What's the legal situation with non-delivered parcels?

GrahamOfBewdley

I've got a recurring problem with various parcel companies not delivering parcels correctly.
For context, I live in one of several 'holiday bungalows' on a farm.
There is no proper vehicle access to my bungalow, so I have got a letterbox and parcel box near the cattle grid at the farm entrance.
Whenever possible, I give instructions to leave my parcels in the parcel box. There is a CCTV camera covering the area.
DPD have delivered a parcel to a post office nine miles away and told me to collect it.
As I understand it, my contract is with the retailer. It makes no difference to me whether they use their own vans or subcontract delivery out to a parcel company. Have I got that right?
As I have paid for goods and services (delivery), am I entitled to a refund if they don't provide that service, having given them reasonable opportunity to redeliver the parcel?
Whose responsibility is it to chase up their subcontractor?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Hello OP

In short, risk remains with the trader until the goods come into your physical possession, if the company fail to deliver you may stipulate another timeframe that is reasonable given the circumstances and if they also fail to meet that you may treat the contract at an end for a full refund 

Covered under the CRA here:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/28

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/29

I know DPD are often said to be good but where we are I find the service variable and on occasions extremely poor. The whole deliver it somewhere miles away is ridiculous policy for rural areas (might be fine for people in cities where the place they drop the parcel off is a quick walk around the corner).

If you Google CEO email and search that site for DPD you might get a response from higher up and they may even collect the parcel and deliver it.

Perhaps a bit of a balance between what you are entitled to and what is pragmatic might be required but best bet IMO is to see if you can find the phone number for your local depot (if you can't but can find one close phone them and they might give you the right number), the depot won't want the same person phoning up and (politely) moaning every time a problem happens with a parcel and they might make more of an effort with your parcels. 

Arunmor

DPD like to take a photo of parcels at an open door as proof the parcel has been delivered.  You want them to drop it off at the farm entrance which I imagine they will deem as a public place and an unsafe place to leave your parcel.  From what you describe they are caught between a rock and a hard place.

GrahamOfBewdley

Thanks for the replies.
I phoned DPD and got their standard response that once a parcel has been delivered to a Pick Up Shop, that's the end of it as far as they're concerned. they will not redeliver it to the correct address.
I normally struggle to understand legalise, but those CRA links look pretty clear. It does look to me like 'the contract is at an end' and I'm entitled to a refund.

There are several letterboxes and a parcel box by the cattle grid at the farm entrance. This is quite a common arrangement for rural houses with long drives, to have a parcel box and/or letterbox near the road rather than attached to the house.

Hoenir

GrahamOfBewdley said:

There are several letterboxes and a parcel box by the cattle grid at the farm entrance. This is quite a common arrangement for rural houses with long drives, to have a parcel box and/or letterbox near the road rather than attached to the house.

That isn't a safe place as far as DPD are concerned. They are responsible and liable for the parcel. Quite rightly so they make alternative arrangements.
 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Hoenir said:

GrahamOfBewdley said:

There are several letterboxes and a parcel box by the cattle grid at the farm entrance. This is quite a common arrangement for rural houses with long drives, to have a parcel box and/or letterbox near the road rather than attached to the house.

That isn't a safe place as far as DPD are concerned. They are responsible and liable for the parcel. Quite rightly so they make alternative arrangements.
 

Then they can drive up to the farm, get out, walk to OP's door and deliver the parcel!

Driving it 9 miles away for you to go pick it up (whilst claiming that's better for the environment) is nonsense. 

GrahamOfBewdley said:

Thanks for the replies.
I phoned DPD and got their standard response that once a parcel has been delivered to a Pick Up Shop, that's the end of it as far as they're concerned. they will not redeliver it to the correct address.
I normally struggle to understand legalise, but those CRA links look pretty clear. It does look to me like 'the contract is at an end' and I'm entitled to a refund.

The call centres will just tell you policy, the above is correct they don't have to deliver to the parcel box but that should mean they deliver it to you at your door instead.  

Undervalued

GrahamOfBewdley said:

Thanks for the replies.
I phoned DPD and got their standard response that once a parcel has been delivered to a Pick Up Shop, that's the end of it as far as they're concerned. they will not redeliver it to the correct address.
I normally struggle to understand legalise, but those CRA links look pretty clear. It does look to me like 'the contract is at an end' and I'm entitled to a refund.

There are several letterboxes and a parcel box by the cattle grid at the farm entrance. This is quite a common arrangement for rural houses with long drives, to have a parcel box and/or letterbox near the road rather than attached to the house.

That may be so but there still remains the practicalities of making that happen and even then, assuming you still want the item, you have got to order from somebody else and maybe run into the same issue.

I don't know who your ordered from but even if they are perfectly reputable it will take a while to get your refund. Is it not easier to collect the item this time and try to sort out a more reliable way of receiving deliveries for the future?

Hoenir

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Hoenir said:

GrahamOfBewdley said:

There are several letterboxes and a parcel box by the cattle grid at the farm entrance. This is quite a common arrangement for rural houses with long drives, to have a parcel box and/or letterbox near the road rather than attached to the house.

That isn't a safe place as far as DPD are concerned. They are responsible and liable for the parcel. Quite rightly so they make alternative arrangements.
 

Then they can drive up to the farm, get out, walk to OP's door and deliver the parcel!

Did you read the opening thread. 

There is no proper vehicle access to my bungalow, so I have got a letterbox and parcel box near the cattle grid at the farm entrance.

Likewise couriers do provide a range of options for deliveries in case you aren't aware. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Hoenir said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Hoenir said:

GrahamOfBewdley said:

There are several letterboxes and a parcel box by the cattle grid at the farm entrance. This is quite a common arrangement for rural houses with long drives, to have a parcel box and/or letterbox near the road rather than attached to the house.

That isn't a safe place as far as DPD are concerned. They are responsible and liable for the parcel. Quite rightly so they make alternative arrangements.
 

Then they can drive up to the farm, get out, walk to OP's door and deliver the parcel!

Did you read the opening thread. 

There is no proper vehicle access to my bungalow, so I have got a letterbox and parcel box near the cattle grid at the farm entrance.

Likewise couriers do provide a range of options for deliveries in case you aren't aware. 

Yeah I did.

I assume OP isn't stranded in their home so there is access to the front door.... 

If DPD don't want to deliver to the parcel box and don't want to walk to someone's house that's between them and the retailer, if the retailer doesn't meet the implied terms of the contract the consumer is entitled to treat the contract at an end.

Delivering stuff 9 miles away from someone's home neither meets the implied terms of the contract nor is it acceptable to the average person.  

Undervalued

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Hoenir said:

GrahamOfBewdley said:

There are several letterboxes and a parcel box by the cattle grid at the farm entrance. This is quite a common arrangement for rural houses with long drives, to have a parcel box and/or letterbox near the road rather than attached to the house.

That isn't a safe place as far as DPD are concerned. They are responsible and liable for the parcel. Quite rightly so they make alternative arrangements.
 

Then they can drive up to the farm, get out, walk to OP's door and deliver the parcel!

Driving it 9 miles away for you to go pick it up (whilst claiming that's better for the environment) is nonsense. 

GrahamOfBewdley said:

Thanks for the replies.
I phoned DPD and got their standard response that once a parcel has been delivered to a Pick Up Shop, that's the end of it as far as they're concerned. they will not redeliver it to the correct address.
I normally struggle to understand legalise, but those CRA links look pretty clear. It does look to me like 'the contract is at an end' and I'm entitled to a refund.

The call centres will just tell you policy, the above is correct they don't have to deliver to the parcel box but that should mean they deliver it to you at your door instead.  

They clearly can't have a depot or counter service arrangement within walking distance of every rural address in the UK. Although not (legally) the OP's problem the supplier may well have breached DPD's terms of business by sending the parcel to an address that doesn't have acceptable access.

The whole business and economics of parcel delivery needs a major rethink IMHO. For example, by far the largest second hand dealer of high end photographic equipment sends and arranges collection of hundreds of parcels by DPD every day. In some cases a small anonymous looking parcel can be worth many thousands of pounds and they claim it to be fully insured both ways. Are they really expected to leave such parcels in these sort of arrangements?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Undervalued said:

They clearly can't have a depot or counter service arrangement within walking distance of every rural address in the UK. 

No they can't, the collection point drop off is mainly to save DPD money by not having to go back to the address the next day. 

I agree DPD may/can have terms stipulating restrictions to carriage based on whatever they wish really but as you say that doesn't concern the consumer.

Undervalued said:Are they really expected to leave such parcels in these sort of arrangements?

In a situation similar to the OP, DPD would take ours to a Coop store, I'm not really sure that's particularly secure either... 

It's ironic they are keen to deliver to a safe place (to save costs), ask you to sign away liability when opting for a safe place (whether this is worth the digital paper it's printed on is debatable) but in OP's case want him to drive 18 miles because the driver is too busy to drive to the farm and then walk to OP's front door.