Best Courier

[ServersandSpares]

We use APC Direct Logistics, have done for over 18 months now with not one parcel missing and only two out of all this time delivered late, and we knew in advance so we could warn our customers because APc called to tell us. It helps that one of the founding directors is based in our local office, but I haven't ever heard anybody else complain aboutthem, and we deal with hundreds of customers and companies that use their service.

However, that said, they are only fantastic for UK deliveries, because they cannot compete on price to Europe at the moment, and for that we tend to use parcel force. You can get through to a "real person" to make a booking, but in our area aren't 100% reliable for collection, so we always make allowances for this when we quote time frames to the customer. Anyone wanting anything urgent to Europe will more than likely be willing to pay extra anyway.

We try not to touch Royal Mail with a barge pole, they are so unprofessional it causes more customer hassle than is worth, so cheapest is definitely not best.

Whatever you decide to do, its best to shop around, make friends with any of the collection drivers, and those on the ground will be likely to recommend the people they think are best as a lot work freelance for more than one company, such as Fed Ex drivers who also collect for local companies for their area.

 

[handbagqueen73]

I too use Fastway. Dont think you will find cheaper. haven't used them for long so cant give a accurate picture of their reliability though. One possible downside depending on how you look at it, is that you have to buy "books" of tickets in advance. We paid out about £300 in one go 20 tickets at £4.95 and 20 at £7.95.

HTH

Be very careful using Fastway, we started using them just before xmas on an alleged 24 hour delivery timescale- the majority of which turned up 3-5 days after being sent. We could never get hold of them by email or phone to chase the parcel. When they did arrive we had numerous complaints about the state of the packaging and then to top it all off Fastway head office took the franchise away from our local courier and we were left with hundreds of pounds of tickets that we will have to go to court in order to get our money back- Now use Parcel Force - are minimally more expensive but have been fantastic not one problem to date!!

 

[quikshop]

Sounds stupid, but Royal Mail.

The biggest reason we use them is because they have collection offices everywhere. Going with a traditional courier can cause problems if customers are not in when they call (especially if you want a signature).

We send everything by recorded delivery or special delivery and have a far better not called for rate with them than with any of the couriers we have tested.

I agree with Steve, we use the Royal Mail with our retail business and we've had one item go missing in 6 months.

They are no good for heavy international orders so we end up splitting orders into more than one package to get round that.

BUT!!! It's just like using a courier and very much depends on where you live. I wouldn't trust the Wolverhampton Sorting Office to handle my dirty washing given how much got lost and stolen by their staff, but no complaints at all with Telford... or even Northampton

 

[sapphal]

Hi, I don't know if this helps, I am an avid e-bayer and seller, I use these couriers www dot ukdelivery4u dot co dot uk they are one fixed price which helps.

Sorry, couldn't resist posting this.

Would anyone use a courier who couldn't spell Edinborough (sic).

It's on their home page.

 

interparcel all the way. tried parcels2go, who i tried to post a package with, no-one showed, i cancelled the order and went to interpacel... (they e-mailed me sayin no worries).... now they wont refund me...

how to lose a customer in 24 hours..

interpacel is £8.04 inc. VAT (we also sell clothes). 1-2 days

kitty

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

But interparcel and parcel2go are both resellers. So, unless you're talking about customer service wrt to bookings and resolving disputes etc, its wrong to say that Interparcel or Parcel2go are cr*p.

The people that are cr*p are the carriers that have failed to collect, broken/lost the item, or failed to deliver. And with both Interparcel and parcel2go, if you book the service with CHEAPEST price 9/10 it will be a DHL economy service. And it's DHL who have failed to collect (which is one of their common problems for technical reasons that if you want I can go into).

Venting frustrations at the reseller is like blaming Thomas Cook because British Airways cancelled a flight.

 

yes i know... i'm saying interparcel are great. i'm saying i booked through parcels2go... DHL didnt collect. I cancelled the re-collection. They sent me an e-mail saying that was fine (parcels2go) and said i would be refunded. So I sent the parcel with interparcel. now p2go will now not refund me.... and wont respond... so I ended up paying twice for the same package.

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

The blame for the failure to collect probably lies with DHL. So parcel2go aren't refunding because DHL have prob still charged them.

If you use DHL's own website to book, it will tell you for many postcode areas that they won't guarantee pickup on the day that you've booked it for. This is because they don't own van/employ drivers in many areas that aren't big cities, and the sub contractors won't drive out to smaller towns/rural areas to collect or deliver just one or two parcels, they'll wait till the next day and aggregate it. They have to, because they are getting literally pennies for the job.

Thing is, that if you use a DHL reseller, they don't tell you this at the point of booking. Again, not really a reseller issue, more a DHL issue.

But the customer service issues - totally with you - resellers issues all the way.

 

for sure, i dont blame them for not picking up... i blame them for not refunding me when i have an e-mail saying they would...

 

[mdj101]

Think your selves lucky that you get to choose who you can use!

If anyone can find me a national courier to ship fireworks then I will buy you a LARGE drink!*

*not including our current courier, but I wont tell you who that is. just to see what you guys come up with!

 

[neilos70]

try saletrackparcels, very efficient reseller using DHL.

 

[plymgary]

We use FedEX and they're good. Some depots are better than others though!!

 

[ArmitageShanks]

We use SaleTrack and have no complaints at all.

However Express Packages have just offered us a sub account through UPS and bettered ST's rates significantly, so we'll be changing over to them.

Plus everyone tells me UPS are the bees knees!


Edit: Just having a quick read of this thread and appears people are commonly using normally re-sellers- that's fine, but if you're sending 5+ a day you're throwing money away!

....Get yourself a sub-account asap!

 

[billyboy120]

I also use APC overnight and really like them.

Also use a local courier linked to APC, good service, free packaging bags, good prices, and you don't need to send 3000 parcels a week to get a decent price!

 

[UPS GUY]

We act as a reseller for a number of the national carriers, and I've got to say, on the whole the level of service we get varies by region. I tend to put most of our work through UPS as I find their service levels are the best, and most of all, they actually deal with issues as they arise.

The real annoying thing is when you can't get anyone to answer your enquiry, or they simply refuse to be honest! There is one very large company who I just absolutely refuse to deal with because of this.

Rich

Well said that person..

 

[bublibob]

Hi,

re fastways, just had the worst possible experience with them, first problem and they took 4 days to tell me it was missing, 24 phone calls i made, no-one ever replied to my phone call, they stuck me on hold for 20 minutes then cut me off.
Eventually the receptionist just said we cant find it, just file a claim.

The parcel, 7 days later is still awol, on monday they said theyd look into it, tuesday it had ben found and sent to the depot, wednesday admitted it hadnt been found and no idea where it was, today still cant find it and they dont care. I phoned the depot about 5 or 6 times every day this week, kept getting hung up on, put on hold and i think i started to bore them with my request to find my box.

The depot manager promised to phone me back in 40 mins, 12 hours later, still no call back.

I then phone fastways head office to complain, they dont have anyone who deals with complaints, theres no-one you can speak to, each depot is a franchise so its up to the depot to sort it, totally absurd.

So i am going back to APC, i used them before with no problem but decided to move to Fastways to save 75p per delivery.

I accept deliveries go missing but its how it is dealt with that saves the deal, this was the worst customer service i have ever had, and can only say i will always urge people NOT to use Fastways ever again.

If you think Fastways after sales was bad compare them with Parcel2go . I have used both on a regular basis. Parcel2go worst ever. Do not use under any circumstances. Rude, unhelpfull, loose parcels regularly, always find something in the small print that makes a problem your fault. Oh yes and they lie to you. Compared to Parcel2go Fastway gets 9 out of 10

 

[Andy27UK]

I'm still owed £350 from a lost parcel sent a year ago.

I even took it through the claims procedure, the bailif went to the local depot and i got a letter to say they had changed trading address, sold out or gone bust.....so i wont get a penny.

It's the drivers i feel for... they dont stand a chance.

 

[LightingGiants]

Do fastway offer a tracking service when sending goods???

 

[Andy27UK]

They do have an online tracking facility, yes.

 

[tdl]

I think all carriers vary region to region.

We are a reseller and we use UPS, DHL and TNT and sometimes DPD too.

Depending on the service you require we select the carrier who we feel are the best.

We are made up of ex employees of the above mentioned and therefore this gives us a good honest insight as to who is best at what service and obviously price as is normally the most important factor to most (not all) buyers.

For ad hoc collections (one offs) most couriers perform poorly. I can honestly say for regular shippers we do not have issues with failed collections. To be honest that is why we only tend to deal with customers requiring a regular daily collection (of course we dont just ignore the ad hoc customers as everyones traffic profile is different) as we can get them set up on the regulars and IT systems and offer great pricing too.

If anyone is interested in pricing get in touch and put us to the test. I am sure we can be competitve whether you are a B2B seller or B2C or both!

E-mail [email protected]

 

[phil battison]

Having tried many couriers over the past 5 years we've settled on ParcelForce and have been using them for the last 2 years. We get the occasional problem (as you do with all of them) but in the main they've been good. Prices are better than others we've tried. We ship out bewtween 30 -100 parcels a day with them.

The only real problem we have is multiple packages and packages over 25Kg - Parcelforce's pricing policy means you pay per pacakage so multiple drops to a single address are pricey and they will not touch anything over 25Kg. So for these we use Interparcel whose site is easy to use and the fact we can pick and choose who to send it with is helpful.

Phil

 

[lesliedocherty]

WE have used Fastways, terrible.

APC, really good, not one complaint

Interlink, currently using and again no complaints, any problems my rep sorts it our that day

 

[Alcsl]

We use DHL mainly for our requirements now. Used to use Parcel2go, but the customer service there is beyond a joke. I've lost count the amount of times we had to chase them on the same day for various bits of paperwork that the collection was being made & there's always an excuse or the person you need to speak to 'isn't available'. And then when the documents finally turn up they're full of errors - pretty much every time! We gave them lots of chances but they still never managed to get it right. Shame for them really, we spend '000s a year on couriers. Avoid P2G like the plaque, IMO.

In additional to DHL, Parcelforce have also been very efficient for us in the past.

Al

 

[gingerdad]

Just moved our shipping to UKMail £5.25 upto 20kgs, have been using TNT service has been very good 6.75 up 10kgs/ 7.75 upto 20kgs. Used to use DHL (SOE) and where worse than crap (which says a lot as used to work for propper DHL for 5 years).

(also ex-ups employee - they have a very good service but they tend to be hit and miss on domestic price depending on the mood of Germany and the US)

 

[LightingGiants]

just getting into another contract with parcelforce must be tough out there the sales rep is quite eager to push accounts open

 

[lesliedocherty]

Just moved our shipping to UKMail £5.25 upto 20kgs, have been using TNT service has been very good 6.75 up 10kgs/ 7.75 upto 20kgs. Used to use DHL (SOE) and where worse than crap (which says a lot as used to work for propper DHL for 5 years).

(also ex-ups employee - they have a very good service but they tend to be hit and miss on domestic price depending on the mood of Germany and the US)

what are uk mail like, just been quoted happy by them, but not sure how good service is

 

[p2go]

Hi

I was surprised to read of some of the experiences with our company and wondered if anyone who has experienced a problem would email me personally on s.chandler at parcel2go.com with as much detail as possible.

I can assure you I will investigate fully and respond as soon as I can. Mention you are contacting as a result of the UK Business Forums posting when you email me

Kindest regards
Sally Chandler
Quality Manager

 

[trevormuk]

Parcel2Go - great idea but at the moment is badly executed. Can't fault the carriers (DHL, parcelforce etc.) however Parcel2Go themselves are a joke.
Watch out for the free £5 if you load your account with £100 or more.
I did so at the beginning of June, and I am still chasing them for the £5!

As an importer I made an enquiry with them for sea and air shipment quotes from China and HK. i gave up in the end, as after nearly 2 weeks of emails where i provided all the details of the consignments, locations etc. it concerned me greatly that the contact who was dealing with my enquiry did not have a clue about shipments and importing from China.

HTH
T

 

[phil battison]

if you're looking for an Importer from China or HK I can recommend Uniserve - they offer both Airfreight and Seafreight services from door to door and take care of all the paperwork for you.

 

[p2go]

Hi

If anybody is chasing information on imports from us (Parcel2Go) or the £5 offer can you email me on s.chandler at parcel2go.com and I will ensure this is resolved very quickly.

Huge apologies for any bad experiences with us. We are working really hard to resolve these concerns and I would humbly beg your indulgence so we can demonstrate we do care about any problems anybody has had with us. Give us a chance to prove we can respond quickly and accurately.

 

[Jimbo76]

Just to let you know about parcel2go - I have been waiting for over a month to resolve a damaged item. The online help is a joke and most of the times I am sure they wind you up so they can turn around and not deal with you!

They take you to the point where you have to take further action i.e. go to court, you will then end up being passed to someone who will further wind you up and offer no resolution to the situation.

Sure people do have some good experience with them but I assure you that when things go wrong your normal good nature will hit breaking point, slow to respond, delay tactics constantly used.

Seems like they have hit the jackpot but when things go wrong cant sort things out through there poor customer services, been reported over many years as being poor! you will be known more for the negative experiences then the positive, most companies downfall if they cant get this right.

I suggest anyone who encounters problems like myself report them to consumer direct (trading standards) and BBC Watchdog so they get the bigger picture and can act.

 

[Andy27UK]

Indeed it can be frustrating. I had a similar issue which took up far too much of my time to sort out and left my customer in limbo which isn't good for any small business.

I ended up going direct to DHL and by-passing P2G which promptly got the matter resolved. If the courier was DHL (booked via Parcel2go) this may be worth a shot.

Best of luck.

 

[That Guy]

Recently I have been using http://www.parcelsplease.co.uk/ with no problems at all.

Great customer service and you can track online.

You can also sign up for a trade account and get a good discount if you are a regular sender

 

[Andy27UK]

I rate this company highly:
http://www.wedelivertheworld.co.uk/index.php

I booked a parcel online for same day collection. It was booked right on the cut off time, but it went through all the same. Within mins i got a phone call in person to say that a courier wasn't available, but collection was re-booked for me over the telephone there and then and i was able to advise my customer as much.

Most other couriers would have told me by automated rebooking email the next morning after a failed collection had occured. Very impressive service and very good pricing too.

 

[trendy kid]

I worked at an apc overnight depot for a few years and have nothing but good things to say.
The auditor was a complete pain and all damage and discrepts had to be dealt with before 9. And if it was their fault I.e a miss route they would put it in a van and run it the same day.
Added to that every depot could be contacted independently and not through a central switch board.
Its a load of independent courier companies and they all care about being in the network.

 

[FreelanceSoftwareDeveloper]

People who say Parcel2Go lose parcels must be talking rubbish, they are a reseller, the courier companies collect and deliver the parcels!

I use DHL via Parcel2Go, and have always had collections when confirmed (I tend to book in the evening for the next day) and as far as i'm aware always get next day delivery even though it's only guaranteed 90% of the time (I only send a few items per week though). I can get same day collections up to around lunchtime and if I need to pop out I can leave parcels in the shed (written in collection note when booking) and the driver will take them and post the documents through the door!

From what i've read on here I seem to be in the minority for getting great service with DHL, it does make me wonder if my customers are getting an equally good service.

I was thinking of switching to Boxby's service using UPS as it's guaranteed next day but since I realised Parcel2Go links to ebay/Amazon etc this is now very simple to use.

I've only had to use customer services once for a missed collection, around 11.30am I used their live online help, much more convenient than telephone and they arranged a same day recollection.

 

[gibby]

just a warning on ccl's parcel please

prices are good & service good but their admin is hopeless

they have charged us twice for the same delivery from last year & despite phone calls this has not been refunded

invoices dont match the payments taken and today we find a large payment has been taken when no parcel has been sent

this seems to be common with some couriers - you have to keep checking up on them to make sure they havnt overcharged etc

G

 

[strikingedge]

We use Interparcel a lot for wholesale. Didn't have much luck with P2Go.

However, you should never, ever use a DHL service - don't be enticed by their cheaper prices - whenever we have a missing shipment, the first question is....did someone book DHL....and in every instance the answer is yes.

For e-commerce selling direct to customers I'd suggest UK Mail - about £4.50 for next day trackable delivery, free pick ups - and the cost goes down substantially when you hit 30-50 orders per day.

 

[gibby]

the dhl driver yesterday told me they have lost alot of business customers due to all the problems

also lots of customers complaining due to the amount of orders not being delivered for xmas & that they were unable to find out where the parcels were

weve been fighting with them to get stuff delivered before xmas.
spent ages on the phone, promised by our depot they would go to the customers & the whole lot came back to us.

crazy


G

 

[quikshop]

promised by our depot they would go to the customers & the whole lot came back to us.

How is that even possible :|

They use a bar-coded internal tracking system so I'm struggling with this one?