Not ordering from Fish4Dogs again!

I've got no complaints about the salmon mousse, apart from the price going up and the amount in the box going down, but the last two times I've ordered, the courier company have just left the box on the front doorstep, in full view of any passing traffic. Just come home now to find the second delivery left and I've had enough. This is despite giving instructions when I placed the order on where the delivery can be left.

The first time I emailed fish4dogs and they apologised and said they would speak to the couriers 'in the hope it doesn't happen again' - in the hope! Use reliable couriers then, they used to! Just emailed them again, but will probably get the same reply.

That's unusual, coz the couriers who delivery mine (usually Fedex), is such a lovely guy, he has dogs himself, and if I'm not in, he even opens the garage and leaves it in there and closes the garage door again! I can't believe any delivery guy would leave something in full view like that for anyone to nick!! Shame on them!

We've had it a lot, parcels just left on the front step when somebody has been in. Or they've put them in the bin and not left a note saying so.

It's not a Fish4Dogs issue, it's a courier issue and we've had it from various couriers so simply changing courier isn't guaranteed to stop it. Instead of complaining to Fish4Dogs get on to the courier company and complain directly to them, they're the one at fault after all.

My problem was the opposite. The courier company can't remember at this moment who it was (it will come to me) wouldn't leave without a signature even though on the website you have to put a delivery place option if out.

I mentioned this to the Fish4dogs people but it still kept happening so I mentioned it to the woman who use to deliver and she said their courier company policy was not to leave without a signature.

I gave up.

Have to say they just left it right in the middle of our front path last time in full view (we're down a private road but still get people passing by) and I was surprised - they normally follow the instructions to leave it in a certain place out of view, as Fish4Dogs write them in big marker pen on the box. Perhaps it's a new courier they're trying It was during the really hot weather the other month too, luckily it hadn't been out long when I got home as the box was only a bit warm to the touch, but there were plenty of shaded areas they could have left it even if they didn't read the instructions.
This is exactly where I found it! The dogs are shut in the house in the day anyway but even if they were out, they don't have access to the front garden and there's a gate in view to show that. I know some of the drivers are wary of dogs but at the very least they could have tucked it behind the rose bush or something so it was shaded and out of immediate view.


Maybe I'll email F4D to let them know so they don't think it's a one off with the driver for your area. I do try not to judge companies by their courier but you're right, they should listen to their customers and perhaps change companies if it affects the service customers receive!

But it's Fish4Dogs who have the contract with the courier. I've phoned couriers when parcels haven't arrived and generally get told to speak to the company I ordered from, as that's who my contract for sale is with, and then the company has to contact the courier. I've had issues with other couriers here because we're slightly harder to locate, so many don't bother - have had parcels missing and courier company have said "left at red door" - no one down our road has a red door! Have had fake signatures, people trying to guess an initial and use my surname as if it was another family member signing for it (not realising that as my mum had remarried, my stepdad and mum had a different surname to me and now half the people living with me have different surnames anyway, so good luck guessing theirs ), just not showing up, etc. but never had them just dump it right in the middle of the front gate for anyone to grab as they walk past without even needing to walk into our front garden, especially with clearly written instructions in big letters on the box. Not only is it lazy to leave it there but if anyone does walk past and grabs the box, or even just has a nosy at it, they can easily read where your safe space for leaving parcels is too!

I've never been told to phone the company I ordered from when it's been an issue with a package being left on the doorstep. I phone myself so I know it's been done, I don't trust a company I ordered something from to do it as they probably have enough going on that it simply won't get done. And as far as I'm concerned the courier company needs to know that their employees aren't doing their job properly. Missing parcels are another matter, they have to be chased through the company ordered from.

But who is a courier company more likely to listen to complaints from, an individual who they have no further obligation to, or the company who they want to keep getting money from?

In my experience whether it's an individual complaining or a company complaining (part of my job was to deal with the courier companies the company I worked for used) makes no difference in the long run. The problem lies with the individual couriers, if they feel it's too much effort to find somewhere or to take the package to where it needs to go then they simply don't do it. And just driving around to the other entrance of a building is too much effort for some, they'd rather stand and argue with you about how you can sign for it and carry the package round to where it needs to go

Not one of the "problem" couriers I dealt with lost their job by the way. Nor did they change, they were still lazy. Either the courier companies didn't discipline them or the individual couriers just didn't care.

I tried complaining to the courier company in May when they did this the first time and got nowhere. No apology and no reason as to why the parcel was left on the doorstep, apart from 'maybe your neighbours weren't in to leave it with', but my instructions also state the driver can leave it over the back gate. Why not do that?

How frustrating! I wonder what the courier company would do if your products were actually stolen and they had to refund you?!? The only thing big business care about is money.
I just started using [link removed] they are relatively new and super friendly - so far all their deliveries have been great