The company I do some driving for is a member our one of the leading over night pallet delivery systems. In the last few months we have seen a large increase of new customers that sell their wares over the net. It is not uncommon to have 3 or 4 drops out 15 for private houses or flats, usually heavy items with timed deliveries and phone numbers for us to call ahead etc.
Well it’s work true, but though I try to be helpful and reasonable many of the consigness are not:
Delivering a wood burning stove (185kgs) lady of the house wanted me to install it in her kitchen… very peaved when I would only trolly it into her garage.
Large deatached house with upward slopping steep drive, 3 pallets of paving slabs, 1000kgs each. He couldn’t understand why I couldn’t drag them up on my pallet truck. Tturned out he’d saved £30 over local builders merchant who would have hiabed them into his garden. My neither regions are worth more than that.
Forth floor flat, 500kgs of tiles, rang the intercom, owner wanted me to bring them up… explained why I couldn’t… insurance etc, called me every thing under the sun… pallet is still in our warehouse now 3 months later.
1000kg IBC of lime mortar, pulled it of the tail lift and the pallet truck sunk into tarmac, couldn’t move it. Customer told me to pull harder!, said he had bad back and unable to help, even though he was going to lay bricks with this stuff. Ended up leaving it in road creating a chicane!
A quad bike delivery, not really a problem, easy off with tail lift, but customer got really wound up when he found out he had to connect battery and put oil and fuel in it…said it was my job, being helpful I offered to [zb] in the tank to see if that would work!
It annoys you so much when the customers are telling you what to do - you sometimes feel like telling them to do your job any better- but the customer is always right- even they are wrong. then when you try and expain that it is not your job to mess around putting the pallets where ever they want it they have non of it
I had a short spell delivering cookers. These things cost seven grand and wieghed about 250 Kg. Had to deliver one to a fifth floor flat in center of London. Delivery note said there was a lift, there was it was out of order, didn’t matter cause cooker wouldn’t fit in it any way. Biulder, who was renovating flat says I 've got a hoist around the back. He did it was on the roof of another building, he wanted us to carry it up a ramp on to the roof across the roof, strap it to hiost rated at 250 kg. At the top drag it off the hiost carry it along a scaffold unto a fire escape along the fire escape through a sash window and install it in the kitchen.
I left it in the foyer.
Best bit was my mate wanted to have a go! i’m not risking life, limb and knackers for a cooker. I offered to get her a camping stove.
I had a COD delivery today to a security firm in Rugeley town centre. 1 pallet at 132 kg off my Sprinter. When I got there I noted that it was to the back door of a shop and would not go through the door. I rang the bell and several people came to the door including the receptionist with the CASH! Whilst I counted the £950 -shame it belonged to DHL!) the pallet was unloaded. Thats what I call a result.
I also remember a delivery whilst I was on the agency when I was multidropping around Nuneaton for Hellmans. I had a pallet of tiles for a private house and no tail lift or anything. I rang the bell and luckily there was nobody in! I left a card and got a phone call from the office about an hour later, could I return and make the delivety. As I was now the other side of Hinckley I declined their kind suggestion!!
deliveries to businesses [sp] are normally ok, home deliveries, people expect blood though.
Did 5 years of tesco.com, people used to expect you to put in in their cupboards and used to stand and ‘watch’ you lug the stuff up stairs,if they even offered to help it would have been nice.
then you get them moaning like hell because someone has sent them the wrong pizza, it’s [zb] pizza not a £30k car do you want it or not, dont moan about it!
i try and be helpful with DHL stuff, we’re only supposed to take it to the door, but i dont act like a jobsworth, if there’s only a pregnant womanat the house and the parcel is a heavy bulky box i’ll put it somewhere sensible for them. If it’s something too heavy to lift on my own i might ask a neigbour if they can help me lift it. If it’s someone who is just plain lazy or the thing is just too heavy to move and no help is forth coming then it goes back to depot.
Went to a place the otherday with a massive jukebox, the customer even asked if i wanted to borrow a sack barrow! There are ‘some’ nice ones out there.
but the customer is always right- even they are wrong. 
then when you try and expain that it is not your job to mess around putting the pallets where ever they want it they have non of it 