DPB Delivery Bracebridge is offering customers the chance to pick up parcels from their facility as staff battles against “the perfect storm” of slowdowns.
Owner-operator Darren Budd said they typically use five drivers, but even with an expanded team of 15, the piles in their facility continue to grow. They cover five routes for Canpar Express in the Bracebridge and Port Carling area, so their team is delivering and picking up about 1,500 parcels a day. Their Amazon deliveries are also running behind with about 1,000 packages waiting to be delivered to customers in Bracebridge and Gravenhurst.
“Parcel service has quadrupled this holiday season,” Budd said. “Most shippers that used Canada Post have moved to us as a courier for both delivery and pick-up.”
The company works with UPS, Canpar, DHL and Amazon. While there may be Amazon packages for Gravenhurst residents, the company will only have packages from the other carriers for people with Bracebridge or Port Carling postal codes.
Budd said he would avoid calling the carriers directly since people will most likely talk to a customer service rep in Toronto who can’t help them. Instead, locals should check their tracking and see where their items were last scanned. His team hasn’t been able to scan and status many of the parcels they’ve received, so the status should show no updates after reaching the facility.
“Weather has put us behind at least a week,” he said. “[We’re] currently sitting on about 30k parcels just in our warehouse. The combination of Canada Post strike, weather and Christmas has been the perfect storm.”
If customers are in the correct service area and their package is in Bracebridge, they can reach out to DPB Delivery with their address, tracking number and carrier details to confirm the company has the package. Once it’s confirmed, locals can stop by the Canpar Express depot at 581 Ecclestone Drive in Bracebridge.
Shortly after posting about the pick-up option on Facebook, the company received more than 50 messages with names alone, so Budd is asking customers to read the requirements carefully and be sure they take the necessary steps. Drivers are working 12- to 14-hour shifts seven days a week just to stay afloat, and they still have boxes piled everywhere throughout their 5,000-square-foot facility.
“Everyone is starting to burn out and feel defeated,” Budd said. “In my 25 years of working for UPS/Canpar here in Muskoka, this is by far the craziest Christmas rush yet. We are pushing through best we can, but we all know there will likely be thousands of packages sitting in our warehouse come Christmas Eve.”
