Christmas can be hectic. The festive period being synonymous with “Peace on Earth” doesn’t really hold true anymore – there are parties to go to, meals to cook, and the most stressful thing of all, presents to buy and deliver.
Dropping off your presents to loved ones is a great sentiment, but the logistics of it can be a little tricky. So whilst plans are made to see the recipients at some point over the festive period, some turn to delivery companies to do the leg work in the meantime.
There are several ways of going about this task, but it usually boils down to a choice between traditional haulage firms, or more app/user base driven companies. Just as Uber allows everyday people to become taxi drivers, some apps allow ordinary people to become couriers. We’ll look at the pros and cons of both today.
Haulage
Pro – Trusted
Names like DHL, Parcelforce and Yodel are big businesses in the UK delivery sector. They are all well known, and trusted by other businesses to deliver items on time and intact. So by reputation alone, you may perhaps feel safer handing off your Christmas presents to a trusted delivery person than an untrained user on an app.
Con – Price
Of course, this service comes at a cost. The fleet at the disposal of these companies needs paying for – the DHL planes don’t come cheap! For this reason, and many more, you will likely find that you’ll be paying more for your delivery with a known name than through an app. To be competitive, app based delivery companies usually keeps costs to a bare minimum.
User App
Pro – Trackable
Haulage firms can offer your tracking, but this is usually relayed to the user via incremental updates – “The package is in the depot”, “The package is out on delivery”, etc.. These aren’t real time, nor can they point out exactly where your parcel is. Some app companies can offer you pinpoint tracking however. Because the app must be in use at all times in order for the company to pay the driver, you can see exactly where your presents are.
Con – Untrained
As we’ve pointed out in previous blog entries, Uber is catching flack from traditional taxi firms because it’s users aren’t trained taxi drivers most of the time. The same criticism can be levelled at delivery apps. The user, or their vehicle, may be ill fit to deliver your package, leading to damage or lost/stolen items.
