Couriers/Shipping of Long Items in the UK - Diabolical Service - need recommendations

[victoriacook]

Hi we currently us DX Freight as they are the ONLY company i can find who will ship our items. We sell long items that are light, but awkward. Max dimensions are 6000mm x 150mm x 150mm 25kg. They are packaged in solid cardboard tube. DX Freight have lost 3 of these this week alone and refusing to pay compensation as the parecls were going to a private address. I have scoured online trying to find any other companies but no luck. This is going to bankrupt us, they simply do not care.

 

[Mark T Jones]

@JEREMY HAWKE

 

[Marantzdigital]

Hi

I'll just add my 2p whilst we wait for the resident expert

Sorry to hear about the mishap, I have had one or two parcels out of thousands go missing via various mainstream companies, so on a general note would say most UK courier services are pretty good. The business rates are quite competitive and much better than the likes of the post office and evri I terms of the average large parcel (yours is definitely not average!)

How do they lose a 6m long item?
Can I ask, at 25kg and 6m how are they and you loading these items onto their vehicles?

*** Are the goods / packing flexible? ****

I have heard of another company via a driver, facing a similar issue with long non uniform items, they had to change couriers as they were bumping up the prices - sadly I no longer see this driver to obtain any leads for you but I know his were about 4m long and he did find an alternative around the same cost he way paying.

I would say ditch the online searches and call every courier you can find, if you haven't already, they have dedicated sales contract departments.

Have you tried APC? they are quite a face to face old school company unlike some of the bigger companies with many people to get past to speak to the right person. Ive had trouble getting through to a human or even a Robot with some of these big companies, its frustrating when things go wrong or you have an issue with a driver, service or missed collection etc

How about a pallet?
Man and van
Removals company

Are goods going to various locations or mainly one area?

Can the goods in any way shape or form be reduced in size eg two or three parts to be assembled again at the other end (I'm sure they can't)

Worst case you could look at delivering yourself, eg have your own trailer or van and someone employed specifically for the job. I don't think that would work out cost wise but :

A. Items won't be getting 'lost' and less risk of damage hopefully, factor in how much this uninsured loss or damage would cause you to lose in money and customer relations, feedback etc

B. Your customer may appreciate the personal delivery, maybe this could be tied in with installation or placing in a certain part of the property at additional cost which could cover your costs and be a potential earner? It could set you apart from others using couriers who may not appreciate having to delivery 6m 25kg to a residential property with no parking or access!

There's a saying about leaving money on the table isn't there, is this applicable here? or do the numbers vs time and effort simply not add up?

 

[victoriacook]

Hi

I'll just add my 2p whilst we wait for the resident expert

Sorry to hear about the mishap, I have had one or two parcels out of thousands go missing via various mainstream companies, so on a general note would say most UK courier services are pretty good. The business rates are quite competitive and much better than the likes of the post office and evri I terms of the average large parcel (yours is definitely not average!)

How do they lose a 6m long item?
Can I ask, at 25kg and 6m how are they and you loading these items onto their vehicles?

*** Are the goods / packing flexible? ****

I have heard of another company via a driver, facing a similar issue with long non uniform items, they had to change couriers as they were bumping up the prices - sadly I no longer see this driver to obtain any leads for you but I know his were about 4m long and he did find an alternative around the same cost he way paying.

I would say ditch the online searches and call every courier you can find, if you haven't already, they have dedicated sales contract departments.

Have you tried APC? they are quite a face to face old school company unlike some of the bigger companies with many people to get past to speak to the right person. Ive had trouble getting through to a human or even a Robot with some of these big companies, its frustrating when things go wrong or you have an issue with a driver, service or missed collection etc

How about a pallet?
Man and van
Removals company

Are goods going to various locations or mainly one area?

Can the goods in any way shape or form be reduced in size eg two or three parts to be assembled again at the other end (I'm sure they can't)

Worst case you could look at delivering yourself, eg have your own trailer or van and someone employed specifically for the job. I don't think that would work out cost wise but :

A. Items won't be getting 'lost' and less risk of damage hopefully, factor in how much this uninsured loss or damage would cause you to lose in money and customer relations, feedback etc

B. Your customer may appreciate the personal delivery, maybe this could be tied in with installation or placing in a certain part of the property at additional cost which could cover your costs and be a potential earner? It could set you apart from others using couriers who may not appreciate having to delivery 6m 25kg to a residential property with no parking or access!

There's a saying about leaving money on the table isn't there, is this applicable here? or do the numbers vs time and effort simply not add up?

The items are packaged in a solid cardboard tube. we do use APC but they have maximum size of 3000mm. The items do not hold enough value to be sending personally but we do have in the pipeline a jointing kit system which i think we need to prioritise to top of the list.

 

[NickZ]

What happened to DHL?

https://send.dhlparcel.co.uk/parcel-services/large-parcel-delivery

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Your only option is to stay with DX freight
There is very little profit in this sector hence the fact that nobody wants to get involved with it

 

[Marantzdigital]

The joining kit needs to be priority I would say.

Maybe you make more sales at 3m x2 with joiner kit, due to more manageable goods for customer?
Maybe they don't order as much as where is 6m long going in most residential properties? Maybe 3m could be collected from you if not already.

I noticed most things come flat packed or manageable sized even a huge garden shed will come in a super heavy box.
I appreciate not all goods can be split or joined but if there's a way then its certainly worth exploring in depth.

This way less courier trouble less weight less storage space easier to handle? I speak generally without knowing the product.

 

[Martin Patfield]

We sell stupid sized product - all custom made to order so different every week.

Recently I've had Fedex keep trying to get our business - worth a shout with them? I haven't looked into them in detail as to what their maximum dimensions, weights and costs are as our customer base just pays the same day van couriers and us to deliver it properly and safely first time without us having to worry about how many hands are going to touch and damage our product.

 

[AndrewHamilton]

Hi we currently us DX Freight as they are the ONLY company i can find who will ship our items. We sell long items that are light, but awkward. Max dimensions are 6000mm x 150mm x 150mm 25kg. They are packaged in solid cardboard tube. DX Freight have lost 3 of these this week alone and refusing to pay compensation as the parecls were going to a private address. I have scoured online trying to find any other companies but no luck. This is going to bankrupt us, they simply do not care.

 

[AndrewHamilton]

Hi Victoria
,
That sounds incredibly stressful — losing three items of that size in a week is unacceptable, especially when they’re packaged properly. I really feel for you; long but lightweight items can be tricky, and once a big network misroutes one, it can disappear into a black hole.


A few thoughts that might help:

1. Your dimensions put you outside most mainstream carriers.
   6m items instantly exclude the standard parcel networks (DPD, APC, Parcelforce, DHL, TNT etc.), so you’re right that options are limited.
2. Losses on long freight usually happen due to manual handling points.
   Anything that can’t go on conveyor systems gets moved separately, and that’s when parcels can be misplaced, especially if the depot is busy.
3. Private addresses can be classed as ‘higher risk’, which is why some carriers try to exclude compensation — not saying it’s fair, just explaining their logic.
4. Have you considered speaking to a dedicated freight or direct-load provider?
   For items this size, some businesses use a direct A→B transport rather than a network. It removes most of the handling steps and massively cuts the risk of loss/damage.
5. Another option is to switch to regional freight specialists.
   Some smaller, independent carriers can handle long awkward freight more reliably because they manually control each leg of the journey.
6. It might help to review your packaging too.
   Solid cardboard tubes are good, but adding end-caps, bright “long freight” stickers, or reinforcement can sometimes reduce mishandling.

I really hope you get this sorted — losing multiple consignments of 6-metre items is not something any business can absorb for long. If you want to share roughly what the items are (material type, fragility etc.), someone here might be able to suggest a more suitable carrier.