what courier for sensitive gear?

[rachelp]

Which couriers do you guys suggest for sensitive equipment?

I have to send one of my synths to thirteen for a repair job and although I have
a solid flight case for it, I don't want it mistreated in unspeakable ways
by horny handed costermongers.

So, which Sydney district courier (I'm at Penrith) for the paranoid
synth owner?


rachel

[TimS]

Rach,
Clipper Parcels are good local couriers around Sydney, but I'm not sure if they have a weight limit.
All deliveries from memory are about $11..

http://www.clipperparcels.com.au/

Tim..
Copied from website for ya...

Our services are on a Prepaid Coupon Basis and priced at $9.46 GST inclusive for parcels up to 25 kg. in weight for most Sydney suburbs, as well as Campbelltown, Richmond, Central Coast and Wollongong.

Coupons can be purchased from the driver on your first pick-up or delivery, and are available in books of five (5), ten (10), twenty (20) and fifty (50).

We pick-up and deliver to your customer SAME DAY.


We also pick-up from your customer/supplier and deliver back to you SAME DAY.

For SAME DAY service our cut off times for pick ups in most areas are as follows.

SYDNEY 10.30 a.m.
CAMPBELLTOWN 10.00a.m.
RICHMOND 9.30 a.m.
WOLLONGONG 9.15 a.m.
CENTRAL COAST 9.15 a.m.



There may be a slight variation to cut off times in some areas. A more detailed list of cut off times is available on request.

Each area is serviced by the same driver every day which enables our system to be more efficient. It also means that you are dealing with the same driver for pick ups and deliveries.

If further information is required please click here to contact us

Please note:
Maximum length of parcels should not exceed 2.0 meters and 60cm. x 60cm. x 60cm. in volume.
Parcels of extreme volume are subject to a special rate.
Goods must be ready at pick up point when booking is made (waiting time is not included in our rate).
Goods to be properly packaged and clearly and correctly addressed.
Insurance not included in our rate.
No responsibility for carrying cash.
For conditions of carriage click on Terms and Conditions

[smash]

We courier a heap of stuff every day.

Startrack express seem to drop things on a regular basis... but basically of all the others
I wouldn't call any of them "safe".

Mailcall are good for Sydnet-Sydney
Allied Express are good for anything outside of Sydney Metro.

But basically assume that whatever you ship will be dropped.

I'd be tempted to cover the Hardcase in Bubblewrap, and then in
another box.

Always assume for the worst !!!

[rob]

aaarrrghh ... couriers....the bane of my life

they all drop / throw stuff

it seems no matter how good your packaging they'll find a way to damage it.
Last week i send a 2U racked pair of Quad Eights. It was bubble wrapped, centred in a generous carton, packed all round with foam blocks and all floating in a sea of peanuts. They still managed to drop it with enough force to bend back a rack ear.
I've seen a 2U compressor mounted in a double floating, shock absorbing road case that had the entire unit ripped off the front panel due to being dropped

Oh and there was the Studer A800 on the way from the USA to me that fell out the back of the cargo plan. It wasn't, and would never be a tape recorder after that.

Sorry for all the tales of woe, but seriously if it has to just go across town i'd deliver it myself, even hire a cab if necessary. Although with local rather than interstate couriers there is less chance of damage especially if you look them in the eye when they pick it up and impress upon them how grateful you'd be in they moved your item with care.

[HA_DA_JA]

Yes I work for a large unnamed Govt postal delivery company. BTW did I mention that the price of stamps is looking to rise to 55 cents soon. Many of the workers are informed that the company does not offer a fragile service during the short training program to become a mail officer. In our centre we process about 2 million articles a night and close to 3-4 million over xmas. The parcel automation system has a tipper where it lifts up a steel crate and tips it up and dumps it on a conveyor belt. ITs amazing to watch small boxes that were once on the top of the crate gets squashed by all the heavy things that seem to sit on the bottom of the crate. Things like Truck engine parts, Tyre rims and mags, copious amounts of brochures in large boxes. I am surprised how many Kg brochures can weigh in a box. SO if you have precious merchandise and place a fragile sticker on it (which means absolutely nothing) and would like it to arrive safley I would suggest trying another safer courier system.

[TimS]

Oh and there was the Studer A800 on the way from the USA to me that fell out the back of the cargo plan. It wasn't, and would never be a tape recorder after that.

HOLY SH*T - lucky it didnt kill someone!!

[smash]

Oh and there was the Studer A800 on the way from the USA to me that fell out the back of the cargo plan. It wasn't, and would never be a tape recorder after that.

Yeah, but what a centre piece for the Foyer !!!

Can you imagine the comments - just tell prospective clients that you only use it when something needs a real vintage tone.

[TimS]

Oh and there was the Studer A800 on the way from the USA to me that fell out the back of the cargo plan. It wasn't, and would never be a tape recorder after that.

Yeah, but what a centre piece for the Foyer !!!

Can you imagine the comments - just tell prospective clients that you only use it when something needs a real vintage tone.

I'm surprised its not sitting in the foyer of Turtlerock along with all the other vintage/antique stuff Rick has there!!

[smash]

Do your recording sound boring, and pristine?

Fed up, want a change?

Introducing "old-tone" a brand new plugin from Acme.

We have taken a vintage Studer tape machine, thrown it from a cargo plane,
and then meticulously modeled the result.

Indistinguishable from the original, old-tone will give your recording that distressed tone,
found on so many recordings from the early 20th century.

Old is new again, thanks to ACME.

[rachelp]

You guys are all scaring me now!

I would drive it over to the other side of the city if we had a car.

Costed out a taxi and it would be about $200.

The synth is my OSCar, which is a fragile beast to start with,
but I have an aluminium flight case I bought for my MiniMoog,
so it is more or less the right format.

I suppose if I bundle it in bubblewrap and
then bubblewrap the flight case, it "should" be alright,
but I am pretty nervous!

Cheers.....
rachel

[Howard Jones]

Rachel,

The best course of action open to you is to use a point-to-point courier service i.e. one that collects from your place and drives more-or-less straight to the point of delivery. This has at least 2 advantages:-

[1] this method involves the minimum amount of handling of your synth. No freight depot, no overnight swap from one run to another etc etc

[2] you get to meet the courier face-to-face and you can explain to her or him how important the equipment is to you and ask then to handle it very carefully. I suppose that spotting them a tenner on the side wouldn't hurt either.

All of this must be on top of the packing considerations that you have mentioned.

The kind of courier that I have in mind is one like Crisis. Normally you would need to have an account with such a company, but I think that they're all so desperate for work these days that they would probably accept a credit card one-off payment. You can expect to pay $50~60 (the charges are distance based). Weigh that against the potential for damage and consequent repair.

Howard