For Christmas delivery, please order this week.

[FLO]

The situation regarding deliveries this month is dire! 

Deliveries via Royal Mail are significantly delayed by industrial action and their tracking system is not up-to-date. 

To escape this, people are choosing delivery via courier. So couriers are now also overwhelmed. 

Over three months ago, we began posting updates here at SGL and advising customers on our website and during the Checkout process of likely delays.

We are expecting the situation to worsen so are pulling all the stops out at our warehouse!

All hands are on deck, booking in stock and then dispatching it as fast as humanly possible. 

So, if you need a telescope or accessory before Christmas, please order this week. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding during these extraordinary times. 

HTH,

Steve & everyone at FLO ☕ 🔭

[FLO]

This situation does of course affect 'all' retailers. Not only FLO. 

[FLO]

Some have asked - why didn't we simply switch off the Royal Mail delivery options on our website. 

We considered this but, first, we tried proactively upgrading orders with Royal Mail delivery, to delivery via Courier. It did not go well! 😟

We quickly learned many customers live in areas where couriers struggle to provide good service. They choose and prefer Royal Mail because they know their local postie will find them. 

There can be no doubt UK Royal Mail service is exceptionally good, when they are not on strike. Indeed it wasn't that long ago when they were correctly recognised as 'essential' workers. 

If you are a postie reading this, we wish you well.

If you are a customer affected by delays, we thank you again for your patience and understanding. 

[Mr Spock]

What's the best option for something to arrive between xmas and new year?

[FLO]

20 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

What's the best option for something to arrive between xmas and new year?

That is a hard one to answer because it will depend on the package size/weight and on whether Royal Mail industrial actions have been successful. 

Either way, RM will have a lot of catching up to do. So probably a courier is best.

For UK deliveries we mostly use DPD but can also dispatch via DHL if requested. 

HTH, 

Steve 

[JeremyS]

Despatched yesterday. Delivered today 👍🏻

[FLO]

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

Despatched yesterday. Delivered today 👍🏻

Fantastic 😀

You've no idea how nice it is to hear this, after spending today hearing only about delays. 

Was it DPD or DHL? 

[FLO]

At home (a village in Devon) Evri is one of our best couriers. I know, it surprised me too. 

They employ a nice lady, Polish I think, who always delivers with a smile. My wife and I noticed she was starting to look a little stressed. We decided to give her a Christmas tip early but by the time I reached the door she was already back in her van, putting it into reverse. I raised my arm and then walked to her. She looked worried as I approached and asked if there was a problem. I said no problem, we just want to say thank you, then handed her the tip. She gripped my hand tightly with both of hers, close to tears. It was clear she was having a very difficult time. Lots of customers complain directly to her about delays. I hope we don't lose her. 

During Covid, she was considered an essential worker. 

Steve 

[JeremyS]

23 minutes ago, FLO said:

Fantastic 😀

You've no idea how nice it is to hear this, after spending today hearing only about delays. 

Was it DPD or DHL? 

DPD.

Great service all round. Thanks 👍🏻

[MiladyB]

It must be so hard for retailers who are already under pressure with pricing and supply availability. I decided to pick up some stuff in the new year instead, but in a pinch, a nicely wrapped box with a picture of whatever has been ordered in it makes a good 'It's on the way' gift.

MiladyB x

Edited December 16, 2022 by MiladyB
Formatting

[Louis D]

On 13/12/2022 at 11:20, FLO said:

There can be no doubt UK Royal Mail service is exceptionally good, when they are not on strike.

Lucky you.  Our USPS system is a joke.  The regular employees are pretty good once they've been on a route a few years, but their substitutes are complete morons.  Mail is continually being misdelivered because of turnover and substitutes not knowing their routes.  There are no repercussions for poor job performance because there's no way to complain to the local post office.  All complaints go to a centralized call center.  Package delivery is very slow and expensive.  Tracking and delivery confirmation is extra.  When your group post office boxes in your neighborhood are broken into with crowbars to steal mail rendering them unusable, they pass the buck on replacing them saying they have to be paid for by the subdivision.  When the sub tries to replace them, they're told by the USPS that only they can replace them once they've ordered the replacement and its been paid for by, you guessed it, the subdivision.  USPS owns the boxes, but we pay for them.  Where's the logic in that????  On top of all that, they raise rates while extending delivery times to much longer than couriers for similar prices.

Couriers by contrast (UPS, FedEx, and increasingly Amazon) are in a state of competition and know their business can go elsewhere, so they tend to have on time deliveries, tracking and delivery confirmation are included with every package, and they rarely misdeliver packages, at least in our area.  It is true they do have to leave packages on your doorstep leaving them vulnerable to porch pirates, but many drivers will ring your doorbell to alert you.  Lately, USPS has been leaving parcels at our doorsteps once their parcel lockers are filled for the subdivision.

[TheThing]

Ordered a couple of bits from you yesterday, but there is a 3-4 day wait, which is actually perfect!  If they don't arrive until into the New Year then I can claim I used Xmas money to buy them.  Once again, FLO going above and beyond!