Parcelforce or DPD

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

I have been thinking about making this post for the past two weeks ever since I had a visit from the DPD rep. Another thread on this forum has prompted me to make this post.

A few years ago, for parcels over 2kg., we generally used DPD for dispatches to all U.K. postcodes. As time went on, DPD as a group became bigger and bigger, and with that came an increase in some back-office problems. So we shifted to Parcelforce, which also happens to be cheaper than DPD.

On the whole, so far we are happy with Parcelforce. In the coming months, I believe that Parcelforce may come under pressure due to a higher load of parcels going through their system. We are already seeing certain cracks in their back-office operations, as they are taking longer to resolve a small number of delivery issues.

My question is, what do members of this forum based in the U.K. feel about the delivery service they have experienced specifically with Parcelforce or DPD ?

If possible, I would like to take forum members responses into consideration before deciding if we should, or how much we should consider DPDs proposal, which will cost us more than Parcelforce. If there is very little difference in the level of delivery service between the two, there would be little point to switch, at present.

Ketan at ARC.

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

Hi Ketan I have received quite a few parcels from DPD recently and I like the fact that they give you a one hour slot and they are Usualy within the first quarter of the hour on time and no damage. I posted a parcel with Parcel force next day track and signed for and it took three days to get there, perhaps the virus is giving a false result.

David

[Ian ParkinParticipant @ianparkin39383]

Ketan

as a receiver i do like Parcelforce and DPD best ,the tracking i can almost go and open the door and they are there..

ups every time i have a parcel incoming to be delivered today its always delayed and comes the next day

fedex seem ok

i do like Hermes as a receiver the tracking works well and the couriers are reliable. And i do use them a lot for sending items but when anything goes wrong they are impossible to contact.

[Ian HewsonParticipant @ianhewson99641]

Hi Ketan

had quite a few deliveries from you lately, as I set up my new workshop and I must say Parcelforce have been fine as have DPD.

Great service from you and them.

Might just be lucky where I live as all other firms deliveries have been fine during covoid.

Ian

[OxymoronParticipant @oxymoron]

Hi Ketan. DPD every time for me. We receive many parcels from DPD. They regularly deliver to us between 2 and 3PM and we always get emails and text confirming delivery slot of 1 hour period. Then if really bored you can track the van online. Great service from DPD and always have options to re arrange or specify where to leave parcel if out. Sorry little experience with Parcelforce.

Its very considerate of you to ask for forum members opinions to influence any decision you make.

Dave

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

My experience with couriers show that Parcelforce and DPD are streets ahead of the rest. I can't honestly tell any significant difference between the two. I suppose DPD's tracking system puts it slightly ahead of Parcelforce, but as I am retired I don't consider this to be significant.

Andrew.

[Stuart Smith 5Participant @stuartsmith5]

Before DPD had their tracking system, I would have rated them as poor. Now the tracking system puts them ahead of the others.

The only downside for me is that the nearest depot is at least 20 miles away, so the option to pick up from there is not very convenient!

Stuart

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

Posted by Stuart Smith 5 on 28/10/2020 17:33:33:

Before DPD had their tracking system, I would have rated them as poor. Now the tracking system puts them ahead of the others.

The only downside for me is that the nearest depot is at least 20 miles away, so the option to pick up from there is not very convenient!

Stuart

Hi Stuart. DPD have dozens of shop pickup points all over the country. You can elect to have your parcel delivered to any of them for collection at your convenience. If you have a corner shop anywhere near you it will likely have DPD parcel service for collection or deposit. Check DPD collection points on Google.

regards

[Dominic BramleyParticipant @dominicbramley60728]

This year has lead to me becoming well acquainted with the nations delivery firms. DPD are the best in my view.

Dom

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Had you asked the question last week I would have said not much between the two however last Friday the bell rang which I answered it was our postman looking down I saw a soggy wet box it would seem the DPD driver had dropped the parcel and walked off I had been in all morning and the bell had not rang.

H

[Alan VosParticipant @alanvos39612]

DPD, with Parcelforce a very close second. Royail Mail are fine as well, when the package size suits.

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

I've recently had excellent service from DPD

[Paul KempParticipant @paulkemp46892]

For me;

Parcelforce; had one delivery completely go astray, admitted as lost in depot, supplier very promptly sent a replacement but then despite the previous admission of lost I had to fill in countless forms to assist the supplier in claiming for the loss! Original parcel never re-appeared. Generally they don't ring the bell and if they do don't wait more than 5 seconds before sticking a card through the door, seems almost as if the cards are pre written or the drivers are all fast writers! Our nearest collection point is 12 miles away and after 2 failed redeliveries I had to go an collect with passport, utility bill and letter from grandma.

DPD; always recieve a text, always delivered in texted time slot, never had a problem although my wife has had a couple of deliveries come damaged.

My preference on balance for the convenience of knowing when the item will arrive is DPD.

Paul.

[MichaelRParticipant @michaelr]

Hi Ketan,

Most of my online purchase's are delivered by DPD or Parcelforce and the service of both are to my satisfaction I have had no delivery problems as yet.

I have used Parcelforce for sending parcels in the UK and Abroad I am non business, and found the service OK.

Regards.

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

I would go with DPD only because of the Tracking system, it does save having to stay by the door bell all day when you are expecting a delivery.

Emgee

 

Edited By Emgee on 28/10/2020 18:41:30

[S.D.L.Participant @s-d-l]

DPD every time as they will leave in a safe place. easier than going to he sorting office to collect parcelforce.

Steve

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Check what happens when things go wrong.
Couple of years ago a parcel unexpectedly arrived via Yodel. A supplier had miss addressed it. No way on their website of contacting them at that time unless I wanted to set up an account to send something.
A few months ago, can't remember the courier, another supplier managed to get the address messed up with a postcode for the other end of the country. No checking. It seemed like even the delivery driver working on the postcode did not twig that the address was for a county 200 miles away.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Had a parcelforce delivery last week and information about arrival times was good. I do however regret the lack of an online option to sign for permission to leave in a safe place.

regards Martin

[Andrew EvansParticipant @andrewevans67134]

Hermes

[SteambuffParticipant @steambuff]

DPD everytime for me …. They always deliver on the time they say. Parcel Force is a bit hit or miss …. sometimes OK but I have had multiple late deliveries for example the order for the two books from Arc last week …

Ordered over the weekend .. Shipped Parcelforce 24 on the Monday … Arrived Swansea depot at 3am Tuesday morning … Sat there all day (according to their tracking) – They flagged it as Address error/issue – Went out on van Wednesday (Got the text giving me the window – usual driver) but it never came – again flagged as address error, was finally delivered on Thursday morning. [The address on the parcel was correct and complete]

Regards

Dave (In rural Wales)

[peak4Participant @peak4]

I can only speak as a recipient for the most part.
DPD, Parcelforce and Royal Mail in no particular order, though if I had to express a preference it would likely be for the latter as delivery times tend to be the same time on each occasion; DPD's tracing is narrower in delivery window, but it can be at any time of day.
The tracking works fine for me and estimated delivery times seem to be about right.

Yodel are a nightmare and Hermes can be.
Hermes particularly seems to depend on how seriously the local courier takes their job.
In Buxton our local Hermes courier is excellent, but I'm always concerned about their distribution network, based on past experience. (I appreciate you're not asking about Hermes, but just mentioning this for the benefit of others.)

Before you commit either way, I probably don't need to mention this to you, but again it might be of value to other readers; be very careful of parcel contents exclusions. Some of the couriers will happily carry your goods, but if you need to claim off them they will obviously need proof of cost of contents.
I've read numerous reports of one particular courier, who regularly lose parcels, and when the sender puts in a claim, they manage to interpret the description into one of their excluded items and thus refuse to pay out.

Also from your point of view, much of the perceived reliability will be down to the receiver's individual delivery courier.
Not a problem now we live in Buxton, but when we lived in Sheffield, I essentially refused to do business with any company which used Hermes or Yodel, as well as a couple of others (DPD was one, though they did improve).

I don't know how much it would inconvenience your business, but would it be possible to give customer's an alternative courier option, maybe at greater expense to be covered by the customer, if they know some of their local delivery staff are unreliable.

Bill

Edited By peak4 on 28/10/2020 21:48:01

[HillclimberParticipant @hillclimber]

Both are very reliable.

But I would prefer DPD for the same reason mentioned by others. The comms with the user, and tracking on the day are just soooooh much better.

Cheers, Colin

[steveteeParticipant @stevetee]

UPS are hopeless. I live on an unsurfaced bridleway and whilst all the rest of the couriers are happy to deliver to my address UPS will not. ' I don't fancy taking my truck up there' translates to the sender as " 3:38pm
Our driver requires security access for this delivery. We are attempting to obtain the access information.
Swansea
15 Oct 2020
4:17pm
Our driver requires security access for this delivery. We are attempting to obtain the access information. / Delivery will be rescheduled.etc This information is not conveyed to the recipient , but back to the sender who assumes it's a block of flats or something. If the sender does not contact the recipient the parcel is returned. Hopeless.

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

Recent experiences with deliveries to work :

Parcel Force seem to have gone downhill since the start of the virus situation. RS Components & Zoro/Cromwell both use PF Next Day and I rarely get them next day now. 2 days is more normal – sometimes longer. Work also had poor service when a "must get there next day" delivery to a customer was sent PF – booked online for collection from the local post office, it didn't arrive & tracking showed it still sat in the post office the next day. Turned out that the PF driver didn't turn up to collect it – the driver was notified that the collection was waiting, but "got lost & ran out of time" so didn't. We did get the delivery charge refunded & the parcel service upgraded to Before 9 am – for the day after it should have arrived.

DPD are used by Cutwel and their Next Day deliveries have continued to be reliable throughout the current situation. An e-mail early on the delivery day tells us a 1 hour slot when the parcel is expected to be delivered & it is usually delivered within that slot.

Our company used to use Fedex for shipments, but after Fedex merged with / were taken over by TNT the service deteriorated badly. Collections for supposedly Next Day delivery could be sat for up to 3 days before they were collected. The local depot was closed & contact could only be made with remote call centres – they were almost impossible to contact to chase things up. So we changed to DPD and – so far – we have received a good service.

With Hermes / Yodel it seems that the level of service received is very dependant upon the "final mile" driver – the drivers that deliver to work have been doing it for some time and the service is good from both.

Nigel B.

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