Shipping by DPD to Australia

[GWR-fan]

A word of advice to anyone recently using DPD to ship goods to Australia purchased from Hattons.  The last four packages that I purchased have been addressed to the wrong suburb.  The internal invoice from Hattons on one of the incorrectly addressed packages is correct as per my on file address.  Fortunately,  this last received package did find its way to me as the delivery suburb is only twenty or so kilometres from me (same postcode) and the delivery contractor realised a mistake had been made.   I have checked the details on the three packages not yet received and unfortunately the delivery suburb is almost 400 klms from me.  Speaking to Aramex (Australia),  the delivery contractor for DPD,  was pointless as it seems they wanted no part of it.   I did not change my file details and the store's details are correct.  I suspect possibly a glitch in the UK delivery system as the shipping label attached to the package received had the wrong suburb printed on it.  I am not hopeful of receiving the remaining three mis-addressed packages.

 

After using DPD almost forty or so times (without any issue) in the last few months,  I think it wise to perhaps pay a little more and give DHL a go for my future shipping to Australia.  It seems that if the delivery address suburb is incorrect then there is little that can be done to redirect the package in time.   Aramex/DPD use the delivery suburb as the main criteria when sending packages to a delivery area (ignoring the actual postcode),  while Australia Post uses the postcode irrespective of other details.

[Ryde-on-time]

What  have Hattons said or done to rectify the situation? They are the ones with the contract with DPD and are responsible for getting  the items to you

[GWR-fan]

24 minutes ago, Ryde-on-time said:

What  have Hattons said or done to rectify the situation? They are the ones with the contract with DPD and are responsible for getting  the items to you

 

The package delivered by the contractor who realised a mistake had been made was only delivered this afternoon. Fortunately,  the incorrect delivery suburb was still in my postcode area.  Alas, the other two packages are destined to be attempted delivery almost 400 klms from me and there is no valid address in that area so possibly the items may either be returned to the store or possibly vanish into oblivion. 

 

 I have emailed the store but due the time difference between the UK and Australia I do not expect a return email for many hours to come.  I highly doubt the store has altered my delivery address so must assume that a glitch has occurred which has altered my Aramex primary address on four occasions now,  leaving my Aramex primary address suburb almost 400 klms from me and yet the postcode on the primary address is my correct area postcode.  If not a glitch then I fail to see how my Aramex primary address could alter leaving me with multiple possible delivery locations.  I feel that I can no longer trust DPD/Aramex to deliver my UK purchases.

 

If a manual operator input on the shipping label then one mistake is plausible,  but I cannot understand how the Aramex primary address changed to the incorrect suburb twenty klms from me for two packages and then the next two packages the Aramex primary address changed once again to the suburb almost 400 klms from me which also has a different postcode as well.

Edited October 18, 2022 by GWR-fan
Additional info

[GWR-fan]

 

i received a response from the store but unfortunately the liaison the store has with DPD ceases once the item leaves the UK as Aramex then handles the shipping to Australia.  I have been advised to use a more reliable shipping service for future deliveries.  

[Jonboy]

The label is likely printed by Hattons and they are responsible for the details. 
 

The dpd portal normally starts with a postcode, and then offers a list of addresses, but details can be over-written. They should be able to reprint a pdf copy as they entered to exonerate themselves.

 

[GWR-fan]

On the package received I can see that the original shipping label raised by Aramex UK and the address is actually correct.  The shipping ticket raised once the package arrived in Australia has been overlaid on the UK label and it is the Australian label that has the wrong shipping address.  On contacting Aramex Australia I have been basically given the runaround and told to contact the sender regarding the issue.  As the sender has no control over Aramex Australia misprinting a local shipping label then contacting the store would be pointless.

 

Hopefully common sense prevails and the courier company do a little detective work and realise that my actual address can be worked out as a simple internet search using my street address and my postcode will highlight my correct suburb.  However,  I am not hopeful as the online product reviews on the courier company's service record are mostly one star reviews,  with barely 100 five star reviews out of over 4000 reviews submitted.

 

My advice to others who may intend using DPD as a shipping choice for Hatton's purchases to Australia is pay a little more and select DHL or Royal Mail. 

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, GWR-fan said:

 

i received a response from the store but unfortunately the liaison the store has with DPD ceases once the item leaves the UK as Aramex then handles the shipping to Australia.  I have been advised to use a more reliable shipping service for future deliveries.  

I've never had any problems with Royal Mail/Australia Post for purchases from Hattons (or anywhere else, for that matter).

[GWR-fan]

5 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

I've never had any problems with Royal Mail/Australia Post for purchases from Hattons (or anywhere else, for that matter).

 

I used Royal mail for many years,  however, since making full use of the Hattons trunk facility my packages are usually between 3kg - 4kg.   Using Royal Mail for these packages is not economical due the post covid price increases.  Up to now DPD/Aramex has not caused an issue, being fault free,  but with the last four packages now with incorrect delivery addresses I am not hopeful of receiving three of them.  I do not know if they will be returned to the UK or disposed of.  The shipping label has no return address on it,  unless the barcode has that information embedded.

 

I have used DHL many times in the past but got used to selecting DPD for my shipping.  Obviously, I will now use DHL and hope their service is better than Aramex's most recent performance.  DPD is not the problem as Aramex UK addressed the package received correctly,  it is the local Aramex Australia contractor that has caused the issue.

[GWR-fan]

There may be a silver lining for two of the packages missing.  Aramex has responded that the consignments have been forwarded to StarTrack for delivery after I had raised a dispute with them.  Alas, no information as to the final delivery address on these two packages.   No word yet on the third package (the most expensive).    I am getting too old for these sort of dramas in my life.   Fingers crossed but still pessimistic of a favourable outcome.

[GWR-fan]

With no disrespect to DPD or to Aramex UK,  due the partnership with using DPD for shipping to Australia and Aramex Australia who handle the package once it arrives in Australia,  I strongly urge any potential Hattons customers thinking to choose the DPD shipping option to ship to Australia to resist the temptation a save a few dollars and choose another option.  As stated earlier I have used DPD  on over forty occasions in the last few months and all was well until this last weekend when something went wrong at the Australian end.  The incoming Aramex UK shipping label had my correct address however when the Australian shipping label is attached to the package the delivery address is different.  My primary delivery address on the Aramex Australia website has changed four times since last weekend with no action on my part.   As far as I was aware the address was still the address it had been the last six months.

 

After numerous phone calls and many emails I have received two of the four packages and am hopeful the local shipping company has directed a third package to an alternate courier service,  however, the fourth package has arrived at the Aramex destination facility with the wrong address.  Forty eight hours ago I raised a ticket advising the incoming package was incorrectly addressed but no action has been taken as yet to remedy the situation.  I just got off the phone with an extremely rude operator who when I told her that a ticket had been raised two days ago and no follow up action,  her reply was "We have no time as we are on the phone all the time talking to people complaining about their packages".   I suppose if they had a reliable service then people would not be contacting them.

 

It is not DPD's fault nor Aramex UK,  but they will no longer be getting any packages from me in the future.  I have wasted nearly three days on the phone and multiple emails to try to sort out a problem that should never have occurred.  My sleep the last few night has been severely disrupted as there is a sizeable amount of money involved in the remaining two packages not yet received.

[GWR-fan]

I believe that I have now sorted out three packages (two now received).  To date,  the local Aramex distributor has not acted on my online requests submitted 72 hours ago to sort the situation and the main office merely transferred the delivery of the Mayfield packages to StarTrack (a subsidiary of Australia Post) without correcting the delivery address as I had requested. 

Ironically,  the third package was actually less than five minutes drive from me 72 hours ago as the package had been initially sorted using the postcode (my correct postcode),  but the delivery contractor saw the suburb "Mayfield" and put the package back into the system.  It then travelled 60 klms north to Wollongong,  but was then sent back to my postcode post office sort facility, just minutes away,  only to be once again placed  back into the system for delivery to Mayfield (Newcastle, NSW 350 klms north of me) today, Friday.  The packages the store uses are not particularly sturdy and so usually arrive crushed.  With all the additional travel incurred I hope that the box survives.

 

Edit:  after an hour on the phone with StarTrack I have hopefully had the third package delivery address correctly changed to my address but unfortunately it is currently intransit  north to Newcastle, NSW and will have to return back to Sydney over the weekend before hopefully finding its way to me next week.

 

I have just cleaned out most of my trunk at Hattons and have chosen DHL as my shipper.  No more will I select DPD because of their association with Aramex.  I just need to organise the shipping of all my Hattons Genesis Southern livery coaches.

Edited October 21, 2022 by GWR-fan
Additional info

[GWR-fan]

The saga continues.  I had thought that Aramex had done me a favour last week when advised of the incorrect delivery address and subcontracting the delivery of two packages with an Australia Post subsidiary, StarTrack.  Unfortunately,  Aramex simply onforwarded the packages to StarTrack with the incorrect delivery address,  not correcting the address as I had requested.  One package had been received mid-last week by shear good luck,  but the second package found its way over the weekend to a suburb of Newcastle and a delivery attempt was made by Australia Post this morning even though the delivery address does not exist in that suburb.  I believed that I had sorted this out with StarTrack last Friday,  however, the package still was sent to the wrong sort facility near Newcastle, NSW.   A further call to StarTrack this morning (Monday) has once again hopefully sorted out the problem and I am hoping the package will arrive mid-week.   

 

The fourth outstanding package I have not heard from since it arrived in Australia last week (also with the wrong delivery address).  The last two packages have over $1000.00 value so I am somewhat concerned with the poor recent service received from Aramex.   Aramex has still not actioned or responded to three customer service request submissions raised six days ago.  Technically they should provide an update within 48 hours of raising a request.  The customer service agent I have spoken to twice now still places the blame on the store even though informed that the packages have my correct delivery address both on the Hattons declaration of contents and on the Aramex UK shipping label.  I now anxiously await the next few days, fingers crossed that all will be well.  I am hopeful that future deliveries by selecting DHL will be less stressful. 

[Jonboy]

I would send an email update to Hattons, under the uk customer contract regulations etc. they are responsible for the actions of their appointed delivery agents and and ensuring you receive the goods in due course

[GWR-fan]

34 minutes ago, Jonboy said:

I would send an email update to Hattons, under the uk customer contract regulations etc. they are responsible for the actions of their appointed delivery agents and and ensuring you receive the goods in due course

 

I have kept the store informed and forwarded images that show that the store and Aramex UK correctly addressed the packages of those two packages received to date.  The store and DPD and their international liaison team are apparently in talks with Aramex to investigate and hopefully resolve this issue to my satisfaction.  This has been a totally frustrating experience not knowing that I will actually receive the remaining two packages.  What is annoying is that the local Aramex distributor seems reluctant to believe that the packages were correctly addressed in the first instance (I have two packages that prove the boxes were correctly addressed until Aramex altered the final delivery address without my knowledge and caused all this confusion) and secondly,  are seemingly reluctant to alter the delivery addresses to my correct address to ensure that I receive my packages.  Perhaps doing so admits guilt.

[GWR-fan]

I suppose all is well that ends well.  Miraculously all four incorrectly addressed packages found their way to me.  I have nothing positive to say about Aramex service and their seeming complete disregard for my situation.  They still have ignored the three customer support submissions entered on their website nearly a week ago explaining the delivery address was incorrect on the packages enroute.    I can now understand why on a respected local review site that the company only has just over 100 five star reviews and over 3000 single star reviews out of 4000 reviews.  Their rating out of five stars is 1.15.   My recent experience reflects the reviews that others have left.

 

Any future trunk deliveries will be by DHL.