So, ordered a UPS from Amazon.
They sent it out for delivery by Home Delivery Network.
On the past two occasions they've used HDNL the driver just left the parcel in my back garden. While hardly ideal from a security point of view it wasn't that bad as the back of the house isn't exactly easy to see from any street.
This time however, they have actually taken the parcel back to the depot... in Corby. Not exactly easy to get to from Peterborough without a car and they don't list Saturday as a redelivery option. Plus the nearest depot to here is in St. Neots which is pretty close to my work so I could have gone at lunchtime.

Looks like a fun phone call tomorrow beckons.

Anyone else experienced Home Delivery Network random joy?

Had expected a delivery this afternoon- checked the website tracking service to find the message “Unable to deliver, calling card left - 47492720 (landmark = Brown Door)”

At least 3 people had been at home all afternoon, and our door is white.
Hoping it's here tomorrow morning now.

I used to work from home, which was something of a nightmare for deliveries because half the time I was actually out on site and I never knew when I'd be in.

These days I'm based at the office 10 minutes ride from home, so I get everything delivered there. I might not be in, but someone usually is. No good for big stuff though...

Then of course, there's the "You've been carded" when actually the courier just CBA to turn up... which happens a lot in my off-beat village.

Delivery is a pain if you don't have servants

Ordered a book and my Magic Mouse from Amazon a while back, asked for the Super Saver option.
Package arrived the next day via HDN...

I live in an old house converted to flat, all of the tenants (~12 of us) have agreed to answer the main door to accept post so that if someone is away at a lecture, it can be delivered. We also have a note on out front door saying this. However, the parcel was taken back to their depo near Birmingham, despite other people being in. After talking to a few people, doorbells weren't rang on the day of delivery.
After three other delivery attempts, I finally got my parcel, almost two weeks after I had ordered it. I'd have been mighty p*ssed off if I had asked for next day delivery!

Now either the other tenants were lying, or HDN is worse than Royal Mail, who I have personally never had a problem with.

Subsequent orders have been handled by RM and have been delivered on time and not taken back to any depo...

*tries not to laugh, it's impolite*

Did they leave a card through your letterbox? It sounds like the Muppets are back in business...

I do recall something arriving from them a couple of years ago, I believe it was the wrong sofa But if it's any help, we did have a brown front door at the time

Is HDN a franchised business??

Nope - I suspect they were at the flats up the road from us, and nowhere near where they should be.

That was the other one! The Purple One ordered something from somewhere that used HDN. They delivered it to the basement flat (door round the back of the houses) because that's what the postcode was (the company who sent it got it wrong), however, the label on the parcel clearly said GROUND FLOOR FLAT...

Any delivery service is only as good as your local driver.

I've used several in the past, and it's really difficult to pick a winner...

FFS!

I ordered two books from Amazon, both using the free delivery option. One came via Royal Mail and it actually arrived two days later. The other was to be delivered using HDN, five days later (last Friday) their website tells me that they have delivered the parcel, but I don't have it!

BAAAARGH!

If I'm buying from Amazon et al these days I normally avoid Super Saver if the item is expensive, because they always send it via HDNL. I prefer to pay the extra for First Class Post/Express because then they send it via Royal Mail or City Link, both of whom allow you to call them and collect the item. HDNL (at least in my area) don't allow for collection, nor do they have a telephone number. I've had great fun with HNDL before because they didn't leave a card, and there were no contact numbers on their website (just the helpful instruction of "see card").

They've also done the card thing where they haven't been bothered - but then both Royal Mail ("I didn't want to bring it as it was too big/heavy") and City Link have done that to me before too. In fact City Link pissed me off once because the driver "ran out of time" and couldn't deliver my item, so I rightly asked eBuyer for a refund on the extra I'd paid for "next-day delivery".

HDNL are the worst though. They've left stuff outside and it's got wet and perished, they've left it in the porch (outside) where it's been presumably stolen (it wasn't there when I got home), they've left it in the bin (where it would have gone to the tip if I hadn't seen it) and they've thrown it over our wall where it's been damaged.

All in all I try to avoid HDNL like the plague, they've cost Amazon more money in replacement items then Amazon must save by using them over Royal Mail/City Link.

Yeah, I had to bollock Amazon again last week when HDNL delivered a package I ordered off Amazon to the company next door. What's all the more unbelievable is that they had to walk past our company's door to go to the other company, bearly 10 feet away. This was despite our company's name being printed clearly on the address label, just below my name!! Both company's doors have their company logo emblazoned on it, so you really can't miss it.

When I complained I got the reply back that the driver had delivered it to the correct building (well done, major achievement!) but that there were two receptionists - er, well yes, that's because they are two separate companies, you idiot! The driver obviously hadn't looked at the label properly - thought as it says "2nd floor" on the address, then any company on the second floor is good enough. This was the second time they'd done this, the first time it was a fairly expensive printer, this time it was only a CD - but the principal remains that their drivers can't even deliver a package to the address that's printed on the label. Clueless morons.

I'll probably be avoiding the Free Special Saver delivery from now on if they only use HDNL for those deliveries.

I do not know what company Amazon used for my last delivery but I did not notice any problems, though on one occasion something heavy was left on the doorstep and not offered to drop just inside the door.

Here's another one to avoid: UK Mail. They've just delivered a frakkin' huge parcel and watched me struggle to take it indoors myself - at a ground-floor detached house.

Never got anything from Amazon via HDN properly. Never.

They managed to leave a keyboard for my housemate in the bush outside our house, which was sorta fair enough... Except that it was raining all day. It was raining before they delivered it, raining when they delivered it, raining after they delivered it.

And there were 6 people in the house, no-one heard a doorbell go (and 3 of us were waiting for amazon packages!) and it was outside for a good 5 hours before someone had to go out and found it.

Needless to say it was sent back and bought from ebuyer (who use intercity, always deliver at the same time to our house (10:30am) and are just lovely.