Courier despair

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

Couriers pay buttons and threat their staff like dirt. It's hardly surprising if the staff take out their frustrations in the only way they can. If there was a courier that paid well and took real care, they'd have to charge a lot more per parcel. People would stay away in their droves, and they'd fail.

Sometimes we get what we deserve when we judge by price alone.

 

[hifi-dog]

Would anyone like to see inside the damaged amp?

yep!

 

[hifi-dog]

blimey - you were lucky in a way then!

 

[Neil P]

blimey - you were lucky in a way then!

I know! It's almost like they didnt get dropped until they put them on my doorstep .... hmmm .... my wife was in when they arrived .... maybe SHE kicked them around a bit in despair!!!

 

[Copperjacket]

Very lucky indeed!

 

[RoA]

Couriers pay buttons and threat their staff like dirt. It's hardly surprising if the staff take out their frustrations in the only way they can. If there was a courier that paid well and took real care, they'd have to charge a lot more per parcel. People would stay away in their droves, and they'd fail.

Sometimes we get what we deserve when we judge by price alone.

Never use Hermes. DPD very good so far.

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

The plastic discs holding the transformers in both amps cracked, but luckily the transformers didn't shift inside so no more damage caused. Scary that they could have taken such a knock (Two separate parcels!), but luckily a quick and easy fix!

Interesting. I have an amp that I bought essentially new, but at a good price because there's a small dent in part of the vent on the top plate. The dent, outwards, is directly above the mounting bolt for the transformer...

Everything works perfectly.

 

[paul rich]

As mentioned above reference how staff are treated, the whole business is a race to the bottom. Most courier selection choices are made based on lowest cost. For the few who will pay extra for a better service I fear that option is not/may not be in existence for much longer. The courier selecting masses will decide on quality vs cost on behalf of all of us.

 

[Arkless Electronics]

I've had gear arrive here for repair where the packaging has been a newspaper wrapped around the amp and that's it. And with 2" gaps between the amp and sides of the box. Miraculously they have arrived in good condition!

I don't think it really makes much difference which courier you use as the important factor is whether or not the bloke carrying your parcel drops it or not...

pack to survive it being dropped onto concrete from 4' and you should be OK.

 

[Mr Pig]

Most courier selection choices are made based on lowest cost. For the few who will pay extra for a better service I fear that option is not/may not be in existence for much longer. The courier selecting masses will decide on quality vs cost on behalf of all of us.

I'm not sure this it true?

There have always been couriers at different prices because there have always been people who will pay for a better service and always will be. If you're sending legal documents, a part for an F1 car or a product sample to a prospective new customer you are not using a crap courier. So premium couriers will always be needed.

And the flip side is who says the cheap couriers will be worse? I've used couriers for decades, there have always been cheap ones and the cheap ones today are better than the cheap ones were thirty years ago. While, in real terms, being cheaper! The service is easier to use, you've got on-line tracking that works, most of the time, and they don't loose stuff any more than they used to. Like everything else, systems get more sophisticated, processes develop and the operation gets slicker.

Sure, they don't pay their drivers enough but that doesn't mean they'll do a bad job. There are millions of people doing low paid work who are still conscientious and hard working. As happened years ago, the bad couriers go under and the ones that do an acceptable job survive and I can't see any reason for that to change.

 

[Ptah]

Never use Hermes. DPD very good so far.

Exactly. Not having issues with DPD. Yodel used to be terrible too.

 

[the caretaker]

I uses to work at fed ex years ago..and they were always very careful with parcels..however if you couldn't get the days parcels in your van? Sh#t hit the fan big time!!

 

[Neil P]

Update:

I bought a Rega Elicit R from a dealer early this year ... arrived damaged (only single boxed!), returned.
I bought another Rega Elicit R this week ... double boxed ... courier tracking info says "held at depot - damaged" ..."damage repaired"

Arriving this afternoon ... slightly nervous!

 

[Funk]

Don't talk to me about couriers at the moment - one's lost £80k-worth of HPE Primera network storage that one of my customers was expecting in July... :| Re-ordering has a 100+ working day lead time, then there's the headache of claiming on the insurance...

 

[Neil P]

Don't talk to me about couriers at the moment - one's lost £80k-worth of HPE Primera network storage that one of my customers was expecting in July... :| Re-ordering has a 100+ working day lead time, then there's the headache of claiming on the insurance...

Ouch. In the scheme of things my £800 amp is quite insignificant!

 

[awkwardbydesign]

This isn't the fault of the courier. It sounds like it was packed properly but the amp has not been built to withstand transit. It should be able to withstand being dropped while in good packing as it's a cast iron certainty that eventually it's going to happen.

I sold a Townshend Allegri+, and the selector switch came apart in the post. Sent double packed and bubble wrapped in a flight case.

Sometimes it's simply how they are made that is the problem. A £2 switch and the weight of the pcb hanging on the back of it! https://www.rapidonline.com/Taiwan-...efore-Make-Rotary-Switch-2-Pole-6-Way-79-0221
A 30 minute job to fix it, and I decided to keep it anyway.

 

[Funk]

Ouch. In the scheme of things my £800 amp is quite insignificant!

Even worse, they think it's been delivered to an Amazon distribution centre which will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack - and only the courier has a shot at getting access to the site, they won't let my customer go and see if they can help locate/collect it.

 

[Mr Pig]

I sold a Townshend Allegri+, and the selector switch came apart in the post.

That is one cheap ass looking switch.

 

[a.palfreyman]

Yes it is but that's £3 versus upwards of £40 for a top notch switch...
Many years ago when I finished Uni & worked in Dunstable, Beds the guy who designed and built Laser engines (4-stroke model aeroplane engines) showed us one of his v-engines that had been returned. The crank-case had been split open. Machined from solid aluminium, the only way they could have damaged it would have been if a bl00dy truck had run over it...

 

[Arkless Electronics]

Minor grumble with DPD here ATM. RS use them so I get regular deliveries from them. As far as I'm concerned covid is over (yes yes YMMV) but the jobsworth delivery guy insists on placing everything he delivers on the concrete path outside my door so I then have to walk out a couple of steps and bend down to pick it up... I often walk round at home in my socks so if it's pissing down... I've asked him to please just hand it to me. No change. I've asked again and pointed out that he has already handled the parcel before putting it on the floor and concrete paths do not disinfect things. No change. It's like some weird and pointless ceremony every time! I may have to make a complaint.