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.

"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). "

Not if they use Royal Mail (as many do)

If I post a letter to you in London (I'm in Northants) it won't cost me any more than if I were to post it to an MNer in Wick, or St Ives, or anywhere else in the UK.

www.greatoutdoorsdirect.co.uk

Mainland England, Wales and some parts of Scotland £4.95 postage Orders over £100 FREE Postage

Scottish Highlands (see below for postcodes) £10 postage Orders over £100 £10

Next Day Delivery - Mainland England, Wales and some parts of Scotland

I think this one takes the

Express Delivery UK(Mainland Only)
Subject to payment clearance
We offer an express delivery at £10-99 next working day before 5.30 pm
This operates Monday to Friday on orders received before 12.00 hours.(Noon)
Delivery Days Monday To Friday.
Excludes Scottish Highlands and Islands. Northern Ireland. Isle of Man. Channel Isles. Isle of Wight.

Although they do charge the same price for normal delivery.

This shop is www.whiskey.co.uk

A specialist whiskey shop we can't even get out own exports to us in a fair and competitive way.

Well said Expat.

What about a thread of 'good practice' so if we did get a campaign going, we could show the companies who do have fair delivery charges - Achilles Heel for example (based in Glasgow) offer FREE postage to ANY UK postcode.

Totally agree. Do you want to start one and link from here?

I'm easy - you want to start it, might be easier given your username!

the antidote thread

Oh Dear God, Dylthan. That really is extraordinary. Mind you, with that spelling maybe it's only American and Irish they sell. And pfft to the "you chose it" guff. Argos has a great big fuckoff shop in Inverness - it's hardly unreasonable for Invernesians to expect to be able to get goods that will be delivered to their local shop anyway. And the remote argument so rarely applies to Wales, Cornwall, etc, but getting to Aberystwyth is much more of a faff than getting to Inverness.

And why don't courier companies get together - if some can deliver up north without encountering the dragons, why don't those who are too chicken subcontract to those who can, switching parcels at the nearest hub.

God, I'd love to see a whisky surcharge to certain London addresses...

idonot - your link takes you back here.

The actual antidote thread

Oh no - what a numpty. Sorry!

I know this is a zombie thread, so probably am being unreasonable, but it would appear that KIDDICARE ffs have just changed their delivery policy. I'm so angry about this!

My friend in AB area had something delivered before Christmas, but today, the 2nd of January, I can't.

Grrr! I have tweeted them about it, not that it will make the slightest bit of difference.

It is completely wrong. I guess they are just trying to cover themselves, if you live down a single track road somewhere in say Argyll you will probably not receive something as quickly as someone in Inverness. Especially with the recent changes to consumer law which say that if you don't receive something when promised, you can cancel the contract. So they don't want to promise next day delivery knowing it's unlikely it will get to you in time. I don't really understand why PH postcodes fall into the "can't deliver tomorrow" category - aren't they Perth postcodes?

And the couriers only want the premium work so don't want to drive down single track roads.

Royal Mail have to deliver to everyone but will use every excuse in the book to cut services to less profitable addresses or not deliver as often. I'm sure they'd love to charge more for a letter posted in say Bristol, to Ullapool or Dunoon than they do for a letter posted to Reading or Liverpool.

Even I didn't get a Royal Mail delivery today and I live about 35 miles from London in a very accessible town! I was expecting at least two items of post that ordinarily would have arrived yesterday if it wasn't a bank holiday, it's taking the mickey not to deliver today either. I did get a courier delivery though.

If they put a disclaimer up saying if you live in these areas it might take longer, surely that would be ok? But to just refuse to deliver to us is ridiculous.

My Dad lives in a remote part of Scotland - he uses Amazon prime wherever possible for buying anything, always comes next day as promised and the packaging gets used to start the fires in the wood burner! Switch to companies that will deliver for little cost!