"Delivery handed to resident" No, it wasn't!

Caporegime
Joined
5 Sep 2010
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25,572
Our house # is 47, but my hand to God, we don’t have your parcel, but I digress, we don’t order much, but the drivers have almost always rung the intercom buzzer, said, “Delivery”, and when I open the street door, the parcel has been on the ground, while the driver has been standing at the end of the drive, maybe 15/16 metres from the door.
What has been giving us the zig, is the fact that after I successfully applied for a priority supermarket delivery slot, somehow a government department deemed that as an old codger, I qualified for a “care package” of free food weekly
The first one came, the guy rang the intercom, said “Delivery”, and taken aback, my first thought was, ‘don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’ and I took it in, only to have second thoughts, and give it to the nearest food bank.
Since then we’ve had another 3 deliveries, each time the buzzer has been rung, and then the driver has disappeared.
I’ve Googled, telephoned, and emailed, but nothing seems to stop these food deliveries, I’m trying to do the right thing, and get them diverted to someone more in need, but it’s like banging your head against a brick wall.
Yesterday, my wife did a Dominic Cummings, and took bags of the stuff to her father in Canterbury, who although marginally older than me, somehow doesn’t qualify for a care package!

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Accessing food and essential supplies

If you want to stop getting your government food parcel, you can:
  • tell your delivery driver you do not need it
  • re-register on GOV.UK and answer ‘yes’ to the question ‘Do you have a way of getting essential supplies delivered at the moment?’
 
Soldato
Joined
28 Nov 2005
Posts
12,980
Tbf I think I was lucky with my last 2 deliveries also ...

New laptop left on the step with the driver walking half way back up the street by the time I opened the door

And some sunglasses same situation.

Like not sure if they automatically assume there is someone in every household at the min.

I mean I obviously was but only by luck on them days
 
Soldato
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1 Mar 2008
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6,267
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Deep North
I'm happy for parcels to be left in my recycling wheelie bin but some couriers don't give you that option. Hermes for example only have porch or shed on their drop down menu. I have neither, and if I did, they would be locked anyway if I wasn't in?!
 
Soldato
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21 Apr 2011
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3,119
Which would be where, exactly? Are you intending to argue that people too poor to afford higher grade housing shouldn't be allowed to have anything delivered to their home?

The problem could have been avoided if either (a) the delivery was on even the right day, let alone any particular time or (b) it wasn't left on the street without even a card delivered to say anything.

Not quite sure how you make that link. You know what the safe place delivery option is, right?
 
Man of Honour
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London

All good stuff, and sound advice Surveyor, but in the first case, “tell the driver”, the drivers just place the box of food at my street door, push the buzzer, (sometimes), then vanish into the wild blue yonder.
In the second case, I’ve gone to the site three times since these boxes started appearing, and lied through my teeth with the answers, e.g., Do you have this medical condition, or that medical condition? I am a Type 2 diabetic, and I had a heart attack in 1995, but I replied, “No, I’m as fit as a fiddle”, another question, Can you go out, buy groceries, and get them home and take them to your kitchen? I can, and I answered that I can, but still the care packages keep coming.
 
Soldato
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Near Cheltenham
Deffo recommend some basic camera (even recording to SD Card), I've already helped one neighbour out with video showing no delivery van/person passed my house (cul-de-sac) an hour before/after the time they stated they'd left it with the resident, it certainly sped up the insurance claim.
 
Soldato
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23,452
It this going to be the new normal for delivery companies now? Just drop it on the doorstep and run off like it's an IRA bomb.

They do that in the US and people go round stealing them.
 
Soldato
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Sheffield, UK
My experience with deliveries has been mixed, Hermes have always been ****, "parcel delivered, it was left by your front door" eventually you find it slung over the side gate, despite being marked "fragile"

Not sure if its just OCUK or any other companies but every time I order from OCUK and DPD deliver, you can use the app to track not only where the driver is, but also what number delivery you are and what time approximately they're scheduled to deliver to you. Most of the time I've been able to meet the driver at the door as they're delivering.

Not sure why all companies don't invest in this as for customer service, its perfect
 
Soldato
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3,119
Yes. It's a delivery to a safe place. Can you name one for a property which fronts directly onto the street and which has no access to the rear except through the house or through someone else's house and over garden walls?

One assumes that rear access is available then and you have a yard? Even if it is via a neighbouring property that gives you right of access?
 
Man of Honour
OP
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Just to the left of my PC
One assumes that rear access is available then and you have a yard? Even if it is via a neighbouring property that gives you right of access?

Why would anyone assume that in response to an explicit statement that it isn't true? I'm genuinely not understanding how you arrived at the conclusion that "no access to the rear" means "rear access is available".

While it's technically true that one of my neighbours might allow a delivery person to go through their house to get to their rear garden and climb over the wall between their's and mine, that's not really access and I doubt if a delivery person would do it anyway even if my neighbour was OK with it and happened to be in at the time.

It's also technically true that the delivery person could approach from the end of the street and climb over ~20 garden walls and go through ~20 gardens to get to mine. That wouldn't require all of those people to be in, only to give permission for it. But do you consider that to be access for deliveries? Also, some of those dividers are wooden fences so not suitable for climbing. Some form of ladders would be required. It's not something a delivery person would do even if they had the necessary permissions and equipment.

With the right equipment it would be possible to build a route over my house, but that's even more impractical for deliveries.

That leaves aerial access. Possible for deliveries that were small enough and light enough. Delivery vehicles could carry a drone on their roof that could be loaded with my delivery, flown over my house and down into my rear garden. But they don't and wouldn't.


So I suppose you're sort of right to assume that rear access is available, but not in any way that is remotely plausible for deliveries except by drone.

IIRC it lists options for safe places including 'none of the above' (alongside a choice of 'anywhere secure'), though I don't know first hand what they do instead by default if you choose that option.

Leave it on the pavement, most likely. "None of the above" would be accurate since there is no such thing as a safe place to leave the delivery, but also useless.
 
Soldato
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24,900
Leave it on the pavement, most likely. "None of the above" would be accurate since there is no such thing as a safe place to leave the delivery, but also useless.
My thinking was more along the lines of if you'd selected 'none' they might take it back and redeliver another day, rather than abandon it in the road :p
 
Man of Honour
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My thinking was more along the lines of if you'd selected 'none' they might take it back and redeliver another day, rather than abandon it in the road :p

Maybe, but doubtful. That would be an increased cost on their part and the required setup is to provide a minimally functional delivery system at the lowest possible cost to the delivery company. If they don't do that another company will undercut them on pricing. So we have the usual race to the bottom.
 
Soldato
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3,119
Why would anyone assume that in response to an explicit statement that it isn't true? I'm genuinely not understanding how you arrived at the conclusion that "no access to the rear" means "rear access is available".

Usually there is SOME kind of rear access where it is via a next door property (via that persons property). It is certainly very unusual to have a terrace of houses with walls which back on to nothing with no access.

From many of your replies, I am also going to guess that setting a neighbour as a safe place is not an option for you. And no Amazon locker, or any collection points, and simply no other option than to accept the delivery through the front door.

Deliveries are deliveries, days change, times change, especially at the moment. Which is why I always, when given the option, set an alternative if I won't be there. Unless you are paying for a courier, then you aren't ever going to have 100% times and days. This is just a great example of how everyone expects everything exactly when they want.

Anyway, I can tell from the mannerisms in your posting that this will just end up in a tit for tat, so I shall retire from commenting on that.
 
Man of Honour
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Usually there is SOME kind of rear access where it is via a next door property (via that persons property). It is certainly very unusual to have a terrace of houses with walls which back on to nothing with no access.

It's not unusual around here, in low cost areas. I doubt if it's unusual in other low cost areas with old housing.

From many of your replies, I am also going to guess that setting a neighbour as a safe place is not an option for you.

Not everybody has neighbours who are always at home at all times on every day.

And no Amazon locker, or any collection points,

Which are not safe places for delivery at a home address.

Deliveries are deliveries, days change, times change, especially at the moment. Which is why I always, when given the option, set an alternative if I won't be there. Unless you are paying for a courier, then you aren't ever going to have 100% times and days. This is just a great example of how everyone expects everything exactly when they want.

It's a great example of how some people would prefer a delivery company to deliver on the day that company had stated they would deliver on. And of course customers are paying for that delivery.

Anyway, I can tell from the mannerisms in your posting that this will just end up in a tit for tat, so I shall retire from commenting on that.

Very amusing. You openly stated that what I said wasn't true and you're criticising me for "the mannerisms in your posting". Physician, heal thyself!
 
Caporegime
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21 Jun 2006
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38,372
its covid they put the box down 2 metres from your door and then knock on and walk away assuming your home. (even royal mail are self signing deliveries not the actual recipient now, I guess stealing is rife)
unless they are the ones that can breath and think at the same time the ones that realise, what if someone isn't at home?

you have no garden so your parcel was probably left in the street and driven over by the delivery guy as he left

why you should get a nest hello doorbell.

i have proof of every parcel that comes to my home. even if i'm not home. I can say, take it round the back use the gate on X side because the other side is locked and put it in the shed which is unlocked.

it also records them if they leave it on doorstep or take it somewhere else. i can see where they went and where they left it. sometimes they go to the wrong side where access to the back is locked and ai am shouting at them through my phone I said X side not that side that side is locked.


Just a bit of of rant to get it off my chest...

I ordered some things from Amazon a couple of days ago (nothing that OcUK sells) and the delivery was due on Wednesday 27/5 with free delivery. OK, that's fine. I'll make sure I get up early on 27/5. I usually work very late shifts, so my day is time-shifted. But as long as I know the delivery day in advance, it's not a big problem.

Then I got an message on Fri 22/5 telling me that the delivery would be on Sunday 24/5. Well, OK. A bit annoying to have things changed without even asking me, but OK.

This morning at 0916 when I was of course in bed, a message was sent telling me that delivery had been changed again and it would be delivered today. Because to hell with the customer. Why give a damn about them? Why should a company care what plans their customers have made based on what the company has told them?

When I got up around 1400 I saw that message, went to parcel tracking and was told that the delivery had been handed to me at 1124. I looked carefully in my bed, but despite the claim on Amazon's website the delivery driver had not teleported into my house and put the parcel in my hand as I slept. They'd just left it on the doorstep. Of a house without any front garden, so the doorstep is on the public pavement. Because to hell with Amazon's customers, they're just an inconvenience to Amazon logistics. Keep changing the delivery date so they can't plan anything. Leave the parcel in a public place on a public street so it can easily be stolen and lie about what you did with it. Customers? **** 'em.

It's not just Amazon, of course. Last week one of my neighbours asked me if I'd recieved a parcel for them. They'd come home to find a card from Hermes stating that a parcel (presumably delivered on a random day different to the day they'd been told it would be delivered on) had been left with their neighbour at <indecipherable scribble>. Wasn't left with me. Wasn't left with the neighbour on the other side. Eventually they found their parcel in the wheelie bin that happened to be on the pavement that day because it was collection day.

People sometimes ask me why I still do most of my shopping at physical shops. This is why.

see above
 
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