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DPD: Delivering parcels or just broken promises?

Patrick Christys
May 2, 2019

There are not many things more infuriating than unreliable delivery services.

We've all experienced it at least once: you get a text to say the driver came but nobody was home...while you are sat in your own living room having taken the day off work to make sure you get your parcel.

There's also the old 'we left it with a neighbour' trick, but when you go next door you're greeted by a bemused face and, surprise, surprise, no package.

Arguably the most dreaded one of all is the 'we returned it to the depot' email. Normally, that depot is at the other end of the country and the parcel you urgently needed won't arrive for another week.

A Spokesman Said customers have been in touch to vent their frustration at DPD, a worldwide delivery company that claims to pride itself on fast-paced drop offs.

From what the 516 complainants are saying, it looks like there may be more chance of your train turning up on time every single day of the year than your parcel arriving...

Kayleigh told us: "I ordered a laptop because i have to start a new job on Monday. I paid extra for a specific time delivery slot. I make sure i am in because DPD have claimed i have not been home before.

"Then I get a message saying they couldn't deliver because nobody was home. Absolutely infuriating. 

"I live in a small block of flats and the buzzer makes a awful piercing sound thats horribly loud so I know they didn't ring the buzzer. No calling card was left and now customer services is just a computer generated system that doesn't allow me to do anything.

"I NEED this laptop otherwise i cannot work. After reading reviews this is a common thing to many people. How are they allowed to do this with no reprimand?

"I will be invoicing DPD for every hour I lose on work because of them, not to mention the stress of there pure negligence."

Carl also reached out, saying: "Waited in all day, heard the letterbox go and by the time I had got to the door the driver was in his van. Im pretty sure he didn’t even knock.

"Rang DPD and got through half hour later but they couldn’t get hold of the driver, now my new work phone is miles away and I can’t book any jobs in for tomorrow until I get it back.

"DPD are with out a doubt one of the worst delivery companies around."

Now we've all heard of stuff getting lost in the post, but waiting seven months for confirmation that the parcel is nowhere to be found takes the biscuit.

This allegedly happened to Franceso, who said: "Parcel sent 7 months ago (7!!!). After several lies, it turned out the package is lost.

"Case is still “pending”. Impolite and unclear in ever answer they give me. Goes for weeks and months without hearing from them. Worst customer support and service ever. Stay away from this company."

Flavia also had a negative experience, saying: "DPD doesn't honour its commitments neither does it respect its clients. My parcel was not delivered, nobody bothered to call to manage my expectations and client service hung up on me.

"DPD does not deserve to be in business."

And Sarah isn't holding back either: "If I could give no stars I would. It's a terrible company with terrible customer service.

"My parcel has been delivered to the wrong address and they've not been able to contact the driver suddenly. No calls back, as they promised, no updates.

"They opened a dispute and are now making me do the leg work! Absolutely terrible, will never use them again."

Clearly A Spokesman Said contributors aren't happy, and their experience with DPD appears to fly in the face of the company's self-description on its website, which reads:


"We believe in being a responsible partner to the people, businesses, and communities we work closely with."


A Spokesman Said contacted DPD, and a representative told us: 

"While one complaint, is one too many, we need to maintain a sense of perspective.  DPD deliver over 250 million parcels a year in the UK and have been voted the UK’s favourite parcel delivery company six years running in the customer satisfaction poll run by Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert - a poll based on the views of over 7,000 parcel recipients every year. 

"We take customer service very seriously indeed and our number one aim is always to deliver every single parcel right first time, safely and securely.  However, there are times when it is impossible to do so.   When something does go wrong, we always investigate what happened and look at how we can improve the service for our customers next time.  

"Our ongoing investment in customer service and technology means that every single DPD customer is notified of their one-hour delivery slot in advance to ensure that they are either at home or they can use one of our unique in-flight options, while over 4 million parcel recipients are now using the DPD app to personalise their delivery experience even further."




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