What Can Delivery Drivers Do to Improve Their Services?
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I’m a delivery driver for a well known delivery company in the UK and I was wondering if you have any peeves when it comes to your parcel deliveries that may help me do better and give customers a better service.
Not sure if this is helpful but I've hurt my back taking boxes off a delivery driver recently. It was 3 boxes and 2 was very heavy. I guess he was considerably stronger than me. It would have been helpful if he warned me.
I always warn people if the box is particularly heavy because some people just go to grab it with one hand thinking it’s much lighter
Yodel drivers tend to throw the package and then leave. I hate when they do that.
I never throw packages that’s disgraceful. I always think anything could be inside and I don’t know what it is, could be something sentimental so I handle all packages with respect
I’ve a few delivery drivers that deliver to me but my favourite has to be David. He drives for Hermes/Evri who get such bad reputation in Northern Ireland but David is fantastic. If I could choose who delivers parcels to me it would be David eveytime. He’s a great guy who always delivers on time, always has a smile and greets me and if I’m not in he knows where to put my packages out of site. I wish all drivers would take notes from him
Sounds like you’ve got a good one. I try my best to be happy, respectful and helpful to all my customers
It would be great for delivery person to wait a couple of minutes for the door to be answered. I also appreciate it if they place the parcel inside just on the hall floor.
You know why they don’t wait? Because the powers above push us to reduce our “dwell time” which basically means how long you are stopped for, they want us to wait 10 seconds and then either leave or go to a neighbour but that’s just ridiculous to expect people to answer within a few seconds some elderly or disabled people can take a few minutes and often shout that they are coming. I always tell them not to worry and to take their time and then I will offer to put the package somewhere for them if they struggle to carry it themselves
Some delivery drivers start banging loudly on the door just because you haven’t instantly opened the door the second they have rung the bell. I absolutely hate this!!!! So rude and quite alarming. Raises anxiety levels. PLEASE STOP DOING THIS!
This is difficult because to be honest I don’t knock too loudly because I personally hate it myself but I get people saying they never heard me knock. A lot of people have ring doorbells now so it’s not too bad but there are still a few houses that don’t have them, I still don’t bang on the door like a debt collector though because there could be someone who is anxious or someone vulnerable who is easily frightened so I try to get a balance of knocking enough they can hear without rattling the door
Knocking gently is fine but you used exactly the right words “like a debt collector “ !!!!! Lol! It really makes you feel like something awful is about to happen. It makes me stressed out. But I have never had a lady deliver driver do this. Always the men
This is why I prefer doorbells I constantly over criticise my own knock. I had a guy last week come out of his house after I posted a card because no one answered basically have a go at me on the street because he insisted I didn’t knock and called me a liar when I said I had then he sarcastically said “oh suppose I’ve just suddenly gone deaf then have I” I but my tongue so hard I’ll tell ya 
As stated above, my only consistent peeve is them leaving before I have chance to answer the door. This seems especially bad with Hermes. I've watched them on the doorbell cam just drop the package on the ground (often in the rain), knock on the door, then immediately get back in their van and sod off. Totally ignoring the doorbell. There's been a few times with packages that need to be signed for where I've leapt out of bed on a Saturday morning, thrown on a dressing gown, sprinted down the stairs, by the tike I get there, they're gone! There goes my weekend lay-in.
We also have a large storage box out the front, right next to the door. We always list it as the 'safe place' to leave the package. It is still often left on the ground by the front door. Some absolute sociopaths even leave packages on top of the box - why would anyone do that, how hard is it to lift the top and drop it inside? Others will also still disturb my neighbours instead of placing it in the box or waiting an extra ten seconds for me to answer the door.
One memory sticks out. I had ordered two wardrobes after a move. Massive, heavy boxes. They didn't even knock before unloading. He jumped out his cab, unloaded one, knocked once, I didn't hear the knock because I was upstairs. Had he rung the doorbell, I have chimes on every floor, and in most rooms. It was only when I heard a lot of banging from outside, I looked out my window to see him handing over two absolutely massive wardrobes to my new, elderly neighbor, and you could see on his face he was not happy about the situation - understandably. So I ran outside and asked what on earth they were doing. My neighbour was in the middle of dragging one into his hallway on his own while the driver unloaded the other one. The driver pretended he spoke no English to avoid shouldering any responsibility. It was very awkward apologising to my new neighbour. I just told him if anything like it happens again, just refuse delivery, I certainly won't be offended.
Anyways, to end on a positive, these experiences are the minority, most of our delivery people are very friendly and sensible, on first name terms with a few of them. It's not strictly the drivers I blame, it's the companies trying to force them to deliver as many packages as is humanly possible in the shortest possible time frame
That’s the issue some companies pay per parcel so if it doesn’t get delivered they don’t get paid also the quicker they deliver the more they earn. Others pay a day rate but the driver has to deliver a certain amount of parcels within a certain time frame so it is partially the companies putting pressure on but still common sense should prevail and I would never leave furniture with an elderly neighbour that’s just common sense to me
Seems like you operate with a level of common sense and empathy - which most delivery drivers do to be fair. As I say, it's only a small minority of numpties doing the really silly things, and it's often due to company policy, as you say.
Some are shocking, my partner is a manager at my place and the stories he tells me of things drivers have done usually out of pure laziness is shocking but they are dealt with if customers complain so I always encourage people to complain if there is an issue because at my company at least it is listened to x
joceeree - More than 3 times I have left my porch open/unlocked with a note on the glass window telling the various delivery drivers my porch is open and the driver still leave my parcel or anything that can't fit into my letterbox outside my front door. I am very pleased that you are a very considerate delivery driver.
I’ve had a few people do the same and I always put it in the porch if they request it. On the other hand I won’t even try the porch unless instructions are left to leave it there but the golden rule for leaving a parcel safe is out of view and out of the weather so nothing should be left at the front door x
A small but important one for me would be to close the gate when they leave. I am often annoyed by the gate banging on a windy day (sure my neighbours are too!). Other times I've let my dog out without checking and worried he could have escaped. I'm sure this won't apply to you anyway as you sound very conscientious.
I always close gates as I’ve owned dogs myself or they could even have small children who bolt out of the door and could end up straight in the road. I’d never forgive myself if something happened because I left a gate open takes seconds to close it so no excuse x
Mine don't always knock they dump and run and some don't even put it in the safe place and leave it on the door step. I got my neighbours stuff yesterday. Good job we get on. I could have taken it and kept it. Not even my direct neighbours either but about 4 doors up. Packaging was fulling apart so could see what it was.
That completely unacceptable no packages should be left out in the open in full view. Make a complaint to head office it does filter down and the driver will be warned. Well does where I work anyway can’t speak for other places
Oh and those doing deliveries respecting signs saying no junk mail. Though I did have an argument on the communal stairs with someone from a local church who put something through the door. Telling it wasn't junk so could put it through the door expecting me to be oh sorry you're right. Wrong., that attitude wound me up even more. I told him anything not addressed personally to the residents was junk and to respect residents wishes. He couldn't respond to that as he knew I was right.
Thankfully I only deliver things that have been ordered but I see a lot of those signs and wonder if they are actually listened to
I post them back to the company with a note saying to respect residents wishes and make them pay for postage
Jerseydrew Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear aren't you a horrible person to get into a huff about junk mail? What's wrong with putting it all into a recycling bin?
Rude and I've a sign up saying not to post it and have contacted the post office multiple times and fed up with it
Thank you for this interesting Chat topic - I've given you some bonus points as a thank you 
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