Wednesday 23 December 2015

Christmas is almost here. How are couriers coping with the last-minute demand this year?

In 2013, international couriers UPS and FedEx hit the news when they struggled to cope with seasonal demands, leading to millions of delayed parcel deliveries and a lot of angry customers.

Much of the blame was levelled at online retailers, who had heavily encouraged last-minute shopping—including Amazon, who promised Christmas delivery for orders placed as late as 11pm on December 23rd.



Last year things got better, but there was still room for improvement. So how have UPS and FedEx been attempting to cope with demand this year?

Temporary workers


UPS had added 55,000 temporary workers in 2013; FedEx, 25,000. In 2015, UPS recruited a staggering 95,000 seasonal workers, while FedEx upped their recruitment to 55,000.

Free shipping day


Many major retailers declared December 18th 'Free Shipping Day', waiving shipping fees on all online orders. Encouraged to do this by UPS and FedEx, the aim was to get customers to do their shopping earlier on to avoid the bottleneck immediately before Christmas.


Sophisticated technology


UPS is using a smart routing technology called Orion to manage up to 70% of the company's delivery routes within the U.S. The algorithmic technology analyses over 200,000 options for each 120-stop route, then selects the most efficient one. UPS saved up to 6-8 miles per route last year using this technology.

FedEx are using six-sided “scanning tunnels”, which can track weight and dimensions, make sorting decisions, and reduce human input and error.

Large scale operation


Worldport, UPS' sorting hub in Louiseville, Kentucky, has 155 miles' worth of conveyor belts. The facility is the size of 90 American football fields, and a plane lands every 60 seconds to unload goods.

UPS has 38,000 containers that hold 400 packages apiece, which are rolled across the floor and onto planes. 416,000 packages are signed every hour. It takes a package 13 minutes to make its way through the facility.

UPS expects to deliver 630 million packages overall this year.



So how will it go? We'll find out over the next day or two. It's a huge operation for both UPS and FedEx, but they seem to be pulling out all of the stops to deal with Christmas demand.

Sending a parcel with Transglobal Express? Stay apprised of our Christmas schedule.

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Fraud watch - how to spot a fake parcel delivery email

It's an unfortunate aspect of online life that businesses and customers are frequently subject to attempted fraud. Fraudsters masquerade as real businesses, creating false websites and sending fake notification emails, in an attempt to scam people into sending money or downloading harmful email attachments.

In the run-up to Christmas, delivery companies in particular are targeted, as many parcels are being sent and received and people may be expecting gifts.

So what should you watch out for?

Emails that say payment is required


The most common type of email fraud reported to us is a request for payment, usually for international deliveries. You might receive an email that informs you that there is a parcel waiting for you, but that some payment is required to complete the delivery.


Spam document asking for absurd insurance fee.


Usually the sender asks for either:

(1) insurance money
(2) customs duties and taxes

These emails may be accompanied by false documentation, complete with pretend order or receipt numbers and address details—sometimes even the recipient's name. They may also include a photograph of the supposed parcel.

Sometimes they include genuine links to the delivery company's website, but provide a phone number or email address that belongs to the fraudulent party, who will then answer when you try to make contact.

It's usually easy to spot these fraudulent emails by the absurd amounts of money they ask for—more than you would ever be expected to pay for insurance or customs.

But the bottom line is that, in any case, you should never make a payment without doing the proper checks first, especially if it's been requested by email.


False logo, huge customs fee and official-looking form.


If in doubt, track down the official website of the courier company (if it exists), and check with them, using the contact details on their site, to see whether any such parcel exists. Order reference numbers, or screenshots of any emails, will be able to help with speedy identification.

Never rely on the contact information provided in the email, and don't open any attachments!

In the first place, remember to ask the most obvious questions: Am I expecting a delivery? And do I know the person who's supposed to be sending it?

Emails with harmful links/attachments


Scammers are very good at creating emails that look convincing, and might even have stolen the text and layout of genuine emails. These emails, as mentioned, sometimes contain valid links and contact information to add a veneer of authenticity.

If you ever receive an email regarding an unknown parcel delivery—one you haven't recently made yourself—never click on any of the links or open any attachments. Even an innocuous-looking .doc file can contain a trojan virus.

Never submit any of your personal details, including usernames and passwords, after following a link without first checking the URL.  You can check the real URL of links by hovering (but not clicking!) over them. If these links don't use the official domain of the company (e.g. @transglobalexpress.co.uk), they aren't to be trusted.

Fake URL and tracking number.


In the event that you do mistakenly open an attachment or follow a malicious link, delete the email and run your antivirus software to check for malware.

Remember, Google is your friend: often you can search for other emails like yours and find that others have already reported it.

A note on sender addresses


Usually you can tell easily when a sender email is fake—for example, when it doesn't use a company's own domain but something like transglobalcompany@gmail.com or transglobexpr@aol.com. If they're more sophisticated, they might use a domain that looks similar to the real one, which you can check by Googling.

However, this is not always a reliable way of determining a genuine email, because sender addresses can be forged, to make it appear as if they are being sent from an official company email.

It is possible to determine the real address by checking the email header. But if that's too technical for your tastes, get in touch directly with the courier company to make sure.

Emails from Transglobal Express


If you have received an email from someone claiming to be Transglobal Express, here are a few facts to help you recognise the imposters.

This scam email actually uses one of our old templates.


We don't have branches anywhere but the UK and Germany. Our domains are:

http://www.transglobalexpress.co.uk
http://www.transglobal.org.uk
http://www.transglobalexpress.de

When sending shipment labels and invoices, we will only ever send PDFs—never .doc files or any other kind of file.

We would never charge more than £40 for insurance cover (we only insure up to a maximum value of £2000), and we would never request insurance via email, from the sender or the receiver. Insurance is arranged and paid for as part of the booking process.

We don't handle customs charges. Customs would get in touch with the recipient directly.

You can view our Contact Us page for our contact details, including legitimate phone numbers. If in doubt, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Wednesday 2 December 2015

Send your parcels on time this Christmas

As you may have noticed from all of the decorations, songs and TV ads—the Christmas season is once again upon us!

This is by far the busiest season for deliveries, as families and friends send gifts to their loved ones and businesses cater to customer demand.

So if you have a parcel to send this Christmas, here’s what you need to know to ensure that your parcels are delivered on time.

Collection cut-off dates


Couriers aren’t always exact with their cut-off dates, as high Christmas volume tends to require some leeway. This means that, whoever you’re shipping with, you should always add one or two extra working days to expected transit times.

 (Image credit: Andy Rogers.)

Only UPS and TNT have published clear cut-off dates at the moment, which you can find below. Please note that these dates are for final collections, not deliveries.

UPS

For UPS (click to go to their site), Wednesday December 23rd is the last possible collection date for deliveries that may arrive in time for Christmas—but this will depend on the service (e.g. Express) and collection and delivery locations.

On Thursday December 24th, collection requests can be made until 1pm and will be carried out until 3pm. UPS drop-off centres will be open until 5pm. However, deliveries will arrive at their destinations after Christmas.

TNT

For TNT (click to go to their site), Wednesday December 23rd is the last possible collection date for deliveries that may arrive in time for Christmas, but only if they are next-day delivery services. TNT will still make collections on Thursday December 24th, but deliveries will not arrive until after Christmas.

For information about Transglobal Express cut-off times, please see our website.

Avoiding customs delays


Remember that, if you are sending parcels to a destination outside of the European Union (EU), or to the UK from outside of the EU, they will need to clear customs.

It’s always advisable to allow extra time for customs clearance, but this is particularly true over the Christmas period, when there may be a seasonal backlog.

 (Image credit: Joe Buckingham.)

You should also be aware of carriers’ prohibited and restricted items, which may include perfumes, aerosols, aftershave, alcohol, and certain foods. Believe it or not, even Christmas crackers may be considered an explosive hazard.

Please also check the packaging guidelines for your carrier—you should use sturdy, protective packaging. Your parcel should not be covered in Christmas wrapping paper, as customs officials may need to open your parcel to inspect the goods.

You should know the rules before you send to avoid extra fees and unwanted delays.

Transglobal Express opening hours


With Transglobal Express, you can get a quote and book your parcel delivery online at any time. We offer reduced rates with major carriers such as UPS, TNT and DHL.

If you need any assistance, call us on 0345 145 1212, or email sales@transglobalexpress.co.uk. Our customer services team are available:

Monday to Friday: 8:00am-6:30pm.

Saturday: 9:00am-1:00pm.

Over the Christmas holidays, our offices will be closed on:

Christmas Day (December 25th)
Boxing Day (December 26th - Saturday)
Substitute Boxing Day (December 28th)
New Year’s Day (January 1st)

For more information, or to book your Christmas deliveries, please visit transglobalexpress.co.uk.