DPD: boooh! & GAK: yay! (it's how problems are solved that matters)

[mcnach]

Yeah, another one of those threads, but with a big thumbs up to GAK.

 

I ordered an EHX Bass Mono Synth pedal the other day from GAK. I'm not particularly in a hurry. It was meant to be delivered between the 7th-9th. Ok.

 

On the 7th I got an email to let me know it'll be delivered on the 8th, by DPD. No delivery slot yet. I decided to work from home and just be there when it arrives, as my girlfriend was not going to be around during the day yesterday.

 

On the 8th I get the delivery slot, around lunchtime: 19:56-20:56. No problem.

 

It's 20:30 (time is important) and I am downstairs talking to my girlfriend and thinking about preparing some food. Since we're exactly in the middle of the delivery slot I decide to wait. I go back upstairs to finish something on the computer.

 

I notice a text from DPD: "sorry you weren't in, we'll deliver your parcel tomorrow at your local DPD shop"

 

Yeah right. It was timestamped at 20:26.

It's a very quiet cul de sac and my house is at the very end. I can see and hear from upstairs any car/van approaching, especially at night. Double specially if I'm expecing someone.

No, they didn't attempt delivery. We all know that.

Interestingy DPD allows you to set actions if you're not in: safe place, deliver to neighbours... My default is to leave with one of my neighbours. We all know each other and it's a good bunch, I got lucky. No, of course they didn't try my neighbours. They just lied.

 

Now, I was not in a hurry. I don't care if they deliver it a day later, three days later. It doesn't matter to me in this case. But it matters to me when they lie.

It also matters to me that the DPD shop they chose is around 4 miles away. Can I go to it? I could. Not convenient at all, 'though. And they lied. That really annoys me

 

So I write to GAK last night explaining the situation and I ask them to please contact DPD and get my parcel redelivered at my home address. It'll probably delay matters but what can you do: DPD to get parcel back, back to depot, another day out for delivery... I'm ready to not seeing the pedal until sometime next week at this point.

 

 

 

Then this morning:

 

Text from DPD: your parcel is ready to be picked up at some Argos 4 miles away from my home. And hurry up, it'll only be there until the 15th.

 

I also see a flurry of emails from GAK. GAK has already sent me a replacement, due to be delivered tomorrow. I'm not to be bothered with the previous parcel which will make its way eventually back to GAK somehow.

 

I'm not 100% sure I'll get it tomorrow, because... experience. But GAK have been great, which means that in the future when I buy online, I'm going to remember this and will be more likely to buy from them than I was before this.

Mistakes will be made, problems will arise, it's unavoidable. What matters most to me is their attitude when dealing with issues... and GAK got top marks.

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by mcnach

[TheGreek]

I've had a similar recent experience with Amazon and some tapewound strings.  Driver indicated " handed to customer "...facking liar...he couldn't be rrrsed to deliver them after 6pm.

 

I got on to Amazon...all sorts of promises but the strings are out of stock now so I have to wait until later in the month. 

 

Offers of refunds are pointless...why do they think I placed the order?

COS I FACKING WANT THEM!!

[Burns-bass]

30 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

I've had a similar recent experience with Amazon and some tapewound strings.  Driver indicated " handed to customer "...facking liar...he couldn't be rrrsed to deliver them after 6pm.

 

I got on to Amazon...all sorts of promises but the strings are out of stock now so I have to wait until later in the month. 

 

Offers of refunds are pointless...why do they think I placed the order?

COS I FACKING WANT THEM!!

Good luck. I had a problem with Amazon leaving parcels on my front porch and then driving away. I complained 4 times, but they continued to do it. I need a monitor urgently so went to Amazon assuming they weren’t going to be so stupid…

 

27” 4k monitor left on the doorstep and of course when I returned home it was nowhere to be seen.

 

Entirely predictable and utterly useless.

[Paolo85]

Well done them. I had a problem with a delivery last year. Accidentally ordered a pickup to my old addres from an eBay seller. But I have Royal Mail redirection (which I paid for) so it should have all been ok. 

Except Royal Mail then claimed to have delivered to my old address. It was a tracked parcel but somebody signed it (except I really doubt my old neighbours would do it without telling me anyting... and I asked. And in those days I happened to receive tracked parcels from the letter box without being asked to sign...).

The eBay seller (stringslingers) was totally uninterested in my case. eBay wanted confirmation from RM that they screwed up before doing anything. RM was busy with issues other than looking into my case. Lost the money..

[jezzaboy]

The courier world is like the wild west. Terrible service and no one gives a toss. I`m looking for a driving job after being made redundant and the amount of courier jobs available is unreal, they are desperate and will take on anyone. If you have a car and a smartphone the likes of Yodel will give you a start.

 

I stay on the ground floor of a tenement and the other day a driver asked my wife if she recognised the name on a parcel. No she replied so the guy just threw the parcel on the stair and walked away. It was for a few closes down and we gave the guy his parcel. And the amount of times I have found a parcel on my doorstep, just left, is unreal.

 

I used to reckon UPS were one of the better ones but I was speaking to a guy I used to work with and he told me he was working with them out of the Gyle depot in Edinburgh at the back end of last year and was under so much pressure to get the job done that if he went to a house and no one was in, he just left the parcel and forged a signature! He left just after Christmas and the households of Edinburgh should breathe a sigh of relief!

 

 

Good on GAK for sorting out the problem so fast. I imagine they and other large shops have a person whose sole job is to sort out the b*lls up these couriers make 

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by jezzaboy

[BassAdder60]

I’ve used GAK a few times and highly rate them 

 

Stock arrives in a new condition you would expect 

 

PMT and others it’s like receiving second hand goods 

 

Also in our local area DPD are top class 

[Mykesbass]

The courier business model (self employed drivers) should not be allowed. It isn't what HMRC used to recognise as valid self employment. No idea when the rules changed.

[fleabag]

Thomann were pretty good when i ordered a Boss pedal.  ( £239  damn cheap, but read on )

With payment made, i sat back, watched a film,  tea, popcorn, blah blah.

 

Anyways some hours later, i'm going through some newly arrived emails, and for some reason, re-read the Thomann one and found out i ordered the wrong pedal.

 

Much panic at the keyboard.  I contacted them by email thinking there's no way i can cancel this now, but within about 30 mins, Thomann had cancelled my order

and as Thomann dont take money off your card until they post the itme, no refund was required

 

I was about to re-order the correct pedal  from Thomann, which was another £150 on top , ( £389 ) but suddenly came across another shop in the UK selling the same pedal for £315.  Last one in stock so it was reduced and so i snapped this one up instead, but fair play to Thomann. No messing whatsoever.

[Drax]

Lots to be said for the power of a well resolved problem. You see the phenomena in new car sales, where owners with problems needing recalls rate the brand higher than owners who’ve had no issues at all. Gives the brand more opportunity to be nice you and make you feel valued. 
 

Fair play to GAK for having this policy. Wish more music retailers were this keen to fix courier errors. 

[asingardenof]

11 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

The courier business model (self employed drivers) should not be allowed. It isn't what HMRC used to recognise as valid self employment. No idea when the rules changed.

It's definitely hit and miss. For all the horror stories about Evri our local delivery driver is first rate.

[BigRedX]

16 hours ago, mcnach said:

Then this morning:

 

Text from DPD: your parcel is ready to be picked up at some Argos 4 miles away from my home. And hurry up, it'll only be there until the 15th.

 

I also see a flurry of emails from GAK. GAK has already sent me a replacement, due to be delivered tomorrow. I'm not to be bothered with the previous parcel which will make its way eventually back to GAK somehow.

 

So long as they had used a different delivery service otherwise your second pedal is likely to end up at the same Argos as the first.

[mcnach]

8 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

So long as they had used a different delivery service otherwise your second pedal is likely to end up at the same Argos as the first.

 

 

Yeah, I thought of that... but this time it worked out okay and the pedal was delivered earlier today.