what are people's experience of DHL express?

[mint]

DHL Express, got to be the most unhelpful site in the world!

Had OH's passport "delivered" on 9th, the only day when OH had to take me to hospital.

The DHL website said in the case of absence, they will deliver the next working day.  Lo and behold, one of us has been in every single day and no delivery.

Wonder if anyone, by describing their own experience, is able to throw some light on whether this is "normal"? 

[richard51]

Can you not use "tracking" to discover where it is?

With such an important document I'd have thought it would be sent tracked. - Though I've been known to be wrong.

[Grecian]

Our 'experience' with DHL was pretty poor considering the importance of the document being delivered. As you will know it is quite expensive paying for the delivery of the passport by registered post. When the DHL driver came to deliver our passports we were not at home, so he just left them in our postbox, great security.

At least we received our passports until like you mint, not much help for your situation I know, but that was our experience with DHL.

Best of luck with your intervention next week, I hope it goes ahead.

[Harnser]

When I last renewed my UK passport, the supporting documents and old passport were delivered back to France DHL signed for delivery. My nice fresh new passport came ordinary post a few days later!

[mint]

Thanks, guys, as I feared and have read on DHL Fr reviews.  The majority of the review, French as well as English ones, were less than complimentary.

Tracking?  Yes, though not much good when all you get is "The shipment is awaiting the next scheduled movement"  No indication whatsoever as to when that scheduled movement might be.

More rooting around on the website revealed that if you didn't get your parcel, you should contact the sender.

So, OH got on the phone provided by the passport website, put through on another line, then told that the queue would be 25 minutes long and to call back.

Good job he doesn't need the passport straightaway but, as you hear so much about theft of identity etc, you can't help but wonder when it will be delivered or whether someone of ill-intent has already got hold of the passport and is even now posing as my husband[:-))]

Maybe, Grecian, they will put it in the letter box; that at least will be something.  Thanks for the good wishes for Monday, Grecian.  Wouldn't you know it, I'd been down to the hospital, done all the pre registration stuff, chosen a single room, ordered the vsl only to receive a phone call from the surgeon's secretary to ask why haven't you organised your hospital stay?  So, I said but all has been arranged, I did it personally at the hospital and have signed all the paperwork!

So, you might think that would be the end of it?  Well, you would be wrong because it took 2 phone calls and repeating myself to 4 different persons before I was reassured that yes, they would be waiting for me, my room would be there and NOT to worry!!!  NOT to worry??? Yeah, yeah...[8-|]

[NormanH]

They can't be worse than LaPoste which lost my passport sent by registered delivery. It never came and I had to apply for a replacement.

Apparently this was fairly common hence  the change to a delivery service.

[Judith]

Mint,

Didn't know you due more treatment.  So sorry to hear this, you don't need all this worry at the moment indeed.  Prayers winging your way for a good outcome, hope it all goes very well indeed.

[nomoss]

Patchy, as with all the other delivery services here.

Whichever one you ostensibly use, they all seem to use a local outfit for the final delivery.

I think it's always the same bunch here. They have a fleet of plain white vans, the main qualification for their drivers being that they have a pulse.

They are probably overworked and underpaid, as they are usually driving like maniacs when I see them on the road, and many get shirty if the delivery and signing take more than the bare minimum of time. If asked to wait while the goods are checked, some get near to being abusive.

[ebaynut]

Ask KFC what they think of DHL :-)

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/feb/24/people-have-gone-chicken-crazy-what-the-kfc-crisis-means-for-the-brand

[nomoss]

I tried KFC once, at a roadside outlet near Preston, in the early 60's.

It had the texture and taste of cardboard, although I must admit the batter was nice[:D]

Maybe they were just starting in the UK then, but it put me off for life.

[andyh4]

Batter?

Are you sure you did not stop at the "Kendal, Fluke and Cod" establishment?

[nomoss]

[quote user="andyh4"]Batter?

Are you sure you did not stop at the "Kendal, Fluke and Cod" establishment?[/quote]

Well, whatever the outer coating was then. It's a long time ago. I do remember we chucked the rest.

[richard51]

Well it must be good. A german company with german efficiency.

Oh dear, it was privatised!!!

[mint]

[quote user="Judith"]Mint,

Didn't know you due more treatment.  So sorry to hear this, you don't need all this worry at the moment indeed.  Prayers winging your way for a good outcome, hope it all goes very well indeed.

[/quote]

Thank you, Judith.  All that is hugely appreciated.  Mais ne t'en fais pas, c'est une toute petite intervention[:)] 

As for DHL, the passport office must have intervened after OH's phone call.  This morning, I had an email AND a phone call to say delivery will be Monday afternoon.  Then another email AND an sms to say delivery will be "as scheduled" for Monday.

BTW, if your passport is due changing, just do it on the new on-line service.  Took minutes, a few questions, upload your photo, pay by credit card and the turnaround was about 10 days (if that).  OH chose to send back the old passport via registered post just so that he would have proof that he had sent it.  He had email updates every couple of days and the final email was to remind him to sign his passport when it arrived.

I think the cost was 120 pounds, so a considerable saving from the previous one that was done through the FO in Paris.

Edit:  sorry, correction, I meant to write 102 pounds, 102 pounds and 86 p to be exact

[richard51]

Jolly good. Must have been tracked by them at any rate.

The passport office is part of the Home Office and so I dont think it is privatised YET! I may well be wrong though.

[nomoss]

It's not just DHL.

I bought two cases of fine wine from an online supplier for an anniversary. Delivery was quoted as 24 to 72 hours, by Relais Colis.

It was shipped in two packages. One arrived after 9 days, a day after I had emailed the supplier, but the second one did not arrive, so I emailed the supplier again to tell them this.

Today, after waiting a further 9 days, I emailed them again, and also phoned, and received an email telling me they had (finally) contacted Relais Colis, who said they had lost the package.

They offered me a refund or to replace the shipment. I decided to take a refund and buy our wine from a shop in future.

I am not really surprised, as the package I received looked remarkably like a container for 6 bottles, and was marked with the name of the wine company.

[nomoss]

[quote user="richard51"]Well it must be good. A german company with german efficiency.

Oh dear, it was privatised!!![/quote]

I think it was sold to the Deutsche Post, privatised as you say.

It was much better when Ralf Schumaker drove their vans[:D]

[Judith]

MInt,

So pleased it only small, thoughts still winging your way!

As for passports, mine is not due for renewal until 2022, by which time no doubt the system will have changed - again!  Unlike my driving licence which I will have to change next year, so I am pending on that too in the hope that they'll have sorted that system out too by then!