dhl = bad (DHL)

Member Name: rachydarling

Product:	DHL
Date:	16/11/04 (2906 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: none

Disadvantages: don't ring doorbells, don't leave cards, bad customer service

in the past two months dhl have managed to mess me around a LOT.

the first incident was when i ordered a new mobile phone from o2. i paid for next day delivery as for the rest of the week i had things planned which meant that i wouldn't be in to collect it.

it gets to 7pm on the day of delivery and i still have no package. i ring dhl who inform me i need to ring o2 to find out the actual tracking number. so i ring o2, get the tracking number and then ring back dhl to find out where my package is.

dhl tell me that my package has not been classified as next day delivery so i can expect it in the next three or four days. i press them for an exact day and they tell me tuesday. tuesday comes, i cancel my plans and i wait in for the phone. and wait. and wait.

tuesday night i ring them up. "there seems to have been a problem with the delivery van, he had to turn back". i check the website. the package is listed as still being in the depot. i have to cancel the next day's plans to wait in for it and then i finally recieve my package.

i am currently in the middle of the second experience. i am right now waiting for a package that should have arrived on the 8th november. i ordered some books off amazon (one of which is important for my university assessment. if it arrives tomorrow - the day the assessment is due - then there will have been no point at all in ordering it). i selected the free delivery (which should arrive withing 3-5 days), amazon tell me the expected delivery date is either the 8th or 9th. it gets to the 11th (incidentally my birthday) and i check amazon again. i'm shocked to find out that my order is apparantly complete. i send them an email and they respond very quickly and very helpfully (take note dhl), informing me that it is in the hands of dhl and let me know the tracking number.

i put the tracking number into the website to find that they had apparantly attempted delivery on the 5th november. and "left a card". must have been an invisible card because there wasn't one left then. or on any of the other days they 'attempted delivery'. most of the attempted delivery times are listed as 6.14am, 6.31am, times when most people aren't up and so they can pretend i suppose that nobody was able to collect the package.

there are two things wrong with this.
1. my fiance works early so he was up at these times and would have heard the knock on the door (or god forbid THE ACTUAL DOORBELL)
2. not many people are even up then, what on earth is the point? i have a feeling the delivery people made it up.

i rang dhl again and told them i hadn't recieved a card through the door, otherwise i would have contacted them earlier. when i first spoke to the operator i told her the tracking number that amazon told me. she seemed very confused that i had the tracking number but not the card pushed through the door. she also seemed confused by my surname which isn't that hard and even owned by a few celebrities.

i managed to get her to try and arrange delivery for the 16th (today). she couldn't guarantee delivery before 12 (which is when i would have to leave to attend my lectures) but i'm so annoyed with dhl i have resolved to stay in until they deliver the package.

amazon themselves were fantastic but i will have to stop shopping with them if they continue to use dhl as their shippers, as the service is atrocious.

Summary: