Couriers

Ave Sodalis

I am sick of them.

I can't think of any other job where you don't have to do your job, and get away with it. Every single time, with the exception of one, the parcel has been dropped elsewhere or delivered begrudgingly. The record so far has been a package dropped nearly an hour away from our house. There's usually a sob story to go with it, about how they're very busy today and that they won't have time to go to the house etc. Worse than the sob story however, is the non-existent story. The randomly delivered parcel to a random shop (or in one case, house) and then not be told at all. We had a parcel sitting in a shop for over a month before one of our neighbours happened to be there one day. I'm dreading the next few weeks as I'm expecting several packages. The first of which arrived today and, as I refused to let the man drop it several miles away (and oh how he argued), it was unceremoniously fired at me without a word. I didn't sign for it or anything so I can only assume the driver forged my signature.

I consider myself lucky in that I have a way of getting an erratically delivered parcel if I know about it. What about people who can't leave the house?

I've often wondered what it would be like if other delivery companies did the same. Would bread destined for a shop be left in random houses? Would the post be left in post offices? Why is it so difficult for couriers to do what they are being paid to do?!

/rant

eamonnq

Complain to the company that you ordered from, they (or you) are paying for the service that the courier company in not providing.

Mesrine65

http://www.parcelmotel.com/

https://www.dpdparcelwizard.ie/HomePage#/

El Weirdo

Normally fine for me.

The odd time we've not been in, they've rang and we've told them to leave it in one of the shops in the village.

diomed

I see under your username
Location: It doesn't matter, you'd still get lost

Do you live on an island, or on top of a mountain?

strelok

i hate when they don't give you an expected time of delivery

amazon used to ship with an post, so i'd know if the package didn't arrive before 10am it wasn't coming today but now they're with iparcel and i've no bloody idea what time of the day to be expecting them, just hanging around the house all day waiting

The Backwards Man

When they ring saying could they drop at the local shop or whatever, I put on my most pleasant phone voice and tell them that that's no problem at all, I'll just contact whoever I bought the article from and tell them the courier is refusing to deliver, and whether they want to refund me the cost of the item or source another courier to take the item where it's supposed to go.

The reply is usually 'whereabouts did you say you were again?'

diomed

strelok wrote: »

just hanging around the house all day waiting

I'm here waiting for An Post (Iceland delivery) and DHL (Netherlands delivery). No idea if today is the day. or tomorrow, or next week.

cheekypup

give them your eircode and they wont get lost:D

Ave Sodalis

eamonnq wrote: »

Complain to the company that you ordered from, they (or you) are paying for the service that the courier company in not providing.

We have, several times and have yet to hear anything back from any of them.

Mesrine65 wrote: »

http://www.parcelmotel.com/

https://www.dpdparcelwizard.ie/HomePage#/

They usually have weight limits and, feed that gets ordered exceeds that

diomed wrote: »

I see under your username
Location: It doesn't matter, you'd still get lost

Do you live on an island, or on top of a mountain?

Top of a mountain actually. One with a specific name and if you type that name into Google maps, the marker is right on top of our house. The location I've on here was actually a bit of a joke

super_furry

Is it GLS? I bet it's GLS, it's always GLS?

SEPT 23 1989

You cant expect all the perks of modern civilisation when you are living off grid

The Backwards Man

super_furry wrote: »

Is it GLS? I bet it's GLS, it's always GLS?

It's different companies different places, all depends on the driver. Some companies that always get stick I've never had a problem with, some that get high praise sung I wouldn't go near. There's good and bad everywhere.

Red Kev

super_furry wrote: »

Is it GLS? I bet it's GLS, it's always GLS?

Shower of prlcks GLS. They have failed to deliver my stuff 4 times, resulting in cancelled orders and bad feedback. It's beyond suspicion as none of the companies that I order stuff off ever received it back from GLS.

Parcelmotel FTW.

Vex Willems

I feel sorry for the courier drivers, it's a horrible job. You know, yours isn't the only delivery they have to make!

Duggy747

Had a courier not deliver a pallet to me because he didn't bother his hole to knock on the shop's door, despite us being right at the door, the lights were on, a note was on the door for him, and his company were explicitly told that he was to knock on the door.

He wrote down on his ticket that he knocked on the door for 10 minutes but no answer. Found out from the shop across the way who saw him walk towards my place, noticed the doors were closed and decided to turn around and piss off :pac:

Buona Fortuna

super_furry wrote: »

Is it GLS? I bet it's GLS, it's always GLS?

Agree.

I find DPD good tbh and AnPost are positively angelic - though the post lady is my wife's cousin.

I did got chatting to one of the couriers (not DPD) basically saying what a shower of sh1t they were in a pally sort of way. He basically said the loads they have to carry and that if you drove at a constant 60mph you still wouldn't finish in the shift time. Sometimes he doesn't finish till 10 at night. Someone goes sick you get some of his load too. Bring an item back without a good excuse and its a warning. Couple of warnings and its "Goodnight Irene". Don't know how true.

The Backwards Man

Red Kev wrote: »

Shower of prlcks GLS. They have failed to deliver my stuff 4 times, resulting in cancelled orders and bad feedback. It's beyond suspicion as none of the companies that I order stuff off ever received it back from GLS.

Parcelmotel FTW.

My point exactly. Different everywhere. GLS are excellent here, as are DPD and DHL. I'd never open a parcel Motel account due to the deplorable conduct of Nightline drivers here, and Fastway aren't much better

retro:electro

I've only ever used DPD, they're only okay. I once got an angry voice mail from one of their drivers because I didn't answer the phone (he rang on private number) I've also had packages left in the back seat of my car and only seen them a few days after. Don't know why as I have a porch that they could just as handy leave it in. Another time one fired a parcel in my sitting room window as I was sitting eating breakfast.

Ruu

Great bunch of lads so they are.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKUDTPbDhnA

Darkglasses

Very surprised to hear this. Get a lot of stuff delivered to me through GLS, DPD and AnPost, never had them try to deliver it anywhere but my home.

Corvo

DPD and Nightline Couriers are top notch

_Brian

I don't think it's one particular company. In each location they are mostly privately owned vans essentially subbing in to do the deliveries.

For us Fastway are a nightmare. Constantly looking to drop in shops and all that crap. Got a call from a shop few years ago to come and take out TV out of the way. Cunnt had left a 32inch TV in the shop and never called us.

Robsweezie

to think I used to believe they delivered curry :0

The_Valeyard

Courier six who delivered the chip to New Vegas was pretty alright. Got the job done.

Badly Drunk Boy

I work in a Stores-related job, and between two different factories (less than a 5 minutes walk between them). A certain courier tends to come at lunchtime nearly every day to one of the buildings, and if the usual warehouse person isn't there, he will leave it outside and sign yer man's name.

Usually we wouldn't notice this but if the package doesn't make it to the person who orders it, proof of delivery is needed. A couple of times, the warehouse person 'signed' for it when he wasn't even in the country. That's good going!!

Mesrine65 wrote: »

https://www.dpdparcelwizard.ie/HomePage#/

How did you know it was them? :pac:

Yakult

I once upon a time ordered a 400e guitar amp. Few days later I arrived home to find a guitar shaped package. They sent me a guitar worth 1000e. No signature or anything. Which is crazy. Just left it in the boiler room which is to the side of the house.


Tempted to not say a thing and would loved to have kept it, but rang them (UPS I believe) and they explained that parcels got mixed up. My amp was in Dublin and his guitar was in Kerry. They collected it two days later and brought me my amp. That's my 'horror' story. But that horror comes from saying goodbye to the guitar...

Junkyard Tom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q6_9A90cUk

Duggy747

Duggy747 wrote: »

Had a courier not deliver a pallet to me because he didn't bother his hole to knock on the shop's door, despite us being right at the door, the lights were on, a note was on the door for him, and his company were explicitly told that he was to knock on the door.

He wrote down on his ticket that he knocked on the door for 10 minutes but no answer. Found out from the shop across the way who saw him walk towards my place, noticed the doors were closed and decided to turn around and piss off :pac:

What happened

Ally Dick

I hate the way they give themselves such a large delivery window and arrive outside it, every time e.g. DPD says the delivery will be between 12 and 4. Wacker is ringing you looking to deliver at 10.30

Carlo Ancelotti

Sometimes they dont even stop at your house. They drive past while calling your phone. If you dont pick up, tough !

Ave Sodalis

So had three deliveries today... one by DHL (the begruding delivery), one by Fastway (dropped it off at a random house who then had to deliver to us, didnt bother ringing me), and An Post (landed at the door with no problem). As it happens, the An Post delivery is the only one I wouldn't have minded if it was dropped elsewhere because it was for someone else and I've to take it there tomorrow anyway. Typical...

Tigger

i got a pallet today and the courier broke my door with his electrical mini forklift
he said "i didn't mean to"
i don't want him fired but wtf

PizzamanIRL

Shoutout to DPD. On time, all the time.

Del2005

Ally Dick wrote: »

I hate the way they give themselves such a large delivery window and arrive outside it, every time e.g. DPD says the delivery will be between 12 and 4. Wacker is ringing you looking to deliver at 10.30

The company gives the delivery window, most of the time they don't tell the driver. Then our huge amount of houses with no way to find doesn't help unless you're willing to pay thousands to An Post or even more to Eircode, which An Post had a part in designing even though they said that they don't need or want it so they made sure it was of no use to anyone.

Problem with courier services is that the only people making any money are the companies. When you order off most websites the delivery charge doesn't go to the driver, each company takes a cut till the driver maybe gets a couple of Euro. Since our minimum wage is €8.65/hour do you expect anything more from a driver who has to pay for fuel, insurance, tax, maintenance etc when they are maybe getting a couple of Euro to deliver your package. As the saying goes pay peanuts....

Sh1tbag OToole

There is a company in the Youkay called Yodel that are particularly bad. If they are delivering during the daytime they make no attempt to see is there someone in the house to take the parcel off their hands and just leave a note telling you that you weren't home when you were.

FanadMan

sup_dude wrote: »

The randomly delivered parcel to a random shop (or in one case, house) and then not be told at all. /rant

Nearest courier depots are +25 miles away......(yes, I live in the middle of nowhere). I've had DHL deliveries dropped at local shop which is 3 miles away. But they weren't delivered by DHL. They knew a bread van going that direction so they lumped him with loads of parcels and off they went. No phonecalls to say they were delivered. And signatures forged for them all.

Had similar with other couriers except An Post which I have to say have been great. Why the hell am I paying for delivery to my home when I have to travel to collect it myself?

foggy_lad

When you live on top of the mountain or offshore in Donegal yoyu can't expect the same services as us townies or even culchies living close enough to a town.

FanadMan

foggy_lad wrote: »

When you live on top of the mountain or offshore in Donegal yoyu can't expect the same services as us townies or even culchies living close enough to a town.

Why? We pay the same money as you and should get the same service. We pay the same for Sky Tv, same car tax, same water bills and we get the same service. It's just pure laziness on the part of the couriers. That's their bloody job. Next package I have scheduled, woe betide the courier that doesn't knock on my door. There is going to be hell to pay!

An Post can manage it - why not the privates?

foggy_lad

The privates want paying by the mile once you live off the radar and an post will be doing similar soon enough! You will soon have to collect all post from the local sub post office down at the crossroads, then they will be closed and you'll have to go to the nearest village for your post. People who want to live out of the way will have to organise getting their own post and also getting children to and from schools. Why should the rest of the country pay for services for a few grizzly adams types who want to live in the middle of nowhere?

Your electricity gas roads water and everything else costs much more to provide because you live out in the wilds yet you pay the same as everyone else. That is not right!

emigrate2012

An Post can manage it - why not the privates?[/quote]

Because it's a state/semi-state.
Fast way and the like are franchise routes. Very hard for them lad's to make money, all of them will be doing 14/16 hour days from basically now till Christmas for very little money relatively for the hours after costs
It's a poxy job, but somebody's got to do it/some have no choice(mortgage, kids etc)

Most require you to have company branding(some more elaborate than others Admittedly) on your van, out of your pocket, pretty much all require the van to be less than 3-4 years old, 5 max and clean bodywork, or they won't take you on. You're a subcontractor on top of that aswell so no welfare as your self employed so under constant pressure to be earning.
It is a vicious circle once you get into it. Hard job for anyone with kids or a social life of any kind.
There's a very good reason why "white van men" are bombing around the place, they bloody well fcukin have to!

chillin117

I was a Courier once...on a motorbike and indeed most of them( I met ) were wanker's. Especially the ****'s that hung around the base lickin up to the controller. Happen's a lot in Taxi Co's too, Lickarse's. Having said that there is probably Lickarse's in every company.

FanadMan

foggy_lad wrote: »

The privates want paying by the mile once you live off the radar and an post will be doing similar soon enough! You will soon have to collect all post from the local sub post office down at the crossroads, then they will be closed and you'll have to go to the nearest village for your post. People who want to live out of the way will have to organise getting their own post and also getting children to and from schools. Why should the rest of the country pay for services for a few grizzly adams types who want to live in the middle of nowhere?

Your electricity gas roads water and everything else costs much more to provide because you live out in the wilds yet you pay the same as everyone else. That is not right!

As I said I live in the middle of nowhere, but I pay for courier deliveries to my address - not to a shop (which has closed) a few miles away. I don't mind paying for the delivery, as long as it happens.

Where I mentioned the bread van doing the couriers work, it wasn't a one off. I know the guy - he was asked to do this on a regular basis. It's just the couriers being lazy. There's plenty of businesses in the area that get stuff delivered the same way.

Someone else said that stuff was left in a shop and they weren't notified about it, that has happened to me. It was only after chasing up missing packages that I was told that it was in a different shop. The courier said they phoned my mobile - they didn't.

Grab All Association

DPD = excellent grand chap delivered my new laptop in July. Came to my house first thing before everyone else because he didn't like carrying expensive items in the van
DHL = excellent iPhones from Apple very early in the morning.
UPS = excellent though evening delivery. Apple.ie accessories.
Nightline= Excellent delivered stuff I couldn't collect from Parcel motel to my door
GLS = delivered me phonebooks a few years ago. No complaints.
Fastway(and iParcel)= Okay though they did screw up once by letting a neighbour sign for goods.

Ave Sodalis

foggy_lad wrote:

When you live on top of the mountain or offshore in Donegal yoyu can't expect the same services as us townies or even culchies living close enough to a town.

Yes I can.
We can't all live in towns...

foggy_lad wrote:

Why should the rest of the country pay for services for a few grizzly adams types who want to live in the middle of nowhere?

You sound bitter.
Also, I've paid for delivery, the rest of the country don't pay it for me.

emigrate2012 wrote:

Very hard for them lad's to make money

It would be even more difficult when they go out of business, as their couriers don't do their jobs.

I've worked stupid long hours before, I know what it's like. Not once did I blame the client or not do my job when others were affected. The blame lay solely with my employer for breaking the law. Doctors work stupid long hours but you don't see patience dying because doctors weren't bothered treating them. Vets work stupid long hours but animals don't go without just because the vet couldn't be bothered getting up at 2 in the morning. See all those top horses? Most of them got that way on the back of slave labour (or close), yet the animals haven't starved to death because it would take too long to feed them. Yeah, couriers work long hours but that isn't the fault of the person who is essentially paying their wages, and not an excuse not to do their job.

strelok

sup_dude wrote: »

Yes I can.

no you can't

you can't expect taxis to be the same price, you can't expect the internet to be as quick, you can't expect mobile reception to be as good, you can't expect the same level of shops and entertainment and you have to put up with the fact that if someone is pushed for time they're going to try to drop off a cluster of packages in a smaller circle than spending however long travelling off into the wilderness to deliver a package to you and you alone.

you choose to live far away from other people, you have to deal with the consequences of that. lots of people who live in towns and cities would love to live out miles from everything but they recognise the benefits of living around large groups of people so they put up with it.

GLaDOS

Delivery from DPD yesterday. Window of 12 til 1 given, arrives 12.05. Can't ask for much better than that.

The Backwards Man

strelok wrote: »

no you can't

you can't expect taxis to be the same price, you can't expect the internet to be as quick, you can't expect mobile reception to be as good, you can't expect the same level of shops and entertainment and you have to put up with the fact that if someone is pushed for time they're going to try to drop off a cluster of packages in a smaller circle than spending however long travelling off into the wilderness to deliver a package to you and you alone.

you choose to live far away from other people, you have to deal with the consequences of that. lots of people who live in towns and cities would love to live out miles from everything but they recognise the benefits of living around large groups of people so they put up with it.

I'm in the arse of nowhere.

Taxis are cheaper, my internet is most likely quicker than yours, phone reception is A1 and a courier shouldn't take on a contract to deliver to my address if they're not going to fcuking do it.

Ave Sodalis

strelok wrote:

you can't expect taxis to be the same price, you can't expect the internet to be as quick, you can't expect mobile reception to be as good, you can't expect the same level of shops and entertainment and you have to put up with the fact that if someone is pushed for time they're going to try to drop off a cluster of packages in a smaller circle than spending however long travelling off into the wilderness to deliver a package to you and you alone.

I don't expect taxi's to be the same price, I don't expect internet to be quick (although having internet in this day and age would be nice), I don't expect reception to be good (even though it is), I don't expect the same level of shops and entertainment. What I do expect is to get something delivered when paid for. It would be like me paying for aforementioned taxi in advance, but it only goes as far as the nearest roundabout before telling me it would take up too much time from his day... but still keeping the money.

Once or twice, you don't mind but nearly every single time to nearly every single person in the area is a bit much. Also, wilderness is a tad of an exaggerarion...

Tigger

chillin117 wrote: »

I was a Courier once...on a motorbike and indeed most of them( I met ) were wanker's. Especially the ****'s that hung around the base lickin up to the controller. Happen's a lot in Taxi Co's too, Lickarse's. Having said that there is probably Lickarse's in every company.

yeah waiting on the handy ones
dispatching is different tho
who were you with

Del2005

FanadMan wrote: »

Why? We pay the same money as you and should get the same service. We pay the same for Sky Tv, same car tax, same water bills and we get the same service. It's just pure laziness on the part of the couriers. That's their bloody job. Next package I have scheduled, woe betide the courier that doesn't knock on my door. There is going to be hell to pay!

An Post can manage it - why not the privates?

You pay the same as me for a delivery yet I live in a city and you live in the middle of nowhere. Most of my deliveries I don't pay shipping, spend over £25 on Amazon, or never more than €10. So you think that a delivery costing a tenner is enough for at least 4 companies to take a cut and still pay a driver to go 30 minutes out and 30 minutes back to your home? The driver is maybe only getting €1 or €2 to do this. As for Vets and Doctor coming out I don't know many in rural areas but it costs me €55 to see mine in his office, I doubt you'll have much change from €100 to get a doc or vet out to your home.

You can't compare Sky, which is broadcast from space, to a delivery job and car tax goes into a central pool.

Supply of basic services to rural areas is heavily subsidised because every party knows that they will be destroyed if they tried to end the subsidises.

An Post have a proprietary address system which relies heavily on well paid post people having local knowledge and had an active part in sabotaging us getting a useful modern post code, which would have allowed companies easily find addresses and plan delivery routes, to protect their own parcel delivery business. BTW if vested interests didn't have a hand in giving us an expensive useless Eircode the delivery costs to locations could have been correctly calculated at checkout and I'd guarantee that you would stop ordering to your home miles from a town.