Cheap carriage!

[martin]

My flabber is pleasantly ghasted! I bought some goods from someone in the wilds of Wales, and needed to get them delivered to my home in Sussex - as the weight is 23.5 kilos I expected the carriage was going  to be frighteningly expensive, but following an internet search found a company called "interparcel.com" which has a useful "bung in the size and weight and we'll quote" facility - upshot is £6.50 plus vat using "Yodel" Pick up on monday, delivery within 48 hours...... I reckon that's a bargain!

[clockmanFR]

Martin whoooo, careful now.

Had this e-mail from one of my senders.

"Hi, I'm really sorry but i have been messed about by a rubbish courier - never use YODEL 48!!!. They assure me it will be on its way to you Monday. Sorry again for delay. Many thanks Kevin"

[martin]

Now he tells me!

[clockmanFR]

Sorry,
 That particular parcel, a roll of 10mm2 armoured 4 core electric cable, took 10 days in the end.

[martin]

Was that to/from France?

[clockmanFR]

Sorry again, No it was UK to UK.
To France, i try not to as even UPS send, (i mean send) a card in the post to tell us to drive 150 miles to there nearest depot. Although to be honest things have got better over 5 years as all the carriers get to know us.

[johnrae]

Interparcel also use UPS for virtually the same price (look at the "Economy" section).  I've used them on numerous occasions and parcels have all been delivered within 24 hours.  It appears that UPS parcels on "economy" travel by the same system as "next day" and they can't be bothered forcing delays like the GPO do with their 2nd class mail.

[ecogeorge]

Had good and bad experience with all.
tend to use parcel2go (resell yodel or DHL as it used to be)  or even Myhermes - slower delivery but cheap.
Royal Mail parcels are good if parcel large compared to most couriers limits as theirs is larger.
Just weigh and measure parcel then google for cheapest.
rgds George.

[rogeriko]

I use parcel2go England to Greece 4/5 days 25 pounds for 25 kilos can't beat that. Door to door as well.

[camillitech]

Don't set me off about couriers 

OK, I know that I live out in the sticks but I get all my parcels delivered to a ferry terminal which is right on a busy trunk road on Skye, an island that has been firmly connected to Scotland by a toll free bridge for many years. Try explaining this to someone in Guildford and you usually get an answer along the lines of 'it's still offshore so that'll be an extra gazillion £££s' 

So what I do is give them my parents delivery address on the mainland that is miles down a single track road, off the major trunk road with a narrow steep drive up to the house. They will quite happily deliver there despite it being far more inconvenient to both them and myself 

I find that it's usually cheaper to get stuff sent from China, the US or New Zealand than anywhere south of Glasgow 

Using a Skye based courier http://www.skyeexpressparcelsinverness.co.uk/ I can get and engine from Somerset or a Lister from Southampton cheaper than some decorating materials weighing less than 10Kg from Liverpool 

If ever I'm sending something away I use Parcelforce.

Cheers, Paul

[martin]

Well, much to my pleasant surprise, the parcel left Wales at 11am on Monday, and arrived here at around 5.30 this evening (so to be pedantic, 54.5 hours, and not the "48" quoted), goods totally intact, (I was a touch worried as it contained a lot of glass), overall very pleased with my "bargain carriage"

[clockmanFR]

Phew, relief.

[County 4x4]

I've been using interparcel for quite a while now for sending out sample packs of briquettes. The service has been pretty much spot on - the "interparcel economy" one which has been done by UPS. Driver just comes in and helps himself so I don't have to be around for them.

I did notice though that the price for my 30 kilo packages had gone up from £8.22 inc VAT to £11.99 the other day!

Andy

[smegal]

In the event that you did have problems with the courier. Phone interparcel up straight away.

I used to send loads with them and the one time that A courier messed me around, another courier arrived the same day.

I cannot fault them at all.