Poll: Rude recipient of parcel. Find out how the thread ends, using this amazing trick

[Merlin5]

On friday, DPD courier was due to turn up with my parcel (nothing to do with OCuK, it was a drum case) between 3.30pm and 4.30pm. Didn't happen and no further texts. Just happened to look on my tracking, and it now said it will be delivered between 6am and 10pm. Thanks for the apology text saying you'll be delayed!

Got on the phone to them, half an hour of 'someone will be with you shortly' recorded message before I finally gave up and disconnected. At 6pm the courier arrives by which time I'm a bit angry. I said to him "only an hour and a half late then". Now what he SHOULD have done, seeing as how I'm the customer is say "I do apologise for the delay sir, my van had a problem.. etc"
Because apparently his wheel needed changing.

Instead, the first thing he said was "I can take it back if you want" sarcastically. This is of course led to a slightly heated argument with him. He even told me me that I had attitude by the way I started the conversation. Well, yes I did! So? All he needed to do was say sorry and divert any conflict.

I managed to speak to DPD today who were very good, very apologetic and emailed my complaint to their quality control. I also left the same complaint on their feedback page saying that this driver doesn't know how to speak to customers.

You might tell me I'm being too fussy, or you may agree?

 

[Merlin5]

I think your being fussy. You still got the package just a little bit late. no real need for the snide comment imo.

Well I think you're wrong. There's no excuse for someone being sarcastic to a customer when ultimately it's the customers paying their wages.

 

[Merlin5]

Lol at everyone siding with the courier. Unbelievable.

You're not the customer. The customer is the company/person who booked the courier.

I paid a shipping fee and the product from the company that booked the courier. Therefore, I am the customer.

 

[Merlin5]

The comments here truly defy belief. It's really simple. I've taken time off to be at home to take receipt of a parcel that was late and I was badly informed of any delay. Whether it was right or wrong for me to vent some mild frustration at the courier, it is NOT for the courier to be sarcastic back, I don't care if you think he's entitled to, he's not. Call me old fashioned, but there's a saying "the customer is always right".

No, you aren't.

Yes I am. If I didn't buy the product, there would be no courier booked. It's all part of the food chain.

 

[Merlin5]

I do wonder though how you would have reacted if he had reacted professionally and apologized? Would you have continued complaining anyway?

No, I would not have. That's all I expected and it would have diverted any conflict.

 

[Merlin5]

I find its hit and miss with delivery drivers. Some of the Amazon delivery guys I get are happy as anything, nattering away, smiley, etc. And then I get a few, and DPD in particular, who are on a bluetooth earpiece chatting away - shove the parcel at you, followed by a pen and a tablet, and then leave without saying anything. Manners cost nowt, springs to mind.

Exactly.

Your sarcy comment just indicates a lack of empathy. What you should do is try being a courier for a few weeks, then see how you deal with sarcy comments like yours. It's a hard job, but you are just showing a lack of understanding and appreciation.

Sure, the courier could have said "Sorry Sir ..." etc, but that is sometimes hard when you've had a long and hard day.

Oh, like I haven't also been working my arse off every day? You just couldn't be more wrong. I run a business and wouldn't dream of talking back to a customer. And all I did was make a single sarcastic comment because I had things to do and couldn't leave the house to do them.

It's not a case of the courier could have. The courier should have.
I'm not exactly the worst kind of person for making one comment to him. I didn't swear at him. Someone in this thread said nobhead, presumably directed at me. In my book that makes him the worst kind of person.

While DPD are hardly going to crumble because of me complaining, it's basic training to be polite and courteous when representing your company. And for those who still think I'm not the customer just because the courier has other deliveries to make, just remember that if no one bought anything from shops, then the courier services would have no one to deliver to and therefore would make no money. So stick that in your pipes and choke on it

 

[Merlin5]

I have lots of couriers deliver stuff and I've never had a bad word to say to any of them. So because I made a sarcastic comment in frustration to this guy, I'm the worst person in the world, lol. I'd say there's more anger from forum members here than myself. No doubt a quite a few angry call centre employees venting on me because they get this from customers every day.
If any of you run a business, god forbid. Remind me not to buy from you because no doubt your customer service will suck.

I would have been happy that they made the effort at all, but I can't understand why people get so frustrated over a relatively minor delay.

I ordered a whole system of PC parts from OcUK that took 3 days to turn up via CityLink, because "Christmas time". I didn't give the delivery guy a load of abuse, but I certainly took it up with the depot and with OcUK (in a non-aggressive manner).

What did you hope would happen? What reaction did you expect?

The representative that shows up is usually the face of the company that a customer vents his/her frustration on, and should take it on the chin. Surely you must know that? It was a moment of anger. We sometimes say things in the heat of the moment. It's still bad form for a rep to retaliate unless I'm physically kicking him to the floor.

So to sum up then. OP gets a roasting from forum because he shouldn't have expected the courier to act professionally, and the OP should have hugged a tree.

 

[Merlin5]

I can see the frustration from the OP's side. If you are given a window then I expect the item to be delivered within that time frame. If the courier offers that feature then they should stick to it. No doubt the progress of the driver is tracked electronically so it would be clear if the driver won't meet that deadline. It's not unreasonable for them to text or email to say "Sorry but on this occasion due to XXXXX your parcel will be delayed. You can expect your delivery at XXXX time instead".

Sure it's only 90 minutes but his expectations were set at that time by the courier. The courier firm (perhaps not the driver) should be held accountable to this. It would have been pretty annoying if the OP had made himself available during that hour, then when it didn't arrive go out afterwards and he misses the delivery.

However, the customer services at these places seem to be lacking. Someone should be refunding you for the inconvenience but good luck getting that.

^this *thumbsup*

No, you are not the direct customer of the courier. You bought a product from a company, that company employed the courier, you didn't. You haven't paid the courier anything directly, your house may be the ultimate delivery address but you personally won't be receiving an invoice from the courier. You are not the customer, how is this so difficult to understand?

Yes, I'm not a DIRECT customer. Does that make me any less relevant to the courier service? What part of me paying the shipping fee do you not understand? Ultimately, the company that employed the courier are getting all or some of the fee from me towards payment for the courier. So whichever way you want to slice it, if I didn't buy the product, I wouldn't pay a shipping fee, which wouldn't go the courier.

 

[Merlin5]

OP you really need to learn some manners.

Unfortunately I work in a public facing role and encounter people like you every day. If someone was rude to me like you were, I would definitely NOT just apologise.

Can't stand people who think they are better than others just because they are a 'customer'.

Would you stab them with your keyboard? If you were in business for yourself, you WOULD stand for people saying some things you don't like, that is, if you didn't want your business to die...

 

[Merlin5]

Regardless of the customer or not customer technicalities, which part of you paying for something do you feel entitles you to be rude to someone who is simply trying to do their job?

What did I do then? Insult his mother and his family? No, I vented some mild frustration as I'm sure you have at some point in your life unless you're a complete angel. All he had to do is placate me with a simple apology. Why is saying sorry such a difficult concept these days?

 

[Merlin5]

You were rude to the guy, it was unnecessary. It's very simple. Count me an angel then, because I'm genuinely not rude to people who are simply doing a job.

All you had to do was not treat the bloke like crap, why is that such a difficult concept for you?

"Only an hour and half late" said in a soft voice. That's treating him like crap? Perhaps I almost made him cry? Poor bloke.

 

[Merlin5]

I accept that you've paid a shipping fee but you paid it to a third party, not the courier. The courier does not have a contract with you, they won't talk to you about their service because you've not directly employed them. If you have a complaint, go to the supplier of the goods, don't take it out on the courier.

People forget about how many couriers used to be where you got a day and if you were lucky, they arrived that day. Now many couriers not only give you a specific time slot but you're given a method to track the driver online and see where they actually are at any given moment.

Your parcel was 90 minutes late, did that actually cause you any inconvenience? You haven't mentioned that it did (and I'm quite sure that if it had done, you would have).

Yes it did cause me inconvenience. I have a lot of different things going on at the moment. My work is not 9 to 5pm. I work during the day, I also do work at night, and that night I had a gig. I'm also having a lot of house refurbishment done and was stopped from going out to buy some items I needed because I didn't know when he was going to turn up. I also needed the item being delivered for my gig that night. On top of that, DPD kept me waiting on the phone for half an hour with no one answering.

Are you still surprised then that I made a relatively mild comment of frustration to the face of DPD when he turned up late?

 

[Merlin5]

Lol@poll for my thread with edited title. Yes outvotes the Nos. What a surprise

 

[Merlin5]

I think people are surprised you see nothing wrong with the comment yet have no issue putting the blame for the lateness on the driver, as if he was completely in control.

Not just that but you think your comment was mild, yet his retort was rude enough to start a thread and stick around on the phone for half an hour to make a complaint, especially with your very busy day

If your day was truly as busy as you say, you probably would have just gotten on with your life.

I was on the phone for half an hour before he arrived to find out if they can narrow down the delivery time as I couldn't wait till 10pm or to tell them to deliver to the neighbour.

My day WAS truly as busy as I say, and if you learned to read a bit better you'd see that I couldn't do some of the things I needed to because I was waiting on the courier.

 

[Merlin5]

You behaved like a tit and got treated like a tit in return. Why does this surprise you so much?

Because I expect better from one of the largest courier services in the country. I expect better from ANY courier service tbh, particularly as there is so much choice now, and so much choice in all types of business. Because with proper training, they'd take it on the chin and they'd know not to start anything that can anger the customer more. Does that really not resonate with you?

I run my own small business, I don't employ anyone. If however, I employed people and heard that one of my employees talked back to a customer like this courier did to me, he'd be a on a yellow card. I wouldn't want one bad apple ruining my business.

 

[Merlin5]

Maybe take your business elsewhere and use a different courier then, as you are the customer?

I think you're deliberately missing the point. I had no choice in the matter of which courier. My point is that in business, the employee does not talk back to the customer/end user.


Btw, I can't possibly reply to all the people here. So if I happen to reply to you, do feel honoured.

 

[Merlin5]

Surely as THE CUSTOMER you have a choice in who you use

or is it in fact that the seller has the choice as they are THE CUSTOMER

I think you need to read what had been said about this already. I've paid a shipping fee and am an end user to the courier, but yes, not a direct customer Therefore I have at least some say in the way the courier service acts towards me.

 

[Merlin5]

He's not the customer. He's the guy that they hate delivering to, now

As someone that trains staff in de-escalation skills and how to deal with violence and aggression what you've done OP is classic passive aggression. Now imagine he'd snapped and punched you one... I've seen people do worse for less. All easily avoidable with a bit of common courtesy.

That's ok if he punched me. In a time of compensation claims everywhere , I'd be all over them like a rash.

And clearly he needs de-escalation training.

 

[Merlin5]

Nothing worse than an arrogant and condescending snide comment when you're already tired, stressed and at the end of your tether!
No wonder the poor fella lost his kool and to top it off you then doubled-down and tried to get him sacked / in trouble with his employer
It appears you are happy to dish it but cry like a baby when someone retaliates and stands-up for themselves, I suggest if you can't handle snide comments then don't dish them out!!

Arrogant? If it's no wonder the guy lost his cool, why is it any wonder that I lost mine? Do you think I was at home chilling out playing call of duty like you or many others here probably do every day?

Like I've said earlier in this thread, the face you see representing a company is the face that takes the brunt of your frustration, whether it's his fault or not. Yes it's unfortunate for him, but not the end of the world and he should not have answered back. Have some standards.

You could find a ton of people in for instance the network forum who have complained to virgin media or some other company about something. Does this mean the person they speak to is responsible for the problem? No, but they are the person representing the company and who the customer vents at. Get real.

 

[Merlin5]

The reason I'm stubborn is because all I said to him was "an hour and a half late". I didn't shout at him. I didn't swear at him. He only had to say "yes, sorry about that, it was because... ". You lot are making me out to be a monster, typical GD going OTT.

Right, I accept I shouldn't have said that to him. I know it wasn't his fault.

But a lot of people react spontaneously to things when angry, it's human nature. And it's just unfortunate to whoever is in the line of fire.

Neverthless, he should have remained professional and not reacted the way he did.