This is to all readers, and l can see both sides to the argument, to the poster whom sees certain posts as aggressive, l would disagree with your comments on hostilities.

However, having had to sit down on numerous occasions and 'realistically' cost out these journeys, and in the past Ditta and Sarah of RT have assisted in this, as much as Nerys and l have worked the calculations, my support is attended to the couriers who are in the field, and not - with respect - to those whom are not.

I would say that this issue is always going to be seen as heated.

The biggest problem with the UK as a whole with the exotics community and for matter many other parts of industry is that the British buyer wants a specialised service most of the time, but is quite unprepared to pay for such a service.

Block bookings in any issue and topic will always be commerically viable over singular bookings. The biggest problem here is as my learned colleague has already pointed out is this, that unless every reptile/mammal keeper is prepared to purchase at/in exactly the same time window, then sometimes the block book is not achievable.

To those whom believe that they can achieve inexpensive costings, by all means launch, go ahead, within your first six months you too will soon realise just how ruinously expensive courier services are if not properly accounted and calculated for.

Too many couriers have taken this route, and one quote, and the quoter will know that l say this out of respect and nothing else.

"Rory we had to hike our prices up to a realistic level due to the fact that we were going out for up to 16 hours a day, and upon our return, would come in with a profit of a fiver!"

If you want a service be it provided to you or to provide it, in todays climate especially, you must emphasise to yourself judiciously and justifiably that you are realistic in your costings and expectations, for to fail to do so will result in error and immense loss!

In this argument, debate which ever readers prefer to name it, my support runs to those whom are taking the pains to consider taking all factors into account and not to those whom think it is a crime for business to operate in a legitimate fashion and God forbid endeavour to achieve profit, because it is a business of passion not just done on love and for the sake of it.

Rory Matier

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Your costing works out at pretty much what the chart was stating. Didn't hit a nerve i was just getting frustrated
Your hour journey that i figured was about 60 miles is actually 70 then, thats cool, still is exactly what the AA report suggests for milage cost to a vehicle.
I figured in a cost on top of that for payment for the couriers time also, as it is only fair to get paid for your time right.
So i worked out that the courier get payed a fiver an hour, fair right, it's cash in hand and no deductions come from it.
My total costing for the journey i was quoted £70 for by RT, worked out cheaper, paid them for the beginning of the journey, and it it payed the whole milage for the complete journey, basically from leaving their house to getting back to their house, and it payed them a fiver an hour for doing it.
My main beef lies with the statement of, ''it's hard to break even''.
I am in no doubt that it is if they drive some monster that costs £15 (25ppm) for 60 miles in fuel alone, let alone wear and tear and courier payment. Which is where i rrached my teather and said BS.

......and breathe Paul......

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GuildWars Rules!
Have
Eco Sphere with 4 shrimp (1,2,3, and 4)

1.0 CB06 Common Boa (Louie)
0.1 CB06 Hogg Island Boa (Bonnie)
0.1 CB07 Irian Jaya Carpet Python (Fluffy)
1.0 CB07 Leopard Gecko (Sok)
1.0 CB07 Crested Gecko (Earl)
Want
1.4 Crested Geckos
0.1 Albino Boa (Sharp Strain)
1.1 Indigo Snakes
Kept In The Past
Corns (Wylie & Clyde)
Beardies (JD & Turkelton)
Royal (Armand)
Cali-King (Gordon)

Just to back track a little, and just as food for thought.

About combining jobs, if you combine jobs and then offer a lower rate because the jobs are combined, what do you do when a job - part of the combined run is cancelled. This question is not aimed by the way at the reptile couriers.

of course it pays us for the beginning of the journey and when we get home, are we expected to do this for nothing? our other option is just charge from pick up to drop off and not from base but we'de have to double our charges wouldnt we? some couriers offer a service which charge only from pick up to drop off, which does sound better than the charge including from base and back to base but when you look at it most couriers that charge only from pick up to drop off charge roughly double what we do per mile, so though it sounds better, when you think about it, it actually works out about the same

as for the fiver an hour pay - luckily i only do this when i can to help ditta with long runs or when im off. otherwise i wouldnt bother as i certainly wouldnt bother gettin out of bed for a fiver an hour. Minimum wage isnt even as low as that, and thats including after tax. Also on long journeys theres 2 of us to share the driving to not only ensure our safety but to ensure the animals safety. now a fiver an hour between two of us is £2.50 an hour, thats hardly a full wage. good job we enjoy doing this work most of the time or there would be one less courier in the world

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uuuuuuuuuu
please call or text 07825 295 834/07798 624 743 for a quote or pm me/ditta
Ditta......i love you babe

I can not speak for the other couriers, so please do not interpret this as such.

We recently had something like this of a sort, where we had quoted for another courier to our client. Our client was unable to meet with the couriers connecting points due to time restrictions.

Because we had quoted to our client a figure, and it was not due to the clients error but in some respects to the courier for not shifting time frames, despite alternative routes offered. We settled on the original figure and the courier sadly had to take the loss.

Overall the original quoted delivery figure would have been close to £175, and we had originally quoted £100 for the client to meet the connection. Therefore we honoured our original quote of £100 and the £75 outstanding was a loss.

R

Edit: This was not made clear by me. The over all journey was some 200+ miles long. We had quoted £100 for a connection point 100 upwards. Client could not meet times, and so we had the courier drive the 100 extra miles at the £75 loss. Think this may read slightly better.

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yes rory, we had a similar incident to this. Due to an unfortunate communication break down somewhere down the line, a drop in scotland was missed. But as we are decent people and do care about our customers we honoured the quote provided and did a run up to scotland, for one drop of which we got payed £40. The £40 did not even cover fuel let alone the "£5" an hour

__________________
uuuuuuuuuu
please call or text 07825 295 834/07798 624 743 for a quote or pm me/ditta
Ditta......i love you babe

Where the hell did you go to school?
Try some correct understanding.

__________________
GuildWars Rules!
Have
Eco Sphere with 4 shrimp (1,2,3, and 4)

1.0 CB06 Common Boa (Louie)
0.1 CB06 Hogg Island Boa (Bonnie)
0.1 CB07 Irian Jaya Carpet Python (Fluffy)
1.0 CB07 Leopard Gecko (Sok)
1.0 CB07 Crested Gecko (Earl)
Want
1.4 Crested Geckos
0.1 Albino Boa (Sharp Strain)
1.1 Indigo Snakes
Kept In The Past
Corns (Wylie & Clyde)
Beardies (JD & Turkelton)
Royal (Armand)
Cali-King (Gordon)

Yea and if you had rescinded the offer i'd have been the one that sues you for it. I doubt you touch on contracts do you? This is a fully operating business run legitimately is it? Or is it as you have stated a hobby? Or a favour? Or a service? Which is it, please clarify. People are speaking on behalf of others and it is getting very cloudy when the actual people/services spoken of arise to defend themselves from an alternate angle and with differing stories.

__________________
GuildWars Rules!
Have
Eco Sphere with 4 shrimp (1,2,3, and 4)

1.0 CB06 Common Boa (Louie)
0.1 CB06 Hogg Island Boa (Bonnie)
0.1 CB07 Irian Jaya Carpet Python (Fluffy)
1.0 CB07 Leopard Gecko (Sok)
1.0 CB07 Crested Gecko (Earl)
Want
1.4 Crested Geckos
0.1 Albino Boa (Sharp Strain)
1.1 Indigo Snakes
Kept In The Past
Corns (Wylie & Clyde)
Beardies (JD & Turkelton)
Royal (Armand)
Cali-King (Gordon)

exfuingscuse me?

__________________
uuuuuuuuuu
please call or text 07825 295 834/07798 624 743 for a quote or pm me/ditta
Ditta......i love you babe

If l could quote you reptilesrock.

Contracts.

From past experience not many of the service receivers [buyers] would really welcome the presence of the contract in this kind of service arrangement.

If you however feel that this is something that could be broached efficiently, then l feel that this may be an acceptable way forwards for ensuring that correct procedure is adhered to by service reciever and provider. It would of course cover all circumstances.

TSKA has tried to introduce contracts into our line of business on the buyer and the seller both, to no avail.

So perhaps as you say, a contract is the way forwards?

R

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