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?

I have to have a permanent waterproofed notice hanging from my letterbox now reminding all visitors to ring my bell and not just knock on the door as I won’t hear it. And I don’t generally have much of a problem with deliveries as long as the carriers do ring my bell and let me know they’re there, but what I certainly DO have a major problem with is the absolutely EXCRUCIATING excuse for so-called “music” all too often used these days while on hold when I ring anyone, so I end up having to instantly abort the call and write them an old fashioned letter and then only get arrogantly totally ignored. Honestly there seems to be nothing but total widespread blatant ignorance and appalling condescending attitudes all over. There was a time when music was enjoyable but not any more, now far too much of it is totally physically IMpossible to listen to, and no-one will be told, despite it being a serious breach of the so-called “equality” act, where there’s far too much of an attitude that the act somehow “doesn’t apply” to anyone disabled like me, and that such folk somehow “don’t matter”. Well ALL disabled lives DO matter! And I bet some smart alec somewhere has done some “research” and found such excruciating noises to be supposedly “relaxing” and supposedly clinically “proven” it, while completely ignoring all those like me, and there’s plenty out there, believe me, and they have RIGHTS, like the right to use services without being brutally tortured out of their skull in the process.

Deliveries can be very frustrating but I also like to be fair. Now, since “epidemic” was announced, an unimaginable number of people have turned to online ordering, instead of going outdoors where the oxygen is and not indoors, unless windows or doors are wide open and there are breezes blowing through the dwelling. That stay indoors advice was so ridiculous but people have stopped thinking for themselves. Sitting on your balcony, sitting in your garden, sitting by the sea to take in fresher air than what is indoors, going outdoors very in the the morning dew before there is an influx of vehicles; going up elevations, riding your bicycle, jogging, running- outdoor exercises to expand your lungs, is the advice that should have been given, besides you should focus on your immune system. The stupidity has been so bad that those who were used to already shopping at supermarkets online, had no certainty they would get a booking slot each time they needed to book one. The sick and disabled were part of those already online shoppers but were left out in the cold because they were crowded out by abled bodied and well persons.

So, delivery persons have their share of problems like exhaustion, with a shortage of drivers, no voice and whatever frustrations present themselves on any given day- like moody customers, traffic chaos, etc. At this time I will have much sympathy for them because I try to find out how a person is and I get the feedback, which is not positive. In addition, when they have ben told to keep their distance and not knowing the person behind the door thinking on the various public advice given by the government and businesses, I am sure they knock or ring the door bell and step back immediately. After a while not having seen anyone come to the door and being away from the door are unable to hear voices behind doors, leave items at the door.

Customers could leave a message on their door to relieve the frustrations all around. Another issue is that some property owners forbid leaving messages at the main entry when a resident knows there is a problem or has an emergency that cannot be communicated to the seller or delivery company. Some businesses can be contacted by telephone but for the past two years phone lines have had very long waiting times, only voice messages or no human at the end of all the instructions callers have followed and others can only be contacted through social media. To truly solve the problem, delivery companies should instruct their delivery persons to telephone the customer if a problem ensues at any time and also allow customers to have their phone number to report delivery not made by the specified time or finding out it was left somewhere by a neighbour, security guard, concierge or by you. But buyers cannot contact delivery companies by telephone or email, just from their website and that is with delivery instructions.

Carriers face huge challenges too and especially during the early period of lockdown when many carriers had to avoid taking signatures and were not equipped to provide photographic proof of delivery.

I am aware of many situations whereby some consumers thought they could benefit by not having to sign the delivery drivers scanner or paper delivery note and then advised the retailer they had not received the goods, when in fact they had, with the objective to obtain a refund. This was shocking conduct and some retailers suffered terribly during this time.

However, when the cameras where initially enabled in the delivery drivers scanners, many consumers were unaware of this and did not realise the driver was taking a photo. This created some rather embarrassing and potentially criminal consequences for those consumers who were attempting to defraud retailers.

I recall an example of a consumer who claimed they had not received a flat pack dining room table and had requested the retailer issue a refund. However, the retailer had a very clear image of the homeowner (not their face) holding the table in their doorway, clearing showing what the customer was wearing, along with a clear view of the porch showing a distinctive entrance mat and a side table with an unusual vase.

Initially and to avoid any awkwardness, the retailer did not advise the customer they had a photo and took the approach they had spoken with the delivery driver who had confirmed he had delivered the table, describing the driveway, house and the colour of the door. The customer agreed to check with his wife to see whether she had taken delivery and placed it in the shed or garage without his knowledge. But because they had not signed for the item and believed the retailer could not prove otherwise, they contacted the retailer again, claiming it had never been delivered and wanted a refund. At this point, the retailer used their trump card, advising the customer the table was accepted by a lady at the address, wearing pink fluffy slippers (with a branded motif), a grey dressing gown and describing the entrance mat, side table and vase, and then asking “is there anyone at the address who wears these items Sir and does the description of the side table and vase sound familiar”?

The customer hung up, was never heard from again and no doubt caused himself significant embarrassment.