OFFSHORE ???

[Dali]

Don't know if others have had this problem .
But when i order many things of the internet .I find that when they go to deliver the item i get told that we live offshore .
And it will cost another £15 on top of the first delivery amount i have paid .
I then go on about eplaining that i do not live offshore that i live mainland UK then get told that it is not there fault it is there courier .
So for an item that cost £12.99 plus £3 postage to then add another £15 cos i live offshore even tho i dont .
Caithness offshore Not that i know of.

[golach]

Dali, its because of the KW post code they think its Kirkwall :~( [mad]

Golach

[Sans Peur]

Dali,

I've had the same problem. Let the company know that you are not happy with the additional charge and that you will go elsewhere for the goods if possible.
Some companies have changed thier charges recently, accepting that we are on the mainland.

Discrimination? it could be!

[dragonfly]

a lot of companies are now applying the extra charge to Highlands & Islands, seems if you are not on a dual carriageway route you have to pay extra!

[mums angels]

I have found lately that if i email the company in advance and and explain the KW postcode problem they usually send me an email warning of extra costs or say its no problem but recently i got an email after ordering saying because we were not on the mainland we would have to pay p&p and wouldnt be eligible for the free postage ..i returned them the copy of email where they had said it would be no problem so had to stick to there word ..the large bulky item was delivered today free of charge as promised ..emailing in advance saved me £30 ..i was delighted

[ShelleyCowie]

I have only ever had to pay extra postage on 1 item. It was part of my livingroom furniture, it was an extra £24.99 on top of the £15 delivery to get it past Aberdeen.

To be honest i never minded paying for it as its only happened once.

It is a downer about living so far north though

[DeHaviLand]

Oh no, here we go again with this old chestnut. The reason it costs more for delivery is because it costs more to deliver it.
Wick and Thurso are 3 hours drive to and from the major carriers depots in Inverness. Thats 6 hours off a drivers basic 8 hour day, leaving just 2 hours to make deliveries. Thats approximately 24 deliveries in a day.

Contrast that with, for instance, a driver making deliveries in Nairn. Driving time is only 2 hours, meaning the driver can make approximately 70 deliveries in a day. Therefore, the cost per parcel is far cheaper for delivery in Nairn than it is for Wick or Thurso.

Its not rocket science, just logical. Thats why its called logistics.

[Bad Manners]

Oh no, here we go again with this old chestnut. The reason it costs more for delivery is because it costs more to deliver it.
Wick and Thurso are 3 hours drive to and from the major carriers depots in Inverness. Thats 6 hours off a drivers basic 8 hour day, leaving just 2 hours to make deliveries. Thats approximately 24 deliveries in a day.

Contrast that with, for instance, a driver making deliveries in Nairn. Driving time is only 2 hours, meaning the driver can make approximately 70 deliveries in a day. Therefore, the cost per parcel is far cheaper for delivery in Nairn than it is for Wick or Thurso.

Its not rocket science, just logical. Thats why its called logistics.

I have to disagree to a point. If the carriers charged by mile for each individual package then maybee but it does not work like that. they average out a price for everyone so a package from inverness to avimore costs the same as the same package to london.
The cost is based on weight and should be the same for all of the uk mainland after all we are no different to cornwall which is almost as far from exeter as we are from inverness and the do not have the same problems. it is about time all this was just one price for the whole of uk mainland.

[Iris]

So when I send stuff south how come it cost far less to post it down that it does up?? Can I start charging people a premium because they live too far south?;)

[Westsider3]

Oh no, here we go again with this old chestnut. The reason it costs more for delivery is because it costs more to deliver it.
Wick and Thurso are 3 hours drive to and from the major carriers depots in Inverness. Thats 6 hours off a drivers basic 8 hour day, leaving just 2 hours to make deliveries. Thats approximately 24 deliveries in a day.

Contrast that with, for instance, a driver making deliveries in Nairn. Driving time is only 2 hours, meaning the driver can make approximately 70 deliveries in a day. Therefore, the cost per parcel is far cheaper for delivery in Nairn than it is for Wick or Thurso.

Its not rocket science, just logical. Thats why its called logistics.


Whilst I understand what you are saying, can companies not deliver to certain areas on certain days. I am more than sure lots of companies deliver to Caithness regularly and couriers are up and down the road daily. It makes me furious that we have to pay extra and I just won't use companies that try to rip us off in this way!

[DeHaviLand]

So when I send stuff south how come it cost far less to post it down that it does up?? Can I start charging people a premium because they live too far south?;)

Thats an easy one to answer. If you use a parcel courier, they dont take into account the cost of collecting a parcel for delivery. The driver is returning to the depot anyway, so whether he has an empty van or a full one, the cost to the courier is just the same. Costs are determined on the amount of deliveries the driver can achieve.

[DeHaviLand]

I have to disagree to a point. If the carriers charged by mile for each individual package then maybee but it does not work like that. they average out a price for everyone so a package from inverness to avimore costs the same as the same package to london.
The cost is based on weight and should be the same for all of the uk mainland after all we are no different to cornwall which is almost as far from exeter as we are from inverness and the do not have the same problems. it is about time all this was just one price for the whole of uk mainland.


The point you're making here just isn't valid. Major parcel couriers have depots in Cornwall, so the distance from depot to point of delivery is relatively minor. Furthermore, there is a far higher population density in Cornwall than Caithness. I wouldn't think that there is any other part of the country where point of delivery is more than 100 miles from depot.

The major expense to a courier is in the final leg of the journey, from depot to customer. For instance, when parcels come from Glasgow to Inverness, the cost per parcel is relatively minor, because there may be 5000 parcels on board. Contrast that with a van travelling from Inverness to Wick with a mere 30 parcels.

[DeHaviLand]

Whilst I understand what you are saying, can companies not deliver to certain areas on certain days. I am more than sure lots of companies deliver to Caithness regularly and couriers are up and down the road daily. It makes me furious that we have to pay extra and I just won't use companies that try to rip us off in this way!

Yes, lots of companies deliver to Caithness on a daily basis. Thats because most days they have the volume to make it worthwhile.
But on the days when the volume is insufficient, they still have to go because of their obligations to their customers.
If you're being overcharged for delivery by a company you're buying goods from, its more than likely that this is just blatant profiteering. Those parcel couriers who are making a surcharge for delivery to Caithness, have levied it at £5. So if its any more than that, the company you are buying from are pocketing the rest.

[ShelleyCowie]

Trust me DeHaviLand is a dab hand at this subject! ;)

Probably best to check with the companies before ordering if it is going to cost that bit extra to get it delivered to sunny caithness. But im sure you all knew that!

There are quite alot of companies that are free P&P to anywhere in the UK. Its just finding them that takes that extra few minutes. :Razz

[katarina]

Don't know if others have had this problem .
But when i order many things of the internet .I find that when they go to deliver the item i get told that we live offshore .
And it will cost another £15 on top of the first delivery amount i have paid .
I then go on about eplaining that i do not live offshore that i live mainland UK then get told that it is not there fault it is there courier .
So for an item that cost £12.99 plus £3 postage to then add another £15 cos i live offshore even tho i dont .
Caithness offshore Not that i know of.

Don't pay the extra postage. I had to argue with a woman on the phone who told me I lived in Orkney. I told her that I knew where I lived, thank you very much, and I definately did not live in Orkney! Tell her to get the courier to phone you if there is any problem but that you are NOT going to pay offshore prices!