My Delivery Rant!!

[Dareos]

don't you love how a thread about delivery charges in NI turns into a thread about beer prices.


gotta love Hexus

[Saracen]

Like i said Paul £50-£60 i can get but £101 is over the top. I have never been charged that much in my life and i have ordered a hell of a lot of bigger things than that.

I knew that i would have to apy something i jsut never in a millian years expected it to be that much.

Neon

The thing is, it's not just about how big the item is. Obviously, size and weight are a factor, as is value and the implications of value and susceptibility to damage, but as Paulm@Scan said, it's all about the commercial realities.

For instance, where are the products, and what will ir cost to ship?

If one company has a distribution centre in Liverpool and extensive operations in NI, they'll have cost-effective NI shipping already in place. John Lewis don't. They are expanding, but their distribution network is based around the location of existing stores. Within the catchment area of their stores, they use their own fleet to deliver. Outside of that catchment area, they have a contract with a delivery company, and cost is not the only factor that goes into determining who gets that contract. I couldn't tell you what all those criteria are, but I can tell you, for an absolute certainty, it is not a "lowest bid" contract. John Lewis have an unusual trading ethos, as established by the charter that founded the company, and service is a high priority. Part of that service ethos is the way delivery systems work, because few things annoy customers more than getting jerked around by couriers. I'm sure Paulm@Scan could confirm that couriers are a commercial nightmare for any company selling from a distance, and a large part of that is that customers expect first-class Rolls Royce service, but want Wartburg prices.

Yes, £101 seems excessive, but as NI is not a natural part of the John Lewis market (at least, not yet), it may well be that it reflects cost, and that isn't just the cost of the courier from mainland to NI, but the administrative cost of not using their own fleet and perhaps finding that their normal courier for non-catchment sales doesn't cover NI, or doesn't cover NI for large, fragile items. They may have to make alternate one-off arrangements, and if so, all that has a cost. Most orders are highly automated, and documentation and delivery arrangements fit within existing systems. As soon as a human has to get involved making special arrangements, the costs go up. At that point, most companies will either decline the order completely, or pass on that additional cost. And bear in mind, if John Lewis accept an order for a large, heavy fragile item for for NI, it not only implies the cost of shipping, but the cost of additional shipping in the event of any warranty issues, and so forth.

After all, just because a company offers free delivery doesn't mean they have to accept all orders. If some imply an unacceptable level of additional cost, whether it be courier fees, internal admin, or ongoing risks, they can simply decline to supply or add those costs on, and doing so is reasonable.

Paulm@Scan is right. At the end of it all, if the overall deal is good, fine. If it isn't, look elsewhere.

And before anyone asks, I don't, and never have, worked for John Lewis, directly or indirectly.

[neonplanet40]

I see what your saying but in the end i ordered with empire direct. £799 for the tv (same as JL) and £30 for delivery. Ordered on Thursday evening and got it on saturday morning so i found a supplier that suited my needs better.

Neon

[smegger040588]

i am another northern Ireland resident this really annoys, its not the fact that postage is extra it is the outrageous rate we a are charged. i buy a fair bit of old flea bay and large products i usually organize shipping from the mainland myself, i have had alloy wheels 4 separate packages each 18kgs shipped for £40 and i just got a body kit for my car shipped for £25 and its huge. we do get the fact it cost more to ship over the water but not £101 more! company's then say that its because they use a courier all my item shipped to my door by dhl; i am sorry if i can get stuff shipped for this sort of money then i am sure company with a large account with a courier could sort something out!

rant over
have a nice day!