I had to send a large parcel by parcel force. £22 not too bad for a 12k large parcel. Then they charged me an extra £37 plus vat to insure it. This insurance pays up if their own delivery blokes damage the contents. Their own delivery blokes who work for them. So I am paying extra because they cannot be bothered to look after a parcel I am already paying them to deliver safely. You can see why so much stuff gets broken in transit when the deliverymen chuck it about saying it's alright, it's insured nothing to worry about.
I stopped using royal mail and parcel force for parcels a short while ago and switched to myhermes they will collect from your address and deliver tracked for a fraction of the cost.
Most couriers are no more than £10 - £15 for up to 30kg... I use "parcel to go" and they have great deals.
Also their insurance does not cover things like glass and china against breakage as I have found out to my own cost in the past ....
The insurance seems high and above the maximum available according to their website
http://www.parcelforce.com/help-information/compensation-refunds-and-claims/items-we-exclude-compensation
after reading the list of 'exlusions'..is there anything their insurance does pay? :BangHead:
Thanks for that..very useful info..
Yes you are right, you woz ripped off.
I self-insure but my parcels rarely exceed £100 in value. I pack them well and use a proper carrier (not myHermes) for stuff at the top end of the range.
Put all those "insurance" payments in a pot and you'll soon have a fund that will easily cover any losses.
About breakages... Whatever courier you use they get handled roughly... I'm a courier and I have worked with a few companies and I know.. The last post has a good point... Pack the parcel well so when its in the transport bag with other parcels on top and it gets lugged off the lorry and lands on the ground with a thud to be resorted at the depot it will be safe..
There are bad stories about all courier companies... BUT there are more good stories that are never talked about.. Imagine 4 larger companies each with say 4000 (conservative estimate) couriers country wide each doing average of 80 parcels a day 6 days a week, less a few bank holidays.. = That is 16 million parcels a year.. there are a few that WILL go astray but the majority will be delivered on time and not broken. Ans they have to deal with snow and rain in all weathers.. So please dont shoot the courier or postie when he is a bit late with your parcel..
And snap a few shots of the package as you go as evidence you packed it well