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ASS THE PARCEL
Page 37
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Page 39
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M decided to measure the performance of the parcels
ndustry, so we set them a simple test: move two lightbulbs
from Holland to England. What could possibly go wrong?
As Robbie Burns discovered long ago, however well a plan is prepared. the trouble comes when reality gets in the way. Our plan was straightforward: simply select eight of Europe's best-known parcels companies and have them deliver a one-off package from Holland to England. Unfortunately, not everyone wanted (or deserved) our business.
The parcel
We needed our parcels to contain something fragile but, in order not to have to increase 's cover price to pay for the test, of low value.We settled on a pair of 100W light bulbs in each box. packed identically and protected by three crumpled sheets of tabloid newspaper. Each was sealed in the same fashion with parcel tape and a band of "FRAGILE" tape. Dimensions were 250x225x90mm,with a weight of 225g. Where a value was requested it was given as €150.
The route
The parcels were to be collected from the offices of commercial Motor's sister magazine, TTM, in Doetinchem in the south-east of the Netherlands, about 20 miles east of Arnhem. Apart from one, sent via Dutch mail on a Friday, all parcels were dispatched early in the week so as not to confuse timings with the weekend.They were sent on the basis of delivery within 48 hours to a residential address in Kent within the triangle formed by the 11420, M25 and M26. Our initial research led us to think that £30 would be a reasonable charge for the job. 111111■
TNT
Within 30 minutes of a telephoned order TNT had faxed back confirmation, and the driver arrived after another half hour.TheTNT man was friendly and helpful, even accepting the offer of an espresso at TTM's logistics room.
The parcel arrived just over 20 hours later, fully intact. Delivery was made in a newish. enlivened white Transit by a smiling and helpful driver who, although wearing civvies, wore a TNT identity badge in clear view.
DHL
The telephone ordering process with DHL went smoothly and quickly. and the driver arrived promptly. Although filling in the collection forms took around 10 minutes, there were no real problems with the collection. When the parcel arrived, although it was undamaged, it was covered in DHL "REPACKED" tape and a "Security Checked-label.
The parcel arrived just over 26 hours after collection,in a Fr/el-led van driven by a pleasant lady wearing a DHLjacket.
UPS
Our dealings with UPS started off in a promising fashion.The company doesn't issue customer numbers for one-offs.'The options are paying by credit card, paying the collection driver cash or charging to the recipient. if they have a UPS accountWe chose the first option, and a call at 11:30am resulted in a promise of collection later in the day. UPS was the only firm to request a valuation,and charged an insurance fee of 05% of the value.The next day we had a message from the TTM Logistics room that the driver had arrived expecting cash payment. With no knowledge of the credit card deal,he left without the parcel.
Next day we re-ordered and were told that the credit card payment guarantee was in the system, that it was their mistake and that a manager would call later to apologise. However, when the driver arrived he demand ed to see the actual card, saying that a number in a computer meant nothing to him. Finally however, with the number written on the collection note, he left happy.
That apology? Well, it took two weeks, but a very polite and helpful UPS man did eventually ring to apologise for the unsatisfactory collection process. and took the time to explaii how the ordering procedure should work for non-regular customers.
Delivery was totally painless, in a liveried van with a smiling, uniformed lady driver. Although it missed our nominal 48-hour deadline from collection to delivery by live hours, the pristine package was still well inside the second day, which counts as a success for the purposes of our test.
FedEx
The FedEx experience also started well.The helpful lady on the phone provided a customer number so we could be invoiced later and also for internet tracking.We were also provide( with a code word to use if we wished to change the details before collection.
The problems arose at the other end, when Fedex's UK agent, Business Post.had taken over. Late in the afternoon,six days after collection,our recipient found that a card had been left at 11.15 that morning,even though the house had been occupied all day.A call to edEx after the office opening time of 9am the next morning resulted in a promise that it was on that day's van".Just in case, next door's address was happily accepted as an alternative. The Business Post tracking website claims five cards were left, but only one was received.
To cut a long story short, after a series of progressively more strained conversations, the parcel arrived at the alternative address at 3.15pm on the ninth day after collection,The neighbour reported a friendly, polite and welldressed driver but no noticeable uniform— the van wasn't seen.'The package looked rather battered but the contents were intact.
Nightspeed
We had originally intended to place some of the orders from the UK. but in the end we only achieved this with Nightspeed.Actually becoming a Nightspeed customer took quite a bit of form-filling, including company and banking details,and trade references, but this was done reasonably efficiently by fax. A couple of days after the paperwork was complete we received a large pack of document pads, labels and bags. However. this was unnecessary —for overseas collection you simply fax details to Nightspeed's Birmingham office.
With all of this out of the way, everything went smoothly.Nightspeed was never heard of again, though.as the whole exercise seems to have been subbed out toTNT, who collected the package and delivered it. In fact we received two as we had sent an order before opening the account and another afterwards, they were obviously treated as two transactions We accept responsibility for this, due to the unusual test circumstances.
Although they had been picked up separately, and 20 hours apart.both parcels were delivered as a single consignment, the fastest taking under 30 hours. Delivery was by a TNT subcontractor in a plain white Vauxhall Vivaro. The owner-driver was wearing no obvious uniform but was described by our researchers as a "nice, co-operative man".
TPG (Dutch post office)
As a reference point, we also tried the cheapand-cheerful option of taking the parcel to the local TPG post office and buying a €3 stamp. Although the timing of the post office service is confused by being over a weekend,the overall wait for its delivery by the village postie was four days, to the hour. The only negative point was that it was left unattended on the doorstep with no signature.
Non-runners
Our original list of targets was rather longei Securicor Omega is now fully absorbed int( DFIL.so that was the first faller.We then tri Initial CityLink but eventually, after a fair l2 of hanging on the phone, we established tin they don't do international collections (to h fair, they only advertise international deliveries). However, one of its staff was helpful enough to suggest a small regional compa which was equally helpful but quoted £9.
(€135.50) for the job; a sum we felt to be outside our budget.
We had been under the impression th Lynx International was a major player in the Netherlands-UK parcels business,wh may be true. However. they bluntly left ot Dutch colleagues under no illusions that thi were only interested in companies that %voi A One package arrived looking the worse for wear, but guarantee a regular flow of business; they the contents were still, amazingly, intact 39 didn't want to know about a one-off. •