My experience seems to be the norm. Not that I chose this company as it was the retailers decision to use them leaving me to be messed around and ultimately let down. I have contacted the retailer but they don't appear concerned that the customer is dissatisfied as the package was delivered and received.
My email to English Whisky;
'Having placed an order over the weekend, for what to me was a not insignificant sum, I received an email on Monday from you and from DHL that the delivery would be on Tuesday The email specifically stated 'We require someone to be at home to accept the parcel so if there's no-one available please select from one of the available rearrange options'. Taking this message at its word I knew that there would be no one at home on Tuesday so I looked at how I could amend my schedule and freed up Thursday and changed the delivery day to Thursday as I didn't want to get carded and rearrange. So on Thursday I was now going to be working from home all day and would be able to sign for the package. Thursday morning and another DHL email 'WE'RE ON OUR WAY Your parcel from English Whisky Co. Ltd is with your DHL eCommerce UK driver for delivery today between 16:00 and 17:00. We require someone to be at home to accept the parcel so if there's no-one available please select from one of the available rearrange options'. I was at home so all would be well. I pencilled in the time slot 16:00 to 17:00 to aim to be finished by then so that I wouldn't be trapped on a call when the delivery driver knocked. Then 14:56 and an email dropped 'YOUR PARCEL HAS BEEN DELIVERED Your parcel from English Whisky Co. Ltd has been delivered today at 14:55 and has been accepted at the delivery address by surname'. I rushed down to check that it was there and had been tucked behind my food waste bin with my plastics/cans recycling bag sat on top. So it had been delivered but no attempt had been made to knock for a signature and to say that it 'has been accepted at the delivery address by surname' is completely false. Seems that I changed my schedule for Tuesday and Thursday and for today for no good reason as the driver had no intention of attempting to get a signature. I had felt a certain amount of assurance because a signature was going to be required and now feel that DHL left me vulnerable to theft and all the hassle that that would have entailed to resolve. It wasn't that the driver was running late either. The slot was 16:00 to 17:00 and the email time was 14:56 so just over one hour early.'
Perhaps it is a good thing that DHL don't seem to go in for one of those 'How did we do?' emails!
I will not be placing any future orders with English Whisky, as much as I enjoy their products. I will have to find it in a store or an alternate online supplier. I have had my WELCOME10 discount so I guess that ship has sailed!
Nor will I order with any other retailer who discloses that DHL are their chosen delivery 'partner'.
I did get my delivery but not without a lot if unnecessary messing about due to their mis-information.