Deliver to Promise

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Last week, I paid extra for an express delivery. The kind of delivery that comes with bold, confident promises:
“Next-Day Delivery Guaranteed!”

But instead of a package, I received a note through the letterbox:

“We tried to deliver. You were not in.”

I was in. I was very in. Probably closer to the door than the driver ever was.

The item was diverted to a “local store”. Except, of course, it wasn’t there.
When I asked, the staff gave me that look we’ve all come to know too well, a blend of confusion and helpless sympathy.
The parcel finally arrived three days later, the "express" bit apparently a creative flourish.

When I shared the story with friends over the weekend, the reaction wasn’t outrage. It was a shrug: “Well, what did you expect?”

One friend ordered a sofa for a Tuesday delivery, taking a day off work to receive it.
He came home Monday evening to a note: “We delivered early!”

The company’s explanation? “We thought you’d be happy.”  He wasn’t. He was far from happy!

We’re living in a time where service has somehow become separate from responsibility.
We overpromise. We underdeliver. And worse we've come to accept it.

Late trains? Expected.
Delayed roadworks? Of course.
Parcels floating in the delivery ether? Standard.

But must it be this way?

In Japan, the Shinkansen bullet trains are famously punctual, we’re talking to the second.
In 2017, when a train departed 20 seconds early, the operator issued a national apology (BBC, 2017).
When one left 30 seconds late, the onboard crew bowed and offered their humblest regrets (The Guardian, 2018).

That’s not logistics. That’s culture.

A culture where a promise is a contract, not a marketing slogan.

So where did we go wrong?

Are we too tolerant? Too understanding? Too British?
Or have businesses trained us to expect disappointment and call it "normal"?

It’s time to flip the script.

Let’s stop rewarding promises and start rewarding delivery.
Let’s challenge poor service, not laugh it off.
Let’s hold brands to the same standards we hold ourselves.

Because in leadership, business, and life — you’re only as good as your last delivery.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you had similar experiences? Or better yet — have you seen examples of companies getting it right?

References:

BBC (2017) Japanese train company apologises for 20-second-early departure.
Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42009839 (Accessed: 6 August 2025).

The Guardian (2018) Japanese train departs 25 seconds early – and company apologises.
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/11/japanese-train-departs-25-seconds-early-and-company-apologises(Accessed: 6 August 2025).