subject: Be Sure Of The Price You Pay Book Your Parcel Delivery Online [print this page] A recent report has suggested that problems of customers finding that they had not been charged the correct price for sending a parcel by the UKs main letter and parcel delivery provider are increasing.
Since the price for sending items is now largely based on a combination of their size and their weight, watchdog Consumer Focus has found that many customers can find themselves caught out if they believe a consignment should fall into a lower price bracket.
This often means that the recipient gets a knock on the door, with a request to pay the shortfall, before the parcel is handed over. Yet because there is no guesswork involved in arranging sending a parcel online, the prices charged are clearly laid out before any order is placed.
Whereas once staff would have been on hand to advise on the correct tariff for sending a parcel, offices handling such deliveries can now sometimes be so busy that there is little chance to check whether the correct price has been charged.
The system used is called Pricing In Proportion (PIP), and was designed to more accurately reflect the cost of processing items of varying sizes.
But with both size and weight now being considered in the equation to determine parcel prices, many people are said to be confused by the variations.
Many courier companies still use size or the timescale required for a delivery as the only criteria with which they set their parcel prices. This minimises the confusion for the buyer, as it means that they know exactly how much will be charged. And while price bands might also be in place for larger and heavier parcels, the thresholds at which a parcel moves into a higher band are usually made clear.
But even if surcharges are made for exceeding the limits in certain criteria, an online parcel delivery service has a duty to make these clear at the time the service is booked. Having all the information about such possible extra charges clearly laid out on the page at the time of placing a courier delivery order also means that the calculation systems used take these into account when the data for the items size and weight are input at this stage.
Parcel deliveries booked online are also covered by the same compensation framework as is in place for items for which delivery is ordered in person. Extra protection in the event of damage to high-value items can also be bought separately.
by: Jamie Francis
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