Message Board - Media Issues: Delivery charges and lifting and handling
24 Sep 2003 by petermarkcraig
Delivery charges and lifting and handling
When I began life as a 17 year old apprentice groundsman at Old Trafford cricket gorund in 1977 I had to help unload 250 x 50 klg bags of top dressing from an artic by hand. Being a 5'4" waif of a boy it nearly killed me and I thought then that surely there must be an easier/safer way of unloading.
26 years later I have just recieved a quote from a supplier, who I will not name at present, who wants to charge me £298 more for 200 x 25kg bags of top dressing if I want offloading facilities on the vehicle.
I have 16 team members available to me here which, time wise would make offloading a quick operation but I strongly feel that in todays age of Hi-Abs, Moffat mounties or simple tail lifts and pallets trucks, it is ridiculous to expect anyone to have to man-handle awkward heavy loads.
How the lone groundsman manages when he recieves his autumn order I don't know.
Actually I do because I have unloaded many a truckload with only the help of the driver (and sometimes not even that)
I believe it is about time suppliers got real and provided offloading as standard.
What does eveyone else feel? Would you rather pay less and risk injury?
Of course the grass looks good. The sun is shining.
24 Sep 2003 by stephen johnson
delivery
last year i ordered a new chem safe ,it came on a lorry with no tail lift
25 Sep 2003 by Hipper
Lifting and Handling Deliveries
This is rather like doing a COSHH assessment for taking deliveries.
I think the best solution that would suit most people with large or small deliveries is to have smaller containers. Some firms already package their fertiliser in 20kg bags.
And it should go without saying that any delivery firm must have the ability to unload what it is delivering in a safe manner.
And a question. Why buy 5 tonnes of top dressing in bags when it is surely cheaper to buy loose? I appreciate it is easier to handle and store but if (I'm guessing) this is cricket top soil, most of it will be used soon and what's left can be stored in old fertilser bags, or those 1 tonne bags. I don't like the waste of all those plastic bags!
25 Sep 2003 by petermarkcraig
Deliveries
You answered your own question Michael. It is easier to handle and store, and to transport around a large site.
When we had the really wet winter three years ago I had over 30 tonnes of tennis dressing dotted around the site ready for applying when conditions allowed.
I never got the opportunity to put any down and if it had been loose I reckon I would have probably lost half of it to the elements.
If you prefer to buy it loose that is fine. But if you want it bagged for whatever reason, you pay a premium rate for the packaging process and materials alone and to bung an extortionate delivery charge on top is taking the proverbial.
Smaller bags are being used by some copmanies, but this adds to the waste plastic as you require more material to package to the same amount of product.
Steve's experience of facing unloading something by hand that was loaded with a forklift is common. The vast majority of end users in our industry do not own forklifts and for suppliers to assume they do is ridiculous.
If this happens you should refuse delivery and payment. I have in the past and it is amazing how quickly they have produced offloading equipment shortly after.
I have made my feelings clear to the nameless supplier that I mentioned in my original posting and have had the price reduced by 90p a bag already.
Don't let these people get away with overcharging.
Always ask for a price BEFORE ordering and don't take the first price. You'll be amazed how much you can save.
Of course the grass looks good. The sun is shining.
6 Oct 2003 by John Grey
Delivery charging
It infuriates me that suppliers charge for delivery, most companies are making a prety good profit margin on goods, so why cant they subsidise the delivery charge, after all they know they will continue to get our business.
12 Oct 2003 by Sir or Madam
Bungs and corruption
As I have said before this industry has it`s crooks and the extra delivery charges, unloading charges are just examples of a `thank you heres a winter holiday contribution`.
I NAME NO NAMES FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.
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