Changing From DPD

#1

Hello Everyone,

Ive been with DPD for about 10 years, but The driver I have had for last 18 months is so lazy he hates collecting here and as now refused to come. apparently owner drivers have to unload there own vans and direct drivers dont. So because we have loads of parcels, which can be around 50 - 150 parcels per day he hates coming and tells me so. He as now told the depot some lies and they have said he wont be collecting anymore. So he as now got exactly what he wanted, he drives past me to collect 2 parcels from unit 8 every day and im unit 2 with loads and he just does not want to know he just goes past mot of the time and says stuff like the depot said they were ending someone else. ? hes told me he likes to be home for 2pm !! Last week we had 4 failed collections today I filled 1 long wheel based van and half of there 3.5 tonne lorries then got a call form the depot to say Dale wont be coming anymore because I said he was lazy !!!

This is the same driver I feed, give toys for his kids and drinks from the fridge and drops me like a sack of potatoes after telling depot liesā€¦ This will be because I had to go to the depot late Friday night to send some urgent parcels after he failed to turn up yet again and I told the managers what heā€™s like - the managers agreed as they think the same about him and now this as got back to him and heā€™s done what heā€™s doneā€¦

anyway, can anyone recommend a good courier service. Preferably one that combines parcels in a groupage for deliveries to the same address as some can be 2kg and some 10kg etc all to the same saddress.

1 ) If I go with ups for example they will charge me 10 x Ā£3.50 for example for 10 box shipment weighing 50kg = Ā£35

2 ) where as dpd local charge me by the kg - so If i send 50kg its something like Ā£6 for 1st 10kg then 24p per kg thereafter = Ā£15.60

Does anyone know a good courier service who does the same as example 2 who are reliable and amazon preferred.

Many thanks for anyones help with this - worst time of the year for this to happen.

All the best Mike

#2

Tbh I think youā€™ll struggle to onboard with any one at the present time

The obvious ones though are UPS, FedEx , parcelforce etc

#3

Surely if the driver is that bad, they can use someone else?
Iā€™ve been really lucky with the guy that collects for me. I can give him a call and ask him to do an adhoc collection if needed and so on.
He actually loves it, when I have a lot, because he is self employed and gets paid by the parcel.
Have you tried complaining to management? The franchisee holder if itā€™s DPD local, or higher up the DPD chain otherwise.

But your best bet for an alternative, is to simply start making phone calls.
A lot will depend on your location and throughput as to whether or not they can onboard you. Though I do think that your really going to struggle this close to Christmas and with the RM strikes going on.

#4

Its something you will need to research. the price is going to be based on your collection address, weight etc

#5

We use Fedex and Parcelforce. Fedex are usually the most flexible and also not on strikeā€¦
Tried DX but their tracking does not seem to integrate well with Amazon so we ditched em. Quite a good reliable company though so it was a shame.

Fedex is the cheapest and an area rep will usually come out and visit and you get their contact details.
Parcelforce area reps are like trying to speak to Lord Lucan. You get a sales person who comes out and you never see them again.

You will always have issues with the drivers they do not want big collections even though its good for their company - In general none of them can be bothered really. Its taken us a while to back them into a corner so they do what we want them to do - they almost always try and shift the collection time to suit them i.e turn up early. The self employed drivers get one single payment for one parcel on collection - so economically they get more work and poor pay for a collection. Even the people in the depot get cheesed off as they have to (sometimes) unload. It is a conumdrum that all courier companies get stressed about handling parcels even though thats what the company does for a living!

If you like DPD I would bypass the driver - they tell you anything. Go higher up the management including going to the head office for the franchise. They would not be happy with the driver at all (or the local franchisee).

Our Fedex driver was trying to ā€˜negotiateā€™ with us regarding pickup time. We ignore and go via the area rep and depot. The drivers do not like us much now but we are not bothered as long as they turn up at the correct time with enough space/load capacity to take the parcels.

#6

Sorry everyone I think you missunderstood , my main question is does anyone know a courier company who ā€œā€ combines the parcels and charges by the total kg to each address ā€œā€ as opposed to an individual box rate and if so - what is your feedback on there services, i.e. arrive on time, damaged / lost parcels etc etc.

No - management doesnā€™t want to know. - hes an owner driver with about 6 or 7 vans - so they listen to him rather than me - even though my wife was at the depot on Friday and all of the guys in the office agreed he was useless

With dpd owner drivers they get paid well for delivering but not for collecting, they have to empty there own van on conveyor at the depot and wait in long queues - direct drivers just hae to pull up in there van and warehouse staff unload. - my driver hates my collections as I can fill his van most days wihch annoys him has he as to wait in a queue and unload it by himself - I feel sorry for him that ha a courier driver he as to unload is van

#7

I think you will find that they get paid for collecting at a very similar rate to delivering.
If you have been told different, someone has been telling porkies.
I did used to know the rates, but canā€™t remember now.

#8

Parcelforce also unload their own vans - Fedex do not.
Not sure about group bookings and TBH the rate one person gets will be different to yours. They basically create it based on what you are shipping etc.
Iā€™d say Fedex is your best bet - Parcelforce are all over the place. I have never managed to successfully contact UPS they do not want any business - or so it seems.
We can put out 50-300 parcels per day so they just get used to us and send more than one van or 7.5 tonne vehicle a day.

#9

Thank you TCP - you get where im coming fromā€¦ We are at that stage where we are not a small collection, but not big enough for management to care too much.

This driver has got into management before me and told a whole bunch of lies to get out of collecting. If thats what management want to believe - then let them , I will not begā€¦

These 3 were exactly what I was looking at.

DX
Im not too concerned about the actual tracking, I never worry about my parcels to amazon until after about 2 or 3 weeks anyway - but could be a concern going forward for the ebay next day sales and our own website.

Is it just the tracking on Amazon which you struggled with ?

Parcelforce
I do have the detail of a sales rep as I had an account with them in 2014 which I trialled for a few months then went back to dpd and I just tried his number and email address and both are active

I left them as it was around a time a big courier company went bust ( cant remember who ) and only 10% of my business was Amazon and 90% was own website next day service - I had loads of complaints as most was taking 2 days+ Which I couldnā€™t handle the complaints a the time. We are now 90 % amazon, so late parcels are not too much of a concern, so can consider these again.

Fedex - I went on there website, but cant see where you can open a business account - only send a parcel online starting from Ā£6.95 - Do you have a number I can call ?

Also - do any of the 3 above charge by the kg per address like dpd local or are they all box rate

Overall, im not concerned if they change collection time as long as they come !! we are here many nights working late, so even if collection time was 10am or 11am - there would still be loads for them

Many thanks for your help.

#10

Hi Neil,

With dpd, I believe you can pick your own rates - 1 is good for collections the other is good for deliveries, but never both. This guy has a handfull of vans he owns and he makes his money deliveriing.

When were based in Bolton they made more collecting and we had brilliant service. He used to ask me that where there were cartons in side boxes - could i take them out so the more the merrier - but they dont get it both ways.

#11

Thanks - I knowprices are all different in accounts - its the kg price im looking for as opposed to box rate as we can have loads at 1kg and then some at 20kg etc usually all going to the same place.

Do you have number to call fedex - I cant seem to find it on there website

#12

Fair enough. Iā€™ll ask my driver about it next time I see him. :slight_smile:

Iā€™d be a little wary of Parcelforce at the moment, as it is basically RM still.

But to be fair to them, I used to use them quite a lot at one point, and they were pretty good.
Always had a direct manager that I could contact. So it may have changed, as itā€™s been a fair old while now.

#13

Thanks Neil - I have 1 for DPD - but they get back to me after about 2 or 3 days and its not like i mither he, probably contact her to step in around 3 or 4 times a year and only when it needs a manager, shes not very good.

#14

What area of the country are you in I can ask my rep who yours is. Thats how I got into my Fedex depot when I moved address - Asked my old rep who my new one would be and rang her up. DM if you want Iā€™ll find out. Never rang Fedex directly for a new account but this is one is the general customer care number 03456070809

Parcelforce might be better in the long run but are on strike alot at present. We have an account with them as well and just use them between strike dates for some stuff.
We found having just one carrier risky so run 2 at the same time.

#15

Youā€™re after a consignment rate as opposed to a single box rate.

I use APC whoā€™s rates are similar to DPD but with the added benefit that they also offer a postable which will rival Royal Mail tracked. The single box rates for me are quite good and negotiable, but the booking system allows you to enter in mulitple boxes under one booking to the same address and this will then work out a total dimensional rate and will then pro rata the box rate that you have agreed.

For example if you had a box rate of Ā£5 for up to 20kg and want to send say 4 small boxes at 5kg each, you will be charged just the Ā£5. if they weighed 10kg each then they would charge you Ā£10.(rates are just examples. If you have a box under 1kg, then this has a special rate that will be much cheaper than sending as a box. I have used a lot of these during the current Royal Mail strikes and everything is next day.

#16

Thank you JR, will defo contact them.

#17

Thanks TCP - we have 2 collection addresses, Preston PR4 and Blackpool FY4 - both should be covered by same rep as only about 4 mile from each other

#18

My old rep at parcelforce got back to me this morning and as done some comparisons on old invoices and on average I would be Ā£20 a week worse off. I dont think that would be bad as opposed to having missed collections where im having to drive 1 and half hours round trip and how much in fuel to drop offā€¦

#19

DMā€™d you with a reps email address

#20

Try APC they have combined shipment prices i think.