Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,808 Threads: 99
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good you are fine david,
more uk parcel delivery problems for me.
and after watching the news this morning, on missing parcels in the uk. and whats expected on the run up to christmas?
im in a pickle of what to do next.
im wondering if its worth closing the business until after the new year. but as a small business under the vat thresh hold. this will have to result in shortages of what gets made in the new year. obviously from the resulting lack of funds.
will customers accept the same as overseas. and once a parcel is posted its then there responsibility and possibly loss. " i doubt it "
one of the largest problems is most companies wont insure car parts, so claims cant even be made on losses.
well a decision has to be made there somewere.
tony.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,977 Threads: 90
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Location: Ripon
On the subject of parcels, I ordered some sheets of tinplate to make wing tanks for orders received, they were dispatched on 11 11 21, due delivery date 19 11 21 , still waiting for MyHermes to put on his flying slippers I suppose. The helmet of invisibility is working well though!
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,808 Threads: 99
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nice one duncan.
my main uk problem, is trying do the best prices for my customers.
not trying to creap. what i mean is. to get the best delivery companies for the best prices. i use parcel2go
for instance dhl is just under £10 for a 5kg through parcel2go. the same parcel if i sign up with DHL and go dirrect is £22.
here is were the problem comes in, if i insure a customers item with parcel2go. parcel2go will charge 10% on average of the value of the item for insurance cover.
you can all work it out for yourselves, if you want a £300 car part. your postage is now £10 + £30 total postage now £40
next problem is even though these companies with take the money for insurance cover, they wont pay out on car parts.
my question for those who will actually answer on here is, is it fare for me to offer my own insurance on parcels at say 10%. and then if items go missing. the loss comes out of my own pocket. or if people dont want to insure, they take there own losses on items going missing.
tony.
ps, i must say i have mothing to do with p2g. and this is no way an advert for them. quite the oposit.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,641 Threads: 93
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Location: Monmouthshire
Duncan, wing tanks? Have you already taken orders or might a wing tank be available at some point after the material has been received, whenever that may be?
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 425 Threads: 30
Reputation:
7
Location: Wellington, NZ
Postage costs everywhere are mad. I am trying to help out some fellow Riley people in the UK with some stainless steel screws they want which, very oddly, they found only in NZ. The screws are cheap but they got quoted about 20 quid for postage! That's the price for the smallest standard box. A self wrapped, tracked parcel of less than 200g is about half that. A letter, which is meant to be only paper but I might be able to get away with small screws, is only a few quid.
Apparently you can send calendars as a letter and they have metal rings in them so I think 10 small screws should be fine. I can draw 12 boxes on a bit of card, stick a screw in each square and call it a calendar maybe? A screw for each month with spares for Nov/Dec!
I also saw that when you send a parcel from a post shop now (no post offices anymore, just counters in stationary shops and petrol stations) they will charge you an extra few quid ($5NZ) as a 'service charge' for filling out the customs forms! They want people to do it all online and print out their own labels these days.
The only advantage I have now living rurally (which means all local letters/parcels get an extra fee added on and take extra days) is the postie will pick up parcels from my letter box to send off!
The sender of my Riley remote gear shifter who sent it on the 19th of last month rang ParcelForce and they say it is now in NZ although their tracking doesn't say that.
Simon
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,808 Threads: 99
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Simon.
Parcel force will only show tracking in the uk.
You should find when tracking the item or on there site it will give you the couriers site your end for further tracking.
Although some companys, have policys suggesting they dont have to swipe the tracking bar code if they dont want to???
The royal mail uk plays this policy.
Tony.
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 425 Threads: 30
Reputation:
7
Location: Wellington, NZ
Hi Tony, yes, the number does show up in the local NZ Post tracking too luckily. That still says "Your item has arrived at an overseas depot and is being prepared for sending to New Zealand".
The parcel force tracking goes from "Step 3. Prepared for export" to "Step 4: In delivery country" so maybe they don't track all those in between steps as you say.
The comments you made about insurance are interesting. I have had that before where some parts were sent and one part in the box went missing in customs. The part was a Riley 9 king pin, one of a pair of course, which is a decent chunk of steel. It was an insured package. The part was in there when it was sent but when it got to me it has been opened and reclosed. Missing one kingpin!
I couldn't do anything at all as I wasn't the sender. On the senders side they got told well, it was shipped fine so not their problem, can't claim the insurance. Customs here said it wasn't their fault and they couldn't find it and how did I know it was there to start with anyway. I pointed out the weight of the package I received was exactly 1 king pin lighter than the weight on the customs form. In the end no one would accept responsibility and I had to buy (and have posted) another single one!
So even having insurance might not help you as you say.
I think the main policy change with packages here in NZ is 'signature required' things no longer need a signature. Even though I think they still charge extra for that service.
Simon
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,808 Threads: 99
Reputation:
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simon,
uk still charges for signature, although due to covid they dont take signatures anymore.
i dont know about NZ customs, but many countrys customes will entre a discaimer sheet into any parcel or bag opened. it explains if anything is missing tough sh!t.
my most surprizing customes was returning from the USA, i used to save up the small change as i have vintage slot machines on usa money. around $26 in loose change was rapped up in several pairs of my used paints. alot of walking around, so plenty of skiddies. when i opened my case in the UK, there was a customes slip on the top of the clothes. guess what.
yep, skiddies unravelled, and money GONE.
shorly customes must get paid enough not to need to raid my crusty`s. 
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,642 Threads: 23
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15
Location: The village of Evenley
Car type: 1934 Austin Seven RP Deluxe
Steady on Tony, I’ve just had dinner!
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 482 Threads: 14
Reputation:
9
Location: Dunchurch, Warwickshire
Although Royal Mail are happy to take your money for compensation for lost or missing items, trying to claim for compensation is a soul-destroying nightmare. It tends to come under the 'life's too short' heading, and frankly I have much better things to do than to bang my head against Royal Mail's brick wall, so I just take the hit.
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