Last week I ordered some goods at an e-commerce site. For delivery of my gods the Postnord DPD service (Sweden) was used. Before continuing this post, lets describe where the delivery address is located. It's located in the archipelago of Stockholm, and you need to use a ferry to get here.
Today I got pinged that they could not deliver the gods as no one was there to pick it up. Then what happens is that the gods is transported off the island again. Back approximately 40km, to later be transported back to the island again, so that I can pick it up at the local store that also offers postal services...tomorrow.
This means that the package is roughly travelling: "From A to B to A to B" again "From A to B to A to B"
THAT IS LIKE the same distance three times instead of once.
Is there possibly some way we can improve on this? Hmm... Hmmm... Though one... Hmmmm...
Suggestion A: Maybe we could make the customer suggest a day within a range of days where the likelihood of being able to drop it of would be higher?
Suggestion B: Maybe we could allow the customer to immediately say: "I will not be able to be there, deliver as fast as possible to local postal service."
Suggestion C: Maybe we could ping the customer through an app, in which he or she can confirm "Yes" or "No, there's no point in shipping to me today, drop it of at the local postal storage instead"
Suggestion D: Maybe you could just figure it out immediately that you shouldn't leave the island directly, but instead stop by the postal service and drop it of? You actually pass it!
What could you possibly gain from this?
Happier customer? Well actually, I can wait. But what makes me angry is the complete waste of resources. If not money then natural resources and the unnecessary pollution going on here. Identical or similar solutions as listed above, probably already exist in one way or the other. The point is. You should not be allowed to have a package go back and forth as this one. So...
Shape up Postnord!
And yes there's also another alternative: Suggestion "I adopt". Where I enter an address to somewhere that someone is guaranteed to be available at all time or that I get a box or something similar somewhere.
//Daniel