Wow, that's definitely going above and beyond.

DHL is the only honest carrier. UPS and FedEx could learn a few lessons from them.

@scoobydoo: I wish that where true, but I have had just as many issues with DHL failing to deliver my package as I have with UPS and FedEX.

Its always ultimatly the driver who comes down the to reason a carrier is good or bad. Policy wise all of them are pretty much the same, but if you have a shitty driver on your section your going to have issues.

In my case DHL routinely fails to deliver priority packages despite having my name on file as a always deliver (as in regardless of signature or not I give authorization to ALWAYS deliver the package) UPS and FedEx never have this issue with me, always DHL.

Twice this nearly screwed up major projects as they didnt deliver on a friday and the materials where needed by 8:00 am Monday.

The only thing DHL has going for it in my mind, is unlike those other two, DHL picks up deliveries all hours any day.

@scoobydoo: Well that's mean, I mean it's going to vary by area. Regardless though, going this far out of their way to help someone is textbook customer service done right. They admitted the mistake, and did something - something very impressive - about it. Minimal crap, minimal inconvienience to customer, and delivered with the smile of someone who at least seems to sincerely enjoy making their customers happy.

Isn't DHL more expensive than FedEx or UPS? We have DHL in my town but I'm not sure why I'd want to use them.

The only thing DHL has going for it in my mind, is unlike those other two, DHL picks up deliveries all hours any day.

Hmm... ok, that's one good thing going for them, since I never get my projects done by the 1 pm FedEx pickup deadline.

I've actually never had an issue with DHL... and I live way out in the country.

Cool stuff.

DHL is awesome. I was on business and DHL called me to ask when they could deliver a package. They held the package for two weeks and asked a time they could deliver it. I'm usually home at 500pm so I told them that would be a good time. When they showed up to deliver it and I was running late they called me, I explained what was going on and they waited almost 15 minutes for me to show since it was her last run. Easily the best service I have ever gotten from a shipping company.

I've actually had lots of problems with DHL. FedEx, not so much. UPS a little more, but ultimately I'd rather choose FedEx or UPS before DHL.

@Falconfire: How do you make them drop off the package without you having to sign for it? I would LOOOOOVE to be able to do that, since the UPS guy always comes when I'm not home.

-JaDe

Yeah, um... DHL is actually the ONLY company that I've had issues with. When I have called their customer service, I have been greeted with horrible snotty people who have no interest in helping me.

I guess its possible that DHL service changes depending on where you live, but for me in CT, I've never had a good experience with them.

I've had nothing but trouble from DHL. This may make me rethink my opinion about them.

@TIMMUS: DHL tends to be cheaper than both FedEx and more commonly UPS. DHL is more likely to give out discounts to small volume shippers. I have a 10% discount and I do not regularly ship packages.

You can also drop off all shipments, as long as they fit, into drop boxes, both ground and express shipments. They also have later drop off times. In my hometown, I can drop off ground shipments by 9pm and they still go out the same day. :-)

Also, as seen in this story, they have more personal customer service. It is very easy to get in touch with the local office, and if they make a mistake, they will call the local office and sort it out.

Well done DHL!

That's what happens when the Deutsche Post makes their own shipping company: absolute excellence.

DHL the same company a few years back thought it was a bright idea to leave my package under my welcome mat aka "security blanket". Keep in mind I lived in a apt building at the time and anyone could had grabbed the package. luckily for me I got home in time.

That's two stories in a row where someone says "of" instead of "have". "Should of" previously, and "might of" this time. Sigh.

The company I work for stopped using DHL awhile back because on more than one occasion when an item was shipped to a rural area, say middle Montana, the DHL driver took it to a post office and mailed it to the final recipient rather than actually delivering it himself.

I like DHL. They are usually fairly prompt, but their drivers all seem like rejects. Their company uniform, as far as I can tell, is a DHL T-shirt, and whatever jeans happen to be kinda clean. On more than one occasion their drivers could hardly speak English. Are they recruiting cabbies?

UPS is the worst by far. Their trucks are brown for a reason.

My favorite is Fedex. I have never had a problem with them ever. Too bad they don't pick up from Mailboxes Etc. anymore.

@Bloberry: I'm so glad someone else notices this. I of been seeing it everywhere and I of had about eniough.

@JaDe: you have to call them up and put it on record with them. Its a fairly easy process but is very reliant on them actually checking their records and making a note of it for their drivers.

A safe bet is to always just leave a signed note authorizing delivery to boot at your site for them. Up until the point I had it on record thats what I used to do. The problem with that is while Fed Ex and DHL are very accurate on delivery dates, UPS has been known in my area to be up to a date later than their estimated arrival day which could lead to the note being out for longer than you would realistically want it to be.

FedEx good.
FedEx Ground, not so good.

I had an issue with my laptop's battery, I called Apple late at night, they agreed that it was a faulty battery and they said that they'd ship me a new one. This was about 10 pm.

I have no idea how it was done, but when I got home the next day after work, DHL had dropped off the new battery at my door.

The following day I called DHL at 5 pm to arrange for a pick up expecting to have to leave the package outside the next day for a driver to come pick it up. An hour and a half later I had a smiling DHL driver at my doorstep to collect the package.

I wish more companies used them. I've had nothing but good experiences with them.

But FedEx has the best looking ones ;)

Yeah, I always have issues with DHL. I've gone so far as to specify when I order things that the package NOT be shipped DHL, or they'll lose me as a customer.

They were supposed to deliver my laptop (back from warranty) on a Monday evening. I watched. I waited. I checked online. The status eventually changed to "attempted delivery." except that they never attempted delivery.

So they lied. I called to make SURE it got there tomorrow. Same thing happened the next day. DHL Blows. Mostly because the drivers, as has been pointed out, are the main issue, and DHL just contracts out cheap drivers who have no reason to care about customer service. UPS, the driver owns the route, and his/her service directly affects their reputation, personally & professionally. So they care a lil' more.

I used to work for fedex. People who are in a hurry to get their package and didn't plan at least a week ahead are asking for frustration. People getting a package from one end of the planet to the other, without damaging it, all the while, 99% of them looking the same, IS NOT EASY.

2 words of advice for you.

DONT GET FRUSTRATED unless it's your new heart in the package. Because as a former driver I could friggin care less about your package or the 200 i already delivered. I'm out there for the paycheck because delivering is mind-numbing backbreaking work.

If you call expect nothing because your call isn't going to make that package get their quicker. There's not a driver on this planet that's going to go out of their way just for your puny little POS brown package with satan knows what in it.

That's great! Usually I've avoided DHL because I've had bad luck with them in the past, but after this story I'll give them a second chance!

@SOhp101: Same here with DHL. I haven't had problems with UPS, and I've had a few minor problems with FedEx.

One more comment.

Quote from FALCONFIRE above
"In my case DHL routinely fails to deliver priority packages despite having my name on file as a always deliver (as in regardless of signature or not I give authorization to ALWAYS deliver the package) UPS and FedEx never have this issue with me, always DHL."

The reason is twofold, The driver doesn't care. The average DHL guy gets paid less than $10 to start in some parts of the country. I know cause they offered me $8.50/hr.

2nd, drivers follow a route that usually takes them much the same way everyday. If you fall into the latter part of the day, guaranteed unless the manager is bitching about "late" priority deliveries, you're not going to get it. And in this case, the driver probably scanned it at 1pm and didn't get it delivered until 4 or 5pm.

Get the picture??? You want your package, you wait. And you don't call and bitch about it because delivery is not in the top echelon of jobs.

DHL lost one of my packages for 2 weeks and never even offered me an oral apology. Somehow, I don't buy that they have good/competent customer service.

DHL can be good...I've had them deliver packages a couple of days ahead of when they were supposed to be delivered. But sometimes I've had problems with them....ie sometimes they would drop the package right by the garage of my house instead of my covered porch. One time this happened and it rained before I got the package; fortunately everything inside was fine. I've also had boxes that arrived with holes in them and etc.

I believe that the delivery companies for DHL are locally owned so that may be the reason that there are so many differing experiences with DHL. I guess that some of these companies may be good and some others may be bad.

@JaDe: FedEx let you release a signature by printing a form online, signing it and taping it to your door. I think with UPS you have to ask for the address to be listed as 'residential' for them to leave the package. Personally, I just have most stuff delivered to my work. I know the UPS guy who delivers for our building and there's no worry.

they are cheap, so that is why companies use them. they same thing happened to me on a pick up. they also "loose" many laptops sent from repair.

wow...amazingly great service.
Sadly, DHL has been the only company I've had systematic and repetitive problems with on time delivery. While I've never actually called them to complain, it seems that every DHL package I have ends up being delayed 1 or 2 days past the delivery--and that is really frustrating when you PAY for 2 or 3 day delivery so you'll have the item in time.
Fedex Ground has done the same for me a lot too, but they are only providing "estimates" in the first place....and it is ground shipping, so I don't expect it to be as fast.

This is how a drivers day goes.

He gets up at the butt-crack of dawn, and rolls into the terminal at 7am. In the next hour, he loads his truck. The truck, if you're lucky, has been loaded correctly, in a logical order by the loader.(the average loader at fedex ground lasted about 2-3 months. I finally just had them stack the packages on the outside of the van so I could load the damn thing myself without having to pull the package back out.

Once loaded, the driver follows a logical order of the route. We're talking anywhere from 60-120 stops and 100-300 packages per day on the average van.

The driver follows a logical route to remove said packages off his van in the most timely manner.

If by chance he missed one(there are no delivery charts with fedex ground, you look on the packages and remember where you're next address is by rote.

After delivering for 8+ hours the driver is tired and ready to call it a day. If by chance you live off in timbuktu, the drive knew he had a LONG day ahead of him, and your package shows up as "attempted" don't complain.

He's already out there busting his aspirin for your stupid package for pennies a day.

As far as I know, you've got to be a lost little nobody to buy into owning a route at any of the companies. UPS does it right by unionizing and keeping the wages high so you at least get lifers who want to have a pension at the end of 20-30 years of delivery. You don't get that with fedex or dhl. FE ground drivers own their routes. Express doesn't but are paid poorly as well.

The biggest reason why you'll always have problems though with getting your deliveries on time is simple logistics. Getting a package from one place to another isn't easy because these companies move hundreds of thousands every day.

Over and out. Thanks for reading

@swiftouch:
Have you ever heard of overnight? My company did an amazing amount of business with Fedex, and most of it was overnight. Why? Because we actually needed items to send out in the afternoon and arrive for the next afternoon's meetings. Flying is only practical for some items and smaller objects.
So, I'd say your bit about planning a week ahead is just hogwash.

I work across the street from our metro area's DHL sort center/customer counter. They routinely have Budget-rent-a-vans in the parking lot because their vans are broken down. Also, the DHL operator here is a franchise. That might explain some of the local variance others have reported.

This is good to see that DHL is going the extra mile for their customers. The company I work for uses DHL quite a bit and I have never heard anything bad but it's nice to hear they are good.

yeah...it is hogwash when you talk about overnight.

I've worked both sides of the industry now. i used to deliver. Then I made software for the shipping industry, and now I'm a full time web developer.

Did you know you don't need to pay overnight if it's in the same state or ajoining state? how much money have you wasted on overnight deliveries because you thought the only way to get it there "overnight" was to pay the extra amount? You don't have to unless it's a couple states away.

The only part of the industry that doesn't break even is the overnight package part because that is where the profit is. That is where people are willing to part with their monies to get it there ontime.

Ground is just there for people and companies who aren't interested in an "ontime" delivery, rather delivering it in a "semi-timely manner."

"The company I work for stopped using DHL awhile back because on more than one occasion when an item was shipped to a rural area, say middle Montana, the DHL driver took it to a post office and mailed it to the final recipient rather than actually delivering it himself."
@bradg33:

What is wrong with that?
Why should DHL waste a ton of money and time driving hudreds of miles into the middle of nowhere for one package when they can save a fortune just mailing it the rest of the way by USPS?
Either way it gets to its destination, who cares if they outsource as long as it gets there.

@swiftouch: That is not the problem of paying customers who were promised packages by a certain date and time. If these people can't cut it they can find another job.

Imagine that, a company says something and doesn't deliver then refunds all the money and gets it done in a reasonable amount of time still. After getting a refund I wouldn't expect it till next day or something, go DHL. We need more companies like this, soon they might realize that this actually saves time. Think of how much time that CSR saved by putting him on hold and calling people rather than waiting for hours to call him back. Customer Service work shouldn't take hours on end, it should be ready when you call and fast. Makes everyone's life that much easier.

As others have posted, I've come to the conclusion that courier performance varies depending on a number of factors - where you live, the management at your particular distribution hub, your specific driver, your place on his/her route, et cetera, et cetera - which explain why people's experience with the "same" carrier can vary so dramatically. I experienced this first-hand when I moved, and my previously alright (although not perfect) UPS service turned to absolute shit: I just moved 35 miles, and fake delivery attempts, consistently late deliveries, rude staff, mistreated packages, et cetera, suddenly became the norm. I now will go WAAAY out of my way to avoid UPS like the motherfucking plague!

I have had nothing but great "above and beyond"-type experiences with both FedEx and DHL, at both my old and my new place... but a lot less businesses seem to use them... :-\

DHL? You sure it was not FedEx?? I am YET to have a good experience with DHL. Every time expect something from DHL it turns into a drama. Last time they claimed for 4 days that they tried to deliver a package... Yet there was never a notice.. 2 times when they 'tried' to deliver, I was home yet there was no knock on the door or note left. I managed to get the package delivered by telling DHL that I was refusing the package and for them to send it back to the shipper. They came out and delivered it the next day. DHL is the most dishonest lazy bunch of shits ever.

Another time my package sat in their local warehouse for a WEEK!!! They had no intention of delivering it. I had to go down an pick it up myself!!

That post has to be a DHL blog entry.

@jwissick: "DHL? You sure it was not FedEx?? I am YET to have a good experience with DHL."

Ironic, because in the last 4 cities I've lived in (Dallas, Vegas, Austin and SW Florida) I've had bad experiences with FedEx and UPS in all 4 places, but never a bad experience with DHL.

I'd say the title of this post needs to change, because it somehow sounds negative when it's not.

Every time I use DHL for international orders it arrives shockingly fast!

While many people have their issues with UPS, they are generally the most dependable carrier as a result of their company-employed union drivers. Unfortunately, the union serves to protect some bad apples, but eventually they are removed if complaints persist. So if you are having problems, it is important to complain! But it is best to complain to the shipper. A decent sized shipper should have some higher level contact at UPS and the complaint may actually help to improve your local UPS service. (Complain about lies and misdeliveries, but not about weather delays and other matters than nobody can control)

FedEx routes are owned by contractors. One contractor may own many routes and employ many drivers. Service will be good in some areas, bad in others. But since the whole network is only as good as its weakest link, things can be pretty bad. I have found the most problems with the contractors in their "Home Delivery" service, but the prices and speed of this service keep me using it.

I may be wrong, but I think the only reason you might be seeing good service like this example from DHL is that they are starving for business.

They weren't big enough in this case to find a backup truck? It must not have affected enough packages to worry about it or justify it. UPS or FedEx would not have let this happen.

If DHL was doing the volume of FedEx or UPS, you would never have seen this kind of service.

@bradg33:
This is their official policy. They actually have a special agreement with USPS to deliver these packages.

I agree that DHL is "honest". I once had a package containing a nice Swiss watch as a present sent to me from Microsoft by DHL. When it arrived I opened the box and pulled out the nice watch box. I opened the watch box and instead of a watch there was a folded note on DHL-headed paper which just said "Sorry I stole the watch".

Microsoft sorted it out and sent me a replacement, but I couldn't be mad - it was too bizarre and amusing that the thief left an apology! So yes, DHL are definitely the most honest!

I'm impressed, that really is going above and beyond. FedEx could learn a thing or two, from these guys.