Home Delivery Network...

Hyper

Hyper

Hyper

Soldato
Joined
2 Jul 2005
Posts
3,549
Location
Newcastle
Hey all,

Just ordered something online and it is being delivered by the Home Delivery Network. I must say I have never heard of this company so I am a little worried about how reliable they might be. I got an e-mail this morning saying it has been dispatched today and should be delivery on Thursday, how reliable is this estimation in anyone expierence?

Has anyone used this company before and what have they been like?

Thanks, Sam
 
Amazon have started using them and until they go back to royal mail i'm not ordering from them anymore.

I didn't get a card on the first visit, second visit i missed as well so had to pick it up. Their depot is over 25 miles away from me and well out of public transport range so i told amazon to take it back.

3 days later i find the package stuffed into a garbage shed next to my house.

I'm sure they're fine if you're around all day but my order was anytime between 3-6 days so i couldn't specify when to take time off work. My biggest annoyance was that amazon used a signature on delivery company for a £25 order, when they could have used RM 2nd class which is insured up to £30.

Very frustrating.
 
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Hyper said:
Hey all,

Just ordered something online and it is being delivered by the Home Delivery Network. I must say I have never heard of this company so I am a little worried about how reliable they might be. I got an e-mail this morning saying it has been dispatched today and should be delivery on Thursday, how reliable is this estimation in anyone expierence?

Has anyone used this company before and what have they been like?

Thanks, Sam
Click to expand...

Very mixed results with HDN. They're so inconsistent, I have come to appreciate RM - and that's saying a lot!

They don't appear to have many depots around the place (I'm in Walsall, but my nearest HDN depot is in Stoke on Trent) so there's no guarantee that you can just pick something up if you've arrived home to find a card saying that they tried to deliver while you were out. This is important, because they'll only attempt one re-delivery - and if that goes pear shaped, your stuff is RTS.

Fortunately you can provide them with the address of a "nominated neighbour" to receive goods if you're not available (though the neighbour has to be on your street, and not too far from your door). I've found this works quite well most of the time, but there have been occasions when they've delivered to the wrong neighbour, so watch out! :eek:

Saw a HDN lorry outside a few weeks ago, delivering stuff to the local chavs; I don't know who was unloading the stuff inside, but at one point I saw a box shoot out the back of the lorry and land heavily on the ground. Another bloke picked it up and shoved it inside, without any particular care. So if your stuff arrives somewhat bruised, that'll be why.

In short, they're a bunch of numpties who get it right most of the time. Not to be avoided, but not recommended either. :rolleyes:
 
chimaera said:
Amazon have started using them and until they go back to royal mail i'm not ordering from them anymore.

I didn't get a card on the first visit, second visit i missed as well so had to pick it up. Their depot is over 25 miles away from me and well out of public transport range so i told amazon to take it back.

3 days later i find the package stuffed into a garbage shed next to my house.

I'm sure they're fine if you're around all day but my order was anytime between 3-6 days so i couldn't specify when to take time off work. My biggest annoyance was that amazon used a signature on delivery company for a £25 order, when they could have used RM 2nd class which is insured up to £30.

Very frustrating.
Click to expand...

I thought I was the only one, and indeed I appreciate RM more now.

I usually order at work and on the first delivery from HDN, they left it in the public lobby by the doors. :rolleyes: RM usually takes it to the company office manager personally.

I feel a harshly worded email written to Amazon soon if HDN continue to be rubbish.
 
DB_SamX said:
I thought I was the only one, and indeed I appreciate RM more now.

I usually order at work and on the first delivery from HDN, they left it in the public lobby by the doors. :rolleyes: RM usually takes it to the company office manager personally.

I feel a harshly worded email written to Amazon soon if HDN continue to be rubbish.
Click to expand...

And they don't deliver on weekends.

Watch out for that.
 
so do HDN do all of the amazon deliveries? even the dvd size ones? i'm waiting for a game to arrive, had an eta of 16th, it's now the 19th and still no sign.
 
They do some Tesco deliveries and I have had a horrible experience with them last week.

They failed to deliver my item on three occasions. They said no one was there the first time however it is an office with 40 people working in it.

The second time they said they arrived after business hours at 7pm. Again we have a security guard that sits on reception all night taking deliveries up till 10 pm.

The third time they claimed it was refused by someone called John Johnson. I phoned them but got litterally laughed at by a customer services girl who refused to give me her name. Of course he doesn't exist so Tesco agreed to refund me.

The silly prats managed to deliver it the fourth day so I have the item and a refund.
 
nin9abadga said:
so do HDN do all of the amazon deliveries? even the dvd size ones?
Click to expand...

No idea; I think it's a mixed bag tbh. I am pretty sure Amazon use RM & HDN. There's an online tech shop I buy from regularly which uses RM, HDN and Amtrak, so it would not surprise me if Amazon had a list of delivery contractors on their books.

i'm waiting for a game to arrive, had an eta of 16th, it's now the 19th and still no sign.
Click to expand...

Good luck with that. If it turns up in Walsall, I'll send it on.
 
nin9abadga said:
so do HDN do all of the amazon deliveries? even the dvd size ones? i'm waiting for a game to arrive, had an eta of 16th, it's now the 19th and still no sign.
Click to expand...

I got a dvd box set last week which was too big for the letterbox, and it was delivered by RM.

I agree with other people that Home Delivery aren't great, epecially if you don't live in a city where you'll be near a depot. My parents are about 40 miles from their depot, although the last guy to try to deliver something to them just gave it to their neighbours.
 
I had this problem with them to
They failed to deliver my item on three occasions. They said no one was there the first time however it is an office with 40 people working in it.
Click to expand...
Got it delivered to the college where i work allegedally at 10am there was no one about anywhere, shocking as it was term time as well.

there poor mate, id look at other places to get stuff that dont use them
 
A lot of places will deliver using HDN if you choose "super saver" delivery (i.e. discounted or free delivery with vague estimates). But to be honest I've never had any bother at all with HDN, so I guess it depends on where you are based.
 
jamief said:
A lot of places will deliver using HDN if you choose "super saver" delivery (i.e. discounted or free delivery with vague estimates). But to be honest I've never had any bother at all with HDN, so I guess it depends on where you are based.
Click to expand...

I always go for Super Saver Delivery. :(

Maybe I ought to point both Amazon and HDN to this thread.
 
Just a little update on this.

Checked the online tracking this morning and my parcel arrived at my local depo this morning and has been loaded onto van, now I have just arrived home at 12:30pm and there was no 'we missed you card' so I thought great.

About 10mins later a City Link van pulled up across the road from me in between number 22 and 24 (I am 23 on opposite side of road), he walked upto number 24 but I couldnt see if he handed anything over.

Now my worry is that the driver was so thick that he couldnt find my house or do HDNL not use City Link at all :confused:
 
Hyper said:
Now my worry is that the driver was so thick that he couldnt find my house or do HDNL not use City Link at all :confused:
Click to expand...

I doubt it was your package, City Link are a totally different company, from what i've read on other forums complaining about HDN they don't have branded vans.

DB_SamX said:
I thought I was the only one, and indeed I appreciate RM more now.
Click to expand...

Tell me about it, i now only use stores that give me the option of RM (having problems with both HDN and CitiLink in the same week), it's so much easier knowing that i can walk to my local RM depot, rather than blag a lift to some warehouse in the middle of nowhere.

I happily informed Amazon that until they sort it out i'll be buying everything through a certain popular non-mainland company who always deliver by RM.
 
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