Adster
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Registered: 8th Jul 10
Location: Leyland, Lancs
User status: Offline
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/21183060
This was discussed on radio 1 the other day.
Personally, being a courier driver myself, I feel that the public see us as having such an easy job but im delivering over 100 parcels a day and when somebodys not at home its either left with a neighbour, taken to a post office or taken back to depot.
IMHO, if your not going to be in, dont order online. Saves me a bloody job of standing outside a house waiting for someone in the freezing cold or rain
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Gaz
Member
Registered: 24th Aug 03
Location: Widnes, Cheshire
User status: Offline
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if people didn't order online, you wouldn't be paid to stand outside their house? not a bad job really when you think hard enough.
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_Allan_
Member
Registered: 24th Mar 04
User status: Offline
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LeeM
Member
Registered: 26th Sep 05
Location: Liverpool
User status: Offline
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best one ive had was when i ordered a pair of joggers online, after a few days i rang up and they were down as being delivered. the note said no one was in so they were put through the letter box.
i live in a block of flats with a 24/7 reception and no letter box.
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jonnieboy
Member
Registered: 4th Jun 02
Location: Manchester
User status: Offline
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the service from some companies is shocking though.
I've had parcels left in my wheely bin regulary, and I've only noticed it there when I've gone to put the bin out, no note or anything
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Brett
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Dec 02
Location: Manchester
User status: Offline
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We get stuff left in our wheelie bin too. Pretty bad when it's new clothes for the mrs and there's cat shit in there or somethin
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Adster
Member
Registered: 8th Jul 10
Location: Leyland, Lancs
User status: Offline
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I have actually delivered to places were a different company (UPS, interlink) have just left the parcel at a door in plain view.
That bugs me because it does put a bad name on drivers
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Cavey
Member
Registered: 11th Nov 02
Location: Derby
User status: Offline
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If I leave something that's not obvious i'll put a note through the door saying exactly where it is.
I'll happily go into someones garden and leave stuff under cover somewhere.
And i've also been to places where other drivers have left stuff on the doorstep, or worse in the rain, had one recently that was absolutely soaked, so handed her that too making sure she knew it wasn't from us!
Also driving along the other day saw a box in the road, went round the corner, and another one, so i stopped and checked them both, one was a crate of 12 bottles of wine, and one was a VM Router thing, I delivered the wine to the person, and the Yodel guy was at the house as I got there, didn't even seem to care that a few bottles had smashed when they'd fallen out the back of his van.
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Cavey
Member
Registered: 11th Nov 02
Location: Derby
User status: Offline
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Question though for people.
Would you prefer that I left something round the back under cover, or would you prefer to pick it up 2 days later from the delivery office, or ask for me to re-deliver it a couple of days later?
Imo, it's half and half, get some people moaning that you didn't just leave their stuff, and some people moaning if you do leave them.
[Edited on 31-01-2013 by Cavey]
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DanCobb
Member
Registered: 14th May 11
Location: Lewes/Brighton
User status: Offline
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Worst courier by far is MyHermes. Very cheap but very, very shit.
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mattk
Member
Registered: 27th Feb 06
Location: St. Helens
User status: Offline
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your job is piss easy, I do your job on the way to and from my job
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jonnieboy
Member
Registered: 4th Jun 02
Location: Manchester
User status: Offline
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MyHermes or UKmail I find are the worst.
MyHermes delivered a parcel to a house 10 doors down by mistake
UKmail tried to deliver and I wasn't in, so I arranged to pick it up from their depot, after 20 of trying to get through the gate, it took another 20 minutes for them to find the parcel. Waste of time.
Most local delivery offices are on my way to work, so id rather collect from there if they can't leave them in a safe place.
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Online
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Multi-drop driving isn't particularly skilled but its also not what I'd class as easy.
I know a few people who do it and they all say that unless they rush about all day they would be doing 12 hour days for no more pay.
Proper tracking and scheduling is long over-due. I think a lot of companies would save a lot of hassle if the quoted actual times they're going to be there.
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Kyle T
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 04
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
User status: Offline
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I've wasted no less than a weeks worth of holiday time waiting for parcels which didn't arrive on time. It's CityLink every damn time, and their "local" depot is a 100mile round trip from my house.
A courier that operates (as a standard service) between 6pm and 10pm would get a lot of trade I would imagine.
Lotus Elise 111R
Impreza WRX STi
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LeeM
Member
Registered: 26th Sep 05
Location: Liverpool
User status: Offline
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quote: Originally posted by Ian
Multi-drop driving isn't particularly skilled but its also not what I'd class as easy.
I know a few people who do it and they all say that unless they rush about all day they would be doing 12 hour days for no more pay.
Proper tracking and scheduling is long over-due. I think a lot of companies would save a lot of hassle if the quoted actual times they're going to be there.
DPD text you with a time, theyre great
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willay
Moderator Organiser: South East, National Events Premium Member
Registered: 10th Nov 02
Location: Roydon, Essex
User status: Offline
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Wouldnt class multi drop easy at all, even if you are doing business drops instead of residential drops all day. The guys we use to have in from DPD/Parcel Force were always rushed off their feet, after they have delivered all them parcels they have to do collections and finally drive back to the depo which can be a right old slog.
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willay
Moderator Organiser: South East, National Events Premium Member
Registered: 10th Nov 02
Location: Roydon, Essex
User status: Offline
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quote: Originally posted by LeeM
quote: Originally posted by Ian
Multi-drop driving isn't particularly skilled but its also not what I'd class as easy.
I know a few people who do it and they all say that unless they rush about all day they would be doing 12 hour days for no more pay.
Proper tracking and scheduling is long over-due. I think a lot of companies would save a lot of hassle if the quoted actual times they're going to be there.
DPD text you with a time, theyre great
And they email you, but the problem with this is that is puts alot of pressure on the drivers. DPD work out how many drops they have to do, how long it will take them, time between drops, all it takes is one traffic jam or something and everything gets thrown out of sync!
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Online
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I'd be making sure people knew it was an estimate. Most of the time I don't care what time it will be, just that I have a bit of notice beforehand.
I'd be having the list of all the drops, your queue position highlighted, tick them off as they're going.
Be like watching the train thing or the Domino's web site.
They're paranoid about privacy though, I've asked to meet the guy a few times to give him stuff that needs to out a bit quicker and they won't disclose the locations in spite of driving round in bright yellow and green vans.
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BluKoo
Member
Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
User status: Offline
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Delivery driving was one of the hardest jobs I had.
Although that was due to the snow, and the fact that it was coming up to christmas so we had the vans loaded up with up to 160 parcels.
I never once managed to complete the deliveries. Thankfully it was just a temp job via and agency.
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John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
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quote: Originally posted by Kyle T
I've wasted no less than a weeks worth of holiday time waiting for parcels which didn't arrive on time. It's CityLink every damn time, and their "local" depot is a 100mile round trip from my house.
A courier that operates (as a standard service) between 6pm and 10pm would get a lot of trade I would imagine.
I'm still waiting on a citylink parcel was was guaranteed for last Saturday.
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IvIarkgraham
Premium Member
Registered: 27th Mar 04
Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
User status: Offline
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had a couple of deliveries recently both delivered to a neighbour. one was 6 houses away and the car said delivered to mrs san. the other was to 3 doors away but left no card
had one that was put in a small bin then thrown over my fence. easily could have broken the product and the bin. it was raining that day and the product was out of the bin getting soaked.
delivery is a piece of piss, how long do you stand outside someones house for? 20 seconds?
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Cavey
Member
Registered: 11th Nov 02
Location: Derby
User status: Offline
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Yeah, 20 seconds is completely correct. I don't even leave the van, and just drive past and lob the parcels, and paperboy style
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IvIarkgraham
Premium Member
Registered: 27th Mar 04
Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
User status: Offline
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ive seen one driver knock then immediately walk to his van.
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jonnieboy
Member
Registered: 4th Jun 02
Location: Manchester
User status: Offline
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quote: Originally posted by IvIarkgraham
delivery is a piece of piss, how long do you stand outside someones house for? 20 seconds?
i think the industry standard is less than 2 seconds
if no one comes to the door as your knuckle leaves the door on the last knock, you can assume no one is home
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noshua
Member
Registered: 19th Nov 08
User status: Offline
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quote: Originally posted by IvIarkgraham
ive seen one driver knock then immediately walk to his van.
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The one advantage of living in a block of flats is that everything gets left, downside is it's usually in the porch where anyone can pick it up - or Joe Boggs if he decides to press the 'trade' button...
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