With the Black Friday sales and Christmas approaching, when many people choose to shop online, it is important to take note of a number of tips to ensure your parcel reaches its buyer on time. International shipping company Venipak has put together a number of tips to avoid problems and get parcels to customers on time.
Packaging and labels
One of the most common reasons for delays in parcel delivery is lost or damaged barcode labels. Both parties can be at fault – the manufacturer of the goods and the parcel delivery company – so there are times when a parcel needs to be repacked to get it safely to the customer. It is the extra steps that cause the ordered goods to be delayed and not reach the customer or the parcel office on time, as they take extra resources and time to deliver.
Incorrect or inaccurate recipient information
Unfortunately, one of the most common problems faced by logistics companies is incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete consignee address information. This means that extra time has to be spent to find the correct customer information and deliver the package. It is also the case that the recipient’s telephone number is incorrect, so that the courier cannot contact the person to arrange a time and place for collection.
Traffic problems
Time is one of the quality indicators for logistics companies, so couriers try to choose routes where there is minimal risk of traffic congestion. It is no secret that breakdowns or repairs often affect journey times, while the most difficult time to deliver parcels on time is at the end of the working day and before the holidays, when many people are either going home or visiting family and friends. We urge everyone to buy their planned gifts allowing enough time for delivery.
Inclement weather
The weather in Latvia is often very changeable – if it is sunny in the morning, we can expect rain and snow in the afternoon and vice versa. This also makes the work of couriers very difficult, as they have to choose a safe speed of movement, which means that they may not always be able to deliver the day’s parcels, pushing back unrealised deliveries to the next day. “Venipak asks people to be understanding, as the company’s aim is not only to deliver parcels on time, but also to ensure the safety of both the drivers and the parcels themselves.
Contacting the customer
There are times when it is difficult to communicate with customers or the final recipient of a parcel. Some people use several telephone lines, others switch off their phones, which leads to misunderstandings. Although sometimes the courier only has to wait ten or twenty minutes, customers have to understand that this disrupts the whole route and schedule, so that other citizens will suffer in some way and receive their parcels later or the next day.
There are cases where customers live in rural areas with poor mobile network coverage and it is not possible to reach the recipient, in such cases, if the courier has been using this route for many years, he will try to make the delivery even if he has not been able to reach the recipient. Or, if the courier has not travelled to the address, we agree with the customer to leave the parcel at the nearest parcel office or parcel collection point.
Non-standard items
Although parcels are most often of a specific or adjustable size and weight, non-standard parcels can also occur. This means that delivery is more complicated and may take longer than otherwise. “Venipak points out that customers tend to overlook the point that non-standard sized shippers require up to three jobs.
Unauthorised goods
Postal law states that Venipak can only open parcels if it suspects that something illegal is being sent. For example, e-cigarettes can only be ordered from abroad by private individuals and not by traders, which is also taken into account. There are cases where the police detain a particular parcel, which is opened and checked. The company never opens parcels itself, nor does it take responsibility for what people or traders send to each other, so it cannot be held responsible for the quality of the goods that reach its customers.
COD
When receiving a post-paid item (payment for the item is accepted by the courier), the customer tends to open the parcel immediately upon receipt. If they are not satisfied with the quality, they contact the courier straight away for a refund, but unfortunately this is no longer possible, as the recipient has to contact the sender rather than the delivery company. Customers should understand that Venipak is just a courier service that takes the parcel from point A to point B. Often the courier does not even know exactly what goods are being sent, so they have to deal with the specific company that is the manufacturer.
What to do?
If the parcel is not received on the scheduled delivery day, the courier will postpone the delivery to the next day and the customer will be informed. The job of logistics managers and supervisors is to ensure that the service is delivered to the best possible quality by contacting the person, sending emails, making phone calls, etc. The parcel is delivered to the customer three working days in a row, trying to agree on the best time for delivery and the possibility of placing it in the parcel. In the event of no reply, the item unfortunately has to be returned to the sender.