Recommend your courier

[friendlybaby]

My contract with Parcel Force ends end of April so I'm going to spend a bit more time shopping around this time. I have been very pleased with Parcel Force but know they are quite expensive. Which courier do you use, would you recommend them and why?

Thanks!

[Miranda]

I use City Link. Get a v good rate as I used to work for them. Delivery-wise not bad, not been as good past year or two since they got in a muddle after buying Target Express
Would suggest look at DHL, and there's one beginning with S keeps ringing me up (but I think they send through PF)
However if you're happy with PF I would ring them up once you have prices elsewhere and ask for better rates. I regularly do this.

[friendlybaby]

Thanks Miranda. I remembered you saying before that you use City Link, so I just rang them, but they are changing the focus of their business so they don't want any new businesses that send less than 10 parcels per day.

Will give DHL a try.

[Bear]

I use p4d whenever I need a courier. Although mine is used for domestic rather than business purposes. It's far cheaper than going through a main courier (such as PF or DHL) directly.

I usually go for DHL deliveries with them as they pick up/drop off at a convenient time for me, but have never had any problems with them. Senditnow are also good and I think you can book time slots with them.

[friendlybaby]

Thanks Bear. I'm really looking for an annual contract as the rates are a fraction of one-off couriers then.

[knotjustjigs]

I use parcel2go and have always found them very good not sure about annual rates as i book as and when because my smaller items go by RM.

Ketty x

[friendlybaby]

I send my smaller items through Royal Mail too, but have an ad hoc collection agreement with Parcel Force. It is still worth having an annual contract even if you don't have them come every day. I'd say they probably come 4 days per week on average now, but when I first started using them about 18 months ago they probably only came 2-3 days per week. It was still a huge saving to have an agreed annual volume of parcels that I was sending through them. Currently I send anything over 2kgs through Parcel Force but I'm thinking of changing it to anything over 1kg as I'm really struggling some days to get to the Post Office with the volume of parcels I have to take with me as well as 2 young kids.

[chris]

For my larger / heavier orders, I use
http://parcels.thesalegroup.co.uk/

They use DHL and allow me just to send as and when I need to, seem to be a good price, you can do everything online and if you ring before 12.00 they will collect it that afternoon.
They have not let me down yet.

[Miranda]

With your post, you could do PPI and have a collection. WHen we started collections it made a HUGE difference, so much easier.

[mumswhobake]

With your post, you could do PPI and have a collection. WHen we started collections it made a HUGE difference, so much easier.

Ok, I'm going to play my 'thick' card for today.....what's PPI?

thx

:)

[friendlybaby]

Ok, I'm going to play my 'thick' card for today.....what's PPI?

thx

:)

It is Printed Postage Impressions (http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/jump2;jsessionid=IO3YMT4HUEAXUFB2IGDUQEQUHRAYSQ2K? catId=400043&mediaId=600028&keyname=PPI).

[friendlybaby]

This is just too weird. Having been told by a couple of couriers that if I spend less than £1000 per month on courier fees then they aren't interested in my business, Interlink have just phoned and said that they can't give me a quote unless the sales rep comes round to discuss my requirements due to the volumes I am talking about. When I queried that he had the right volumes, and asked why for such low volumes does the rep need to come out he seemed surprised since they are 'high volumes'. Is he mad?

[friendlybaby]

Thank you everyone. I have just re-negotiated a £2 reduction per parcel in what I pay to Parcel Force! Thanks for all the tips.