I'l say it again because it needs to be said

If those that cock-up spent half as much time as they do trying to defend bad feedback and concentrated on doing the job properly in the 1st place, then no bad feedback would be left.

Feedback is there for a reason, to pat eachother on the back on how wonderful we all are, and what a pleasure it was covering the job for you, or doing the job on our behalf , thereby informing others that this courier or courier company is a "good egg" and one you can trust.

It is also there to warn others when things don't go as planned. We all have bad days, so if there is just one poor feedback as opposed to dozens of good uns, you see the bad un for what it is. If however there are several, then that tells a different story, and that is exactly what its there for.

I fully understand why you wouldn't want bad feedback to be left, but by far the easiest way of avoiding getting any is to not screw up.

1-Collect within the time frames given. If that is looking unlikely inform the vendor so he can do something about it by either giving him time to inform his customer or allowing him the time to find an alternative solution.

2-Deliver within the time frames given, If that is looking unlikely inform the vendor so he can either ask the recipient to extend the time window, or give an alternative address, or rearrange the delivery for another time.

That's basically it isn't it? That's all we ask as vendors, to collect when we want it collecting, and to deliver when we want it delivering. Anything else is just adding flashy bits to what is afterall pretty simple.

What you want to avoid at all costs is the vendors customer ringing up asking where the courier is AND worse still then being unable to contact said Courier to find out why.

THAT is why you get bad feedback, and that is undefendable.

And before anyone thinks this is a bit one sided, yes Vendors are equally required to give the courier as much information as possible. Company name, contact name, contact number, correct address, correct postcode, what it is they're wanting collected, ensuring the right sized van is ordered, to inform whether any loading or unloading is expected etc etc. And many many of us fail in getting even the basic information and make the couriers job so much harder than it needs to be.

So i guess what i'm saying is lets all be considerate to eachother, be professional about what it is we do, and if we mess up, put our hands up and make sure we learn from it and ensure it is just a blip on an otherwise blemish free feedback

The above seems fair to me. Communication is the key.

Well said mr speed - aint rocket science what we do but it only gets tricky when someone tries to be a bit over clever - i would love to do a job for you mr speed... chuckle

One word, Which is always the key to a successful delivery and i always insist on is...

*****COMMUNICATION*****

I agree with Nottingham Communication!

Asap-Direct said:

---

I agree with Nottingham Communication!

As a vendor or as a subcontracter?

Both

If communication is the key, there must be quite a few who find they've locked themseves out is all i can say.. lol

Precisely Mr Speed..

Its good to Talk!

Its also good to get a punch bag, attach the photo of the person you are having an issue with (and for this example let us assume you have already downloaded and printed off said photo) and with a rather large fish, slap the aforementioned punchbag with all you've got.

If a large fish just doesn't do it for you, worry not. You can always replace this with your weapon of choice, be it a baseball bat, a hob nailed boot perhaps, a spud gun, or whatever it is that floats your boat.

The beaut of this is both the simplicity of it, together with its flexibiity.

A Couriers said:

---

Its good to Talk!

This sums it up. Pick up the bleeding phone! If something's going/gone wrong, just say. If you're not where you're meant to be, the vendor will know. The vendor's been doing this long enough to know roughly where you should be on your journey.

Speed Couriers Nationwide Ltd said:

---

And before anyone thinks this is a bit one sided, yes Vendors are equally required to give the courier as much information as possible. Company name, contact name, contact number, correct address, correct postcode, what it is they're wanting collected, ensuring the right sized van is ordered, to inform whether any loading or unloading is expected etc etc. And many many of us fail in getting even the basic information and make the couriers job so much harder than it needs to be.

Ah yes it would be nice to have all that info for every job! Sometimes it's just not possible though. I was driving up and down a road yesterday like a lemon, looking for a house name on a street with no house numbers. The vendor got the work from another vendor who apparently didn't supply a phone number. Found it in the end though :)

Basically it goes both ways. If something goes wrong, on the supplier or the subbie side, let the other know. Be flexible (within constraints of keeping customers happy) and everything is so much easier. Don't lie if you want any more work from that vendor, or the vendors they work with.

Speed Couriers Nationwide Ltd said:

And before anyone thinks this is a bit one sided, yes Vendors are equally required to give the courier as much information as possible. Company name, contact name, contact number, correct address, correct postcode, what it is they're wanting collected, ensuring the right sized van is ordered, to inform whether any loading or unloading is expected etc etc. And many many of us fail in getting even the basic information and make the couriers job so much harder than it needs to be.

The last 4 jobs i have had 4 have had bad info on the address , i feel cursed . 1 a working mans club when it wasnt there at all but across the road on a building site. 2 a postcode of oh our previous address , i must amend that , it was across town . 3 2 jobs both with an address on a completely different road , i spent this afternoon with an 8 foot box walking around inside worcesters train station today beacuse of this.

Now this happens from time to time and you roll with it but its getting beyond a joke now , 2 of these were timed and although i do my absolute best im not physic . How i got them both there ( just ) on time is a miracle . The joys of being a courier.

Generally speaking if something just doesn't look right it usually isn't I'm finding I'm having to check about 1 in 3 addresses or have to look up the phone number cos it's not known by the one making the booking. Because we know how fustrating it can be, we try and give as much info as possible. i'll be honest with you... Its to stop wasted calls back and forth so we can forget about that job and move on to the next

One other 'basic' that you did not mention Rob is the ability to obtain a LEGIBLE signature and name from the person who the delivery was handed over to!

Just why this is hard to do, as well as filling in a few basic things like description of goods and times etc, is beyond me.

RAPID LIGHT TRANSPORT LTD. said:

---

One other 'basic' that you did not mention Rob is the ability to obtain a LEGIBLE signature and name from the person who the delivery was handed over to!

I had to deliver a passport to a university student. I said Please sign there and print your name underneath. He said What's print mean? Back in the good old days, I sometimes used to joke by saying "Sign is joined up scribbled and Print is big, legible, not joined up", but only with people who clearly would recognise it as a joke.

I delivered to a guy on a BIG building site in London (all security conscious, with only one guy authorised to receive stuff). When I asked him to confirm his name "because I have to text it in", he grumbled and scribbled again, then turned on my van the hose he was using to wash down the entrance road! Security guy just watched him do it.

Thats nothing... One of my lads asked a bloke to print his name... He looked confused so my man said again "print your name here".

Can you guess what he wrote in the space provided?

Yes he wrote "YOUR NAME"

I kid you not

In this day and age of iphones, tablets, bluetooth gloves, bluetooth beanies, smart watches etc etc etc how come so many seem to find it difficut calling or texting the pod through once completed or generally answering the phone when you're being chased up for an eta?

I don't get it

If you're running late cos you're on another job they didn't know about, and by not answering you're hoping the probem will just go away, you are sadly very deluded. All that will happen is the person trying to get thru will get more and more angry, and will undoubtedly never use you again.

As has been said more than once, communication is the key

Be honest. Trying to outsmart those that have been round the block, and know all the bullshit excuses known to man, who have not only worn the t-shirt, but designed, printed and made it too, is a mistake.

Dont get me started on not answering phones!

I don't get it either Rob, I doubt our customers' would be impressed if we failed to answer their calls :)

Also why advertise that you are 24/7 when clearly it is NOT the case

Speed Couriers Nationwide Ltd said:

---

If you're running late cos you're on another job they didn't know about, and by not answering you're hoping the probem will just go away, you are sadly very deluded. All that will happen is the person trying to get thru will get more and more angry, and will undoubtedly never use you again.

As has been said more than once, communication is the key

Be honest. Trying to outsmart those that have been round the block, and know all the bullshit excuses known to man, who have not only worn the t-shirt, but designed, printed and made it too, is a mistake.

Totally agree! If, IF I Co load, it goes something like this:

1. Alert for a job close to my route comes through
2. Great, could make some extra money!
3. Call vendor to see if it's still available and say where I'm going and with what and that my first load takes priority.
4. If it's OK, call the company I'm already working for to ask if co load is OK.
5. If so, keep everyone informed along the way and make some extra money :D
6. If first vendor says no then call second vendor to apologise and cancel the quote.

Doesn't always work but when it does, it's great. It's also a good way to build professional relationships as it shows you, as an OD, are honest and as an OD it helps you build a picture of who you're working for.

Honesty, on both sides, is always the best policy.

Co-loading is all very well and good, but if one of the 2 or 3 deliveries you've got goes wrong and entails a delay, then clearly its going to affect whatever else you've got onboard.

If whoever you're doing the work for isn't aware what you're doing, and they're all for asap urgent right now type deliveries, then you have a problem.

9 times out of 10 it'll never happen, but when you can ill afford it to, it will

Lets not forget most of our customers are paying for a dedicated courier, and lets also not forget most of us know when someones being economic with the truth.

A dangerous game to play

It is a dangerous game to play at times, which is why I'd never do it without agreement from everyone involved. There are a couple of people I do regular work for, carrying the same/similar kit each time. Both need dedicated vehicles, insomuch as not a parcel carrier. However both these vendors are usually happy for me to work other jobs around their loads, so long as I'm where they need me, when they need me there.

As a vendor, you're also taking a risk if you know the subbie you're using has another load on board. But that's up to you when deciding to save a bit on the job or keep one of your drivers free for something else.

Our customers pay for a 'premium' dedicated service, they would be well racked off if their goods were taken with others!

NOT a good practice, and frought with potential problems.

Here here... Never co load

I've been a subbie for 15 years. I bet I've co-loaded no more than 15 times and every one of them was at the second vendor's request AND with the first vendor's permission. Remember, even with the second load not timed, going to pick it up delays the first load.

I have co-loaded on some occasions when the vendor has co-loaded me - then it's his risk. Co-load off your own bat and you're just asking for trouble - it only takes one bad one to get you dumped by a vendor. Just think how many times you've been delayed at the delivery point, or on the way to it.

As my profile states : NO CO LOADS, never have never will.

I agree with Nottingham Communication! Did they not used to be called NTL.