Delivery Expectaions

[MPCFAD]

Can anyone tell me if I am just being unreasonable, for expecting both a supplier of goods, AND the delivery company, to respect my opening hours? DPD (in particular) have asked me to enter my opening hours on their website profile for my company, but they CONTINUE to attempt to deliver on days that I am closed. When they find my shutters down, they deliver the package, to a residential house in my street. Now, if this was a small, light package from Amazon (or the like),that would NOT be a problem, and neighbours are usually quite agreeable to help one another in such circumstances. But when MY package consists of 10,000 A5 fliers, how is it justifiable, to expect a lowly housewife to carry VERY heavy boxes into her house, and then bring them outside, when I call at her door (apologetically),on a SUNDAY AFTERNOON, because I don't want her having to trip over them, until I return to work on Tuesday.

To me, this is not just inconvenient, it is downright criminal, but these courier companies seem to be immune from any laws or legislation, regarding this type of behaviour. If they are sent a complaint about it, they simply return, a standard reply of, "Sorry for any inconvenience caused, we will try to do it better next time" - but they DON"T!

Anyone else encountered this problem, and how do you deal with it?

 

[AI Helper]

Delivery Expectaions

No, that’s not unreasonable at all. If you’ve provided opening hours and they’re still attempting delivery when you’re shut, that’s a service failure. The bigger issue is the “safe place / neighbour” behaviour for heavy commercial consignments — it’s not fair on your neighbours and it creates risk for you (loss/damage, disputes about what was delivered, and potential data/brand issues if it’s printed material).

What’s actually going on
Couriers often treat “opening hours” as guidance, not a hard rule, unless the delivery is set up as a timed service or the account is configured to prohibit neighbour delivery. Drivers are also pushed to complete stops, so if a business is closed they’ll use the fastest “successful delivery” option available.

What to do (practical steps that usually work)

• Stop “deliver to neighbour” on the DPD side
  If you have a DPD business account/profile, ask DPD to put a delivery instruction on the account: “Do not leave with neighbour. Do not safe place. Return to depot if closed.”
  If you don’t control the shipment (your supplier books it),DPD may ignore your preferences because the contract is with the sender. In that case, the fix is mainly with the supplier (see below).
• Make the supplier responsible: change your delivery terms
  Go back to the supplier and be very clear: “Deliveries accepted [days/times]. No neighbour deliveries. If attempted outside hours, re-deliver at supplier’s cost.”
  Ask them to add it to your account notes and to each order as a delivery instruction. If they can’t guarantee it with their courier, tell them to use a different service or ship to an alternative address.
• Use a service that matches the job
  10,000 A5 flyers is not a “chuck it next door” parcel. Ask for:
  • A timed delivery (AM/PM, or pre-12) on a day you’re open, or
  • Pallet delivery with a proper booking slot if it’s heavy/bulky.
  It costs more, but it stops the nonsense and avoids neighbour disputes.
• Put a clear sign on the shutter/door
  Something like: “Business premises. No deliveries accepted outside opening hours. Do not leave with neighbours. Return to depot.”
  It won’t stop every driver, but it helps when you escalate because you can say you’ve made it explicit on-site.
• Escalate properly (and in writing)
  A phone complaint often gets the template apology. Put it in writing to DPD and to the supplier. Include:
  • Tracking numbers
  • Dates/times attempted
  • The neighbour address it was left at
  • Photos if you have them
  • Your stated opening hours and the fact they were provided on the profile
  Ask for a written confirmation of the account/shipment being flagged “no neighbour / no safe place”.
• If it happens again, reject it via the supplier
  If the courier leaves it with a neighbour again, tell the supplier you’re treating it as not delivered to you (because it wasn’t delivered to the delivery address during acceptance hours) and require re-delivery. This tends to focus minds quickly. The supplier is the courier’s customer, so they have leverage you don’t.

Is it “criminal”?
Usually not criminal, but it can be a breach of contract/service and it can create liability arguments if goods go missing or are damaged. The key point is: your contract is normally with the supplier, not the courier, so the supplier is the party you can put proper commercial pressure on.

A sensible “set and forget” workaround
If you’re closed weekends/odd days, consider a dedicated delivery solution:

• Deliver to a nearby trade counter (some printers/wholesalers offer this)
• Deliver to a staffed collection point (only if the size/weight is acceptable — many aren’t)
• Use a local business storage/unit that can accept deliveries (if you’re ordering heavy print regularly)

If you share whether you book DPD or the supplier does, and what your opening pattern is, it’s possible to suggest the quickest route (account flag vs forcing the supplier to change carrier/service).

 

[MPCFAD]

Couriers often treat “opening hours” as guidance, not a hard rule,

I fail to see the logic in this statement. 'Opening hours', means, the hours that I am OPEN, and if there is ANY time outwith these 'opening hours', then I'm CLOSED. That to me, is not a guide, it's a 'hard rule', there are no grey areas, or flexibility, I'm CLOSED, end of story. I HAVE also done the other things you've suggested, ie, telling them CLEARLY, that they must NOT make any deliveries to the residential house in the street. I also made my complaint to the supplier, because I KNEW that the courier company treated me as NOT being their customer. The supplier emailed them (as you suggested) and got a standard reply of, "Sorry we didn't get it right, we will endeavour to do better". But, this is not the first time this has happened, and certainly not the first time I have complained, but they just simply ignore all instructions, and just carry on doing the same thing.

 

[AI Helper]

Delivery Expectaions

You’re right on the plain-English meaning: if you’re shut, you’re shut. The point being made wasn’t that your hours are flexible — it’s that many courier networks don’t operate as if it’s a hard rule unless the shipment is set up in a way that forces compliance. That’s not logic you should have to accept, but it explains why the same failure repeats even after complaints.

If DPD are ignoring “don’t leave with neighbour” and “deliver only when open”, the practical lever is to remove the driver’s ability to complete the stop when you’re closed. That usually means getting the sender (your supplier) to change the service level or the delivery options on their DPD account, not just adding a note. Ask the supplier to do one of these and confirm in writing which they’ve applied:

• Disable neighbour delivery and disable “safe place” for your address (account-level flag, not a one-off instruction).
• Ship as business-only delivery with signature required and no diversion.
• Use a timed/dated service (or booked delivery) on a day you’re open.

If they won’t or “can’t”, treat it as a supplier problem: tell them you’ll only place future orders if they use an alternative carrier/service that can comply, and that any delivery left with a neighbour will be treated as not delivered (so they must reprint/resend at their cost). That’s often the only language that changes behaviour because it hits cost and KPIs.

On your side, it’s also worth putting a very explicit instruction at point of order (purchase order/email) and keeping evidence. If it happens again, raise it as a formal complaint with the supplier, not a casual “heads up”, and ask for a named contact and a corrective action plan — not another template apology.

If you say whether this is a regular print supplier and roughly how often these heavy drops happen, it’s possible to suggest the most robust setup (pallet network, booked delivery, or a local trade counter/receiving address) that stops neighbours being dragged into it.