Couriers

[Thunderbird]

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1381913677' post='2245213']
Further to my last comment... they didn't bother to pick up yesterday or let me know why. Lets see what happens today!
[/quote] Not good I checked out there site and it looks OK was thinking of trying them out but not so sure now lol Hope they turn up today for you.

[Dood]

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1381913923' post='2245221']
Not good I checked out there site and it looks OK was thinking of trying them out but not so sure now lol Hope they turn up today for you.
[/quote]

I'll spare the details but this service has very badly let down a customer and I am retracting my recommendation.

[discreet]

ParcelFarce came up with the goods, so I take back all those nasty things I said about them.

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1381913905' post='2245220']
Getting a Thomann order delivered today... the last one was delivered by UPS with no issues but as far as I can tell, this time the delivery is in the grubby hands of ParcelFarce... so understandably I'm just a little anxious about it.

Was ParcelFarce included in the Royal Mail sell-off?
I know the staff voted overwhelmingly against it, but of course that means nothing.
[/quote]

I've got a Thomann order currently [s]being used as a football in DHLs warehouse[/s] in process at the moment with DHL...

UPS, Parcelforce, DHL, do they just use whatever UK courier happens to be free?

[Conan]

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1381927503' post='2245567']
I'll spare the details but this service has very badly let down a customer and I am retracting my recommendation.
[/quote]

One step forward and two steps back!

[Grangur]

I must have posted about 5-6 basses. All wrapped in bubble and brown cardboard box material and sent using www.collectplus.co.uk.

I've always ignored their size limits, but go only by their weights. They insure up to £300, but I've never had to claim. Never had any go missing. Nothing damaged. I've had one that took a few days over to be delivered, but the buyer wasn't at home to accept delivery.

I'd use CollectPlus again and recommend them, but as said earlier - if it was £1000 + then I'd take it there by hand.

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1381841494' post='2244382']
The problem with insurance [s]for courier services [/s] of all kinds, is that you can never tell how good it's going to be until you have to use it, and if it turns out to be crap, it's then too late...
[/quote]

[Conan]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1381929802' post='2245614']
I must have posted about 5-6 basses. They insure up to £300, but as said earlier - if it was £1000 + then I'd take it there by hand.
[/quote]

Good advice. but there is quite a big difference between a £300 bass and a £1000+ bass. If the bass (or other item) is worth around £700 then personal delivery becomes expensive as a proportion of the price, but you would have to take a big hit if it was lost or damaged. An awkward compromise!

[ras52]

Just checked Collect+'s T&Cs:

We shall not, without specific written agreement, carry works of art, artwork, [b]musical instruments[/b], ceramics, deeds, tender documents, documents of every kind including passports, stamps, securities, vouchers, money, prescribed drugs, precious metals, livestock, liquids, foodstuffs, perishable goods, glass, bullion, coins, precious stones, fossils, stoneware, resin items, amber, composites, valuable jewellery, valuable antiques or plants or plant seeds or derivatives.



Interparcel seem OK, but how does one get a full quote? For a guitar I'm selling, they quote their standard service at £11.99 + VAT + insurance (insurance included up to £50), but I can't find insurance info without having to enter all of the recipient's info... which I don't have yet!

And as for Parcelforce, they were my first choice until this popped up this morning! http://basschat.co.uk/topic/220301-do-not-use-parcelforce-to-ship-musical-instruments/page__view__findpost__p__2251075

[BigRedX]

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1382371505' post='2251358']
Just checked Collect+'s T&Cs:
Interparcel seem OK, but how does one get a full quote? For a guitar I'm selling, they quote their standard service at £11.99 + VAT + insurance (insurance included up to £50), but I can't find insurance info without having to enter all of the recipient's info... which I don't have yet![/quote]

Make something up. That will get you onto the next screen where you add the insurance. AFAIK £1000 is the maximum you can insure anything sent by Interparcel.

[BetaFunk]

I had a nightmare with Interparcel a couple of weeks ago. I arranged it through the Interparcel website and was given tracking details. The bass was picked up the next day by City-Link and i received a receipt by the driver.
I tracked it and the next day it stated on the Interparcel website that the address had been carded because no one was in and had been returned to the depot. The buyer also noticed this as i had given him the tracking details and told me that some one had been in and that they received no card. The day after it showed it was out in the van. The bass was not delivered and despite numerous emails to Interparcel they didn't have a clue where it was and then the tracking showed instead of being out or back in the depot it showed that it was awaiting collection from me!
The next day City-Link turned up to collect the parcel. Funnily enough it was the same driver that had picked it up just days before and now seemingly lost. I sent numerous emails but although i received replies (usually a day later so not much help) it seemed to me that they treated it as just one of those things. The attitude was that they really couldn't care less. They offered no solution and i had to ask them that maybe Interparcel might contact City-Link and ask them where the parcel was. I had no reply to that email. Finally after both myself and the buyer had given up i received an email from the buyer that it had finally turned up. NINE DAYS LATER. Nine days to get from London to Somerset. No apologies at all. It seems that customer service isn't a priority.

Edited October 21, 2013 by BetaFunk

[tauzero]

Interparcel are good for the booking side of things but with a ridiculously expensive phone number, so when I had some delivery issues I contacted the courier (UPS) direct, whcih cost nothing and meant I wasn't subject to more Chinese whispers than necessary.

[bobpalt]

Whatever you do, and no matter how reasonable you think their costs are, don't ever be tempted to use Hermes. They couldn't give two hoots about your stuff, and if you don't pay extra for insurance think that gives them the right to lose your parcel or do whatever they want with it, safe in the knowledge they can hide behind their T & Cs. I hate them, having had several problems recently culminating in a parcel that nearly made it to the delivery address then disappeared.

[PauBass]

I've been using Interparcel for a few years and I've only had one issue where my amp was lost in transit, I received someone else's amp and he received mine, luckily we were in the same town and got in touch with each other and exchange amps. My flight case had been damaged in transit I told Interparcel and they paid for it straight away, plus £15 extra for the trouble.

CityLink?
Two weeks ago we got a delivery from them, the parcel was clearly damaged on one side, big, big hole on the box, it was very obvious.
It was a heavy package so when he delivered it to my partner he placed it so she couldn't see the damaged, when I got home and turn the box around to unpack I saw it and rang him straight away, I had his mobile...he already new it was damaged!
I arranged for the company to send me a new item. Package out for delivery, us all day home keeping an eye on the tracking number when all of a sudden it changes to "Attempted Delivery, card left"... I could not believe it, we did not leave the house all day and no one came and, of course no card was left!
Two days later the same guy from CityLink turns up, I asked him about it and he just said "yes I did try to deliver it", when I told him no card was left and we had been home all day, all he said was " whatever mate"... He didn't t give a s***t.
I contacted CityLink and told them about this guy, his attitude and his lies, they were very surprised and offer me a refund for the shipping costs.

.

[Skol303]

Sorry, this is a repeat of a post I've made elsewhere but time is of the essence...!

Quick question: is there any reason why I shouldn't ship a bolt-on bass with the neck off? I.e. pack the neck and body separately within the same package.

Makes sense to me but I have a nagging feeling that there's a downside to this that I'm missing.

Is it a good/bad/ugly idea?

[Conan]

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1383691777' post='2267879']Quick question: is there any reason why I shouldn't ship a bolt-on bass with the neck off? I.e. pack the neck and body separately within the same package.

Is it a good/bad/ugly idea?
[/quote]

I've sent basses like that and received them like that. No problem. It makes the package a more manageable shape (which might make it less likely to be damaged?) but it won't affect the weight, so the cost will be the same I guess.

Whether it offers any (realistic) extra protection to the bass is questionable.

[Skol303]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1383693188' post='2267922']I've sent basses like that and received them like that. No problem... Whether it offers any (realistic) extra protection to the bass is questionable.[/quote]

Cheers for the feedback on this! I might try shipping with the neck off just to create a smaller package, which I think I can pack more securely.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1383691777' post='2267879']
Sorry, this is a repeat of a post I've made elsewhere but time is of the essence...!

Quick question: is there any reason why I shouldn't ship a bolt-on bass with the neck off? I.e. pack the neck and body separately within the same package.

Makes sense to me but I have a nagging feeling that there's a downside to this that I'm missing.

Is it a good/bad/ugly idea?
[/quote]

As a buyer I would be somewhat disappointed if I received a bass with the neck removed without the seller OK'ing it with me first, and I'd definitely want a reduction of the selling price to reflect the time I'd need to put in to getting the bass back into a playable condition.

[Conan]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1383725330' post='2268084']
As a buyer I would be somewhat disappointed if I received a bass with the neck removed without the seller OK'ing it with me first, and I'd definitely want a reduction of the selling price to reflect the time I'd need to put in to getting the bass back into a playable condition.
[/quote]

Yes, I think it is fair enough to check it out with the buyer first. Not sure it would be fair to expect a reduction in price though? It is a ten minute job to put the neck back on. In fact, I often remove the neck from a new bass anyway to check it out and clean it...

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1383727987' post='2268129']
Yes, I think it is fair enough to check it out with the buyer first. Not sure it would be fair to expect a reduction in price though? It is a ten minute job to put the neck back on. In fact, I often remove the neck from a new bass anyway to check it out and clean it...
[/quote]

Really,

I would never take the neck off an instrument unless it was absolutely necessary to get it set up to my liking. The last time I did it a whole load of material which had been used to shim the neck fell out with no indication of where in the neck pocket it should go. Luckily most of it needed removing to get the set up right for me. Also IME removing the strings weakens them at the witness points and where they are secured in the machine heads, I've had a number of string failures subsequent to removing and replacing them. Finally unless the neck is actually attached with bolts, unscrewing and redoing the screws will damage the wood to some extent no matter how careful you are.

If an instrument arrives with the neck removed, for me at least it is not a 10 minute job to replace it. I would expect to spend 30 minutes to an hour making sure that everything was right. A bass supplied with the neck still attached I can be playing straight away.

TBH I don't like instruments with removable necks much and few that I do currently own will probably all be sold very shortly...

[discreet]

I bought a bass neck-off, the two main components were packed separately then packed one atop the other in a huge roll of bubblewrap in a box completely encased in parcel tape. The neck plate, shim, screws etc were in a bag with instructions on where everything went. It took five minutes to put the neck back on and the usual amount of time for restringing. I did spend some time on action and intonation, however. But I'd much rather do this than have the thing arrived damaged!

I think this is a great way to send a bass because a long thin package is more likely to suffer damage than a squat, fat one. You're presenting less of a target and less surface area to the morons who will be standing on it and throwing it around. I recommend this method.

Edited November 6, 2013 by discreet

[Conan]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1383744762' post='2268423']
I think this is a great way to send a bass because a long thin package is more likely to suffer damage than a squat, fat one. You're presenting less of a target and less surface area to the morons who will be standing on it and throwing it around. I recommend this method.
[/quote]

Totally! And as I always fit new strings to any newly-received bass anyway, the weakening at the "witness points" (whatever they are) is inapplicable to me.

YMMV of course, and it is always preferable to communicate effectively with the buyer/seller to establish their wants and needs. If I was selling a bass to BRX, I would definitely leave the neck on! No problem for me.

[Mr Arkadin]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1382383270' post='2251585']
The bass was picked up the next day by City-Link
[/quote]

Or Sh*tty-Link as I like to call them. Seriously one of the worst. I had bought some music gear on eBay I think, but had no tracking number or anything like that. A few days later I get an email from the seller saying that it had been delivered back to him as they had tried their maximum two delivery attempts. Funny, I thought, I don't remember seeing any failed delivery card in my post box. So now I was expected to pay for delivery again (which I refused). Given my lack of psychic abiilities I had no way of knowing they had tried a delivery.

I phoned City Link to say I hadn't received a card, so how could I know they tried to deliver. Their response was that it was company policy to not send cards to addresses in flats for security reasons. Now first off each flat has its own post box. Secondly I live in London, which as you can imagine has a fair few flats and most houses are shared addresses - not many people have a whole address to themselves. So are they really suggesting that they're not going to dish out cards to 90% of the London population?

When I order stuff online I make sure City Link are not the courier and ask the company to use another courier or lose my order. Courier companies do one job - one bloody job: deliver stuff safely. And they manage to bugger it up so often. Any other company would go bust, but I guess they can carry on (like the useless G4S security company) because options are limited.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Mr Arkadin

[Graham]

I should probably say, sent the bass in question last week by TNT via my company's freight forwarder, got delayed over the weekend (shipped Thursday, should've been there Friday, but actually arrived Monday) and the buyer said it arrived all as it should be, so in this instance at least, TNT delivered the goods if you will allow the pun.

[Dood]

Anyone tried DPD? Their website even has instrument packing guidelines, so a good start?