They are cheaper than DHL, and are rumoured to be taking over DHL (god help us!). The hopelessly inefficient HDNL Home Delivery Network is getting worse and worse.
A perfectly standard package recently took two weeks from London to Manchester. Ye gods, we could have walked faster.
Unfortunately, this is typical. There appears to be a lack of general common sense going on at HDNL. We have a retail premises that is only open between 10am and 4pm. It’s a six hour window isn’t it? Not altogether unreasonable. We always ensure the packages are clearly labelled DRIVER: BETWEEN 10-4 ONLY! Doesn’t work with HDNL.
Check out this tracking data:
| 02/07/2010 11:59:02 | Parcel delivered to customer | Depot: CUSTOMER |
| 02/07/2010 08:38:36 | Loaded for delivery | Depot: ROCHDALE VAN |
| 01/07/2010 17:06:03 | Parcel/Collection received off the van | Depot: ROCHDALE DEPOT |
| 01/07/2010 16:08:18 | No access to customers property | Depot: ROCHDALE VAN |
| 01/07/2010 09:18:10 | Loaded for delivery | Depot: ROCHDALE VAN |
| 30/06/2010 17:43:40 | Parcel/Collection received off the van | Depot: ROCHDALE DEPOT |
| 30/06/2010 16:33:45 | Unable to locate Customers property | Depot: ROCHDALE VAN |
| 30/06/2010 09:27:55 | Loaded for delivery | Depot: ROCHDALE VAN |
| 29/06/2010 19:28:40 | Parcel/Collection received off the van | Depot: ROCHDALE DEPOT |
| 29/06/2010 19:27:16 | No access to customers property | Depot: ROCHDALE VAN |
| 29/06/2010 10:00:02 | Loaded for delivery | Depot: ROCHDALE VAN |
| 28/06/2010 22:41:15 | Parcel/Collection received off the van | Depot: ROCHDALE DEPOT |
| 28/06/2010 22:31:34 | Unable to leave parcel – card left | Depot: ROCHDALE VAN |
| 28/06/2010 10:49:03 | Loaded for delivery | Depot: ROCHDALE VAN |
| 28/06/2010 03:57:05 | Parcel received at the Depot | Depot: ROCHDALE DEPOT |
| 26/06/2010 14:06:55 | Parcel scanned at the sortation centre | Depot: PRIME SORT |
| 25/06/2010 17:51:03 | Parcel scanned at the sortation centre | Depot: PRIME SORT |
| 25/06/2010 13:47:20 | Parcel despatched from the Depot | Depot: RAVEN RC |
| 25/06/2010 10:48:39 | Parcel scanned to container | Depot: MIDDLETON |
| 24/06/2010 18:27:32 | Parcel received at the Depot | Depot: RAVEN RC |
| 23/06/2010 17:52:48 | Parcel scanned at the sortation centre | Depot: PRIME SORT |
| 18/06/2010 16:40:54 | Parcel scanned at the sortation centre | Depot: PRIME SORT |
| 18/06/2010 10:27:05 | Parcel received at the Depot | Depot: RAVEN RC |
| 17/06/2010 03:33:59 | Parcel/Collection scanned on to vehicle | Depot: PRIME SORT |
| 15/06/2010 22:22:15 | Parcel despatched from the Depot | Depot: WEMBLEY DEPOT |
| 15/06/2010 21:59:20 | Parcel scanned to container | Depot: WEMBLEY DEPOT |
| 15/06/2010 18:38:17 | Parcel/Collection received off the van | Depot: WEMBLEY DEPOT |
| 15/06/2010 11:50:09 | Collected from collection address | Depot: WEMBLEY VAN |
| 15/06/2010 09:16:11 | Loaded for delivery | Depot: WEMBLEY VAN |
| 14/06/2010 13:49:31 | Parcel received at the Depot | Depot: WEMBLEY DEPOT |
| 14/06/2010 01:13:29 | Collection data received | Depot: CALL CENTRE |
| 14/06/2010 00:00:00 | Collection data received | Depot: CALL CENTRE |
We learned in that lot that Wembley depot got it on the 14th of June. It took an agonising 14 days to make it to the Rochdale depot; arriving there on the 28th.
Rochdale left a card at the address at 10-30pm on the 28th. The premises was closed — of course — six and a half hours before. As clearly noted on the box AND on the address label. *sigh*
On the 29th, the same mouth breather tried the same gag. Duh!
On the 30th, it became “Unable to locate customers property”. Hmm, this is a retail premises that customers from far and wide manage to find every day. The building number is displayed outside in foot high letters and there is an advertising poster on the gable end. Not what I would call rocket science to find……
Fast forward to the 1st July, and we are back to “No access to customers property”. Yup, closed again like it says on the box.
We called HDNL up and pointed out these failings. The young lady on the other end of the phone claimed they couldn’t do “timed deliveries”. Well, if you call six hours timed I dunno. But if you actually intend to deliver it at all it might help to actually read the label eh? DRIVER: BETWEEN 10-4 ONLY doesn’t mean drop by after 5pm several days on the trot does it?
We saw an HDNL van delivering nearby. I went out and collared the driver and asked him if he had our box. “No, but I saw it in the depot” he claimed. Yeah, well that helps [not]. I explained the opening times and asked if he might actually pick it up the next day. On the 2nd July he did just that and we finally got it. Hurrah!
London to Manchester a mere 19 days with HDNL. Be warned!
Share your HDNL experiences using our comments box below.
I have had two really bad experiences with HDNL through both John Lewis and Amazon. They are rude to deal with and totally unreliable. I have blogged about these issues out of sheer frustration!
http://claik.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/hdnl-hell/
I here sitting waiting on a parcel from HDNL so i hope this dont happen to me
I recently ordered an XBOX 360 from Littlewoods, being a 20yr old male you can imagine how important it is for me to have an XBOX 360. I made my order Thursday the 4th August and was informed my parcel should be delivered by the following tuesday, little did i know littlewoods uses HDNL!!! However, my parcel seemed to be making great progress with the online tracking system showing that on saturday the 6th August my parcel had reached the BAM_BRIDGE DEPOT and had been loaded onto the BAM_BRIDGE VAN by 5:00pm that day. This meant my parcel was due to be delivered by tuesday definately if not on the monday. However, due to my parcel being handled by HDNL, i found that on monday the 8th August at 12:08pm they attempted to delivery the parcel but were unsuccessful, the reason being that i had apparently moved from the address that they were meant to be delivering to??? My parcel was then returned to the littlewoods depot leaving me to waste time in reordering my XBOX which will most likely result in the same outcome!! Now being the first time i had ordered from littlewoods i was unsure as to there delivery times therefore i was downstairs and ready for any deliveries for 9:00am, imagine my surprise when after no one had turned up with any parcels and i find that they have recorded a failed attempt of delivery!! Surely with the amount of complaints i have read about HDNL and the amount of phone calls littlewoods have received they take the criticism on board and go in a different direction!! My parcel is scheduled to reach me on Tuesday the 16th, what are the odds of this happening again?? Find out next time on “The shocking attempt of a delivery company known as HDNL”
im still waiting on a parcel over 8 days now for some shoes for my girlfriend as a surprise, its agonising waiting and im checking my online tracking and it states nothing to report on yet what are they doing delivering it by horse and cart. i wish companies thought about the customers and listened to there complaints about deliveries instead of thinking about the money. will updated on any new lol.
Ordered a parcel nearly a week ago, though Amazon. Patient, I finally checked where it was today. Apparently it had been delivered a couple of days ago. It hasn’t. Rang HDNL (0871 number), but hung up as the answering machine said ‘Welcome to Yodel’. Already have had dealings with them when I had a router coming from Virgin. It took three weeks to arrive. TV programmes about them also. Amazon were excellent (though also an 0871 number for six or seven minutes!) and have refunded my money. I have told them that I won’t be using them again until the courier is changed, as apparently HDNL are used for all their deliveries. Pathetic company, unreliable and can’t even be bothered to update the telephone greeting from Yodel – and even if I had waited I suspect their help would have been of dubious value). Will buy the ordered item from a shop, much safer and probably cheaper in the end after the 0871 ‘phone calls.
omg how slow is this parcel delivery service…..i will be more aware in the future who is delivering my parcels….