Are your deliveries meeting your accessibility needs?

I generally find that if I leave specific instructions on the vendor’s site for the courier they just get totally ignored so I don’t bother leaving instructions any more. But I do have a neatly typed note in large fonts in a plastic cover that I hang from my letter box when I’ve ordered something and I’m waiting in for it to come which warns the couriers that I am in to receive the parcel, but that I might not answer the door right away so please be patient. And that’s not because I’m disabled, I am but I can still bomb it down the stairs, but more because I might be occupied when they arrive, I might be on the phone, or on the bog etc. and as I live alone there’s no-one else available to answer the door so it might take time. But needless to say while I have such a notice I all too often forget to use it. But I have noticed far too many couriers now just dump the parcel on the doorstep without ringing my doorbell and then just leave it to possibly get stolen before I can get there. I suppose they’re worried about catching the virus and are worried about their families etc. or worried about losing their job if they catch it and have to stop working. But even several years ago long before the virus arrived I once ordered a pressure washer and I went out and came home to find it just left there on my doorstep in full view of the main road and it could so easily have been stolen. And when I complained I just got completely ignored, despite the delivery company insisting on their site that they always investigated all complaints. And as for the so-called “equality” act, in my long, hard and bitter experience it’s nowhere near properly enforced and it’s openly and arrogantly flouted by private operators and public authorities alike, there’s nothing but total contempt for it all over the place, and my local mp just doesn’t want to know either and also just totally ignores me as if I didn’t matter. Well disabled lives DO matter! Honestly I don’t know why we have acts of parliament if they’re never going to be enforced.

To be boringly pedantic, we are talking about carriers, not couriers.

Couriers are messengers who take items from one person directly to another without intermediate transfers and time spent in hubs and depots. Their special job is to make sure the package is delivered to the named consignee and that it is duly received [and usually signed for as evidence of delivery].

Carriers are general purpose delivery people, collecting and delivering consignments where items are usually aggregated with others and go through various stages on their route to the addressee.

I have found that most of the parcel delivery companies [Hermes, DPD, Yodel, etc] have improved their tracking and logistical functions during the coronavirus emergency but have started to slip in their customer service standards. Whether it is the pressure of the higher volume of parcels carried or a change in personal attitudes I don’t know, but the deterioration is certainly noticeable.

They don’t ring the doorbell but tap feintly on the front door; we can hardly hear that because there is an inner door.

They don’t wait long enough for us to get to the front door and have usually gone within ten seconds – although the Amazon man sits in his van watching to see if we pick up the parcel.

If they see a window open or the car on the drive then they don’t hang about – they assume we are in and just leave the package on the front step.

They rarely put things where we have asked them to [we have a woodstore in the front garden which is very suitable for leaving parcels in because it will keep things dry].

Yodel, Hermes and DPD seem to be the only carriers who will return a second or third time if they cannot deliver the first time.

Amazon are obsessed with speed of delivery and often change the date to a day or two earlier than previously estimated but only notify that by e-mail a short time beforehand.

I do not categorise myself as disabled but I do currently have mobility difficulties and find it very awkward to pick things up from ground level, so finding a parcel left on the doorstep is a problem.

I agree with Em that the responsible party for ensuring proper delivery is the consignor of the article. It is disappointing that many of them just use the cheapest firm and don’t really want to know about any complications. They could make life a lot easier for people if they gave more reliable forecasts of delivery dates and times. Unfortunately many suppliers do not even notify the dispatch date which would provide a useful clue of when to expect the goods.

We had a new doormat delivered yesterday; we found it on the front step. . . . Honestly! You’d think they’d put it in the wheelie bin or somewhere as they usually do wouldn’t you? No common sense some people!

Has this Conversation been advertised on websites or publications for those with disabilities?

Please correct the typo in the title.

There is still the confusion in the intro between carrier and courier. I agree with others that it is the vendor who should be informed of any special delivery instructions so they then have the opportunity of instructing their courier or making alternative arrangements.

We seem to have become used to free, or very cheap, home delivery and this inevitably results in rapid visits to ensure the poorly-rewarded driver gets in his full quota. You get what you pay for and if you want a better service you must be prepared to pay for it.

I reported the delivery of a cot bed by JLP the other day. I was offered a delivery date 3 days in advance followed by a 2 hour delivery slot the day before and, on the day, was given a message when the van was 25 minutes away. I was in the front garden when they arrived and was asked where they should take the parcel to; just inside the front door please. But that was JLP’s own transport, with 3 men; I wonder how competitive they would be against a general carrier?