Best postal service to use for an Amiga computer (UK)?
 

Hello all,

I was just wondering if any of you have sent an Amiga in the post before within the UK, and what service you used/think are the best to use?

I've heard mixed things regarding various companies, some being a bit lackluster when it comes to parcel handling.

Cheers

I think you'll just have to make sure the packaging is upto protecting it, I've had a crt monitor delivered from Germany which was perfectly fine because it was well packaged. I like that dpd gives you time slot for delivery so tracking would important for me with multiple updates and not just once it's been delivered.

Ok, thank you for the info. I will look into DPD.

I used Hermes to send an 8833 MkII to a chap in Birmingham to do a chroma mod, the monitor survived the round trip as it was shipped in another monitor box with polys and plenty of packing inside! Also used them to send a couple of 1541's to a chap in Cardiff for repair/alignment, both came back fully working via Hermes!

Better than Royal Fail or Parcelfarce!

All the carriers are just as crap as each other, simple rule to always follow:

Im guessing you have seen the amount of space in the back of a transit van.
Imagine if you will that space filled top to bottom with all manor of stuff.
Flatpack furniture, sacks of dog food, cans of paint, Iphones, laptops, TV`s
canisters of engine oil, bags full of golf clubs, all kind of stuff.
Your average delivery driver probably goes out at 7-8AM with about 100 drops
(1 or more parcels each) in the back there!
Rule:
Pack your stuff as if its going on the van FIRST with everything on top of it!

It's all about the packaging... expect your item to be abused along the way so do as much as you can to ensure it will survive the ordeal.

Indeed, all about the packaging. In contrast to a previous post, I would avoid Hermes altogether. They're often the cheapest option, and that's likely for good reason. We've had multiple packages go missing, supposedly signed for (funny enough, each time the signature was illegible), but never to be seen again. I've shipped lots of smaller things (e.g. motherboards) with Royal Mail and never had any issues, but they've always been well packaged.

Could not recommend Hermes:

One package left in the Bin

another Stolen ---
Supposedly signed for by me :nuts

I use UPS and am happy with them, although like others have said, make sure whatever you send is packed really well.

Indeed. You can't judge by the company. I'm sure UPS and royal mail are good overall. But you are never guaranteed that the person that is responsible for shipping your precious Amiga has a huge hangover or is otherwise absolutely not in any way interested in if they keep their job or not and thus will just drive like a maniac.

Recently I've been most impressed by the amount of detail Ikea gives to deliveries. The people who delivered my bed were under strict orders to take pictures of each and every box delivered on-site; including a box with nothing but screws and such. Otherwise they simply do not get paid for the delivery.

That should be friggin' mandatory, no payment for you if you just toss the stuff in the bin and call it a day. You have to show proof of delivery into the hands of the person that ordered it. No silly finger scribble on a tablet that has to pass for a signature nowadays, actual photographic evidence.

Hermes seems to be 'some guy with a white van'. They tried to deliver my 3d printer to an obviously commercial address at 10:30pm. The next day 8:30pm. Luckily security was there.

I can't judge from others' experience, but choosing from the best courier company in delhi, where I'm studying now, I would choose any time express. They have a partnership with DHL. Which, it's the most reliable company globally, and every time I have shipped a package, it was delivered intact. They invest in their employees, and I know for sure that their van drivers are reliable people.

I have used Hermes for years and to be fair, never had a problem. Have sent both a 500 and 1200, I agree that good packing is most important and it's worth paying for insurance. I know others have had issues but that's probably true of all carriers. Lots of Royal Mail parcels end undelivered! And sold off!

It's a bit of an old thread to drag up :) But Hermes deliveries are essentially all carried out by individual private contractors, so the quality of service depends entirely on who the driver is covering your area on a given day, whether they're in a hurry, whether they worry about putting your package in a wheelie bin outside your hose, whether they can be bothered or not. We had dreadful trouble with them for years, many parcels going missing, but because the driver marked them as delivered, neither Hermes customer care nor the sender would entertain any complaints, each blaming the other.

Sure, deliveries go missing with every company, but none with such consistency or lack of discourse as Hermes.