Recommend me a decent courier?

[Doremi Fasol Latido]

Royal Mail Special Delivery is excellent. I have NEVER had a problem with them and all my masters went back and forward between Woody and me using this method and they ALWAYS arrived the day after posting.

You can claim compensation I think if they fail to deliver by the stated time so it really forces them to provide a good service.

They've always been good for me too but I was under the impression that the maximum loss value was £400. Looks like you can get insurance upto £10K but I don't know how much that would be. I don't mind sending a single master but I always get the jitters sending several to a client or a dragon or something!

Medium parcel, 500g, £2500 cover = £10.15

The online calculator doesn't give prices for anything over £2500 so no idea what those costs might be.

I've never sent anything by courier but have started to receive more things that way (not by choice!). Mostly the couriers have been fine, but then I've waited in for them to deliver. It's when they've delivered when I've been out that I've not been 100% happy with things. Leaving things with one of our next door neighbours is fine (the other guy I wouldn't trust at all) but leaving parcels with complete strangers several doors down is something I'm not comfortable with. Hermes even left a package with our next door neighbour but failed to leave me a calling card. Imagine if that had been some cunty chav down the street, I'd have no idea. At least RM will take packages back to the delivery office instead of leaving them with the first person they see on the street.

[Pablo Spandangle]

Another plus to RM Special Delivery is that it stays in their system only. I have the pleasure of living in the 'Scottish Highlands' (I don't, it's just a catch all term for a bit further than they're willing to travel) so not only does courier delivery cost around £8 more, it also takes longer. The big companies all hand over the parcel to local couriers and after that there is no tracking. It's just 'Out for Delivery' for a couple of days. Experience has taught me when the package will be delivered but it's not an exact science. With Special Delivery I get items the day after posting, because it's all done by the Royal Mail.

[Silent Invader]

I'd also go for Royal Mail Special Delivery. Never had a problem with it.

If you're really worried, rather than sending it as one big package why don't you split it over a couple of days? Shit happens: even the best courier companies (and Royal Mail) occasionally lose shipments to vehicle accidents/fires etc.

[Norton C Wongpower]

Nah, it's just I'm sure my old PO postmaster told me maximum £400 insurance but who knows? I may have dreamed it!

[andrewb]

For work we moved to UPS solely for the standard insurance to cover the cost of the items (£2K+ each) and so far they have been fine. Not as cheap as others but no issues at all.

To be fair though we ship electronics in a solid metal foam lined (cut to order) Nomad case http://www.nomadcases.co.uk so it should take the pounding ANY courier could give it