24/08/2023
Hi everyone,
Let’s talk about postage! A few things have popped up so we thought we’d get them dealt with in one post :) it’s a bit of a long read, so apologies in advance, but it’s very important to us that it gets said. Please accept the lovely Kabuki Snagglepuss as compensation 😊
TL:DR – Courier charges are done at cost, DHL safe places have to be requested and we’ve changed our checking system to be more thorough.
We’ve had a lot of queries lately about our courier charges, often relating to wildly expensive incorrect estimates for carriage. The most common problem seems to be an incorrect format being entered, for instance NR189UB or NR 189 UB being used instead of the standard NR18 9UB. The database isn’t particularly refined so goes to a default setting which produces a high quote. The next most common after that is areas outside of the standard UK Mainland (as defined by the couriers, we have no control over that) We have argued in the past that certain areas of the “Highlands” should be standard, and some time ago a few areas were reclassified. We are looking into alternative options for larger parcels. We do only charge what we have to pay, we’re just not blessed with the bargaining power of much larger companies.
Recently there has been a major increase in Porch Pirating, a funny name for a serious crime (theft) DHL parcels seem worse for it, so we are now sending their parcels as Signature Mandatory unless you give us a specific safe place instruction rather than allowing parcels to be left at the driver’s discretion. The safe place can be with a neighbour(s) or an actual place, but please note that if a safe place is given and the driver follows the instructions we will be unable to accept claims for missing parcels.
Please ensure that your contact info is correct! DPD and DHL will contact you with an estimated delivery window, and make it very easy to track and change delivery instructions, but they won’t be able to do this if the contact info is invalid.
For many years our dispatch target has been that orders go out the same working day if ordered before midday, and we almost always achieve this and more, but it is only a target, and not a guarantee. With the volume of orders increasing our very small team are working harder than ever to keep up and maintain the high standards of quality you’ve come to expect. We are only human and don’t get it right every single time, but it has been noticed that more and more items are being reported missing, so we have implemented a new check system and had a new HD CCTV circuit added that overlooks the packing desks. This will help us with traceability on all orders, but unfortunately will slow us down a little, so our new cut off target will be 11am for same day dispatch.
Lastly, the Facebook and Instagram are mostly monitored in our free time from home, and while we’re absolutely more than happy to help where we can, we aren’t glued to the page, so sometimes there may be a delay in replying, as always for urgent enquiries email the shop on [email protected].
Thanks for reading, hopefully it has answered some people’s questions :)
Sam & the RR team
