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I sent a parcel using ParcelMonkey. It weighed it at 7.6kg and booked it in as 8kg to get the quote and everything seemed fine. Picked up, delivered yesterday (seemed to take ages with the bank holiday weekend).
Got an email this morning saying they have charged my card an additional fee because it was overweight. I must have made a mistake I thought and checked the information they sent. They claim the package was just over 35kg - for 1x Bird AM9 frame.. (it's not a lightweight XC frame, but still!!).
It was a small charge (£2) but what the hell? Do they do this with everyone? A wee scam to get in a few extra quid from every customer? Incompetence or dishonest?
They warn that you can appeal it but only 0.6% of appeals are successful. I replied and invited them to remove the fee - going to at least make them spend some time on it.
They are just a reseller so never saw your parcel. They'll be at the mercy of the courier passing on costs. Used them a few times only had an issue once with parcel size. I think it was ok but was a funny shape so open to interpretation. Saved way more by using them, though. They are usually cheaper than going direct to the courier
Did they have any restrictions on parcel size?
Sometimes it is not the weight alone that takes the parcel up a class but the dimensions too.
It’s gone from 8kg to 32kg? I’d be telling them to do one and prove it. Followed by a credit card chargeback as an unauthorised transaction.
Did they have any restrictions on parcel size?
Sometimes it is not the weight alone that takes the parcel up a class but the dimensions too.
that was my initial thought too - and if it is overweight or oversize then only being charged a few pounds seems a bargain. 35kg seems crazy but has it actually moved from one category of up to 8 kg to up to 35 kg? (Or equivalent volumes)
It is possible it is an error. I’ve shipped dozens of packages with parcel monkey and never had an extra charge so I don’t think it’s their default method of profiteering.
Could it be that its simply over the weight that it was booked at (maybe your scales aren't as accurate as you'd hope and it was just over 8kg) and that 32kg is just the next pricing increment. So maybe you've be charged for an 'up to 32kg' parcel, not a parcel that weighs 32kg
32kg is perhaps the volumised weight for the parcel - normally used for air freight
I've had similar a couple of times with Evri for eBay sales. Both packages I'd weighed and was sure were within limits, both a fairly minor additional charge. I guess I could record and photograph the weight of every parcel I send and then argue about it, but honestly, life's too short. I just sucked it up as a minor annoyance and one that only rarely happened. If it were a regular issue, I'd do something about it, but it just doesn't seem worth the hassle. YMMV.
It just seems either a scam or genuine mistake. The text in invoice says - "Declared weight 35.41kg, Actual weight 38.50".
Declared weight was 8kg, actual weight I believe just under that. I'd have believed if they'd claimed it was 8.5kg or something but I'd have noticed being unable to move a frame box with 38kg in it one-handed. Parcel was a rectangular box with dimensions exactly as specified when booking the service (well, I rounded up).
I think the bit that made me most angry was the assertion that they weigh every box using laser technology so no point in appealing... those magic weighing lasers..
I may put a chargeback but definitely going to make someone in parcelmonkey spend more than £2-worth of effort answering my queries. The notice from ParcelMonkey contains no reference to any UPS documentation / charge. I wouldn't be surprised if they have got my parcel mixed up with someone else's.
Definitely challenge that. An AM9 frame is, what just over 3kg or so, so they think you have 32kg of packing??!
Yeah, could be a dimensions v weight error? Anyway, worth a challenge. Good luck.
Using a service that scrapes the bottom of the providers barrel & then deciding to be a pain in the bum about a random £2 surcharge, just let it go maaann...
For the sake of £2?
Yup.
It's got to be an admin error... That's incredibly heavy for a complete bike, never mind just a frame.
It's one of those 'is this about the money or the principle' things isn't it? I guess if a quick e-mail or two gets your money back and rectifies an obvious wrong then that's great. But equally there's presumably a point where you decide that the relatively small amount involved isn't worth your time.
And I guess the point where that becomes the case is very much down to personal motivation. And yes, as above, you have to think something's gone wrong in their admin system rather than it being some sort of cunning scam.
Personally if it were something I thought was deliberate fraud, I'd be motivated to go after it, for an error, less so beyond a certain point, but YMMV obviously.
No they're not dodgy, I've used them a lot.
I think the most likely explanation is that either it was an error on the courier's part, or the parcel was genuinely over the size limit in some way but between the courier and parcelmonkey the message has been lost in translation somewhere.
Either way for £2, i refer you to this older but still relevant meme