The delivery industry in the Czech Republic has got a bit of a reputation for apathy.
It’s common to be at home waiting for a package, then getting a text message from the delivery person saying they tried to deliver a package 2 minutes ago but you weren’t home, and to please go to the post office to pick it up.
In what is perhaps the most classic example of this stereotype, a delivery worker was caught on video in Obora chucking a fragile package over a gate and driving off.
The video shows a woman in a DPD van show up in the driveway of someone’s home, roll down the window, do a quick practice throw, and then lob the package over the high gate onto the pavement.
A man who wished to remain anonymous said he watched the incident live on his phone through his security cameras.
“No one called, no one rang, no one honked their horn. I usually park my own van in that spot so I have a security camera in the house. When I got the notification on my phone, I was at work so I started watching.”
The man said he managed to get a hold of the delivery worker after about an hour. Apparently, she was rather unresponsive.
“I asked her if she threw my package over the gate. She said yes… The fact that she probably damaged the contents of my package and that I no longer wanted them were of no worry to her.”
When the man called DPD to file a complaint with customer support, they told him that he couldn’t actually file a complaint until he opened the package and confirmed that contents were in fact damaged in some way. However, the man didn’t want to open to package because he didn’t want DPD to be suspicious about the damage happening after he opened it, so an awkward stalemate ensued over the phone, according to him.
In response to the incident, DPD’s CEO Miloš Malaník was sympathetic to what happened and apologized.
“How the courier behaved is obviously completely inexcusable and in no way compatible with DPD’s values and standards… We’re quickly resolving the situation with the carrier and we’ll inform the customer as soon as possible about the next steps.”
Featured image via DPD
