Update 4 (14th May 2012): I wasn't going to come back to this post, but reading a post on Hacker News raised a smile... It fairly accurately reflects how I feel about couriers based on the experience below.
Update 3 (26th March 2012): This post is over 2 years old, has been viewed 55,000 times and had over 200 comments before I closed them. It appears in the top 5 Google results for DPD and I still get regular emails from people having problems and abuse from DPD drivers.
If you've arrived at this post looking for help concerning a DPD delivery:
- Bobby Hare from DPD has offered to help anyone with a problem by emailing marketing.dept@dpd.co.uk (include your parcel reference number and a contact phone number), via Twitter or via Facebook.
- Jason Leither provided a list of DPD depots and contact numbers you may find useful.
I arrived home today to a 'Sorry we missed you' card from DPD for a package I wasn't expecting. This is either very good (an un-launched phone to test or freebie from a PR company) or very bad (tax, bills, legal stuff) - either way I'm reluctant to ignore it. So I'll just use their website and re-schedule, right? Wrong.
- I can re-schedule, but only for the next 4 working days.
- I can pay to upgrade to a weekend, but only this weekend.
- I can specify an alternate address, but only in the same postcode.
- I can collect from the depot, but only in the next 6 days and it's a 3 hour round-trip away - or at least I guess it is - the actual address of the depot's not offered so if 'Park Royal' isn't the one Google Maps thinks it is then... well...
Plenty of choices, but none that don't involve taking time off work (or asking a neighbour to do it for me) or paying £11.50 to sit at home between 9 and 1 thus Saturday morning (I'll be on a plane). I have to select one of these options (within 1 day of their attempted delivery) or they'll just try to deliver again to the same place. If I don't choose an alternative within 3 days, it's just returned to sender. Nice.
What a needless pain - other firms offer far better re-delivery options and hold packages for longer. When I discover who the sender is I'll be asking them not to use DPD again.
List of DPD Depots: In a comment on this post in its original home Jason Leither provided the details of DPD's various addresses - somthing that had proved difficult to find at that point.
West London
0208 978 3843
28 Commercial Way
Park Royal
London
NW10 7XF
Woodford
0208 498 8643
Unit 1, Woodford T/E
Southend Road
Woodford Green
Essex
IG8 8HF
London South
0208 243 3606
Unit 1 Beddington Farm Road
Off Purley Way
Croydon
Surrey
CR0 4XB
Kings Cross
0207 391 8646
101 Camley Street
London
NW1 0PF
Dartford
01322 625643
Unit 3
20 Kennett Road
Crayford
Kent
DA1 4QN
Crawley
01293 893647
Whitworth Road
County Oak Way
Crawley
West Sussex
RH11 7SS
Chelmsford
01245 232093 / 01245 232056
Montrose Road
Dukes Park Ind Estate
Chelmsford
Essex
CM2 6TE
London Bridge
0207 394 3968
Unit 5
Mandela Way
Southwark
SE1 1SE
Isle of Wight
02380 344644
Unit 1, Enterprise Way
Somerton Business Park
Newport Road
Cowes
Isle of Wight
Maidstone
01622 714646
Unit C Riverside Business Park
New Hythe Lane
Larkfield
ME20 6WT
Southampton
02380 258646
Unit F Omega Enterprise Park
Electron Way
Chandlers Ford
Southampton
SO53 4SE
Dunstable
01582 470643
Unit 16 Humphreys Road
Woodside Estate
Dunstable
LU5 4TP
Reading
01189 232643
Units 1 – 3 Commercial Close
Commercial Road
Reading
RG2 0QS
Newbury
01635 812643
Hambridge Lane
Hambridge Road
Newbury
Berks
RG14 5TU
Gloucester
01452 727196
Jessop Court
Waterwells Business Prk
Quedgeley
Gloucester
GL2 2AP
Leicester
0116 250 1606
28a Centurion Way
Meridian Business Park
Leicester
LE19 1WH
Bournemouth
01202 850300
Unit 1 & 2, Arial Park
Uddens Trading Estate
Wimbourne
Dorset
BH21 7NL
Geopost Wembley (Park Royal)
0208 601 7643
Unit 2, Athlon Road
Alperton
Wembley
Middlesex
HA0 1YJ
Birmingham
0121 665 3343
Broadwell Works
Birmingham Road
Oldbury
B69 4DA
Thetford
01842 855646
10a Burrel Way
Stephenson Ind Est
Thetford
Norfolk
IP24 3RW
Rushden
01933 414645
Unit 17, Norris Way
Sanders Lodge Ind Est
Rushden
Northamptonshire
NN10 6BP
Peterborough
01733 842643
Empire House
Saville Road
Westwood Ind Estate
Peterborough
PE3 7PR
Cardiff
02920 772643
Spring Meadow Ind Park
Mardy Road
Rumney
Cardiff
CF3 2ES
Bristol
01179 415605
Units B1/B2
Kingsland Estate
St. Philips Road
Bristol
BS2 0JZ
Exeter
01392 449643
Heron Road
Sowton Ind. Estate
Exeter
EX2 7LL
Cornwall
01872 574643
Victoria Business Park
Roche
St. Austell
Cornwall
PL26 8LX
Swansea
01792 704643
Unit 1, Wyndham Court
Clarion Close
Swansea Enterprise Pk
Swansea
SA6 8QZ
Yate (West Coast Express)
01179 374700
Unit 21 Pucklechurch Ind Estate
Pucklechurch
Bristol
BS16 9QH
Manchester
0161 777 4606
Northbank Industrial Est
Bessemer Road
Irlam
Manchester
M44 5BF
Nottingham
01159 777646
Unit 8 Centurion Business Ctr
Dabell Avenue
Blenheim Ind Estate
Nottingham
NG6 8WA
Leeds
0113 292 5642
Network House
Middleton Grove
Leeds
LS11 5PX
Warrington
01925 605646
Unit 20 Stretton Green Ind Est
Langford Way
Appleton
Warrington
WA4 4TQ
Abergele
01745 357843
Unit D Tir Llwyd Ent Park
Kinmel Bay
Clwyd
LL18 5JN
Preston
01772 662606
Millennium Road
Millennium City Park
Preston
PR2 5BL
Sheffield
01142 572647
Unit 2 Thorncliffe Ind Estate
Brookdale Road
Chapeltown
Sheffield
S35 2PW
Stoke
01782 578643
Unit 21/22 Roseville Road
Parkhouse Ind Est West
Newcastle Under Lyme
Staffordshire
ST5 7EF
York
01904 476642
Plot 5, Centurion Park
Clifton Moorgate
York
YO30 4RY
Glasgow
0141 305 3643 104
Fullarton Drive
Cambuslang
Investment Park
Cambuslang
Glasgow
G32 8FA
Glasgow 2
01698 811235
Unit 3 Tannochside Drive
Uddingston
Glasgow
G71 5PD
Edinburgh
0131 335 4043
Unit 23 Cliftonhall Road
Newbridge
Edinburgh
EH27 8PW
Aberdeen (Express)
01224 878686
Ocean Trade Centre
Minto Avenue
Altens Industrial Estate
Aberdeen
AB12 3JZ
Newcastle
0191 402 5643
Unit 4 Monkton Business Park
Hebburn
South Tyneside
NE31 2JZ
Carlisle
01228 829643
Unit 2 Kingstown Ind Estate
Brunthill Road
Carlisle, Cumbria
CA3 0HA
Dublin
00353 18425122
Unit 53 Airways Ind Estate
Santry
Dublin 17