Couriers - hiring them

For someone who very rarely would need to use a courier, but it's for personal stuff... what's the best way to get stuff sent?

Open an account with a company? (Can individuals do this?)
Contact a courier directly and do a cash in hand thing?

I have a need every month or two, to send things across central London. Just personal stuff, and I'm cash rich, time poor, or something to that effect.

At the moment I have a need for one package to go from Bloomsbury to Camden (non-urgent, it's me being lazy). And another package to go from Bloomsbury to Monument (urgent-ish... today sometime).

What's the recommended way for individuals to have couriers whisk things around like this?
Oh, and what kind of price is it to ferry things around (given the above examples)?

Creative Couriers take cash and credit card bookings.....you don't need an account for this....

http://www.creativecouriers.com/

Perfect. That'll do the job nicely.

Creative don't make it simple at all do they?

I phone up, want to pay by credit card, get told it's better for me to open an account and it will only take a few seconds. So hesitatingly I let them put me through to Sophie to open an account, and then am informed I need a fax machine or to download the application form, and that the account will be opened as soon as I fax back or post back the form.

I don't know where there is a fax machine in this building. I'm sure there's one somewhere. It's probably in accounts. I really don't want to run around faxing things, filling things in, posting things. I just want to send a freaking package.

Why oh why do they have such a pretty website but no way of just opening an account on the site?

Why couldn't they just take my money and say "Someone is on their way.".

It's all I wanted. I don't want to open an account, I don't care if it's cheaper... I just want the least amount of hassle possible. Give me a form on the website to fill in, actually on the website. Let me click submit after spend 5 seconds bashing the info in, and email me right back with my account number. Let me phone you 3 seconds later, and have your system recognise my new account number, and come collect this package.

sigh

Being a techie I get frustrated by antiquated systems that cause me hassle. I'll have to book the collection later now and insist on not opening an account, need to go into a meeting first. And that's the point... time poor. Give me the path of least effort.

phone the blonde on the yellow bike, pay in cash and cake.

try addison lee...but I think you can only do online booking if you have an account!

Too late, used ecourier.co.uk

Unfortunately it's a motorbike, not what I wanted for many reasons... but they do have the type of website I can live with, one that allows bookings to be made within a meeting without anyone suspecting that I'm not actually making notes of the gibberish they're saying.

David,

I am amazed that you found it so difficult to book a simple job with us. It should be a straight-forward process of saying

'I would like a bike, and I would like to pay by credit card'

I don't what happened, but obviously it is a huge disappointment to me, as a CC employee, that you found it so inconvenient. My apologies, and be sure that your bad experience is being looked into right now.

tisk tisk!!

xxx

I hate fax machines.

I don't mind faxes. I just don't know where our machine is.

I've lost a computer in this building too. It's a server. It's somewhere. It still responds to ping, and I can mount it as a drive. I just have no idea where it is. I think it was moved in the last great desk shuffle. One day I'll have the motivation to track it down, it will probably be the day that it isn't on-line in the morning and I'll have less of a chance of finding it.

How big is your office? Surely just spot the employee with the windswept hair who's wearing earmuffs? :)

Ok, so this is the response of my boss, Lisa Byrne, Managing Director of Creative Couriers

message begins
Dear David,

Your recent problem with ordering a courier through Creative has been bought to my attention. First of all I apologise for the routing of your call to our sales department. That shouldn't have happened. If you (or anyone else) would like to book a one off delivery we can do that for cash or by credit card (amex, visa or mastercard). I have spoken to the agent who handled your call and she thought you may be interested in opening a personal account with us (we have small account holders such as freelancers). She misunderstood your request.

Please be assured that if you ever wish to book with us again you will hear the phrase " no problem, someone is on their way!"

To entice you to try us again I will give you a £10.00 credit! to be used as you wish. Just call me during office hours and I will arrange it for you (usual number). Thank you for your comments on our pretty website!! (we are at present building an online ordering bolt on).

ps Do you want me to open an accout for you!... kidding

Lisa Byrne
Mangaging Director
020 7440 1984

ends

errrrr

I feel like I've caused a kerfuffle now. I'm all embarrassed.

Thanks Bill. And pass thanks to Lisa. I will try Creative first next time, and a discount isn't required though the offer is appreciated.

hippy How big is your office? Surely just spot the employee with the windswept hair who's wearing earmuffs? :)

I ejected the CD tray ages ago... still couldn't find it.

i dout that lisa would do that if it wasnt pasted all over a forum

velocity boy [quote]hippy How big is your office? Surely just spot the employee with the windswept hair who's wearing earmuffs? :)

I ejected the CD tray ages ago... still couldn't find it.[/quote]
Try behind the fridge.. everything is behind the fridge..

Aidan, whatever, if you think that courier companies can get away with providing poor service in such a competitive market, then I am happy to hear that you work in a sector which is not so cut-throat.

Lisa takes all complaints seriously, if they are brought to her attention.

Any decent courier company would do the same.

i think that its a bit much to give dave £10 credit just because of that.....i think it has somthing to do with it being disscused on here

No, if you worked in this sector, you'd find that this kind of discount or gratuity is absolutely routine. Honestly. It's called customer service.

ha,i wish all customer service was like that.....fucking carphone warehouse wankers

Good customer service is like that aidan. I've given enough of it over the years, it's about going beyond customers expectations and showing that you genuinely care for their business. Creative clearly do.

This morning was more the fault of my stress levels and impatience than their bad service, my priority was simply not to interrupt my work to get the package sent. As soon as I followed their lead on the opening account thing it was interrupting my work and I got frustrated by the process and gave up. I could've been firmer to just pay by credit card, I should've been clearer.

I don't need the discount though, so won't accept it. I'll use Creative next time because I'd still rather use bicycle couriers over motorbike couriers, and would definitely want to favour people I loosely know, especially if it means more of the beer money ends up in their wallet.

I really am sorry for the kerfuffle.

you could ask for the £10 to be donated to the LBMA fund, or get them to spend it on dried banana for Bill