The Pope’s courier

I have just been reading this fascinating article in the Guardian about the Pope’s Courier. On average Thaddeus Kühnel does 150,000 miles to collect and deliver gifts from the Pope. This year he has collected his favourite German Sweetmeats (a carload full!) and a footwarmer.

With the Vatican issuing guidelines regarding environmental issues and encouraging their congregation to be greener, I felt they could have been a bit greener themselves. They could have used the secure (diplomatic)  postal systems to deliver his items. Looking at it in more detail, I realise the safest, most secure option for him would have been a dedicated courier which is exactly what he used

When security is of the utmost importance a dedicated courier is the very best option, I hope that Thaddeus Kühnel has his vehicle tracked in case of hijack and remembers to secure his vehicle every time he leaves it. I am sure he uses up to date software to plan his routes - so that they are the most efficient. I know he will be co-loading whenever possible to keep costs down and make the fuel go further…

I also hope that Mr Kühnel has changed his vehicle since this article was published, as he could now become a target. It’s vital to keep things confidential as a courier and unless you have your customers approval, discretion is a must. Especially when your client is a religious world leader.

 

Infallible Christmas gifts: Pope’s courier reveals secrets | World news | The Guardian

Kühnel drove from the pope’s home state of Bavaria to the Vatican yesterday to personally deliver this year’s boot-load of food, as well as five Christmas trees that were strapped to the roof of his car.

Lebkuchen honey and spice biscuits, stollen German Christmas cake, and chocolate were among the treats, Kühnel told German media. Of the trees, which came from the pope’s home town, Marktl am Inn, Kühnel said: “One is for the Pope’s living room, and two are for private chapels.”

Butchers in Marktl am Inn began selling Ratzinger sausages in his honour when he became pope in 2005.

There was also a present from the pope’s brother, Georg, 84, a retired priest. Kühnel would not reveal what it was, but said “usually they give each other practical things, like wristwatches and electric foot-warmers”.

Kühnel said he had already clocked up around 250,000km 150,000 miles in his car, delivering goods to the pope that he had personally requested, along with presents from his old friends, staff and distant relatives. “I deliver all the things he misses about Bavaria, including fruit nectar, Bavarian sausages from his favourite restaurant, advent wreaths and German sweets. He has a very sweet tooth,” Kühnel said.

“The first thing I brought to Rome, in my car, was a paschal candle, as well as some fruit from Adelholzen and mineral water. He likes the Christmas cookies that women from Bavarian parishes bake at home as well as those made at certain monasteries. He also likes the chocolates made in Aachen.”

The Pope’s courier, Dec 2008

 

It's not an easy job delivering goods from food stuffs to presents, but having a happy customer is very rewarding.

Merry Christmas

Sarah & Kevin

10,000 hours and you STILL want someone else to deliver?

This week I have been reading articles about someone called Malcolm Gladwell and the Outliers, and in these articles research by a chap called K Anders Ericsson is quoted.

In the early 90s, the psychologist K Anders Ericsson and two colleagues set up shop at Berlin’s elite Academy of Music. With the help of the academy’s professors, they divided the school’s violinists into three groups. The first group were the stars, the students with the potential to become world-class soloists. The second were those judged to be merely “good”. The third were students who were unlikely ever to play professionally, and intended to be music teachers in the school system. All the violinists were then asked the same question. Over the course of your career, ever since you first picked up the violin, how many hours have you practised?

Everyone, from all three groups, started playing at roughly the same time - around the age of five. In those first few years, everyone practised roughly the same amount - about two or three hours a week. But around the age of eight real differences started to emerge. The students who would end up as the best in their class began to practise more than everyone else: six hours a week by age nine, eight by age 12, 16 a week by age 14, and up and up, until by the age of 20 they were practising well over 30 hours a week. By the age of 20, the elite performers had all totalled 10,000 hours of practice over the course of their lives. The merely good students had totalled, by contrast, 8,000 hours, and the future music teachers just over 4,000 hours.

Now, I am not quite sure where this quote comes into play with Mr Gladwells book (ok, maybe it’s about genius ), but I do know that having worked at least 48 hours a week for the last 6 years delivering cargo, freight and the odd sofa or two we have clocked up at least 10,000 hours. Thats in just our own business, Kev has another 14 years experience in doing this for other companies.  So, that makes us an expert apparently…. and we certainly do know all the tips and tricks to get the best out of your delivery.

So, would you rather see the local schools piano teacher or Maksim? Well, I am sure they both have their place in life, and you choose what is appropriate. If Maksim was looking to move his grand piano, would he use Joe Blogs from down the road who had been trading 5 minutes or would he use a professional piano mover? He would use the professional piano mover of course.

We often get phone calls about Freight / Cargo deliveries that have gone wrong, and the most common these people have used someone who are cheap. They have no experience or wisdom to pay for, and then the customer  gets upset when it has gone wrong. We get upset too, why didn’t they come to us first? It would have been the far more cost effective courier option10,000 hours and you STILL want someone else to deliver?

Sarah

 

What does your Chelmsford courier quote include?

When you book a parcel courier do you read the small print?

Last week we took on a new customer who had read the ’small print’ and found it not to his liking until he came to us. When doing his research he found that he would often be charged a ’surcharge’ for delivering to a private address rather than a business address - between £3-£5 extra. He would also be charged a 5% fuel surcharge, and if he went over weight by even just a kilo, he would be charged an extra £3.00 as well.

He started to add it all up and realised the £8.95+VAT he was being charged for delivery wasn’t that cheap once the ’surcharges’ had been added, if fact it could double the initial price for a parcel!

At Arrow Light Haulage we believe in a transparent pricing system - that the cost is determined by the items weight, and that's it. The only extras we charge for are items such as packing and wrapping materials, again this is optional.

So, if you have a parcel to collect in Basildon, Chelmsford or West Thurrock & Dartford give us a call on 0844 884 3331 we are a flat rate courier, no surcharges unless of course you want us to charge for them

Regards

Kevin

Chelmsford and Maldon couriers

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Less bucks = more bang

Delivering fireworks.....Fireworks are generally not allowed to be delivered by couriers.

Quick quiz: If you are a professional truck driver, a good thing to haul is…

a) jelly doughnuts
b) bunny rabbits
c) designer shoes
d) highly explosive fireworks

You need specialist training to deliver fireworks, and if you are using a courier to do this, check the small print before suggesting they do not need the training… if you wrongly suggest they can deliver the fireworks and they have an accident where do you stand with your corporate manslaughter liabilities?
Be very careful not to get caught up in the small loads small print of 8.2.3 of ADR Link how VOSA and other agencies interpret may be different from how you do. To be quite blunt, a white diamond symbol does not mean you can transport and deliver fireworks as a courier.Fireworks: Delivering without the bang!

There are no fireworks in the uK that can be carried by road for hire and reward without the courier in question having at the very least ADR 'awareness training!

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Delivering your Dining Room Furniture

These are generally too heavy to be delivered by parcel services. Depending on what they are made from, I would check with your courier company first. If it’s possible, the furture should be dismantled and packaged securely before collection, this reduces the cubic weight and makes it more likely your items can be delivered. Remember to package them carefully to prevent damage.

If your local parcel courier company is not able to deliver your items, you have some options.

Pallet Networks - You dining is palletised and collected with other items and sent to the hub (usually in the Midlands) then put on a vehicle that will deliver to a depot and then on to you, the end destination. Your pallet may be ‘ugly freight‘ or oversized and this would be more expensive. There is high risk of damage using these services and it’s very difficult to establish where in the chain it happened.

Overnight / Economy courier - Your dining table is collected and loaded onto the vehicle, with other goods and delivered at some point in the next few days. The routes are as fuel efficient as possible, less chance of damage than a pallet network, but your item could risk some damage if the courier company does not secure their loads or protect your dining table and chairs correctly. We always secure our items and wrap them for added protection.

Same day or express courier - you item is the only item on the vehicle, it is secured and delivered in one piece, the only method likely to result in the least amount of damage.

On deciding which type of courier you require, you also need to think about what suits you for delivery options, will they deliver out of hours? will they deliver at a time convenient to you?

If you have any questions, we are happy to help and advise.

Sarah

Essex Courier and delivery services

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Delivering your pool or snooker table

As a discerning Snooker or Pool player, you have decided to buy yourself a table to practice on. You cannot wait for the shop to send it (sometimes a 30 day wait!), or you have grabbed a bargain on Ebay, and now you would like the item delivered.

Firstly, the Pool or Snooker table will be wrapped in soft felt furniture blankets and then loaded onto the vehicle via tail-lift. It takes two people to do this, sometimes three. We can supply a two man team or you can help (this is the money saving option ).

The Pool/Snooker table will be laid flat on the bottom of the van. It’s important that your courier does not try and co-load items with this, as items put on top may crack the slate bed. For the same reason, it’s best not to use an economy service courier, because they again co-load items, and this can cause some nasty damage.Same Day Courier Delivery for your Snooker Table

At the end destination, we will happily help you unload your table and take away the packaging, if any. We like to recycle the packaging, it helps keep things greener.

Sarah

Same Day Courier

What do you factor in for your same day courier?

When do you book your courier? Is it dependant on what type of service you need? When your goods are ready to be moved? or do you give it a few days notice?

If you leave it till the goods are ready, you could land up with a hefty waiting time bill, if something goes wrong at the last minute. This is most likely to happen when waiting for printed materials to dry and then be loaded. What can you do to prevent your same day courier costs going through the roof? Often it’s as easy as telling them what items are going to be transported, as the more experienced courier can then factor in prep and drying time, and make the drivers aware of the possibility of waiting when they come to collect.What you need to factor into being ready for your courier

Do you factor in all the probablilties when you have goods to move? Would you like us to do it for you?

Sarah

Same Day Courier Services

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What do you factor in for your same day courier?

When do you book your courier? Is it dependant on what type of service you need? When your goods are ready to be moved? or do you give it a few days notice?

If you leave it till the goods are ready, you could land up with a hefty waiting time bill, if something goes wrong at the last minute. This is most likely to happen when waiting for printed materials to dry and then be loaded. What can you do to prevent your same day courier costs going through the roof? Often it’s as easy as telling them what items are going to be transported, as the more experienced courier can then factor in prep and drying time, and make the drivers aware of the possibility of waiting when they come to collect.What you need to factor into being ready for your courier

Do you factor in all the probablilties when you have goods to move? Would you like us to do it for you?

Sarah

Same Day Courier Services

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Chelmsford couriers - how to get the best of them

Another little gem on the internet, this time from a website that deals with consumer issues. It's a very good read, the link is at the end of the quote. The article goes on to make some suggestions on what can be done to make things easier for the consumer when expecting delivery..

* Companies that offer "delivery within 2-3 days" - Well, which is it? And does that include the weekend?

* Companies that say "your order has been dispatched", but not how it's being delivered (Royal Mail, Courier, 24 hours?)

* Companies that let you order when there's no stock, but don't tell you that it's back in stock and they shipped it - the first you know is when you get the "we tried to deliver but..." card

* Failed deliveries where the little boxes aren't ticked so there's no clues - so you drive to the sorting office to get a bit of junk mail that the kind postie didn't want to fold or leave outside, when you were expecting to be picking up your hi-fi.

* Couriers that aren't flexible. "We can't deliver to your work address. We don't deliver on Saturdays. You can't collect from our depot"

* Couriers websites that let you view online tracking... that's a day out of date

We all have to work, and it's not always possible to take a day off work waiting for the knock on the door. I've lost count of the number of days I've either:

* Waited in for a courier that didn't show

* Faffed about with parcel-tracking websites and "we called but..." cards

* Spoken to a courier's head office to arrange redelivery - and got very frustrated

* Tried to get a number for the courier's depot (not the call centre)

* Driven to a depot on a Saturday to collect something a courier wouldn't send out at a weekend

Help with mail order deliveries and couriers.

As a courier company, we are happy to delivery out of hours and on a Saturday, or even a Sunday. Parcel deliveries we do Monday to Friday, and any delivery estimates do not include Saturday or Sunday when it comes to the parcels.

Parcels we will try and deliver three times, and always leave a card with contact details on.

Same day or Express deliveries, we can tell you within 15 minutes what time your items will arrive, and we call our customers an hour prior to delivery, so if they have to nip up the shops for a pint of milk, they can do so without worry.

When looking for a courier service that understands what customer service means, look for someone local. Bigger is not always better when it comes to delivering your goods.

Sarah

Basildon, Chelmsford & West Thurrock Same Day and Parcel courier

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Collecting and Delivering Television sets

By Same Day courier? By the parcel network? overnight delivery? Lots of choice, but which one is the best to courier your Television?

The Parcel networks, although the cheapest option, cannot take the weight of TVs. Even the new Plasma / LCD style screens come in over the cubic weight that a parcel carrier can take.

Another option is a overnight pallet service, where your TV would be strapped and shrink wrapped to a pallet and loaded, and transhipped several times before reaching you or your customer. This increases the chance of damage, and you never know for certain at what point that damage happened.

We recommend that television collection and deliveries are an item that can be co-loaded onto a vehicle. This means that the vehicle has other items on it, there is a small risk of damage from the other items, but in the case of a correctly packaged TV set, that is minimal. We have never damaged one this way yet. Depending on the style of TV, depends on whether a two man team is needed. Our vehicles are equipped with sack barrows and tail lifts, so that only a huge boxed TV set would actually need two men, the rest can be delivered by our well trained drivers.

If you have bought a Television set from ebay in Chelmsford or other local to Essex Areas (or even require one to be collected and delivered to a location in Essex) and require us to package it for you, we can do that easily. We use recycled packaging, and we are happy to collect and deliver those large items like TVs and white goods, that are often just collect in person.

So, if it needs lifting and shifting, give us a call even if it's just for free advice 0844 884 331 or 07816 528421.

Sarah

Essex Television delivery

How a cheap courier can affect your business

Obviously companies want to save money and ‘labour’ is one area where people think they can cut back. Care needs to be take, because it can put you in a position where your company breaks the law.

What I have always said to companies that use cheap and cheerful couriers is, do they treat their drivers ethically? do they pay the minimum wage? Whats the price of being associated with a company that doesn't do what it's supposed to do?

When you want an 'above the board' courier, and your goods safe, you have to use companies that don't take shortcuts, and that may mean asking awkward questions and keep on doing so, until you get the answer that satisfy you. You risk your goods being impounded if you don't. Is that worth it just to save a fiver here and there? And what would you tell your customer?

I have been reading this from The Courier Shop Blog:

Kent courier business Beeline Sameday has had its licence revoked and its boss disqualified after failing to observe drivers’ hours and tachograph rules.

VOSA analysis of tacho charts revealed driving and tachograph offences, missing kilometres, excessive driving and insufficient daily rest. Three drivers had been convicted of 16 drivers’ hours offences and the firm pleaded guilty to 10 counts of permitting these offences at Medway Magistrates’s Court in July. The company was fined £1,800.

Beeline Sameday failed to report driver convictions from 2006 and 2007 to the Traffic Commissioner’s office, and TC Christopher Heaps found that the company had effectively operated without a transport manager for years. He even pointed out it was unclear if the nominated transport manager, John Crook, was still alive.

The TC said that although Harvinda Pasricha was listed as the sole director, “by reference to her body language, I find that she is not, and has not been the director de facto. She does not even know her own salary.”

Kent courier disqualified for hours offences - 15/09/2008 - RoadTransport.com

Kent courier disqualified for hours offences, Sep 2008

It seems now, more than ever courier companies need to look at their systems and procedures when it comes to drivers hours.

Sarah

Chelmsford Same Day and parcel company

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If your same day courier delivers like this...

Please call us on 0844 884 3331



The video may take a few seconds to appear depending on your computers speed.

Not all couriers deliver in this way, and if your items are getting their damaged then give us a call, we can save you time and money when you don't have to re-deliver to your customers.

Sarah

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Delivering to your customers satisfaction?

Tailoring your service to fit your customers needs is something you would think quite natural for Mothercare. The chances are if you are having a cot, pram etc delivered that the person signing for the goods will be pregant, quite healiy pregnant in some cases.

This is not the situation to abide by the rules, this is a situation for common sense. Here's what one disgruntled Mothercare customer has to say...

They were delivered on time, but in an appalling state. Some of the boxes and goods (things like a bouncer chair and the blankets) were delivered to me wet and in damaged packaging. The man dumped a heavy box in my hand to carry up the stairs. Im 33 weeks pregnant, and this was totally inapproprite. He refused to let me have the cot, and said the whole order had to be returned.

When I called up to complain the customer service manager was very rude with me, she said I was lucky they were delivered so quickly and was short, unsympathetic and totally unhelpful. she refused to put me through to a manager, or let me know when my goods would be redelivered.

I was made to feel like I was lucky there were there at all, and that my complaints were not taken seriously at all. I was spoken to very ruidely.

Mumsnet Discussions - mothercare are awful (Pregnancy)

Whatever problems there are at the depot, the customer shouldn't be getting wet and damaged deliveries, this is unnecessary damage to the Mothercare brand, it doesn't show any care at all. When choosing your courier, you need to brief them, and the courier driver needs to be aware that they may need extra lifting equipment or a two man team to deliver to pregnant women (this also counts for delivering to the elderly, and the physically disabled).

Mothercare are not the only company to neglect the needs of their customers. A birthing pool company have done the same in the past, refused to help a 38 week pregnant woman take the wooden pool upstairs as it "wasn't his job". When the mum-to-be waddled down, he was overcome with remorse and struggled with it and delivered it safely up two flights of stairs, in this instance a two man team should have been used. If the common had thought about it, they would know the likely recipent of a birthing pool is a heavily pregnant woman.

So if you are a company looking to deliver items to women who are heavily pregnant...

• Do you brief your drivers?


• Do you send out two man teams?


• Are you busy trying to save money?


• How much money would you save if you injured a pregnant woman through inconsideration?


• Can you afford the negative publicity?


• Can you sleep at night knowing a few quid off the bottom line, a few more quid in the shareholders pocket is actually causing pain and suffering to the customer base you are targetting?

Sarah

Couriers and delivery, for when your customers welfare actually matters to your business.

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5 things that go wrong with other couriers

I was thinking about the major players in the courier industry today. How they do the little niggling things like ring the doorbell for 1 minute on a Saturday morning delivery. That made me wonder what else they do wrong

1. They don’t re-deliver. You go out, miss delivery and they leave a card to collect from the depot thats 30 miles away and you cannot get it for another week…


2. They tell you any time between 9 and 5pm for delivery, and you wait and wait and wait… you call the depot at 5pm and ask about the delivery only to be told, they couldn’t find you.


3. The courier arrives three hours late for the collection, offers no reason or apology for wasting your time


4. The courier decides it’s acceptable to throw items in and out of the van


5. The courier doesn’t use safer, greening driving techniques and pulls away in a cloud of black exhaust fumes..

Top 5 things other parcel couriers do wrong…

Here at Arrow Light Haulage, we take excellent care of your goods that we deliver, we treat them like the’re our own.

We give you fast, accurate collection times. When you use our dedicated / epress same day services you will get an accurate time for delivery. We don’t leave your goods on the doorstep if you are unable to bring it in yourself (although we are not obligated to). For an all round better, faster, greener,  effective courier service just give us a call on 0844 884 3331.

 

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Delivering your dining table using a Chelmsford courier

Couriers are often seen to be the most expensive options when it comes to deliveries, a dining table and chairs can be quite awkward and heavy to move. When you start to weigh up the cost of actually doing the job yourself, fuel, van hire, you begin to realise how a courier can actually save you.

These are generally too heavy to be delivered by parcel services. Depending on what they are made from, I would check with your courier company first. If it’s possible, the furture should be dismantled and packaged securely before collection, this reduces the cubic weight and makes it more likely your items can be delivered. Remember to package them carefully to prevent damage.Collecting and Delivering a Dining Table and Chairs by Same Day Courier

Pallet Networks - You dining is palletised and collected with other items and sent to the hub (usually in the Midlands) then put on a vehicle that will deliver to a depot and then on to you, the end destination. Your pallet may be ‘ugly freight‘ or oversized and this would be more expensive. There is high risk of damage using these services and it’s very difficult to establish where in the chain it happened.

Overnight / Economy courier - Your dining table is collected and loaded onto the vehicle, with other goods and delivered at some point in the next few days. The routes are as fuel efficient as possible, less chance of damage than a pallet network, but your item could risk some damage if the courier company does not secure their loads or protect your dining table and chairs correctly. We always secure our items and wrap them for added protection.

Same day or express courier -  you item is the only item on the vehicle, it is secured and delivered in one piece, the only method likely to result in the least amount of damage.

When you decide which type of courier you need, you also need to ask some other questions about timings and help unloading. You will also need to advise on parking restrictions etc.

If you need any advice, please don't hesitate to call us on 0844 884 3331 or 07816 528421

Sarah

Chelmsford, Essex couriers collecting and delivering on your time

 

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The Chelmsford School Run Increases Traffic

Sarah has been blogging about the school run today, and in doing her research she found that the school run puts 20% more traffic on the roads from 8.30am to 9.15 am and 2.30pm to 3.30pm.

The Institute of Advanced Motoring has some tips for tackling the school run.

• Avoid taking the car if you can. Walking, cycling and public transport are all better options, not only for children, but also the environment. Children cycling to school should be proficient and wear a helmet, with bright, all-weather clothing.

• If you have to drive, offer to car share with other parents and take it in turns rather than add to
congestion around schools. When you have an informal arrangement, set an example by
attending a defensive driving course such as that offered by the IAM.
• Allow plenty of time for the journey. Crashes cause delay and are normally caused by drivers
going too fast and driving too close to the car in front. Leave five minutes earlier to reduce
stress.
• Drive well within the speed limit. Maintain a sensible safety gap - remember the “two second
rule”. At 35mph you are twice as likely to kill someone as you are at 30mph. Yet within the
car, this feels hardly any different. The school approach presents many hazards - including
children not concentrating fully as they cross the road.
• Park considerately and safely. Never double park, block driveways or simply rely on the
footbrake to keep the vehicle still as children climb out of the car. Consider parking 100 yards
or so away from the school gate and completing your journey on foot. This gives you an
opportunity to teach children about using the road and reduces congestion at the school gate
itself.
• Never stop on the yellow “zig zags” by the school gate, even briefly. Always ensure you let
the children out on the pavement side (or if there is no pavement, the side away from the
traffic).
• Do not drive on the pavement in an attempt to allow oncoming vehicles to pass. Wait until the
way ahead is clear rather than risk injuring a pedestrian.The East London Ex-Pat’s Guide to Essex, Aug 2008

Whats this got to do with courier services? Sometimes it's cost effective and safer to have our driver sitting in the traffic, than one of your own.

Give us a call on 0844 884 3331 if you think we can help, we can deliver everything except your kids, to school.

Kevin

Chelmsford Courier and parcel services

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Chemsford Amtrak account cancelled?

Are you looking for a parcel delivery company?

We have an excellent ‘account’ free parcel delivery service. What does account free mean? It means you pay as you use our services, so you don’t have a minimum spend and there is no maximum spend.Is your Basildon Amtrak Account cancelled?We are an Essex based express courier and parcel company within easy reach of Chelmsford, and we can collect and deliver your parcels and packages all over the UK.

What does that mean to you, the customer? It means you don’t have any unexpected shocks when the invoice hits the mat, no fuel surcharges, or overweight charges (you know those nasty charges that mean you pay an extra £5 or £10 because you have gone overweight by .5kgs). Account free of all the hassle associated with other parcel and courier companies.

Give us a call on 0844 884 3331 (local, no matter where you are) or 07816 528421 (mobile and out of office, yes we really are 24-7).

Sarah

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If you are in Chelmsford, you might decide to collect your own fridge freezer from one of the nearby retail parks, or from the shops local warehouse. With many people having a 7 seater car, they think that it's ok to just lay the freezer down in the back of vehicle and take it home...



...this is the worst thing you can do when collecting or delivering a fridge. It must always remain upright, and when disconnected from the mains, it should be disconnected for at least 3 hours before you plug it in again.

By laying a fridge on it's side you are allowing air bubbles to get into the compression system, and possible leakage from the pipes. This isn't quite terminal for the fridge but it's often very expensive to repair.

American style fridges are also very popular. These take a two man team and our tail lift vehicle to deliver as safely as possible. Be very careful when lifting these, you can easily give yourself a back injury, and the money you save by collecting yourself is gone when you have to take a week off sick from work.

So whether you are buying a new fridge freezer from a local Chelmsford retail park, or getting the item from Freecycle (the modern recycling groups), be careful how you transport your fridge freezer and if you don't or can't do it yourself, give us a call we will be glad to help and advise. Our numbers are 0844 884 3331 0r 078216 528421

Regards

Kevin

White goods delivery to and from Chelmsford, Essex

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Living in Chelmsford but working in London?

And have a requirement for a home office? we may be able to help restore some work/life balance. In the ever evolving workplace, it's quite common to have a workstation facility based at your home address. If this is the situation you find yourself in having ordered your office furniture, but have no time to collect or assemble said items, then we can help.



At Arrow Light Haulage we have furniture installers that can collect, deliver and assemble your flatpacked items with the minimum amount of disruption to you and your families routine.

As a professional courier company, we are capable of meeting all your delivery requirements with short notice. We can deliver out of office hours if that suits you better.



So, whatever your home office courier and delivery requirements are, just give us a call on 08444 884 3331 or 07816 528421 wqe are happy to help and advise without obligation.

Regards

Kevin
Chelmford parcel and courier delivery

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Lost your confidential memory stick?

Thinking about this blog post, I made earlier today:

PA consulting is the private sector company that has lost this round of confidential information. The transfer of further data to PA Consulting on the project has been suspended pending the investigation. This on the surface appears quite harsh, after DHL lost 25 million child benefit addresses, and as far as we are aware still delivering government documents.The Essex courier and parcel delivery company, Aug 2008Are there any tools or gadgets that could actually help the government?

I found an interesting looking secure data pen on a blog by Don Cooke, who specialises in remote team working.

This led me to think, why is the data being transported via a memory stick anyway? Why isn't it being encrypted and uploaded to the research companies? Don't tell me it's more secure this way...

Sarah

Safer, secure Chelmsford parcel deliveries

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London courier services and dropping in the city

I was thinking about this blog, that I posted a few days ago

London can be a very time consuming exercise for a courier company! At certain times of the day it can take you 2 hours to go 10 miles! This means most courier companies like to collect or drop their goods as early as possible.Sarah & Kevin Arrow, West Thurrock & Dartford Courier and parcel services, Aug 2008Driving in London can be very distracting for me, thankfully Kev and the other drivers deliver into London, as I would be holding up the traffic, hanging out of the window looking at the sights.

When you drive in places that have interesting sights do they distract you?

Sarah

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Knowing it all, good business ethics?

I found this interesting blog today:

There has been a lot of hype and noise surrounding Steve Jobs' appearance at the WWDC conference and not just because of the new iPhone launch either. His gaunt appearance started a furore amongst the tech analysts and journalists as to how his health was, it was material they claimed.Sally Church, Oncology Market Trends, Jul 2008The whole article is a good read, and having met Sally on several occasions, I know where she is coming from.

Couriers need a lot of information and if the truth be told, if a companies transport was going well, would we be in there collecting and delivering?

If we knew the health of one of our main customers, would it affect the service we gave them? Would we still be available?

I know we would be.

In business, others don't think that way and does knowing all the minute details make a difference? To them it does.

So, what exactly does being ethical in business mean?

Sarah

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packing your dinner service or crockey for safer delivery

Packing crockery for safer courier delivery can be done fairly easily, the problem lies in the weight. Like most parcel companies we are bound by HSE rules that say we can only lift 25kgs at a time.
So, you may need to pack your plates etc into two packages, depending on the size of your dinner service.



When you have a lot of items, bubble wrap can prove expensive, so think about using corrugated paper instead. Place shredded / scrunched up paper around the edges and around cups to stop them chipping.



Then weigh the box, if it comes in under 25kgs, then tape it up securely and give us a call on or 0844 884 3331 or call Kevin on 07816 528421 and we will come and collect it. We deliver to mainland Uk destinations starting from £9.99+VAT and we collect in Chelmsford, Witham, and Maldon as well as other Essex areas.

Be sure to check you parcel company's terms of business, often glass and second hand goods are not insured.

Happy packing!

Sarah
Chelmsford Courier and parcel delivery

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Chelmsford, Witham and Maldon parcel and courier services

Do you need a courier in Chemsford, Witham or Maldon? To collect and deliver items that are urgent or confidential?Do you need specialist courier services?Pharmaceutical Courier? Luggage Courier? Car Parts courier?

"More details of these services can be found on their website -Specialist Courier Services
Sarah & Kevin Arrow, Basildon Courier and Parcel Distribution, Aug 2008"

Delivering the goods is just part of our excellent courier services, we also have friendly, professional drivers who understand the meaning of time critical, and know they are upholding your companies good reputation.

For professional deliveries in Chelmsford, Witham or Maldon make us your first phone call - 0844 884 3331 or 07816 528421

Regards

Sarah
Courier and parcels services that reach their destination, on time

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Delivering a chandelier, safe and sound

Firstly, I wouldn't send a chandelier by post unless I really had to, with a high value, fragile item I would always opt for a dedicated courier vehicle. Check with your courier before booking as to whether the item is covered by their insurance, often glass isn't covered, and as that is the main part of a chandelier, it pays to shop around.

Couriers carry higher insurances and have nothing else on the vehicle except for your item, making it less likely to get damaged.



Sometimes, you need to send it via the post or Chelmsford parcel and courier company such as Arrow Light Haulage. So to get it to it's destination in one piece, find a box big enough for the chandelier and the packaging. You will need to remember if the item is over 25kgs it will need to be lifted by 2 people - HSE rules.

Wrap all the loose parts with bubble wrap and tape securely. Place gently onto a polystyrene base and then fill with polystyrene chips or popcorn. (Popcorn is particularly good, it gets oin all the nooks and crannies and won't damage the item being packed). Place another polystyrene base gently on the top of the Chandelier, taking care not to damage the item. Before you secure the box, check that the item isn't ratting around in the box, if it is add more chips and perhaps pad out with scrunched up balls of newspaper.

When the Chandelier is secure, tape the box closed and write on the box in marker pen, the address. Why not a label? because a label may get torn, or damaged and your item may get 'lost' in the system.

If you don't want to pack it yourself, we can do this as part of our premium services. Just give us a call on 07816 528421 and we will discuss how we can help you.

Kevin
Chelmsford parcel and courier services

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Parcels and packages delivery from Chelmsford, Witham and Maldon

We are happy to collect parcel and packages from Chelmsford, Witham and Maldon to deliver throughout the UK.

We deliver in 1-2 days, mainly overnight to a lot of UK destinations.

As our customer you like the fact we have no fuel surcharges, no overweight charges and no out of the blue charges.

You love the fact that you don't need an account and can pay as you go, again eliminating a lot of the hidden extras you can be charged with an acccount.

You love the fact that this year we have had 100% successful deliveries, the same as last year and the year before, and the year before...

Our prices start at just £9.99 for up to 15kgs, and you love the fact that we will happily package items on your behalf for a little extra.

We even deliver items up to 2m, thats 20 cms bigger than a lot of other parcel carriers!

Just give us a call, we are happy to advise if your parcels need packing and wrapping. If your item needs strapping we are happy to quote for same day and next day delivery.

Regards

Kevin

Chelmsford Couriers, Parcel and package delivery

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Ebay seller in Chelmsford? We can help with your deliveries

Image via Wikipedia How?
By adding our details to your listing!

Why?
Because it helps sell bulky and awkward items easier, oh and we give you a referral bonus or discount as well.

If you have an antique, awkward, fragile or bulky item to sell on ebay, then just add the following piece of code to your listing, by cutting and pasting.

<a href="mailto:sarah@arrowlighthaulage.co.uk?subject=Chelmsford Courier from Ebay listings!">Email for a free no obligation delivery quote by clicking here</a>

It will add a line of text just like this:

Email for a free no obligation delivery quote by clicking here

People are more likely to buy an item if delivery isn't going to be a problem, and it isn't a problem when you use Arrow Light Haulage, we'll help you sell more of your large, bulky or awkward items on ebay!

Regards

Sarah
Chelmsford, Basildon and West Thurrock couriers

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Delivering IT Equipment to /from Chelmsford?

Image via Wikipedia Once upon a time, Byte and Bit Server manufacturers needed to have one of their servers delivered to a customer. They had decided wisely that a courier should deliver the server units, as with the credit crunch and economic downturn, they would save money by no longer having their own delivery vans and drivers. They were saving a small fortune until they employed Breakit & Bashit couriers, the cheapest company in town.

They rubbed their hands with glee, they were certainly going to save money here! They called B&B in, and they had the wrong size vehicle booked, the booking clerk didn't take the correct details, not to worry, they will send a new correctly sized vehicle. They did 4 hours later, but that was ok, they would still just get it to their important new customer on time.

The server had to be laid down, and the van didn't have carpet on the floor, so it had to be pushed onto the van carefully or the outer casing of the unit would get damaged through the packaging. B&B also had some furniture on the van and shoddily wrapped pallet of ball bearings.
The driver didn't seem to bothered about this, so Byte and Bit and didn't worry after all, they were in the hands of the professionals.



The driver took the paperwork and set off on his journey. On the M25 he did a lot of violent braking and fast accelerating, and the pallet of ball bearings burst through the poor packaging and spilled all over the interior of the van.

After the customer had waited 2 hours past their business closing time, the delivery was finally made, and the server delivered just to the kerbside. The client of Byte and Bit wasn't very happy, and didn't have a good impression of Byte and Bit.

They installed their server, but it didn't work, several ball bearings had got into the casing. Engineers had to be sent at Byte and Bits expense, and then a replacement unit was delivered.

This is a fairy tale right? Sadly no, only the names have been changed to protect the not so innocent!

By using Arrow Light Haulage to deliver their server units Byte and But wouldn't have been late, they wouldn't have created the wrong impression and they wouldn't have had to redeliver a perfect item to their customer to replace the damaged server.

You get what you pay for when it comes to delivering your goods, and if you want to create the right impression then you need to use the right courier from the start.

Just give a call to discuss your delivery needs on 07816 528421, we will even wrap and pack for you as part of our premium services.

Make sure your deliveries end with 'happily ever after' by using the Chelmsford, Essex based courier company that delivers safely, nationwide :-)

Kevin Arrow

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Image via Wikipedia With space at a premium, and the loft overflowing, more and more people are putting items into long term storage.

If you have established what type of access you need at your storage place, you will need to pack the things that you are most likely to need, last. This means they are at the front of the unit when you need them

Put a dust sheet on the floor before you unload your items onto it.

Put your most filled and heaviest boxes in first.

Store sofas and mattresses on their ends.

Stack safely back to front, and don't put fragile items on the bottom and heavy boxes on top off them!

Make sure sharp blades of garden tools are covered, and make sure garden equipment is cleaned before storing.

We are happy to collect and deliver into both commercial and domestic storage units.

Just call us on 07816 528421 or 0844 884 3331 for a quote.

Kevin
Chelmsford courier, parcel and delivery services

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Student moves to/from Chelmsford

Image by nemone via Flickr
Are you a student looking to move closer to Uni, in the term time?

Well, you have some options and the most popular seems to be hire a van, and do it yourself.

Alternatively you can hire a courier company, like Arrow Light Haulage to do it for you. A courier is usually paid on the distance moved and not the amount of stuff that needs moving.
They have different insurance from a removal company, so it can be a cheaper option to use a courier for your light removal, than to use a removal company.
Using a courier may not suit your circumstances, so it's best to check first and see what you get for your quote.

Arrow light Haulage are happy to collect at several destinations, so it may suit you to split the cost between two or three people, that way everyone saves money!

So, if you are looking to go back to halls of residence or rooms closer to Uni, have a look at the alternative student movers too. You may well pick up a bargain.

Regards

Sarah

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