On PlusOnline we asked readers about their experiences with parcel delivery. Many readers are very pleased with the deliverers, but… things sometimes go wrong. So what exactly? And how should it go?
Bad experiences with parcel deliverers? Leave your comment below this article!
Miss 1: Package is too late
A reader writes: “I get a time slot for the delivery via the track and trace code and I stay at home especially for it. Later, that time slot is suddenly adjusted, or the delivery person is simply too late.”
How is it? The specified time slot is an extra service; in principle, the mail order companies are not obliged to deliver within that, unless this is a clear agreement or condition of the sender. Does it take very long? In that case, ask the customer service of the delivery service (see box ‘Complain?’).
Miss 2: Package not offered, immediately a note in the box
A frequently heard complaint from our readers: packages that are not offered, or are offered very quickly. This is especially a problem in apartment complexes. A reader writes: “The postman rings the doorbell downstairs and I open the porch door, but no one is taking the elevator to the second floor. I look down the gallery and see that the delivery man is already walking back to the car. I walk down myself with my walker and see the package in the hall.”
This complaint also comes from people who live more outside, with a mailbox on the road and a longer driveway to the house. “We live at the end of a narrow, 1 kilometer long dike, and for thirty years they have refused to deliver parcels to us. They put a note in the letterbox – which is at the front of the road, so that the postman doesn’t have to cycle that far. In that note they let us know that they did not hit us at home. That’s right, because we don’t live in that mailbox. And then with my 71 years old I can cycle 10 kilometers to pick up the package in the village.”
How is it? Part of the conditions is that the deliverer offers the package to the recipient. Isn’t that happening? Then you can submit a complaint about this (see box ‘Complain?’).
Miss 3: Deliver the package somewhere else, no note in the bus
Looks like Miss 2, but now even more goes wrong because no note is put in the mailbox. Readers say: “Our package was delivered ‘somewhere’ to neighbors when I wasn’t home, but there was no message in the letterbox. So you can go all the way down the street to find where the package is!” Another reader: “Twice a package has been delivered to the neighbours, a crematorium of course!”
How is it? In principle, deliverers are obliged to inform the recipient in writing that the package has been offered elsewhere. So there must be a note in the bus. PostNL offers an alternative for this via the MijnPostNL website and the mobile phone app of the same name: you will receive an email or a notification in which you can see where the package has ended up.
Miss 4: We get packages for the neighbors all the time!
One reader writes: “We live in an apartment complex at number 1. That means that they often ring our doorbell, assuming that we will take the package and then arrange it further.” Another reader knows what to do and writes: “My reaction is now: ‘Then you are at the wrong door’. For once I don’t think it’s a problem, but it’s too obvious now.”
How is it? You are not obliged to accept a package for the neighbors. You can simply refuse. Sometimes the package is offered to other neighbors, or a second time to the addressee. If necessary, it will be returned to a collection point. Good to know: from the moment the package is delivered, the risk is for the recipient. This also applies if the package is delivered to the neighbors, unless it is expressly stated on the package that this is not the intention.
Miss 5: Package over the fence
Several readers write that packages are literally thrown over the fence. Others report that it is crammed through the letterbox when it does not fit. Some packages end up under a bench at the front door, on the porch or in a wheelie bin or other container in front of the door. As long as the delivery man is gone.
How is it? The deliverer should deliver a package to the recipient or the neighbors – unless otherwise indicated – and may therefore not leave it unattended. If the package is damaged as a result, this is not at the risk of the recipient, but in most cases at the risk of the sender. The latter can then recover any costs from the delivery person later on. When you order something from a company, it is usually resolved that way. This is more difficult with private shipments. An ordinary package is not insured; registered parcels usually up to €500, although you must be able to prove the value, for example with an invoice. Is the value even higher? Then there is the option of insured shipping, usually up to a value of €5500. The sender is then in principle responsible for shipping, chooses the conditions and therefore also reimburses any additional costs.
And also: hurry, hurry, hurry
We received several responses regarding the behavior of delivery drivers, including driving behaviour: driving fast and dangerously and parking on the sidewalk or in the middle of the road. There is still some understanding for this among our readers. “The drivers have to be super fast, because they are underpaid. But then it is still not good.” Other deliverers bang on the door too hard, autographs are not requested and some deliverers go so far as to react angrily and threateningly to any form of criticism if they are confronted about undesirable behaviour. One reader summarizes: “My general impression is that they are far too busy and therefore always in a rush, causing the above actions.”
Can’t find a solution with the delivery service? Then you can also submit the complaint to the supervisory authority, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets. www.consuwijzer.nl, 088-070 70 70.
The Consumers’ Association collects complaints about all kinds of companies (including parcel deliverers) via Klachtenkompas.nl. Sometimes that leads to an immediate solution. If there are many complaints, the association can also take further steps.
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