always find DPD to be one of the best delivery companies and breath a sigh of relief when I find out that an online purchase is coming by them!

That said you can hear horror stories about ALL of the larger couriers. The real problem is that everybody wants everything NOW with Rolls Royce service at a Fiat 500 price!

fuzzypanda35

All courier companies have problems but I have to say that I'm glad when I know it's DPD. Usually a 2 hour window, you can track the driver and see how far away he is etc.

[Deleted User]

I agree with @Undervalued and @fuzzypanda35 regarding DPD, the guy that comes to my region (Martin) is the best courier in the area and i know the reliability of his service.
Are DPD franchised - this could be the reason for differing levels of professionalism etc.

DCFC79

Mr_Angry_of_Mayfair said:

People use companies like DPD because they're cheap. It's a false economy & a game of Russian roulette. The measure of a company is how they behave when things go wrong. And with DPD that's more often than not.

For the last week  I've been engaged in what can only be described as a farcical exchange with the "Escalations Team". That's the "highly trained" cubicle monkeys DPD CEO Dwain McDonald uses to avoid having to deal with great unwashed when things go horribly wrong. Which they do. All the time.

This is my very own farcical experience with DPD
Prior to a delivery DPD send you an email. That email states that to avoid contact delivery - something vital currently - you should put a note on your door with instructions as to where to leave the package.
All good, right? I mean, if you're isolating or shielding you want stuff left at the door & no contact. So, in theory,  this is a great move.

I did that. A4 sign. Portait. Arial font. "Couriers & Deliveries. If there is no answer please leave packages here" There's a big arrow pointing to a corner spot on the floor. Idiot proof.
Not DPD proof.

The driver didn't leave the package.
He did tear up a blank missed call card & stuff the bits through the door before buggering off. It would have taken less energy to just put the box down.

DPD's communications are awful. Their "contact us" link leads to a "page not found" Their phone number is a kept on hold for hours nightmare waste of time & money.
So, I tracked down Dwain's corporate email address & sent him a note.
He's the boss. Take it to the top & point out what his company has botched.
Well. Dwain doesn't give a stuff. He has cubicle monkeys to sweep things under the carpet for him.

Long story short, the depot & driver in an act of spiteful solidarity didn't even try to deliver my kit. They returned it to sender as "undeliverable" after not bothering to show for the second delivery slot they arranged. It was blatant retaliation for my daring to complain.

After a week of to & fro communications platitudes & excuses from trained cubicle monkey in Dwain's "Escalation Team" I today received the following excuse.

"... the parcel was not left because the note was not left on the inside of the property."
I'll give you a moment to draw that mental image of a DPD chap coming in, reading the note you left for them next to your hat stand, then going back out to leave the package behind the gnome gesturing suggestively at passers by.
.
Me? I'm thinking DPD clearly operate an army of international cat burglars & I stupidly should have put my note under one of those novelty magnets on the fridge and not on the front door.
"Mindaugas" my driver could have left the package on the kitchen table having first fixed himself a lovely snack.
Perhaps they have those calling cards like the fella in the old Milk Tray ads?
Should we swoon when they get it right? Does that ever happen?

The torn card was flatly denied. Of course. As for why they didn't show up for the 2nd delivery attempt or why they returned my package as undeliverable, that was not addressed in any way mean shape or form. It was simply ignored.

I never expected the complaint process to go anywhere & had already spoken at length to the vendor shipping my goods with DPD, but this was even more of a farce than my imagination could conjure.

Bottom line? A shambolically unprofessional company whose employees clearly feel empowered to treat recipients with disdain & disrespect in the full knowledge that they will face no repercussions whatsoever, whose communication is deliberately difficult to engage, whose complaints process is an exercise in whitewashing that yields nothing worthwhile, & whose CEO, Dwain McDonald, responds to no communications & clearly has no interest in how his employees behave as long as his tills go "kerching".

In our "new normal" [hate that phrase] delivery companies will play an increasingly important part. Companies who behave like DPD have no business in this field.

Pick another company. Never - EVER - DPD. Stop Dwain's "kerching". It's the only way to force him to take responsibility & get his staff to operate in a polite & professional manner.

Thats harsh to call the call centre staff cubicle monkeys.

I like DPD for the easons as described, not had a problem with them.

Im waiting for the usual question to be asked, anyone guess what it is ?

Spank

Nobody's gonna ask cos we know you work for them 

mattyprice4004

DCFC79 said:

Mr_Angry_of_Mayfair said:

People use companies like DPD because they're cheap. It's a false economy & a game of Russian roulette. The measure of a company is how they behave when things go wrong. And with DPD that's more often than not.

For the last week  I've been engaged in what can only be described as a farcical exchange with the "Escalations Team". That's the "highly trained" cubicle monkeys DPD CEO Dwain McDonald uses to avoid having to deal with great unwashed when things go horribly wrong. Which they do. All the time.

This is my very own farcical experience with DPD
Prior to a delivery DPD send you an email. That email states that to avoid contact delivery - something vital currently - you should put a note on your door with instructions as to where to leave the package.
All good, right? I mean, if you're isolating or shielding you want stuff left at the door & no contact. So, in theory,  this is a great move.

I did that. A4 sign. Portait. Arial font. "Couriers & Deliveries. If there is no answer please leave packages here" There's a big arrow pointing to a corner spot on the floor. Idiot proof.
Not DPD proof.

The driver didn't leave the package.
He did tear up a blank missed call card & stuff the bits through the door before buggering off. It would have taken less energy to just put the box down.

DPD's communications are awful. Their "contact us" link leads to a "page not found" Their phone number is a kept on hold for hours nightmare waste of time & money.
So, I tracked down Dwain's corporate email address & sent him a note.
He's the boss. Take it to the top & point out what his company has botched.
Well. Dwain doesn't give a stuff. He has cubicle monkeys to sweep things under the carpet for him.

Long story short, the depot & driver in an act of spiteful solidarity didn't even try to deliver my kit. They returned it to sender as "undeliverable" after not bothering to show for the second delivery slot they arranged. It was blatant retaliation for my daring to complain.

After a week of to & fro communications platitudes & excuses from trained cubicle monkey in Dwain's "Escalation Team" I today received the following excuse.

"... the parcel was not left because the note was not left on the inside of the property."
I'll give you a moment to draw that mental image of a DPD chap coming in, reading the note you left for them next to your hat stand, then going back out to leave the package behind the gnome gesturing suggestively at passers by.
.
Me? I'm thinking DPD clearly operate an army of international cat burglars & I stupidly should have put my note under one of those novelty magnets on the fridge and not on the front door.
"Mindaugas" my driver could have left the package on the kitchen table having first fixed himself a lovely snack.
Perhaps they have those calling cards like the fella in the old Milk Tray ads?
Should we swoon when they get it right? Does that ever happen?

The torn card was flatly denied. Of course. As for why they didn't show up for the 2nd delivery attempt or why they returned my package as undeliverable, that was not addressed in any way mean shape or form. It was simply ignored.

I never expected the complaint process to go anywhere & had already spoken at length to the vendor shipping my goods with DPD, but this was even more of a farce than my imagination could conjure.

Bottom line? A shambolically unprofessional company whose employees clearly feel empowered to treat recipients with disdain & disrespect in the full knowledge that they will face no repercussions whatsoever, whose communication is deliberately difficult to engage, whose complaints process is an exercise in whitewashing that yields nothing worthwhile, & whose CEO, Dwain McDonald, responds to no communications & clearly has no interest in how his employees behave as long as his tills go "kerching".

In our "new normal" [hate that phrase] delivery companies will play an increasingly important part. Companies who behave like DPD have no business in this field.

Pick another company. Never - EVER - DPD. Stop Dwain's "kerching". It's the only way to force him to take responsibility & get his staff to operate in a polite & professional manner.

Thats harsh to call the call centre staff cubicle monkeys.

I like DPD for the easons as described, not had a problem with them.

Im waiting for the usual question to be asked, anyone guess what it is ?

You definitely work for them! Along with Argos, Currys, TUI, Jet2, Jessops, Tesco, Adli and Lidl. Have I missed any?