delivery

I have no connection to this company.I sent an email order to metals4U before lunch on the 7th and I recieved the stainless tube mid morning today the 8th.You can't get any better than this.

Frank

Frank, likewise I ordered an item one afternoon and it was delivered the following lunchtime, can’t get better than that, the carrier they used was Fed Ex, thumbs up to metals4u, first class service, no connection just a very satisfied customer.

Dave W

If you were in a queue at the shop & had to wait for more than a few minutes for the assistant to serve the customer in front of you because the assistant was faffing about you would soon get fed up. So in other words you would expect the assistant to deal with the customer in front of you quickly & efficiently. Then he would put the customer's goods in a bag , take the money & then deal with you.

Because the supplier took the order online one seems to think that should be any different. In fact the assistant should be able to deal with the order much quicker because when he sells the widget he does not have to listen to the customer deciding if he wants a 3/4 one or a 19mm one. Neither does he have to discuss the weather or parking in the high street. He just sticks it in a jiffy bag & writes an address on it. What is hard about that????

So the fact that a company deals with an order ASAP should not come as a surprise - should it not?

In fact the real people who are the stars in this are the couriers/delivery companies who get the goods from the supplier to the customer the next day. Not the supplier, who should be able to serve a customer straight away as if he was standing in the shop in front of him

I do not see anyone saying- "I walked in a shop & got served straight away"--So what is the difference that suddenly needs praise????/

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 08/02/2018 15:36:32

Shows you what can be achieved if you genuinely want to please your customers. The courier, I note, was one of international good reputation, unlike some of the clowns we get making deliveries in this part of North-east Scotland.

Sam, the reason I was pleased is that two suppliers could not even pick up the phone and any supplier who dose the business might be of interest to other fellow members.

Frank

Used metals4u a few times and pretty good, so are most of the rest shop around for best price thay all vary.

Next day not out the ordinary just realistic or an added bonus there are dozens that offer same service. Some can order online late at night and delivery received before 9am! Likewise have ordered stuff 8am and delivered by 10am, just how it goes.

I the 1980's we used to use Redstar Parcel services and we had a supplier in Birmingham. If we ordered before 9 we would get it in Sussex by 5 the same day!

Life is not always simple. Sent a package via Collectplus to be collected at our daughter's local store. When she received the text re collection, she called in, showed the text with ref number. Following a lot of hassle the assistant finally accepted that the delivery was for her. Reason? As the box was a reused John Lewis one he assumed she should have had a John Lewis email. Next time I will cover it with ye ould brown paper!

Jim

Just as an example of what can be done with a bit of organisation....I have a very old John Deere ride on mower. If I go to the local agent here in Cambridge NZ and they don't happen to have the part on the shelf, they order it in from Melbourne Australia. OK, so far, pretty normal. But the arrangement is such that if I order in the afternoon, they will have the part for me by next morning. Melbourne is over 2000km from here, two hours later in Time zone. So they have to get the order to OZ via the computer, the OZ warehouse has to pick and pack the part and get it to the airport and onto a plane to NZ. About three hours flying time to Auckland, unload the plane, get the package through customs, and onto a van to drive the 140 odd km from Auckland to Cambridge. The times I have done this they have rung by mid morning to say the part has arrived. I think that is pretty impressive.

John

The "difference" is really about the service provided by some couriers ?

There are good couriers - but NOT all.

UPS dropped an admittedly fairly heavy item on concrete (to judge by the pattern of damage) then delivered it quietly with no comment.

MyHermes , who are cheap, work extremely well locally because the van driver is diligent.

DHL took just 2 days to get an aero instrument from Guam (in the Pacific) to Shropshire.

Parcelfarce I ignore ever since they took a signature from a stranger who then walked off with a box of books worth £100+ sent by my previous employer. Parcelfarce could do nothing.

Problem is they accept no blame when things go wrong wriggling in and out of every loop hole. Tried making a claim and getting anything remotely half the actual cost price from any of them?
Most couriers wont pay out any way in the event of proven damage or theft, still absorbing a £728 trade price goods they wont pay out on.
About sums it up sent off optical stuff Monday DHL next day £9. Then it went on for value of goods, shuvved in £1750 to be greeted with insurance premium £86.5 extraand three disclaimers.

John going back to 2002 have sent stuff from here on the Monday morning to NZ air mail and received our Wednesday morning before 10am less than two working days. Thats better than some UK to UK regions 1st class noting RM east post codes often take two or three days.

Hermes tracking totally useless, delivered before its updated and good if its within 5 days. Never had same privateer deliver twice always some one new.

Anythings possible if want to pay for it.
Late Wednesday afternoon 4pm to arrange delivery from Germany to the outbacks of Shops by Hawkstone Park, received around 10am next morning.

Up here on the west coast of Scotland we get all sorts of problems with couriers. First they try to charge extra. They say we are Highlands - no Argyll, learn some geography. Then next day delivery is to their nearest depot - Glasgow - followed by another day driving to Oban then out for delivery the following day.

If I need something quick then I go for parcelforce or Royal Mail. Local posties are great, ours lives in the village so he knows where to leave stuff safely. I’ve had local couriers leave packages on doorsteps over 1/4 mile away. Universal coverage is important.

The only downside with RM is overseas. They are really quick to deliver once in the system, but they contract out the customs to DHL (I think) and they are slow. From California to U.K. takes hours, then it sits waiting for clearance for 2 weeks. No doubt the DHL stuff flies through clearance... RM say that it isn’t there fault. Not sure if it is mail or government contract... Not good either way.

Dave

We sent an old wooden chair of great sentimental value to the USA recently. The chair was packed in a very large cardboard box measuring 80x70x57 cm. and the package weighed 9 kilos.

It was collected by Parcelhero courier at 16.30 on 20th Feb 2018 from our house in Bucks. and was delivered to a private address in Pennsylvania USA sometime on 22nd.>>

Wife and I were astounded by the speed of delivery.

>Rik>

Well said Sam. Agree. Many ME suppliers, particularly the big names, are in the "we'll send it when we get round to it" category. Thus, when I can, I buy from those who get it to me next day.

Now don't get me onto bonus payments !! Top man gets the bonus, bloke serving at the counter - Zilch! Bankers, investors pensions. Grrrrrrrr !!!
BobH

I ordered goods from a regular advertiser in ME, MEW, EIM, NGW, back in Feb and still not received.

Cr Card statement due for payment soon so I contacted Marks&Sparks cards to cancel charge.

"Case on - going" as Computeractive mag would say.

John

I will not use DHL, years ago I had them fly papers from Chile. I knew when it left, it took days to find them and to say they were late is an understatement. Efficient International German Owned company!!

Their price for 75mm × 50mm× 3mm box section steel is a bit pricey, at £74. JD metals, £40 including delivery.