Delivery issues - what are my rights?

[TPMB12]

You guys know a lot so I'll probably get an answer quickly from you.

I've ordered something that got delivered earlier than it should have been. So I was out. The delivery company has recorded it as delivered and signed by me. Not your case I was out. I do not know if a neighbour has it. They're all great at taking parcels in and knocking on our door with them so I would expect that to happen if it was delivered to them.

So courier and retailer has been informed and are investigating. Driver was in the right area too.

So am I legally safe in asking for a replacement to be sent or a full refund?

What are my rights?

What should I do next?

[zigzag]

not sure regarding the rights, but in my experience, on those occasions couriers leave the parcel with neighbours they also drop a note through my letter box telling which door to knock on.

[TPMB12]

I'm sure DPD did that but the last few deliveries by them they don't do that unless you tell them to and they ask which number too. I think it was a change in procedure sometime this year.

No note in this case. DPD app shows as delivered and signed by me. Which raises another concern over their procedures and systems. I was at my son's birthday party and was definitely unable to sign for anything delivered to my home address or anywhere. So they've given the parcel to someone who has signed with a squiggle and they typed it in as signed by the recipient whether it had or not as in this case. Can you even sign properly on one of those handheld devices?

So they've got no signature of any worth. They don't have the name of the person signing for it. The last bit that concerns me is the driver has recorded it as being signed by me. Could that be an excuse for DPD and the retailer to wipe their hands of the case?

That's really why I hope someone knows my rights here.

[essexian]

This webpage gives some information regarding your rights

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/somethings-gone-wrong-with-a-purchase/if-something-you-ordered-hasnt-been-delivered/

If you need more detailed advice than in the above page, then give the Consumer Helpline a call: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/

Hope this helps

[Frank9755]

If it hasn't arrived, you are entitled to ask them to send either it or a replacement out.  You could then return the replacement for a refund. 

Essentially your contract is with the retailer and that is who you complain to.  The carrier is working for them so the retailer so the retailer has potential redress against the carrier - but that is their concern, you bought from the retailer and how they get it to you is up to them.

They may ask the carrier to give them the scan of the signature and ask you to confirm it is not yours, or anyone known to you - but that is them sorting out their own internal processes.

[TPMB12]

Good news. 5 day investigation period passed and retailer has been given permission to claim against courier. So b they've sent a replacement out by same courier. I got it sent to Halfords drop off point and it has arrived. Collecting it tomorrow on the way home.

Apparently the original driver no longer works for the courier. I wonder what happened there.

[The Family Cyclist]

You get a lot of agency/temp drivers this time of year and they don't give a proverbial. We get a lot of deliveries at work and the regular ones are generally very good as it's there job and most actually care. There are DX exceptions

[arabella]

I had similar.
DPD suggested asking all the neighbours.  I pointed out that living at no. eleventy-six as I did there were a lot. (fx: no response)
In the end I asked the usual neighbour and there it was.

[TPMB12]

I went to retailer who dealt with DPD. After 5 days they got permission to claim for loss and same day the item got dispatched. That was a Friday and I collected it Tuesday from a drop off place when I had a car to do it. It would have arrived the Monday. Actually the Saturday "because they n had drivers in the area anyway but if you're not in we'll try to deliver on Monday as arranged". On reading that comment on the DPD tracking I immediately changed the delivery to my nearest drop of shop.

Turns out that the level of Xmas deliveries means the regular drivers have to drop some areas. The regular drivers tend to work multiple territories. In the case of one DPD driver that's 4 areas. But at Xmas he temporarily gives two areas back to DPD who gets agency or temps to deliver, one for each relinquished area. So over Xmas DPD needs 3 people to cover what one person did. The regular DPD guy still makes his usual earnings or more but less costs as he's driving less distance. There's a depot in my small town so there's a few DPD drivers living nearby. I probably know more than one without realising it.

BTW good result for me. I got good use out of my delivery once I got it with several days to spare too.