Postal prices

[Darren]

For a scientific project my lab co-ordinates (and has done for ten years) we send out specially made flight cases containing sampling kit each week, to various parts of the UK. Now we are told that they are too big (by 6cm) to go by Royal Mail at all and we will have to send them by courier or parcel force. We recently bought several thousand pounds worth of stamps for this project, which are now effectively useless. The young lady in charge went somewhat ballistic when she found out....

Also - it turns out that with the new pricing scheme it will actually be cheaper to use a courier anyway, even if we could alter the cases to meet the size criteria.

[annew]

Darren, and anyone else who uses a courier - can you recommend a cheap and reliable one?
Maggi, WELL SPOTTED, I hadn't seen that. Won't help with snowdrops/trilliums though.
Martin, I've had similar frustrations with the online calculator - you have to go through the whole menu system every time you want to change the size or weight so comparisons take a VERY long time. Get the hard copy leaflet from the post office, and you can see the limits to each price band straight away so you can get to the incredulous stage much faster!

[Susan Band]

Hi Anne,
The best ones are the sites which are agents for all the couriers, that way you don't have to go through the lengthy process of signing a contract and having min. quantities. I use parcels2go. com you can choose which courier to use ie: ups ,parcel force, yodel etc.  You fill in details of your parcel then are quoted all the companies prices and choose which one suits you. Ideal for small amounts. I usually choose UPS but it depends where you are sending etc. Some of the companies have drop off points which are cheap if you have one near you.
Hope this helps

Susan

[annew]

Thanks, Susan, I appreciate your advice.

[Darren]

Thanks from me also Susan - we have not yet gone as far as investigating specific couriers and will look at the site you suggest.

[Alan_b]

Speaking as a receiver of parcels, I have a horror of Yodel and I'm not alone in this opinion http://saynotoyodel.moonfruit.com/# .  Parcelforce is great because they will generally leave the parcel at my local Post Office for collection if there is no one at home, which is vastly more convenient than having to wait-in for a delivery.

[Neil]

A couple of good ones I use are

www.myhermes1.co.uk

http://www.collectplus.co.uk/

[Richard Williams]

Alan B
Totally agree with the horror of Yodel. Last month I received 2 packages of bulbs sent from Holland through post NL on separate occasions. They wizard their way to the UK no problem. Then got to our local Yodel office where they failed to deliver and did not even bother to try the telephone number emblazened on the front of the box as I'd asked the senders to do. I had to get the packages both times..............Was having a nice quiet breakfast....now blood pressure raised at the mention of the Y word.

[Anthony Darby]

It's DHL I despise. I told them to go and raffle themselves when they sent me a bill for import tax on a Christmas present. Another time I got a card to say they couldn't deliver a parcel and could I collect it from Perth. I said could they deliver it to my work address, which was Falkirk. They said no, as the Perth office didn't deliver there!