Cheap couriers can harm your business
Posted by Howard Trott on Friday, October 6, 2017 Under: Van Courier
If your business needs to get a product from point A to point B, what is the fastest option? Some will just turn to shipping giants like UPS or FedEx. While this can be a reliable option, it can be more pricey than other versions that are available. However, some of these cheaper alternatives do not have the reliable reputation backing it up and could be nothing more than a series of people in cars. While this can provide immediate delivery, it does not always provide confidence that it will be handled successfully.
A recent article from Ground Report makes the case that while independent courier services have long been an appealing alternative to pricey options, they are still widely criticised. The piece mentions some services in the U.K. like Hermes and Yodel that are commonly used instead of larger options like the Royal Mail.
However, both of these smaller services were recently ranked as the U.K.'s worst parcel delivery services earlier this year. Yodel was ranked as being "bad" by more than half of the customers surveyed. Consumers cited missing or damaged packages, signatures by fictional neighbors and "you were out" notices when customers are home waiting.
"The main problem is indeed that such services are unregulated," the article reads. "They use self-employed drivers who pay for their own fuel and vehicles, and work unlimited hours. Each deliverer is paid for every parcel they deliver rather than a daily rate, which makes it no surprise that many are failing to gain signatures for packages or deliver them in their original condition."
The piece goes on to say that if something was to go wrong during the delivery process, recipients are often told to contact the sender for reimbursement. This relieves the courier service of any liability since they are a third party solution provider.
There are some laws in place that can help rectify the situation of a poor delivery, nothing can be done to fix the reputation of the company that is trying to send products.
While this seems like partnering with a third party logistics and courier service is a bad idea, it only is if that company is not reliable. There are solution providers out there that not only help organisations successfully move products and save money, but offer a stellar reputation that lets companies know their deliveries are being handled with care and professionalism.
In : Van Courier
Tags: courier services cheap couriers