Parcel deliveries - Home Delivery Network - how hard can it get?

Sterlingtimes

How do ordinary working people get their parcels?

With parcel companies reducing their parcel collection points into relatively few super-depots, parcel pickup is not viable. We would be faced with a drive from Birmingham to Daventry, a fair distance and a lot of petrol.

Knowing that Home Delivery Networks were coming for a second delivery yesterday, we attached their card to the front door saying "please leave on the doorstep at our risk, signed xxx". We got a note backing saying, "signature to be captured on hand held device only".

I 'phone them and said, "will you come on Saturday?". "No" they said, "we don't work weekends".

"Then", I said, "can you give me a weekday time slot when you can deliver?". "No", they replied, "you have to be in between 9 and 5".

"So", I said, "what are you going to do with my parcel?". They said that they would return it to the sender.

This is all too difficult. At least Parcel Force and the Royal Mail will deliver to the local Post Office for us.

Doozergirl

I'm sure Home Delivery network lob stuff over our garden fence.

We never get 'we called but...' notes anymore, I just have to check the garden every day after I've ordered something.

Once they left stuff behind the bin. Not the first place I'd look at the time, admittedly, though I do now!

Fill_7

will they not redeliver to your work address?

Sterlingtimes

Although I was told that the parcel would be returned to the senders, it arrived today.

The driver apolgised that it was covered with a spillage of white wine. He then told us that his hand held terminal was broken.

Now interesting last week they would deliver anything without the handheld terminal being signed. This week they are deviating from that rule.

peediedj

a local carrier firm(m+h carriers)recently tried twice last week to deliver a parcel to my home address,on wed+fri both time the wife was out,she phoned them on thurs and asked if they could deliver after 12 on fri as she would be in,fine they said as he doesnt get to your street until after then,she gets home at 12 and a note says he attempted to deliver at 11.25,so wife phoned them on sat and asked if they could delvier it today to my work(15 miles away,but same delviery guy and hes in our work EVERYDAY) so this afternoon he delviered it to my work no problems,and he said in future if your not in i,ll bring it here as iam in everyday,perfect ending

Sterlingtimes

i've ordered a Parcel Safe to try to get around some of these problems in future.

The courier places the parcel into the safe and shuts the lid.

SimonHumphries

A couple of carriers are now starting to implement services that are giving an option for this, though not ideal.

DPD have an option on their missed delivery cards that allows the consumer to specify a secure place the parcel can be left without a signature, but you do have to take responsibility for the delivery if it goes missing. I believe you can also set up this service for yourself permanently by contacting them, for instance if you receive a lot of deliveries via this carrier.

Royal Mail have also just launched a service called SafePlace which allows you to specify a safe place that the parcel can be left, without a signature. They do offer insurance for this currently set at a maximum of £41, but above this, again you are responsible. I think you can also request this service permanently, much the same as DPD.

The key to these services is that you do need a secure place in which to have the parcel left, so I would say a system such as Parcel Safe, Hippo Box or ParcelPal would be advisable.

Hope that helps, Simon.

custardy

SimonHumphries wrote: »

A couple of carriers are now starting to implement services that are giving an option for this, though not ideal.

DPD have an option on their missed delivery cards that allows the consumer to specify a secure place the parcel can be left without a signature, but you do have to take responsibility for the delivery if it goes missing. I believe you can also set up this service for yourself permanently by contacting them, for instance if you receive a lot of deliveries via this carrier.

Royal Mail have also just launched a service called SafePlace which allows you to specify a safe place that the parcel can be left, without a signature. They do offer insurance for this currently set at a maximum of £41, but above this, again you are responsible. I think you can also request this service permanently, much the same as DPD.

The key to these services is that you do need a secure place in which to have the parcel left, so I would say a system such as Parcel Safe, Hippo Box or spam site would be advisable.

Hope that helps, Simon.

safeplace isnt what you are thinking about,this is a service where the sender has an official safeplace statement on the package.its primarily used with royal mail tracked. eg leave in shed etc
you are referring to an ongoing arrangement with the local office which isnt an official policy and TBH can be of varying success

Owain_Moneysaver

You can also get RM parcels delivered to a local post office, and some PayPoint places have a courier reception/delvery service.

joolesw1972

I hate home delivery network and now avoid companies that I know use them such as Amazon, we're in York and the nearest depo is Hull! They only deliver Mon to Fri, no weekends or am/pm options - we both work full time and I'm not prepared to use a whole day's leave to get a package delivered!
It's not always appropriate for people to use their work address for deliveries, so I'm voting with my money and buying from companies who don't use home delivery network!

geri1965_2

Sterlingtimes wrote: »

i've ordered a Parcel Safe to try to get around some of these problems in future.

The courier places the parcel into the safe and shuts the lid.

That assumes they turn up in the first place!