UPS or DHL or Fedex or DPD

Brendan Burgess

Brendan Burgess

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Update to save you reading the thread: DPD seems to be the one most people recommend strongly.

I waited in all day yesterday for a delivery from UPS. It didn't arrive. And no message to say it wasn't coming.

I checked the tracking to find: Please check again later for scheduled delivery.

It has happened before, I think with UPS as well.

One of them sends me a message to say "Delivery next Wed between 12 noon and 4 pm" and they are usually in and around that.

I will monitor them from now on but has there been any systematic comparison of their reliability done?

If one were more reliable than the others I would ask the shippers to use that one instead.

Brendan
 
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DPD all the way here. They send a text giving a window of an hour... it always arrives within that timne frame.

Fastway are a disaster. I've had packages left at neighbours' doors/windows, online saying delivery made but it had been taken back to depot etc.

UPS throw it inside my gate and no delivery made message... lucky to discover the package.
 
I have used DHL quite a bit. I find them excellent. I know DPD have pick-up points which means you can redirect to there easily on the website ( usually via SMS) for a pick-up.
 
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DPD have a German parent company https://www.dpd.com/group/en/

FastWay seems to operate as independent franchised businesses in Ireland [broken link removed]

An Post have improved their offering with notifications of "next business day" deliveries by SMS and the option to change the day or change to collect from a local PO. amazon.co.uk and amazon.de use them.
 
I have some parcels from an post where I could track the postman. DPD text the morning of the delivery, had a terrible experience trying to send things with them.
Had some games of find the parcel with all of them. Hidden under bushes, in coal bunker. Since lockdown, most just leave it at the door.
 
We use UPS for work, not a glowing recommendation from me but best of a bad bunch. My last interaction with Fastway was suggesting to a customer service rep that they change the company slogan to “we might be sh*te but at least we are cheap”

I’m not a believer in Devine intervention but my experience as someone that relies on these companies for my imports and nation wide shipping is the worst thing to do is pray that something will arrive as promised. Roll the dice!
 
PaddyBloggit said:
DPD all the way here. They send a text giving a window of an hour... it always arrives within that timne frame.
DPD very good service not alone do the text you they also include the drivers name on the text,
Click to expand...
seeing DPD include the driver's first name on the text you can see if the driver has delivered to you before, worth having a chat with the driver if you are around when they call,
 
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Agree with the comments on DPD, find them by far the best in terms of communication and reliability. Fastway certainly don't have many positive reviews online, my only experience with them wasn't great.
 
Another vote for DPD - their service is the best, IMHO.

I havent had any problems with Ups (who deliver some stuff within Ireland under the Parcel Motel brand).

I am having a problem with DHL at present (and I'm not at all happy with their level of customer support).

An Post are okay, but seem to be a bit slower than others. They could also do with upgrading their tech, it's a bit limited.

Having had multiple problems with Fastway in the past, I wouldn't recommend them to my worst enemy! I think the fact that the operate on a franchise model, is the crux of the problem, you've too many people working for themselves, no direct control etc. Also, their tracking is very poor.

I can't really comment on FedEx, as have had almost no dealings with them.
 
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Haven't had any real issues with deliveries over the last two years; but I think DPD have the edge in that the text message delivery time is pretty reliable & drivers are helpful.

If I don't want them to ring doorbell, I leave a note on the door & they always follow it.

Sometimes I leave a note to put parcel behind gate / inside flower box / with neighbour & there's no problem there either.

An odd package will be heavier & they've carried into the house for me (all COVID compliant before anyone starts).

At this stage I'm on first name / "how's the family?" terms with the DPD drivers on my route, so that helps! :)
 
In my own experience DPD are by far the most reliable and their tracking/communication is excellent.

havnt used UPS but have had the unpleasant experience of fastway on numerous occasions. They are a complete disaster
 
Run my own business so have used them all at some point. Because of this, I also know most of the drivers which does help.
Fastway - wont deal with, dont even like when they have to deliver stuff to me!! (Some stuff has gone awol).
DHL - good to receive things from. Have never sent anything with them.
FedEx - probably the most expensive to deal with, sending anyway, and generally straight as an arrow so if there's charges to be collected, they are collected! Can be slow as Christmas for international deliveries no matter what you pay for. Recently had a tiny package from South America supposed to be here in a week or so, ended up staying in Columbia for nearly 2 months for some reason even customer services couldn't explain! It did arrive though eventually but really Chuck Noland could have delivered it quicker!! On the flip side, if it's coming from USA, that package will probably be here quicker than An Post local post!!
An Post - good, quick, sometimes crazy expensive for packages. Online paying DIY for packages is great though. If it's international it tends to be crazy expensive. I'm 40 minutes from the north border, so if a package has to go to the UK, I tend to just drive to the nearest Royal Mail PO as its cheaper & worth it.
UPS - OK...problem is they're still really Nightline...just wearing the brown style American uniform!
DPD - Great. I use them to deliver and have deliveries from them weekly. Nothing goes missing, they give you an hour delivery window, and it's generally always the same delivery guy...and yes, this makes a difference.
 
The latest update from UPS

1628854071707.png

It appears to have got lost in transit.

I asked a DHS guy on the street today and he said about 17,000 items come into Dublin every day, so inevitably some will get lost.

I thought that they might have left it outside the door or delivered it to a wrong address, but then they would have updated the thing to say "delivered" so it's presumably stuck in a corner of a warehouse somewhere on the Continent.

The sender got onto them but they said that they wouldn't do anything until it was missing for 10 days.

Brendan
 
"I thought that they might have left it outside the door or delivered it to a wrong address, but then they would have updated the thing to say "delivered" so it's presumably stuck in a corner of a warehouse somewhere on the Continent" could customs have got their hands on it?
 
Fastway are a franchise operation so the quality of their service will vary depending on who your local driver is. I never use them for any important work related deliveries and I ask my suppliers not to use them either.
FedEx and DHL are good for business deliveries but expensive.
DPD are the best for local (Irish and EU) deliveries.
 
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