The Most Common Reasons for Missed Deliveries

Missed deliveries can be frustrating, especially if you feel that everything was running smoothly. 

There are many questions you are likely to ask yourself, the most important being whether you did something wrong. 

But the biggest elephant in the room, well, that's slightly more obvious: are you the only person who has missed a delivery? 

Thanks to us, you can learn some of the most common reasons for missed pallet deliveries! 

The Driver Ran Into Trouble (Out of Their Hands)

While it's easier said than done, try to keep an open mind if you are getting to the bottom of a missed delivery that you know is not your fault.

Just like you, the delivery driver is only human and sometimes that may stumble into trouble without expecting to.

We're all human, at the end of the day, and accidents can happen to anyone at any time.

If the driver still hasn't shown up and you are suspecting they have forgotten your pallet, give them the benefit of the doubt.

Normally, most pallet couriers will always call if there is an emergency and may try to find another solution to honour the slot you initially paid for.

However, this depends on whether you choose the best of your local pallet delivery companies. After all, you do get what you pay for.

Most of the time, if the driver has fallen victim to a huge queue of traffic then they will let you know of this out of courtesy - they are likely to be just as anxious as you are!

Plus, if this happens then the delivery won't be missed or forgotten about, just slightly delayed. But again, we're only human, aren't we? We can only do our best!

Nobody Was Onsite To Accept Delivery

As standard in the UK, pallet couriers will never just assume which pallet is meant for them.

They will also never leave pallets where nobody is present as this could compromise the safety of your consignment.

You may have several consignments due to be shipped with several different logistics companies, so jumping to assumptions could lead them down a complicated path.

Not only can this cause issues for yourself, but it can cause many problems for them as well.

No matter how many labels you stick on the side of your boxes, or if you claim to be fine with the courier leaving your pallet unattended at the delivery location if there is nobody on-site to assist the driver, they simply will not handle the pallets and will return to the depot. You will also likely be charged for a second attempt.

If you often use pallet courier services to ship a large number of items, then you probably know the number one rule by now. That is to say, always be present at the time of delivery.

This will give you the chance to observe their pallet courier service and how they carry out their duties.

But more importantly, you can easily prompt them in the right direction if you notice they need help.

Believe it or not, it is equally as important for you to be there at the time of delivery. The courier may need to know exactly where to drop your pallet, and unfortunately, if no one is there, then the delivery may be missed and you will be charged for a second delivery attempt on a later date.

Someone Refused To Accept the Delivery

When planning on sending a pallet or using reliable pallet services, trusting someone to accept your goods or see them off your site is all well and good.

However, if that person fails to show up at the time and others aren’t aware of a delivery, somebody else may accidentally refuse the service.

For a refused delivery, the courier will probably make a delivery note and report back to the depot that the delivery was refused on the first attempt. You will be charged for the first and second delivery attempt, so it is never worth the risk!

On the flip side, if a collection is refused the courier may have to settle this with you another way. By this, we mean that they will probably ask questions to establish the reason why this happened and who made the initial decision. 

As well as the many questions asked by the pallet courier, you may even be given other options or asked if you would like the courier to make another attempt to collect your goods.

For this to happen, you really should make sure someone is ready and waiting to help the courier determine which pallet they are collecting and how many of them for that matter.

Lastly, although it may not have been your decision to refuse the collection or delivery, you still may face additional costs to book the service again.

So, it’s better to keep this in mind next time around.

What To Do in the Event Of a Missed Delivery

With all said and done, missing a delivery is frustrating and causes more stress than it’s worth, we know.

But rest assured that the solution to this is cost-effective and won’t take up too much of your time either.

Start by getting in touch with the pallet courier you have shipped your pallet with - they will probably already know that there is an issue with your shipment.

If they aren't already one step ahead of you, remember to request another pallet delivery quote and settle any additional charges you are faced with as a result of the missed delivery.

Additional charges are completely normal under these circumstances. You will still have to pay for the service even if the courier was unable to deliver your pallet.

Normally, this is to compensate for fuel used on the first attempt and the actual efforts to deliver your pallet successfully the first time; and the cost of doing this again.