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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to name and shame companies who do not know that the Scottish Highlands are part of mainland UK - HERE?

166 replies

idonotliveonanisland · 17/02/2011 20:12

Well here goes. The company I would like to choose first is one of Mumsnet's partners, so I'd better not just now.

So instead my first name and shame goes to Wincanton Home Delivery, as used by Argos and Homebase (and Comet, anyone?) whose staff have yet to learn that the delivery date they quote is NOT the delivery date we get. It is merely the delivery date to a local contractor who may take another week to deliver to our home.

Wincanton Home Delivery, as used by Argos and Homebase - train your staff properly and stop promising a service you do not deliver.

OP posts:
Original poster
idonotliveonanisland · 18/02/2011 00:12

Same here. Plus it's the one direction where we have no windows, so they could be dancing out there and I wouldn't know Sad. It is one of the reasons I wanted to move up here, to see the aurora. I am determined I will see them one day!

OP posts:
amarone · 18/02/2011 00:13

Maybe it's just a case of discrimination...

The usual England/Scotland thing?

Original poster
idonotliveonanisland · 18/02/2011 00:15

Well in the absence of any logical reasons, it seems like exactly that. They discriminate against every part of Scotland they can possibly get away with.

It's a bit like when everyone suddenly decided that it was impossible to deliver to Scotland when they were having problems in England with the snow. It was so convenient to drop all their Scottish orders, and blame it on geography and weather, when really they just couldn't be bothered about their Scottish customers.

OP posts:
Original poster
idonotliveonanisland · 18/02/2011 00:17

The same as when they stopped all the trains north of Perth during the bad weather as well. There was no reason not to run them - the local train company managed - but why not jump on the bandwagon to save some money? Angry

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HighHeidYin · 18/02/2011 00:24

Okay I am pitching in here as a small business owner who sends our goods throughout the uk and europe.

We have managed to secure extremely good rates from our courier and we keep our postal costs to an absolute minimum, charging only what our courier company charges us and adding a little for packaging.

It is our courier service who charge over the odds for deliveries to the highlands and islands, not us!

It makes me angry that extra charges are made for delivery to the north of scotland, especially since we are in scotland ourselves!

If we could offer a competitively priced alternative we would (believe me we have tried with disastrous results) but our goods are very heavy and sending by royal mail would just be too expensive for our customers.

I would just like you to see the other side of the story. Not all retailers are out to rob you and are us frustrated as you are over the lack of decent, affordable and fair exportation to the highlands and islands.

Please don't flame me!

Original poster
idonotliveonanisland · 18/02/2011 00:29

Hi HighHeidYin - thanks for posting. Smile

If all you retailers were to band together and put pressure on the couriers, you would have much more success than us individual consumers wouldn't you? Is there a small business association that could act on your behalf to do this?

Aren't there any couriers that don't charge extra?

My problem isn't really with companies like yours who have no choice, and are prepared to clearly state their reasons for charging extra. It is with the ones like JojoMamanBebe, mentioned below, who deliberately penalise us in order to offer free delivery elsewhere.

I'm presuming, though, that you do not claim on your website that the Highlands are not part of the UK Mainland?! That is guaranteed to make me terminate an order forthwith.

OP posts:
stubbornhubby · 18/02/2011 00:33

oh FGS.. if you want quick and cheap deliveries.... live in London

the WHOLE POINT of the highlands is that it's remote...

I live in London. I don't complain about the delis and the theatres.

Original poster
idonotliveonanisland · 18/02/2011 00:35

No, you are missing the point. Parts of England are equally, if not more, remote and they do not get charged extra. And some companies try to get away with charging extra even though they use Royal Mail, which charges the same throughout the UK.

OP posts:
Original poster
idonotliveonanisland · 18/02/2011 00:36

Remote from where though? If I had a company up here, say in Inverness, I would say that London is pretty darned remote. I don't think I could get away with charging extra to deliver there though.

OP posts:
Original poster
idonotliveonanisland · 18/02/2011 00:41

Must go to bed. Will bump this in the morning.

Incidentally, the whole point of the Highlands is that people live here, same as everywhere else, and they need the same goods and services as everyone else in the UK. And we are on the Mainland !!!!

OP posts:
missjulie · 18/02/2011 01:57

Here here! Just wanted to agree with you idonotliveonanisland, only just seen this post!
(fellow Highlander)

Gracelo · 18/02/2011 07:05

The Futoncompany wanted me to pay higher delivery charges for H&I delivery years ago when I was still living in Dundee. They are rubbish at geography but I like the futon I bought from them.

Ineedacleaneriamalazyslattern · 18/02/2011 08:09

I said on the other thread, I bought something from the gadget shop (although don't even know if the website exists now) and actually emailed them to complain.
To deliver to aberdeen it would have cost £5...to deliver to the Highlands would have cost £50 the is the same as they charged to post internationally to mainland europe Angry
This was only last year as well so not that long ago absolutely ridiculous.

I used curiours a lot for ebay items etc when I lived in Easter Ross and it cost me no more to send things than it anywhere else yet it costs me masses more had I been getting the same item delivered from elsewhere.

stubbornhubby · 18/02/2011 08:38

living in the highlands and complaining about delivery charges is like living in London and complaining about traffic noise.

Bishoplyn · 18/02/2011 08:48

Hi! I live in Northern Ireland that I totally appreciate is on an island.

I phoned a furniture company last week to enquire about the delivery charge on a £110 mirror. They quoted me £300 Shock

HighHeidYin · 18/02/2011 08:53

idonot thanks for not flaming me Grin. Interesting idea about small companies joining together to force the courier companies to drop their charges.

Might be a case for the federation of small businesses - will investigate!

I'd be interested to hear from the courier companies themselves as to why they charge so much more to deliver to easily accessible areas. How do they justify it? Will ask 'my man' today.

Rest assured our website states additional prices for highlands AND islands, and don't band them as being off the mainland Grin

We haven't found a courier company who doesn't charge extra btw. We have used some who charge less, but their service was so dire that we have no option to use a courier that charges a bit more but will actually deliver where and when we ask them!

expatinscotland · 18/02/2011 09:04

'oh FGS.. if you want quick and cheap deliveries.... live in London

the WHOLE POINT of the highlands is that it's remote...

I live in London. I don't complain about the delis and the theatres.'

Typical ignorance. It's not all remote, a lot of these places are just off the motorway. Do you live just off a motorway?

Some of these postcodes are not in the Highlands at all. Aberdeen is not the Highlands. Falkirk is not the highlands.

And the mainland is, well, just that.

'living in the highlands and complaining about delivery charges is like living in London and complaining about traffic noise.'

So you don't object to companies far from London charging you extra to post to London because of the distance?

expatinscotland · 18/02/2011 09:06

Plenty of equally remote areas in England and Wales, also on the mainland, who don't get an extra charge.

So it's discriminatory.

I don't use businesses who charge extra. Their courier problems are not my problem.

Dylthan · 18/02/2011 09:21

Are people really this ignorant when it comes to uk geography Confused

We're all expected to know what is going on in London but for you to actually open your eyes to what it is really like north of the border is it really so hard for people to do?

It is exactly because of this attitude that couriers get away with charging so much. Angry stupid people assuming that everyone in the highlands live in the middle of nowhere. There's plenty of highlanders that can c

Dylthan · 18/02/2011 09:24

Sorry posted early in my outrage at those comments Grin

Should read..

Plenty of highlanders can feel the need to complain about traffic noise also we just have to do it as well as complaining about discriminatory p&p charges.

Ceic · 18/02/2011 09:41

@idonliveonanisland, you've guessed right - it begins with a W. Wink

@stubbornhubby, no it's not the same thing. It's more like londoners being charged extra for living south of the river despite there being plenty of bridges across the Thames.

The higher delivery charges are particularly galling when there are courier companies who are based in Inverness and specialise in Highland delivery.

Saltire · 18/02/2011 09:52

I used to live in the IV31 postcode area, and it was by no means remote, hell it even had a 2 lane road running right to itGrin

stubbornhubby · 18/02/2011 10:44

but you pay a delivery charge because it's more expensive to deliver there! (population more spread out, larger distances to cover from hub to destination, etc etc).

You said yourself that delivery firms have attempted to deliver for less, but provided a rubbish service, and couldn't do it..

If delivery firms were making excess profits in the highlands, then other delivery firms would move in and undercut them.

Dylthan · 18/02/2011 10:53

How is it possible to deliver to the rest of the uk for free Angry by some companies but charge a fortune to deliver to h&i do you really see that as acceptable?

hobnob57 · 18/02/2011 11:04

why can't couriers average out the price to make it fair? They must do a certain number of deliveries up north on average. Instead of cheesing off customers they could take the odd hit when more deliveries than average were placed and enjoy the surplus when fewer were made.