DPD Local as an alternative to RM?

Buster_Danog

I am considering using DPD local's "Door to Door" service as an alternative to Royal Mail during the strike action. Does anyone know if DPD Local always deliver to the customer's address, or do items get left at DPD collection points if nobody is at home?

That is to say will the parcel will be taken back to the depot so that the recipient can then arrange a redilvery?

When I was on ebay I used to avoid UPS as they once left a buyer's parcel at a local UPS store without her requesting it. I am trying to avoid any parcel that I send to being left at a DPD collection point if the recipient is not at home.

GadgetGuru

Generally if the recipient is not home the package goes back to the local depo and a card is left for the recipient to re-arrange delivery on another day that suits. I've had the same with UPS though - several times it's taken to a UPS Store for me to collect, which is annoying! I haven't ever had DPD do that though......

martindow

Buster_Danog said:

I am considering using DPD local's "Door to Door" service as an alternative to Royal Mail during the strike action.

Have you considered the cheaper drop off service if you have a collection point nearby?

https://www.dpd.co.uk/apps/shopfinder/index.jsp

If there is a convenient shop it would be no different to dropping packets off at a PO.

Buster_Danog

martindow said:

Have you considered the cheaper drop off service if you have a collection point nearby?

https://www.dpd.co.uk/apps/shopfinder/index.jsp

If there is a convenient shop it would be no different to dropping packets off at a PO.

Thanks for this. The "shop to shop" and "door to door" prices caught my eye but I missed the other one.

Buster_Danog

Just to add this is an excellent alternative to Royal Mail. Only £6.50 for next day delivery, and the item (worth £50) was covered by the insurance. Photo of the parcel at the recipient's door as well which you don't get with Royal Mail special delivery.

[Deleted User]

As the recipient of parcels i've always found DPD to be an extremely good courier service, possibly, i'd say, better than RM - certainly in my area.

ButtersUK

You good people are aware (aren't you?) that DPD (in the red vans) is one thing ... DPD Local (in the blue vans) is another thing ... and DPD Local Online (also in the blue vans as far as I can tell) is yet anther thing again?

|I've tried hard to work out exactly who does what in the organization and it's not easy to be absolutely sure.  One thing that I AM sure about is that DPD local-online is administered by Parcel2go.. If you go to their (blue and white) website it says so right at the bottom in small print. If you go to the DPD local website (also in a very similar blue and white colour scheme) you WON'T get taken to Parcel2go. And, similarly, if you go to the DPD website (in RED) you also won't get taken to Parcel2go.

Residential customers get taken to DPD local-online and DO NOT get pointed to the RED DPD site or the BLUE local site.

The problem with the residential DPD online service (the one adminstered by Parcel2go) is that you're not entirely sure whether you need to try to speak to DPD or Parcel2go if you have a problem.  the answer to that is actually that you need to try, as best you can, to contact DPD local-online .... and that ain't easy.

I used them (the residential arm of DPD) three times and they were great. £50 insurance rather than the others who offer £20 or £25 and the items were delivered next day, as promised. But my fourth attempt hasn't been so good. The item got left behind from the Co-op collection point and then the next collection from the store got aborted and it now looks like collection will be in two days time.

Royal Mail is currently delayed due to strikes and Hermes and Yodel have dreadful reputations (althought they've been OK for me).

I honestly don't know who to suggest.

Buster_Danog

Thanks for that. I will have to check DPD local's terms and condition in future. I believe Parcel2Go allows parcels to be left with neighbours and that can be a problem for ebay deliveries.

martindow

I got an email from DPD Local a few days ago saying that they were suspending collections presumably as they were overwhelmed.  I've not received a second email to say that collections are being resumed.  I imagine they are, but I suspect that many carriers are extremely busy and subject to delays in the run up to Christmas.

soolin

martindow said:

I got an email from DPD Local a few days ago saying that they were suspending collections presumably as they were overwhelmed.  I've not received a second email to say that collections are being resumed.  I imagine they are, but I suspect that many carriers are extremely busy and subject to delays in the run up to Christmas.

My OH regularly buys from a handful of hobby retailers online, one of them had already suspended RM options as their stuff was apparently taking up to 3 weeks to arrive, they had switched to DPD temporarily. However OH bought some items this morning and there is now a warning that DPD a is no longer able to give time scales either on collecting parcels from them or delivering them, so nothing can be guaranteed to arrive pre Christmas, or potentially even before the New Year. 

Luckily our items are not time sensitive so we can afford to wait, but the little personal blog for this small company is quite upsetting as they say they are potentially facing having to lay off some part time staff they took on for Christmas as no one can be expected to buy when they have no guarantee of receiving anything within a month. They explained most of their sales are sub £50 so finding a more guaranteed service is not only difficult but proving expensive and people are unwilling to pay when they are used to paying around £3.95 normally. 

RFW

soolin said:

martindow said:

I got an email from DPD Local a few days ago saying that they were suspending collections presumably as they were overwhelmed.  I've not received a second email to say that collections are being resumed.  I imagine they are, but I suspect that many carriers are extremely busy and subject to delays in the run up to Christmas.

My OH regularly buys from a handful of hobby retailers online, one of them had already suspended RM options as their stuff was apparently taking up to 3 weeks to arrive, they had switched to DPD temporarily. However OH bought some items this morning and there is now a warning that DPD a is no longer able to give time scales either on collecting parcels from them or delivering them, so nothing can be guaranteed to arrive pre Christmas, or potentially even before the New Year. 

Luckily our items are not time sensitive so we can afford to wait, but the little personal blog for this small company is quite upsetting as they say they are potentially facing having to lay off some part time staff they took on for Christmas as no one can be expected to buy when they have no guarantee of receiving anything within a month. They explained most of their sales are sub £50 so finding a more guaranteed service is not only difficult but proving expensive and people are unwilling to pay when they are used to paying around £3.95 normally. 

I send and receive from a variety of couriers and RM, I also receive at 3 different addresses in different cities. I've never known it as bad as it is now, even during lockdown. My biggest knowledge is with Amazon and they're slowing down sending more than I've ever known. I've dealt with most couriers in the last few weeks and they all seem to be in chaos. Evri and DPD seem to be the stand out ones though, although coupling DPD with Evri seems a bit mean to DPD.