Won't deliver-can't deliver

[flytilbroke]

We will not Deliver To Scotland

 

Started on the news> TESCO, and thereafter a rapid list of other National UK firms saying they can't deliver to Scotland because of the WEATHER.

 

I have looked at Traffic Scotland's live Webcams. WHAT WEATHER? They show that SCOTLAND is not closed to traffic.

 

Many regions in other parts of the UK were affected in the same way, some on here report they still are. THESE REGIONS WERE NOT INCLUDED in the won't deliver message.

 

Bad enough half of Scotland being surcharged for delivery, without the whole Country being discriminated against.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

FTB you have my sympathy. It does seem crazy, as you say the main routes are open - what's the problem? OK perhaps I could understand if we were talking about a small shop in an isolated village well off the main road. But Fort William! There's no excuse beyond its going to cost us a bit more because its going to take longer and we've done the calculation and a minor drop in sales is more than counterbalanced by the fuel and lorry time we will save.

 

BEB

Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 13/12/2010 13:56:20

[flytilbroke]

I did not want to make my "rant" too long, I will add though that they state they will not be taking orders for delivery. Part of the report also said that their stores in Scotland will not be getting deliveries of "some types of goods (my words)"

 

For quite some time. Most anywhere North of Balloch, Perth, Dundee "qualified for Surcharge delivery" extra cost 12.5% on delivery charge, of course that includes extra VAT as well. Nope that does NOT go to Edinburgh, just in case someone thinks so.

[Wingman]

Last time I looked there was a railway station in Fort William - there's also one in Aberdeen and Inverness - if trucks can't deliver then they should use the railway and provide a bit of customer service instead of adding to their profits - might be an idea to take it up with your MP and MSP FTB

[Myron Beaumont]

Wingman

Don't forget that there are the "wrong" kinds of snow about !

[Tony Smith 7]

Posted by flytilbroke on 13/12/2010 14:19:44:

 

For quite some time. Most anywhere North of Balloch, Perth, Dundee "qualified for Surcharge delivery" extra cost 12.5% on delivery charge, of course that includes extra VAT as well. Nope that does NOT go to Edinburgh, just in case someone thinks so.

 

It burns me up as well.   I know a national mail-order firm in Inverness, but imagine the stink if they started to charge extra for deliveries to England.  They could call it a Lowlands surcharge.

 

One supplier even told me that Aberdeen wasn't on the UK Mainland !!!   I could point him to a map, but what's the point?  You can't change bigotry or ignorance.   There are plenty of suppliers that don't charge extra, so I deal with them.

 

[flytilbroke]

Basically there are two issues. The First I mentioned is new and hopefully will not last for too long even though it should not have arisen at all. It will however last past Christmas they say

 

The second applies to most of the carriers which are very difficult NOT to use, and this includes the model dealers, who do state on their Websites about the surcharge. Most other suppliers also state surcharges being applied by the carriers.

 

MP's now, the large majority who have any say in UK affairs think as their constituents are not affected it is none of their busines and do not wish to know. Which is blatantly wrong as they hold the control within the UK. Scottish Assembly do NOT have the power to do anything about this.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Josip Vrandecic -Mes]

Hi Flytilbroke ,and I thought that this only happens in my country...."Never know it all"..

My sympathy  too, rgds Jo.

[Doug Ireland]

I ordered a new laptop for 'er indoors (two weeks ago) and it was supposed to be delivered by DHL. I was given a tracking number so I thought I'd have a look to see where it was. It made it from the depot in Lincoln up to Aberdeen (I live in Peterhead) where it sat for a few days due to bad weather. Last week was snow free and still no delivery so I checked again. For some reason it was sent to Manchester and has been there for the last two days.

 

Go figure!

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[leccyflyer]

Last Monday morning, with the A9 closed at the Keir roundabut, just south of Dunblane and the alternate route, via the M8 and Forth Road bridge also closed for a day and a half, I weighed up the chances of getting to the NE as being slender, the chances of getting back being a bit better, but still quite dodgy, and took the advice of the Travel Scotland website, and their webcams.

 

It was the second trip cancelled in two weeks, due to the snow and ice. When the temperature is so low that the salt treated ice remains stubbornly frozen, takes one stuck vehicle to completely snarl up the roads then it's not a surprise.

 

A colleague told me how a long crocodile of vehicle was making a very slow, but just about workable, passage up a long slope, by keeping moving, only to be brought to a halt as the car at the front stopped whilst the drive answered his mobile phone!

 

Looks like more to come in the next 72 hours too.

[andy watson]

I might be speaking out of my erm.... hat here, but it seems sensible to me that if you are backed up with orders then you don't take new ones that you know you can't deliver until you are caught up.

 

As to the surcharge for the highlands, well I can understand how it costs more to get the parcels up there, so it should cost more to the people that use the service, rather than relying on other people to subsidise it.

[Tony Smith 7]

Posted by andy watson on 15/12/2010 15:40:20:

As to the surcharge for the highlands, well I can understand how it costs more to get the parcels up there, so it should cost more to the people that use the service, rather than relying on other people to subsidise it.

 

(1) clearly it doesn't cost more, since probably the majority of suppliers don't make such a surcharge.

 

(2)  Once a supplier starts claiming for example that Aberdeen is in the Highlands, or like I said even claiming that its not on the mainland at all, then you know common sense has gone out of the window.

[Pete B]

My DX8, ordered in August, finally arrived yesterday after an eventful trip around Europe. It was despatched, correctly addressed by the supplier, on 3rd Dec. Once Parcelfarce got hold of it, they decided to add 'BE' to the address. It spent 3 days in the UK and then went to Holland. A day later it crossed the border into Belgium where two attempts were made to deliver it.......

 

Eventually, after the supplier chased it up it was transferred to France late last week, where it  sat for a further two days and another day was spent trying to deliver it to the wrong address.........

I rang the supplier yesterday afternoon, pointing out that I was losing the will to live, and upon putting down the phone, there was a knock at the door...........

Happy now, though

pete

[flytilbroke]

Re the recent won't deliver fiasco. It is was not just Scotland which was affected by bad weather. Take that aboard folks and perhaps understand our annoyance when we get singled out as a Nation within the United Kingdom.

 

A for the Surcharge. Look at the distance from Newcastle to Plymouth then a similar distance on similar roads going the other way, and tell me honestly that it costs 12.5% more in transport cost per 40 tonne Articulated lorry heading North than South.

 

Imagine the Verbal stink if Oil and Gas from Scottish Territorial water was charged at 12.5 percent extra delivery to all the English or Welsh customers. A good part of the processed fuel from Grangemouth heads South, it does not get "surcharcharged"

 

A TV from Taiwan? Why should we pay more than someone from Birmingham?

 

No! it is not true that only some carriers charge more unless you consider the Majority of them to be only some .

[Tony Smith 7]

Posted by flytilbroke on 15/12/2010 17:51:32: 

 

No! it is not true that only some carriers charge more unless you consider the Majority of them to be only some .

 

I'm not sure if you're referring back to my point, however to be clear I was speaking about suppliers not carriers.   I don't know what sort of contracts these people arrange with their carriers and whether they do or don't pay more for delivery to Scotland.  All I do know is that I have never had to actually pay extra carriage on any mail order delivery to Aberdeenshire - some suppliers have asked it, but I have declined and dealt elsewhere. 

 

So I stand by my point - plenty of suppliers manage to deliver to Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire without extra costs - so why should I have any sympathy with those that try to impose them?  Especially if its on the basis of such laughable errors in geography.

Edited By Tony Smith 7 on 15/12/2010 18:37:50

[leccyflyer]

Unerstandable errors though Tony - you've seen the maps in the weather forecasts.

 

England is absolutely massive, especially the south-east, which is most gigantic region of all  and Scotland is the little tiny bit tacked on at the top.

[Erfolg]

Flyingtilbroke

 

I have just returned from Aberdeen yesterday.

 

I can understand many of the problems that the delivers have. The A80 between Glasgow towards Sterling, was painfully slow, without snow,  (it is just on what passes for verges now), as it is being upgraded,

 

Going inland westward of Aberdeen was not easy or safe.

 

I know from personal experiences over the years that the A9 from Perth to Inverness is always full of Tesco wagons making there way. Even moderate weather is an issue on this road, It is not fit for purpose in this era.

 

The problem at the moment appears to be localised, as the Borders were clear, the Central Belt appeared to be another matter. Twenty miles north of Dundee there is little snow on the A90. Yet inland by 15 miles was another matter, there roads were like glass, 2-3 inches thick in places, bitterly cold.

 

My Son-in -law did comment, the Scots will not forgive Tesco et al for this. My view was what can you do if you cannot get through everywhere? Mind there time in Inverness and Aberdeen did have us complaining, how can anyone consider this the Highlands? It is easy really, most small roads are either single or almost single track, once of the beaten track. I cannot believe that the Scottish capital is served by a twisting "A" road from the south, where is the Motorway befitting the capitol.

 

[Tony Smith 7]

Sounds like you took a funny route if you didn't find the motorway !

 

Anyway on the basis of actually living and working here,  I can assure you that getting around Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire has not been a problem, other than for the odd day or half day.  And of course fully back to normal after the first batch of snow finished at the end of last week.   That has included delivers, site visits by our support and project specialists and suppliers travelling up from England or the Central Belt.  

 

Of course its slower than during fine weather, both nothing that doesn't have to be taken in our stride every year.   The first snow "event" was earlier than usual, but much less fell than over Christmas and New Year last winter, and again much less than at the end of April when our local road was almost impassible.

 

Posted by Erfolg on 16/12/2010 18:55:27:

Mind there time in Inverness and Aberdeen did have us complaining, how can anyone consider this the Highlands? It is easy really, most small roads are either single or almost single track, once of the beaten track. 

 

If that's what suppliers mean then they should say so - not expect us to believe that we are "Highland" in contradiction of tradition, geography, administrative boundaries or plain common sense.   Of course that suggestion falls down because if you're wanting to penalise deliveries via single track roads then that wouldn't apply to most of Aberdeenshire and certainly not to any of the towns or the City.  Even our road at home isn't single track.

 

I would be interested to hear your defence for the claim that Aberdeen isn't mainland.  What's the basis for that?  

 

[Tony Smith 7]

Forgot to add, do you also class areas of Devon and other remote English areas as Scottish Highlands?   Or are small roads acceptable in England and not used as an excuse.

[flytilbroke]

If you think the A9 is bad, try the West side, the A82 North of Tarbet. Over many years when the A9 was closed with snow the A82 got rather heavily used. Until fairly recently Scottish trunk roads were fully controlled from London. The A82 was built for 14/16 ton vehicles, mainly by German prisoners of war. The A9 is luxury, but some of the driving standard  lots of crazy drivers with a death wish.

 

I believe most of Scotland now has a good coating of the White stuff, even here where it normally rains instead.

 

So there is now good reason for delayed delivery. Clearing a backlog is OK. Did South of the Border get treated evenly with Scotland ?   

 

Erfolg, and others. Inverness is nicknamed TESCO TOWN. Tesco were supposed to have transfered the bulk of deliveries to there by rail. Still got single wagon road trains

[Tony Smith 7]

Posted by flytilbroke on 16/12/2010 20:10:20:

So there is now good reason for delayed delivery. Clearing a backlog is OK. Did South of the Border get treated evenly with Scotland ?   

 Well that's the point isn't it.   A bit of snow in England brings them to a standstill, but the presence of a single-track road somewhere in Aberdeenshire justifies them writing off the whole of Scotland as impassible.

[Erfolg]

Tony

 

My daughter has lived in Scotland for the last 10 years. I have two granddaughters born in Scotland, who have taken to arguing who is the highlander and  who is  the lowland collaborator, from some interpretation from Highlander.

 

I am not sure which motorway you are referring to. Our route was straightforward, M6/M74 then across to Stirling to Perth, Dundee. Aberdeen. Unfortunately the A9 is chaos at present, the upgrade is much needed though.

 

Aberdeen is fine, it is inland up into the hills where the problems still exist, or did. Our Transit having great difficulty at times.

 

No amount of good will overcomes these problems.

 

Although I may be considered of foreign extraction, my families roots are Scotland, in the 1800s. I have great sympathy and feelings of allegiance to the county.

 

Having holidayed with many others in Cornwall and lived in Cumbria, you cannot begin to compare the roads and topography with Scotland, Only the coastal belt and probably the Borders has roads that equate to Cornwall and Cumbria, the high land roads although majestic and virtual traffic free, take on a more challenging aspect in winter.

 

I believe there is no excuse for considering  Aberdeen now as the  highlands, Inverness can be argued, Fort William although relatively well connected compared to some rural parts of the south UK, can be a challenge in bad weather.

 

I have travelled with my daughter around Loch Lomond area in Scotland reasonably frequently in winter, it can be a challenge, if sensible, yet you know you need to be careful.

 

Much can and should be done to help in communications in Scotland, I do hope that the Scottish Government will achieve these improvements. Looking at alpine Europe, it will be doable, with commitment and money.

 

Please do not think I have a down on Scotland, I do not think I have. Yet the problems are not all caused by the English.

 

I always think Culloden, is symbolic of the situation. The nationality and allegiances are not what you initially think they would be or were.

[Eck]

Posted by Erfolg on 16/12/2010 21:45:27:

Tony

 

 

Although I may be considered of foreign extraction, my families roots are Scotland, in the 1800s. I have great sympathy and feelings of allegiance to the county.

 

County? COUNTY?? Now I'm offended! Hope it was a mis-spelling, Erf, or you may well have a civil war on your hands....