DHL Missing Parcel

goldenarrow · 5 January 2020 at 10:37AM

I’m looking for a bit of advice if anyone can help...

I bought an item off ebay, when it hadn’t arrived I contacted the seller, they checked the tracking and came back to me to advise that it had been signed for a by me (first name only) a couple of days before. I pointed out that it was impossible that I signed for it as I work nights and I was fast asleep in bed at the time DHL say I signed for it.

After a lot of calls, messages ect between me, the seller, and DHL, we have so far ascertained that...

The delivery address was correct on the package

The driver has claimed he delivered it to me and the parcel went ‘over the threshold’. He provided a description of the gentlemen who he claims signed for the parcel but it certainly isn’t me, hair colour & age completely wrong!

There is no GPS tracking data to show that the driver even visited my address, they say his PDA wasn’t working correctly.

I have asked for a copy of the signature that was signed when the parcel was delivered so I can show that it is not my signature, DHL have refused to provide me a copy.

The Customer Support supervisor I have been dealing with has asked the depot four times to ask the driver to return to the property to ascertain what happened to the parcel, the driver has refused every request.

I raised it as a case with ebay, they immediately dismissed as the tracking shows it's been signed for. I then phoned ebay's customer service and explained the carry on, they replied that if I could provide some form of documentation from DHL showing that the delivery failed they would re-open the case, problem is it's DHL who are the problem. Meanwhile the seller is chasing things up his end and has been in regular contact with me.

This has been going on for over a month now, I asked the ebay seller for a full refund but they have said they need to find out from DHL what happened before they will issue one.

Any advice on what my rights are or how I can proceed?

Many thanks in advance

soolin · 5 January 2020 at 10:43AM

This is a tricky one, the seller is no longer liable as as far as they are concerned the parcel was delivered - likewise neither paypal nor ebay will be interested. Forget the signature aspect, that isn't important as at no point is your signature required, just 'a' signature.

It sounds like the problem here is with DHL who are not usually among the couriers who we see mentioned as being problematic. I'm not sure what to suggest except to see if seller will assist you in getting DHL to investigate - and keep on at them yourself.

goldenarrow · 5 January 2020 at 10:51AM

The ebay seller has been great, he uses a collection company who then sends parcels via different couriers, he's not happy about this and has been chasing it up from his end. To be fair to him he has been really helpful, but obviously he's not going to refund my payment until it's resolved with DHL.

The depot in question have avoided a lot of questions, even DHL's customer service team are pulling their hair out. The information I have received is that the driver is saying he delivered the parcel to me 'over the threshold' and that I signed for it, and the tracking info says it was signed for by #### (my first name) which is a complete lie as I was asleep in bed.

Surly when questioned, a delivery company must have to supply some supporting evidence to show a parcel was actually delivered?

soolin · 5 January 2020 at 11:16AM

goldenarrow wrote: »

The ebay seller has been great, he uses a collection company who then sends parcels via different couriers, he's not happy about this and has been chasing it up from his end. To be fair to him he has been really helpful, but obviously he's not going to refund my payment until it's resolved with DHL.

The depot in question have avoided a lot of questions, even DHL's customer service team are pulling their hair out. The information I have received is that the driver is saying he delivered the parcel to me 'over the threshold' and that I signed for it, and the tracking info says it was signed for by #### (my first name) which is a complete lie as I was asleep in bed.

Surly when questioned, a delivery company must have to supply some supporting evidence to show a parcel was actually delivered?

Not necessarily , there is very little you can put into place to prevent something like this, as I mentioned above even a signature is not required as proof. I have in the past seen threads where a courier company- perhaps one knowing they have issues with a driver- have refunded on the basis of probability and you may have to continue to push the angle that DHL HQ can't even satisfy themselves that driver delivered to the correct address as driver won't co operate with them.

Incidentally, the most recent example I saw about this was last year on a local group- driver delivered a parcel, no one answered the door and they actually slunk off with the parcel under their arm and returned to the van. The reason we know that is because the recipient had a Ring doorbell, and had footage of driver leaving with the parcel - I think there was a similar one on the news as well (the filler bits not the main news). I was so impressed with that I actually bought myself a video doorbell that is activated every time someone approaches my house . So far I have spoken to a couple of couriers who were about to leave things on my doorstep (which is not safe where I live) and despite these video doorbells being very prevalent - didn't realise I was watching them. On one of those occasions the courier had already put a card through the door saying item was left in my designated safe place!

goldenarrow · 5 January 2020 at 12:01PM

The ebay seller tells me that a signature was required for the parcel, so it couldn’t have just been left somewhere. I live in a new build apartment, you have to pull off the street into a private car park, get past a security door that requires an entry code, then up to my floor. Seen as the driver claims he gave the parcel to me, and there is no gps tracking data to prove he was even here, I asked DHL to go to the driver and ask him to explain how he reached my apartment as his lack of explanation would show that he didn’t give the parcel to me. The customer service team think this is a good idea, but the depot have simply come back and said the driver says he delivered it!

soolin · 5 January 2020 at 12:28PM

goldenarrow wrote: »

The ebay seller tells me that a signature was required for the parcel, so it couldn’t have just been left somewhere. I live in a new build apartment, you have to pull off the street into a private car park, get past a security door that requires an entry code, then up to my floor. Seen as the driver claims he gave the parcel to me, and there is no gps tracking data to prove he was even here, I asked DHL to go to the driver and ask him to explain how he reached my apartment as his lack of explanation would show that he didn’t give the parcel to me. The customer service team think this is a good idea, but the depot have simply come back and said the driver says he delivered it!

An apartment, that does put a slightly different slant on it - I suspect they will come back with the generic 'we handed it to someone at the main door' excuse. Even GPS wouldn't help as the main door would be considered delivery. You might need to dig down into their t and cs and see if they say anything at all about delivering to an apartment, or whether items merely have to be delivered to the building. Also have you checked with all your neighbours? It could be that one of them in a hurry was asked whether they could take a parcel for number x, and driver partly assumed it was you or someone who knew you.

Also, re the signature, it doesn't have to be 'your' signature- just a signature, hence me signing for parcels for my sons and daughter in laws (they tend to have stuff delivered to us as we are home more than they are).

goldenarrow · 5 January 2020 at 1:05PM

I’ve spoken to a mate who is a manager for one of the other big courier companies, so I could pick his brains about operating procedures ect. From what he has advised me DHL have made numerous errors.

When asked, all the driver has said is he handed it to me over the threshold and that I signed for it, I specifically asked if he had given it to someone else but the depot have stuck to his story. The main door is clearly a communal entrance and my apartment is on the third floor with my door number on it. I asked about the GPS just to see if the driver had actual even been here, they immediately admitted his scanner wasn’t working correctly so wasn’t logging his locations.

My mate has said the likely scenario is either

1. The driver never even visited my address and the parcel was lost or damaged

2. The driver actually gave it to a neighbour and didn’t bother putting a card through my door to let me know, and now it has kicked off he is trying to say he gave it to me.

3. (most likely) he signed it himself, left it by the mailboxes in the communal area and someone else took / stole it. And now questions are being asked he can’t admit he signed it and just left it, hence his completely incorrect description of the person (me) he claims he gave it to

Just need to work out how to get all these points across without getting caught up in the carry on of who is the point of contact, ebay seller blames courier company, courier company says its contract is with ebay seller ect ect

martindow · 6 January 2020 at 1:02PM

Have you asked the other residents in your block as has been suggested? It is much more likely that a neighbour has it than complicated scenarios with drivers stealing the parcel.

Someone nearby is probably waiting for you to knock on their door and is probably assuming that you were left a card with their flat number.

goldenarrow · 9 January 2020 at 3:35PM

Bit of an update.

@martindow, no one in my building knows anything about it, I asked on the first week and my neighbor who is retired has asked around but no one has taken any parcels in.

I pushed it with customer services and asked them to involve the area manager / controller. The very next day I get a call from the General Manager of the depot, this is the guy who has avoided this matter for four weeks.

He's come back and said the van tracker showed the driver was there and that the driver is sticking to his story that he handed the parcel to me, even though I was in bed at the time, it's not my signature on the receipt, and the drivers description of me is completely incorrect.

The GM is going to try the driver one last time to day and give me a final update tomorrow. He's asked what I would want to resolve this and I've said the seller needs to be able to make a lost parcel insurance claim then he can refund me.

pinkshoes · 9 January 2020 at 6:44PM

goldenarrow wrote: »

Bit of an update.

@martindow, no one in my building knows anything about it, I asked on the first week and my neighbor who is retired has asked around but no one has taken any parcels in.

I pushed it with customer services and asked them to involve the area manager / controller. The very next day I get a call from the General Manager of the depot, this is the guy who has avoided this matter for four weeks.

He's come back and said the van tracker showed the driver was there and that the driver is sticking to his story that he handed the parcel to me, even though I was in bed at the time, it's not my signature on the receipt, and the drivers description of me is completely incorrect.

The GM is going to try the driver one last time to day and give me a final update tomorrow. He's asked what I would want to resolve this and I've said the seller needs to be able to make a lost parcel insurance claim then he can refund me.

I think I would be explaining to the GM that the driver is clearly lying, you can prove he was lying, and you will be reporting the theft to the police as you believe the delivery driver has stolen it.

Any CCTV in your building to show he wasn’t there when the parcel was signed for?

goldenarrow · 12 January 2020 at 4:46PM

pinkshoes wrote: »

I think I would be explaining to the GM that the driver is clearly lying, you can prove he was lying, and you will be reporting the theft to the police as you believe the delivery driver has stolen it.

Any CCTV in your building to show he wasn’t there when the parcel was signed for?

There is CCTV at the entrance but it can't be accessed unless the Police are involved, data protection ect.

The GM came back to me, he's said that the driver now thinks that he may have delivered it to the wrong address, and has asked for a few days to speak to the resident at the house where he thins he delivered it.

I asked why after four weeks and 20 odd phone calls has he suddenly questioned where he delivered it, could it be because I had made noises about involving the police? Interestingly, I know the residents at the address where the driver has suggested he may have mis-delivered the parcel, and they know nothing about it.

I've told the GM I'll give him till late Monday to come back to me, lets see what his next response is.

DHL Missing Parcel

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