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

[idonotliveonanisland]

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.

Not pythagoras - you chose to live in London

There is still an ignorance that London is paying extra subsidy for Scotland. Not so, according to Alex Salmond.

( Poor prices for lamb so blame the supermarkets for the price).

Why, if I post a letter from Inverness to Inverness via a sorting office in Inverness is that below cost post? Compared with, say, a Londoner posting a letter to a remote rural address in Northumberland? None of your arguments stack up because much of the Highlands is NOT remote in the sense you mean. Inverness, Wick and everywhere in between - all on the A9, a major trunk road. As for charging even more for Skye deliveries - it is 5 minutes across a FREE bridge.

Gosh, I'm just wondering what we up here are subsidising with our taxes. We have really low crime rates, really low pollution, little social deprivation in the London sense (plenty due to fuel poverty though I would imagine). We pay extra for heating (most of Highland is off grid), extra for petrol, despite Scotland producing so much oil, extra for all kinds of other stuff. If we're talking pay per use I want to stop paying such high taxes to subsidise the unhealthy, polluting, crime ridden life of Londoners thank you very much.

"Londoners indirectly subsidise the Royal Mail (by paying artificially high postage within London"

Notpythagoras your comment above confused me. Do you mean a first class stamp costs more in London than anywhere else?

I don't I'm taking any moral high ground either. It is what it is, we are charged more to an item delivered here but to send the same item the reverse journey would cost the 'standard' rate.

idontlive I'm trying hard to to mention the independence word. That would be a whole other thread and would cause a HUGE bunfight.

However for the sake of this thread...

IF we were granted Independence we would have to accept that postage cost more as we would be 'abroad'. Fair enough I think.

But we are still apart of the UK and while this remains to be the case we should be able to receive the same services at the same prices as everyone else on the Mainland UK.

Hope I don't sound like I'm arguing with you because I'm not .

Not at all. I agree. I am just amazed at the breathtaking ignorance on display here. Do Londoners realise what a cliche they are?

I don't even mind being charged extra. As long as the same criteria are applied to "remote" areas of England and Scotland south of the central belt. I don't think that is in the least bit unreasonable. And it goes without saying that we shouldn't be subsidising London parking charges, nor wasted time/petrol spent sitting in traffic.

I am eagerly awaiting a name and shame thread by Londoners complaining about those companies with a standard delivery charge who are "passing on" higher costs to their poor London customers.

Bumping for more naming and shaming.

I am off to research how it can be reasonable to charge £4 for a Royal Mail delivery to us on the island of Highland and make it Free elsewhere.

Milngavie -Yes, I had to restrain from painting my face blue and mention the 'i' word...

My question is why there is not a set rate for the entire British Isles?

interesting article. Read the comments too, particularly for an example of an enlightened retailer.

Hamleys delivery

UK mainland addresses (excluding Scottish Highlands) - Next Day Despatch Service £4.99

Scottish Highlands Postcodes (IV, HS, KA27-28, KW, PA20-49, PA60-78, PH17-26, PH30-n 44, PH49-50, ZE ) 48 Hour Dsspatch £9.99

facebook page against rip off delivery charges for the highlands

www.kidstoyworld.co.uk

UK Mainland £5.99
Northern Ireland £9.99
Scottish Highlands Southern Ireland & Offshore Islands** £9.99

The fact is that this is fundamentally unreasonable. These companies - all of them - should be building the higher costs in some areas into their overall business model. You can't tell me that it costs exactly the same to deliver everywhere within England, Wales and southern Scotland. Of course it doesn't, but they charge the same nonetheless. I am at a loss as to why we in the Highlands are any different.

But of course what all these companies are actually saying is "we can't be arsed, we don't want your business". They simply want maximum profit for minimum effort. None of them care one jot about customer service.

Thanks for the FB link Dylthan - I was sure there must be a group!

While I was googling I came across a bussiness forum and a poster was asking which postcodes were in the highlands to know which postcodes to charge more.

The majority of replies said you would be better off charging one delivery cost and thinking of your business as a whole rather than each individual order.

However one poster said that people in the highlands were used to being charged more so why not charge them more

Thanks for those articles gaelicsheep and Dylthan.

I have not seen the Inverness Courier for a long time.

Why are the MSPs not doing anything about this? Which one would be responsible ?

Guess what? I just typed in my postcode into the DHL remote area search:

"The location you have selected is not a remote area or is not a valid selection."

Here is the actual quote

i would be nervous about the averages method - its a risk that you might suddenly become really popular with the highlands or get one problem customer who repeatedly returns things..

also - i am sure people in the highlands are used to having to pay a little extra for shipping so why not charge them it?

From this website
www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-75958.html

It looks like Danny Alexander has been doing something about delivery charges. He has got bhs to re think their delivery charges and asda over Christmas and is now hopeing to tackle the courier companies apparently.

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/13870/Asda_s_early_Christmas_present.html

I bought a digital piano last week - very heavy etc. Phoned to check delivery (to NI), guy apologised profusely but there was a surcharge. It was a tenner, with DPD. That's totally reasonable, IMO.

So how other companies can't manage it is beyond me.

I missed that! DA is my MP - glad to see he's still interested in this area now he has a job in the Treasury. But did you see some of the coments? How can these people just lap up the discrimination? I despair at the Invernessians sometimes, I really do. They will moan about anything and everything, except something that's a real issue!

It's total nonsense.

The fact is that the majority of these postcodes are mainland UK. Companies that offer free delivery to mainland UK should also include all addresses that can be driven to without resorting to a boat or plane.

REMOTE LOCATIONS ARE STILL MAINLAND UK

Royal Mail are obligated to charge the same for delivering a letter from London to Orkney as they charge delivering a letter from Newcastle to Manchester and couriers should do the same.

To say that Londoners subsidise deliveries to the Highlands is naive at best. Those in areas of large population do indeed subsidise deliveries the Royal Mail makes to remote area. However with the Highlands only accouning for less than 0.5% of the population of the UK, the subsidy is very, very small. I doubt even 1p on a stamp.

Most of us here in the Highlands (yes we have roads, elctricity & running water) have got used to paying a bit extra, and thats not the real bug-bear.

What really sticks in our gullet is the companies advertising a service and not following through on it. Not only that, but they then double or even treble delivery charges. There is absolutely no justification for the disproprtionate charge. On several occasions we have been quoted more for delivery than the goods are worth.

And while we're trying to say that we should pay more because we're remote, consider the like of Homebase or Argos. If you buy article X in London for £Y, it costs exactly the same in Inverness Homebase or Argos - despite the fact that Inverness is miles away and the store obviously incurred extra charges.

Companies that do care will sometimes swallow the extra courier charges, or will offer to use Royal Mail or Parcel Force. Those that do are more likely to get repeat business. The companies that are disinterested, well they are not worth bothering with as customer service features very low on their priority scale - and why would you want to continue to support them.

YANBU however there's very little you can do about it. Name and shame might help you let off a little steam, but in the long run it will make no difference at all.

Name and shame is helpful though for knowing which companies to avoid like the plague. Saves a lot of wasted time and effort.

Hamley's is sitting in Glasgow, a big shop, full of Scottish voices.

So my own and myself are something less than, worthy of paying more though we pay the same taxes and we put a stamp on something we pay the same but well, move to London and quit grousing?

You don't get what a slap in the face that is when we're even farther from a coast than you are sitting in London?

You think you are subsidising me and mine? LOL.

I can't even respond to that rationally.

Do you realise how many people from England, London even, live here, who are part of here, paying UK tax here?

What a sick turn.

English people are Highlanders, too!