alan_d
Well-known member
Screwfix have recently redesignated me as "remote" and have started charging me extra (they use ANC). I am now less likely to buy from Screwfix.
Alan
Alan
On line Chandlerys....Grrr
- Thread starter ronsurf
- Start date
BrendanS
Well-known member
That's because their delivery service determines delivery cost to outlying areas. Not the fault of screwfix, as they are large enough to have negotiated good rates to most of their customers.
Strathglass
New member
The soft ware systems that some marine retailers use to count up the postage can be very greedy.
I require four ball bearing stanchion blocks for 8mm rope.
Many on line chandlers have an inadequate description which prevents me from determining whether their blocks are plain or ball bearing.
This is a fairly standard and small / light item and should be readily available and easy to pack.
More than one on line seller just multiplied the carrage for one block by four when I tried to calculate the total costs.
I have decided to defer buying until the next boat jumble at Irvine.
Iain
I require four ball bearing stanchion blocks for 8mm rope.
Many on line chandlers have an inadequate description which prevents me from determining whether their blocks are plain or ball bearing.
This is a fairly standard and small / light item and should be readily available and easy to pack.
More than one on line seller just multiplied the carrage for one block by four when I tried to calculate the total costs.
I have decided to defer buying until the next boat jumble at Irvine.
Iain
Strathglass
New member
[ QUOTE ]
Screwfix have recently redesignated me as "remote" and have started charging me extra (they use ANC). I am now less likely to buy from Screwfix.
Alan
[/ QUOTE ]
Screwfix as a company have changed dramatically over the last few years.( ever since the founders were bought out)
They have gone considerably upmarket.
They have also opened all these shops.
In spite of being a regular customer for many years and being on their mailing list. I have never been told by them that there are two shops within 20 miles from me. ( I found out on YBW)
This is prety pathetic marketing.
I moved from the Highlands before they introduced H&I delivery costs.
I virtually NEVER get next day delivery from their carriers unless I pay the extra cost. Even then, on 50% of the deliveries I reclaim the extra cost back because the carrier has not meet the 12.00 deadline.
I now use them a lot less than I used to.
Iain
Screwfix have recently redesignated me as "remote" and have started charging me extra (they use ANC). I am now less likely to buy from Screwfix.
Alan
[/ QUOTE ]
Screwfix as a company have changed dramatically over the last few years.( ever since the founders were bought out)
They have gone considerably upmarket.
They have also opened all these shops.
In spite of being a regular customer for many years and being on their mailing list. I have never been told by them that there are two shops within 20 miles from me. ( I found out on YBW)
This is prety pathetic marketing.
I moved from the Highlands before they introduced H&I delivery costs.
I virtually NEVER get next day delivery from their carriers unless I pay the extra cost. Even then, on 50% of the deliveries I reclaim the extra cost back because the carrier has not meet the 12.00 deadline.
I now use them a lot less than I used to.
Iain
Dipper
Well-known member
This is the problem if you are a small on-line retailer.
When I had my business, it was a dilemma whether to quote the carriage cost for each item or to have a 'blanket' cost depending on the value of the goods bought. If you quoted the carriage for individual items and the purchaser bought several items, they ended up paying too much.
The most uneconomical weight was between 1kg and 2kg. Up to 1kg was relatively cheap via Royal Mail and over 2kg it went with the courier who charged the same for 2kg as for 10kg with only small increases for each kg after that.
I used ANC (who use local firms) and like many, they charged a premium for Highlands and Islands. I tended to use Parcelforce for those items as they were cheaper.
Despite some frustrations with the couriers and postal services (UK and worldwide), I never lost a single item although some late deliveries did take a bit of effort to track down!
When I had my business, it was a dilemma whether to quote the carriage cost for each item or to have a 'blanket' cost depending on the value of the goods bought. If you quoted the carriage for individual items and the purchaser bought several items, they ended up paying too much.
The most uneconomical weight was between 1kg and 2kg. Up to 1kg was relatively cheap via Royal Mail and over 2kg it went with the courier who charged the same for 2kg as for 10kg with only small increases for each kg after that.
I used ANC (who use local firms) and like many, they charged a premium for Highlands and Islands. I tended to use Parcelforce for those items as they were cheaper.
Despite some frustrations with the couriers and postal services (UK and worldwide), I never lost a single item although some late deliveries did take a bit of effort to track down!
akirk
New member
I think that one of the problems (without wishing to provide an excuse for the companies!) lies in the e-commerce software used on these sites. Many of these sites (esp. the smaller ones) use pre-packaged software such as Joomla (free), or Actinic (not free, but relatively cheap). Both are great bits of software if your business fits pre-defined criteria and rules, they are easy to install and use, and a lot cheaper than getting a design house to write you the same functionality.
However, by being generic, they can sometimes be too rigid in how they apply their rules, and (to be fair to the software) often the users just do not have the mindset to understand how they are set up - so the system will often be installed with standard settings, rather than someone taking the time to customise them...
One of the most complex areas of rules in an e-commerce system is how to charge p&p (the other is stock levels, esp. if you have a physical store acting as warehouse - one item in stock - I pick it up in the store, but the computer still says that it is in stock for a web customer until I have bought it... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif )
The rules on weight and now dimensions are different for every carrier, and difficult to determine when adding stock - if the store has an item close to the limits of a dimensions category and you put it with something else into a box to send it - you have now a parcel which doesn't equate to the dimensions of the first item, or the second, but is something unique, so its p&p can't be derived from just looking at the p&p of the two items individually, indeed as the combination of items that can be bought is endless, so are the rules for calculating p&p, a computer can not 100% replace a human's intelligence in this matter...
Therefore many stores put in place generic rules to cover themselves, and make sure that they don't lose money...
Not an easy one...
However, by being generic, they can sometimes be too rigid in how they apply their rules, and (to be fair to the software) often the users just do not have the mindset to understand how they are set up - so the system will often be installed with standard settings, rather than someone taking the time to customise them...
One of the most complex areas of rules in an e-commerce system is how to charge p&p (the other is stock levels, esp. if you have a physical store acting as warehouse - one item in stock - I pick it up in the store, but the computer still says that it is in stock for a web customer until I have bought it... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif )
The rules on weight and now dimensions are different for every carrier, and difficult to determine when adding stock - if the store has an item close to the limits of a dimensions category and you put it with something else into a box to send it - you have now a parcel which doesn't equate to the dimensions of the first item, or the second, but is something unique, so its p&p can't be derived from just looking at the p&p of the two items individually, indeed as the combination of items that can be bought is endless, so are the rules for calculating p&p, a computer can not 100% replace a human's intelligence in this matter...
Therefore many stores put in place generic rules to cover themselves, and make sure that they don't lose money...
Not an easy one...
bobg
New member
I rang a well-known on-line /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gifmail order company in Warrington for an item and said it would be cheaper and quicker for me to drive down and pick it up rather than pay postage. When I arrived, they said they had made a mistake and the item was not in stock after all, but they would order it for me and send it - if I paid the postage!
gandy
Active member
[ QUOTE ]
My grype with Force4 is that they want to charge me "Highlands & Islands" delivery charge. Other chandlers do not, so I NEVER use Force 4.
[/ QUOTE ] I hate that. Once supplier told me he even classes Westhill as "Highlands". Note that Gael Force can deliver from Inverness to any part of the UK - I guess there customers wouldn't put up with a "Lowlands" or "Mainland" surcharge.
My grype with Force4 is that they want to charge me "Highlands & Islands" delivery charge. Other chandlers do not, so I NEVER use Force 4.
[/ QUOTE ] I hate that. Once supplier told me he even classes Westhill as "Highlands". Note that Gael Force can deliver from Inverness to any part of the UK - I guess there customers wouldn't put up with a "Lowlands" or "Mainland" surcharge.
Rowana
Two steps lower than the ships' cat
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
My grype with Force4 is that they want to charge me "Highlands & Islands" delivery charge. Other chandlers do not, so I NEVER use Force 4.
[/ QUOTE ] I hate that. Once supplier told me he even classes Westhill as "Highlands". Note that Gael Force can deliver from Inverness to any part of the UK - I guess there customers wouldn't put up with a "Lowlands" or "Mainland" surcharge.
[/ QUOTE ]
If you have "AB" postcode, that's enough to be classed "Highlands.
[ QUOTE ]
My grype with Force4 is that they want to charge me "Highlands & Islands" delivery charge. Other chandlers do not, so I NEVER use Force 4.
[/ QUOTE ] I hate that. Once supplier told me he even classes Westhill as "Highlands". Note that Gael Force can deliver from Inverness to any part of the UK - I guess there customers wouldn't put up with a "Lowlands" or "Mainland" surcharge.
[/ QUOTE ]
If you have "AB" postcode, that's enough to be classed "Highlands.
Mudplugger
New member
Nigel, tried to buy a swanneck deck fitting from Kiel....price 49Euros..Postage to UK 20 Euros..!!! still cheaper than the £59.00 from UK!
Strathglass
New member
Glad to hear you got it Tony
Cheers
Iain
Cheers
Iain
alorwin
New member
I wanted something from a south coast chandlers, worked out it was going to cost £56 for the round trip and they wanted to charge £6 to deliver ggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr makes me so happy.
Andrew_Fanner
New member
I was about to be nice about Compass but...
£150 or so assorted bits ordered last weekend. Specified on order that goods required 09/06/07 or would need to be delivered elsewhere (at boat rather than to home). Specified express delivery.
Two separate packages sent out on different days. Compass can't tell me what is in which. DHL have passed one to a local delivery person (or storage person, as yet unclear) who have sat on it for 36 hours and counting. Local depot is 2 miles away. I don't know if I will get a box of antifouling stuff, which I need soonest, or a box of cleaning/polishing/wood fettling stuff, which isn't needed soonest but still not desirable to get in Cowplain when its wanted in Chertsey. SWMBO is none too keen on driving the round trip after school time next week and I don't blame her.
Express seems not to relate to the delivery bit.
£150 or so assorted bits ordered last weekend. Specified on order that goods required 09/06/07 or would need to be delivered elsewhere (at boat rather than to home). Specified express delivery.
Two separate packages sent out on different days. Compass can't tell me what is in which. DHL have passed one to a local delivery person (or storage person, as yet unclear) who have sat on it for 36 hours and counting. Local depot is 2 miles away. I don't know if I will get a box of antifouling stuff, which I need soonest, or a box of cleaning/polishing/wood fettling stuff, which isn't needed soonest but still not desirable to get in Cowplain when its wanted in Chertsey. SWMBO is none too keen on driving the round trip after school time next week and I don't blame her.
Express seems not to relate to the delivery bit.