Does anyone know a good French courier?

[mmaddock]

I'm trying to find a French courier (along the lines of the UK equivalent of DHL etc.) to send [large] parcels to the UK.  I can send a large parcel from the UK to France up to 25Kg for £23, but whenever I've asked for quotes from French courier companies to similar parcels to the UK I'm getting quotes of 800-1000 euros!!!  (that includes DHL France).

Any help would be appreciated.  Does La Poste offer an International service for large, high value (>1000euros) items?

Cheers,

Matt

[Cassis]

La Poste does Colissimo International for delivery of packages up to 30kg - have a look here:

http://www.laposte.fr/particulier_envoyez_recevez_colis_international_243.html

Colissimo International tariffs aren't exactly cheap compared to what you're used to but are less than what DHL is quoting you.

[img]http://www.coliposte.fr/gp/docs/phototheque/divers/Nvo_Tar_F_Int/col_inter.gif[/img]

All of the EU is in zone A.  There is limited insurance included up to 200-odd euros but there is an additional 'Ad Valorem' insurance available for valuable items up to 1500€ or yet another insurance up to 5000€, as they say here:

Tranquilité : Vous bénéficiez d'une assurance intégrée

allant jusqu'à 206,10 € suivant le poids, en cas de perte, spoliation

ou détérioration. Vous pouvez également choisir l'assurance optionnelle

Ad Valorem jusqu'à 1500 € ou l'option Valeur Déclarée qui peut couvrir

votre envoi jusqu'à 5000 €

There is also a link on the page to Chronopost for speedier deliveries.

[mmaddock]

Thanks Cassis. 

Certainly a lot cheaper than DHL et al! 

I wonder if La Poste have a size limit - can't seem to see anything obvious that says it does. 

Chronopost seem to be too restrictive for me. As I understand it - length + 2 x height + 2 x width must be less than 300cm....  "Dimensions maximales des envois : la somme de la longueur + 2 hauteurs

+ 2 largeurs ne doit pas excéder 300 cm, la longueur ne devant pas

excéder 150 cm" ...is that right??

Cheers,

Matt

[Gardian]

I sent a (small) parcel to the UK some months back and delivery was made in two days.  I was able to check that via their website.  Limited experience, but mine was good.

+

........... you get the joy of queueing up in the local Poste!

[Cassis]

Under their general conditions, Chronopost says:

2. DIMENSIONS

Exception faite des services Prêt-à-Expédier qui sont soumis à des

normes spécifiques figurant sur les conditionnements, les colis confiés

doivent correspondre aux normes suivantes :

Poids : inférieur ou égal à 30 kg

Dimensions minimales : 22,9 cm x 16,2 cm

Dimensions maximales : la somme de la longueur + 2 hauteurs + 2 largeurs ne doit pas excéder 300 cm, la longueur ne devant pas excéder 150 cm.

I.e. the sum of the length + (2 x height) +(2 x width) must not exceed 300cm and the length must not exceed 150cm.

So a package 100cm (length being the longest dimension of the package) x 50cm x 50cm is okay.  That's pretty big!  What are you sending?

[Cassis]

I've used Colissimo to send and to take delivery of stuff several times.  I've found them very reliable within France, though I've no experience of the international service, unlike Gardian.  Like Gardian, I have found their tracking service is excellent. The day it appears in the local office, it gets delivered.  You can get automated notifications of the package's progress by e-Como.

[Teamedup]

Go to see them at your local Centre de Tri, in this region at least, they seem to be the only people who will give you any sense about postage costs if it is 'unusual'.

[mmaddock]

Often bigger things than that Cassis [:)]!

I've sent a few small things through La Poste internationally, but I

thought they were a bit pricey - I guess perhaps they don't quite have

the developed courier industry that the UK has?

Someone arranged for UPS to pick up a large parcel from us the other

day.....first they never turned up, then someone calls me and say that

the driver was too late to get to me, and could they pick it up in the

morning (which I agreed to).. next day they never arrive so the person

who arranged it in the UK telephones UPS who did't even have any record

of them arranging it in the first place, so they re-arrange.  When the

courier (just a white-van woman!) does turn up, I ask her for the

paperwork (given the item was worth around 900 euros) and she hasn't

got a clue - she was just going to take it away without giving me any

sort of receipt.  After insisting, she phones the office and then

spends the next 15 minutes trying to figure out how to fill out a

collection manifest, insisting throughout that I didn't need to put the

value of the item on the manifest (in the end I ignored here and put it

on myself as I'd been told by the person who arranged it that it was a

requirement to get full insurance cover).  All in all, not too far from

my experiences with UK couriers! but then I'd only be paying a UK

courier about a fiver for the privilege of wasting my time and not

several hundred euros!  I'd just like to find a cheap [good] courier

over here, but seems I may be out of luck!

I'll queue up in La Poste sometime soon as ask them about their service for large international parcels and see what they say!

Cheers,

Matt

[Teamedup]

I don't think that the weight will be hard to sort out, it will be insurance on the value you mentioned. I knew that they insured, but have had a few problems recently getting them to do this, too long a story for here. I got sorted out in the end, but each time I had to go to the centre de tri to do it.

[Babbles]

Who do you use to send large parcels from UK,as that seems cheap, how large is large[;-)] I keep thinking about sending stuff over to arrive when I get there , I fly over as the drive and ferry take sooooooooo long but 20kg when you fly isn't much when you are trying to carry library steps with you!!!!

[mmaddock]

I now use this company as they are the cheapest around.  They only sell and advertise via eBay - no idea why!

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Payperdrop

Matt

[Babbles]

Thanks Matt

As a ebay fan this suits me to a tee!!!!!! seems very reasonable, we run a big village shop with Post Office they can't come anywhere near these prices!!![:D]

[mmaddock]

The prices are amazing, I 've had accounts with couriers myself but could never get anywhere near these prices - presumably they send huge amounts and get very low prices.

BTW - they are not at all fussy about the size - there are limits, but the drivers will usually just take whatever is there!

Matt

[LanguedocGal2]

WOW!

Thanks for this reference. I'd been looking for a cheaper alternative to La Poste (rip of merchants!) and so glad I saw this.

[mmaddock]

I'm afraid it doesn't work the other way around tho LGal - UK to France service only.  I've already asked them if they do it the other way around and they don't I'm afraid.  There doesn't seem to be an equivalent cheap courier company in France that I can find at least [:(]  Still, for larger [and heavy] items it's a good deal if you buy on eBay UK and the seller will let you have the item collected by Payperdrop.

Matt

[LanguedocGal2]

Oh well, I was over the moon for a few minutes.

They really have to do something about opening LaPoste to real competition. Apparently Brussels is forcing them into this by 2009 and not soon enough in my opinion.

[Russethouse]

What about TNT http://www.tnt.com/country/fr_fr.html ?

 

[LanguedocGal2]

[quote user="Russethouse"]

What about TNT http://www.tnt.com/country/fr_fr.html ?

[/quote]

I had dismissed the courier companies after seeing the rates of DHL  but  I will indeed review them all as I have a better idea of volume now. The post would have been so convenient (literally minutes walk from my home) had their rates been reasonable for my purposes.

[Russethouse]

Mean people that we are (we are in business after all !) we played one off against the other and got a significant reduction. I stayed with DHL for numerous reasons, not least their web based programs that means the paperwork is quick and easy.

However every case is different.

 

[LanguedocGal2]

Good point, RH!  I need to take a whole new approach to this important issue. Can't bank on liberalisation making LaPoste reasonable any day soon. [:(]

[Patmobile]

To misquote George W Bush, "The French don't have a word for 'Courier'."

Patrick

[Russethouse]

I was talking to a friend in France about this thread today and she pointed out two things - 1) Post to the UK has to go Priority - I guess she means there is no surface mail and that 2) If you are a business and can prove it you can have a contract with La Poste and get a good discount.

Hope that helps someone.

[LanguedocGal2]

Thanks RH.

I did speak about special terms with one of the cashiers a while back and she was very vague but I now have the details of the branch and regional managers so I'll give that a go.  I had to jump through hoops to get a PO Box number. Even though it was my right, they reserve them for large companies in my local offices and told me so. My artisan was shocked to find out that I got a PO box number as he has never managed to get one.

The problem is that the rules are one thing, but they will often just do what pleases them. If I was in another town, it could be totally different. I am going to pursue this.

Thanks again.

[Russethouse]

I know that a representative from La Poste visits my friend to update her about new tariffs, deal with problems etc, the example she gave me suggested that she saves 35 - 40%, but it may depend on volume etc.