Best Couriers?

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Russell
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Hi, As it is part of the selling process thought better asked here.
Who do use to send outside of the Royal Mail your parcels/packages?
I sent a lens via My Hermes, took to a parcel shop on Sunday morning it was not picked up until after 1700hrs on the Monday, I understand delays are being cused by this virus but even so more than 30 hrs before picked up. So just asking who you find the most reliable and also provides a good service? Thankyou, Russ.
 
They all seem to use franchisees for drop shops and deliveries. so they are all only as good as you local franchisee/ delivery driver.
The long haul bit in between always seems pretty good who ever you use.
None of them seem to give as wide an insurance cover as Royal mail.
 
Of these, good experiences with Royal Mail and DPD (DPD has especially good tracking), mixed with DHL, terrible with Hermes (and it was impossible to talk to a human).
 
Not Hermes. Still waiting for a lens someone dropped off on Sunday at the drop off point. No good
Hi, That's why I am asking, not to impressed right now, I thought sending by courier would be a quicker and safer option than Royal Mail. Russ.
 
Of these, good experiences with Royal Mail and DPD (DPD has especially good tracking), mixed with DHL, terrible with Hermes (and it was impossible to talk to a human).

Yes Hermes are the pits. My partner ordered some clothing on line and paid for it to be delivered the next day. Their tracking that evening suggested that the package had been damaged. No description given as to the damage and like 'Retune'. I never managed to speak to a human. It was delivered the next day with the outer packing damaged but the contents were fine. Getting them to admit it was their fault and refund the extra paid for the next day delivery was a waste of time they passed the buck back to the seller who has refunded the postage when it wasn't their fault.

Why are these people allowed to stay in business?
 
Yes Hermes are the pits. My partner ordered some clothing on line and paid for it to be delivered the next day. Their tracking that evening suggested that the package had been damaged. No description given as to the damage and like 'Retune'. I never managed to speak to a human. It was delivered the next day with the outer packing damaged but the contents were fine. Getting them to admit it was their fault and refund the extra paid for the next day delivery was a waste of time they passed the buck back to the seller who has refunded the postage when it wasn't their fault.

Why are these people allowed to stay in business?

It's quite concerning that not only are they staying in business but they appear to be getting large contracts with very reputable retailers. Amazon use them a lot now and I recently purchased from Blacks and got a Hermes delivery. It's all fine when stuff turns up but if you have the slightest problem, very best of luck trying to even speak to somebody to resolve it.

This is worth a watch. It's amusing and horrifying in roughly equal measure.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDV3wUVlwoc
 
My last run-in with Hermes was an Amazon return. Hermes claimed they'd already collected the parcel, which wasn't true, and there was no mechanism for correcting this. The parcel had entered an indeterminate quantum state where it was neither collected nor uncollected. I guess Amazon don't care because Hermes are cheap - any losses are more than offset by the savings they make by not using a reputable courier.
 
Normally despise Hermes.... But we have a bloke who does ours here, he's a great bloke. Had an amazon return we didn't box up for the next day due to printer issues and he just said dont worry about it he'd come back the next day which he did! Probably helps hes a local bloke
 
If I can't send (or it's too expensive) via RM SD then I try to use DPD. Booked on line they collect from my house the next working day (but don't give a time for collection). Delivery wise, DPD are great round here, I've found their tracking system very good and they email giving a 1 hour delivery spot and have always been on time.

I've found that Hermes deliveries can take a number of days and I've also found their tracking system doesn't tell me much, going from 'Arrived at depot' (or whatever term they use) to an email the following morning saying they'll be delivering that day, nice bit of notice there to make arrangements for someone to be in! :rolleyes: Shame really, as their local delivery driver seems a really nice, cheerful bloke.
 
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It's quite concerning that not only are they staying in business but they appear to be getting large contracts with very reputable retailers. Amazon use them a lot now and I recently purchased from Blacks and got a Hermes delivery. It's all fine when stuff turns up but if you have the slightest problem, very best of luck trying to even speak to somebody to resolve it.

This is worth a watch. It's amusing and horrifying in roughly equal measure.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDV3wUVlwoc

I would suggest the reasons they are getting large contract is due to the fact they are cheaper than a lot of couriers. Why are they cheap? Again I would suggest it is because they cut corners with quality of service and so what if just 15% of their deliveries don't get past their(low) standards then 85% do. It is the 15% failure rate that will give the company a bad reputation and a reputation like that sticks like superglue.

I live in a reasonably nice Victorian terrace house with no front garden. They failed to deliver a parcel to me, but on their tracking stated delivery failed there was no reply. That was a load of old junk because on that day I was outside, up a ladder at the front of the house at the time they c;aimed they tried to deliver. No apology - nothing after I went to their depot personally to see where it wast. The usual shrug of the shoulders was all I got!.
That parcel had travelled all the way over Europe from Meissen in what was eastern Germany in 36 hours and only when Hermes got their hands on it did it go wrong.
 
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I tried to send a camera I sold on here with DPD and they said a camera is on their prohibited list. Didn't want to take a chance just in case it got lost/damaged so went through RM SD, cost a few quid but at least it was fully insured with next day delivery.
 
Well I have learnt my lesson here with sending for the first and now last time with Hermes, as stated before took to the drop off shop 1030hrs Sunday not picked up until after 1700hrs Monday and still has not arrived to Wales address and that really is not acceptable to me and certainly not to the buyer either. Trying to get info but have a bad head from banging against the computer desk. Not good at all!!!!!
 
They are all terrible. They are all awesome.

They all hire people - some of them are really great and will go the extra mile to make sure your parcel is tucked out of the rain if your neighbour's out and some of them just card you on a drive by because it's quicker than ringing the bell. Often these people move from courier to courier as demands change because, well, where are DPD going to find experienced couriers when they take market share off of DHL?

For sending, I use anything cheap where I can drop parcels at my local village shop. There's 20 mins parking outside so I can drive up to their door any time up to 11pm which saves waiting in. Also, they need the work because Covid - and who knows when I'll need a choice of 37 beers in an emergency? For receiving, I know most of the local delivery people certainly by sight, often by name. It's amazing how service gets better after a couple of brief chats.

Parcel Farce delivered a package yesterday - it was a day late because they ran out of time the day before. But the driver is a nice guy who realised it was a good idea to make me an early drop off rather than my regular time.
 
Worth mentioning that you can now pay 72p extra for Royal Mail to collect your parcel from you. I just sold an item on ebay which was meant to go Hermes, but because it went for £100 Hermes are no longer cheap (It would have cost over £7 to send because of the insurance value). Royal Mail - £6.42 Tracked 24 with signature, full insured value and collected. Cheaper and way faster!

Hermes have their place - low value stuff that doesn't really matter if it gets damaged in transit, doesn't need to be there urgently but is sufficiently large that it can't go on a large letter stamp. If you want to bump it up to anything like better service/more insurance it quickly becomes cheaper from any other service.

My pecking order of couriers is something like:

DPD at the top, DHL, UPS, TNT, Parcel Force etc in the middle, Yodel and Hermes down the bottom.
 
Hi, Well the package arrived at the buyer today seven days after I dropped it off at the Hermes drop shop last Sunday morning, never again, even with the virus problems seven days was to long and the tracking options terrible along with having the only option to speak to someone on a premium rate phone call or automated system that just came back with the same tracking info already on the tracking page. Post office from now on for me even if does a little more to have a piece of mind. Russ.
 
Unfortunately, the private customer like you or I are small fry when compared to the likes of Amazon. (Another company I will have nothing to do with) Loosing all their private customers will not hurt them one jot. It is high time consumer law was modified to force them to have a person at the end of a telephone when things go wrong. I bet your bottom dollar the likes of Amazon and other big companies have a 'phone number where they can speak to someone with clout when things go wrong!

You could always go onto the Companies House website they will have details of the companies address and possibly the CEO's direct telephone number. CEO's don't like crxp dropping onto their laps.
 
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I buy and sell a lot on e.bay ,any seller that specifies posting by Hermes I won’t use .. 5 items gone missing both ways this year total waste of time and I would go so far as to say a bunch of tea leafs .
Royal Mail
DPD.
FedEx
Collectplus
 
I've had numerous parcels sent overseas from the UK using DPD and tbh I cannot fault them.

Their partner out here ( France) is Chronopost and between the two services, the parcels generally arrive at my home within 4 working days of being collected from the sender.

That's pretty impresive imo

Assuming their local , within the UK, services are as efficient , then I would highly recommend them.
 
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I have personally never had a problem with any of them including Hermes.
But UPS lost three passport of a very close friend of mine and handled really badly. I also remember someone in this forum having problems with camera delivery with UPS i.e. they had lost it.
So I am wary of UPS because of that.

The rest have given me good service inc. Hermes who have really been great in the lockdown. Better than royal mail's first/second class posts or even tracked 48.

But where it makes sense financially and size/weight wise I personally trust Royal mail special delivery the most. That's my preferred method.
 
If anyone needs to get in touch with Hermes, Their head office is :-

HERMES PARCELNET LIMITED
03900782 - Incorporated on 22 December 1999

Capitol House 1 Capitol Close, Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS27 0WH

I have just looked it up on the Companies House website. There seem to be a lot of branches of 'Hermes' at this address but this was the only one that seemed to be connected to parcel delivery. A little bit more digging and you could find the CEO's name on the same site.

This seems to be the CEO

Martijn DE LANGE
Total number of appointments 1 - Born February 1978

Capitol House, 1 Capitol Close, Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS27 0WH
 
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I don't know who Amazon are using round here at the moment (unmarked vans) but they're beginning to cheese me off royally! A knock at the door again today while I was busy trying to work from home.. I get up from the computer and go to the door and there's a parcel I didn't order sitting outside on the mat, with a foreign sounding delivery driver standing a few feet away (full marks for social distancing though).

Once again, it was for the house at the end of the close that backs on to my garden. I looked at the item, then at the delivery driver. "I've not ordered anything from Amazon lately, so that's not for this address". Driver's body language indicated that he thought not... "Are you using your mobile phone to find the address?" I asked.

"Yes", says driver, stepping forward proudly to show me the 'you are here' arrow on his phone screen. "Then buy a proper Sat Nav... this is your job, not a hobby!" was my reply. I then politely explained that this was the 6th time this has happened and I was getting a bit p*ssed off with it! I then told him how to get to the right house, and told him again to buy a Sat Nav, giving him the thumbs up sign to show no malice as he retreated down the drive!
 
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The district in which Hermes has their head office looks, shall I be kind and say 'down market'. The building itself looks like a cheap and nasty 1990's office block and not as large as you would expect for a large company.
 
I wish I'd seen this thread earlier.
Using Parcel2go and Parcelcompare I sent two packages on Monday and Tuesday this week - both next day delivery with Hermes.
Neither have been delivered yet. :(
 
mishandling parcels is probably done by bad eggs in every company inc. Royal mail believe it not.
just some of them comes out and others get away with it.

I don't think all hermes drivers are like the video or all postmen like the one my friend dealt with who used to play football with parcels marked as fragile on purpose.
 
More fun with Hermes - eBay seller sent me the tracking details, all seemed to go OK for three days, then when I checked it said my parcel had been delayed and they'd be getting it moving again ASAP. OK, will check back tomorrow and see if it's moving again to get an idea of the delivery day so I can make sure I'm at home.

The following morning there's a knock at the door and my parcel was there! How can people be expected to plan when to be in to receive their delivery with tracking info like that? A bit later I had an email telling me my parcel had arrived (complete with GPS mapped proof and a photo of it by my doorstep)... followed shortly afterwards by an email to say my parcel was with my local courier and would be delivered that day. :rolleyes: Still, at least it arrived safely!
 
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I saw this and as I had just ordered a package of colour developer that is required urgently I rang the seller back and asked what courier they use and to my relief it is DPD. By far the best of the independents and certainly not down to the dregs of the canal bottom like Hermes. They do have a good tracking system.

A while ago my partner ordered some clothing items and paid for next day delivery. The courier was Hermes and the tracking they provide is basic. VERY basic. It progressed ok until it got to the depot I think in Coventry and then the information was added that the packaging was damaged. No more info.

3 days later it arrived and yes the packaging was damaged - reinforced double skinned polythene bag that took her all her time to open it with a Stanley knife so what they had been doing with it heaven only knows. We made a claim with the seller and got our postage back. Do that enough times and the companies will get the message and it cannot come quick enough. Hermes don't deserve to be in business.
 
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I saw this and as I had just ordered a package of colour developer that is required urgently I rang the seller back and asked what courier they use and to my relief it is DPD. By far the best of the independents and certainly not down to the dregs of the canal bottom like Hermes. They do have a good tracking system.

A while ago my partner ordered some clothing items and paid for next day delivery. The courier was Hermes and the tracking they provide is basic. VERY basic. It progressed ok until it got to the depot I think in Coventry and then the information was added that the packaging was damaged. No more info.

3 days later it arrived and yes the packaging was damaged - reinforced double skinned polythene bag that took her all her time to open it with a Stanley knife so what they had been doing with it heaven only knows. We made a claim with the seller and got our postage back. Do that enough times and the companies will get the message and it cannot come quick enough. Hermes don't deserve to be in business.

I and many others use websites like parcel2go, parcel monkey etc. etc.. It should be their responsibility to ensure the carriers they represent should provide a decent service.
Businesses like Hermes should not have a presence on these websites.
 
Normally despise Hermes.... But we have a bloke who does ours here, he's a great bloke. Had an amazon return we didn't box up for the next day due to printer issues and he just said dont worry about it he'd come back the next day which he did! Probably helps hes a local bloke

This guy will probably be out of a job shortly because he is destroying the well earned reputation Hermes has for atrocious service.
 
Via work we use DPD for most things and they have so far been uber reliable with getting IT kit sent out to staff for us.
Royal Mail also are pretty good although usually Special Delivery; which is excellent value!
For clothing/amazon our local Hermes delivery girl is very good but I would never choose to send something via Hermes
 
At work we typically send out 25K parcels a week via DPD & Royal Mail, no one else comes anywhere near close.

DPD's tracking is excellent, they'll also email or text you a delivery time window.

Overseas stuff, samples etc is sent DHL, expensive but the best.
 
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