delivery to scotland

[Inchlaggan]

Ban them from using post codes  and they will simply translate it into their own system.

Yes please and they will be subject to market forces. That is the point. Postcodes do not translate into courier costs. It does not cost the courier an extra £50 for a courier to deliver to Kyleakin rather than Kyle of Lochalsh.
I do not live on a remote island and my postcode does not/cannot determine that I do.

[Wildfisher]

They are already subject to market forces.     No matter what you "call"  the system they use they will continue to operate as they see best suits their business. Unless of course they are regulated by legislation in which case many will simply pull out and not deliver at all to those areas or perhaps through cross subsidy where deliveries between say Glasgow and Edinburgh cost more to cover for loss making deliveries  to Achiltibuie.  But of course right now we have that -  UK Royal Mail!   :lol:

[Suki1312]

Scot Mail has more of a ring to it

[Buanán]

Scot Mail has more of a ring to it

Sure does

[Wildfisher]

In every news article, radio numpty phone in, whatever all you hear is predictable nationalistic politics, general complaining and talk  about "how unfair" it is that more expensive deliveries to remote areas by private companies actually do cost more.    So far I have not heard a single suggestion of how this doubtless annoying issue might be  improved or resolved. 

Any suggestions?   Come on now's your chance. Someone be a hero and revolutionize deliveries to remote areas. Anyone?    :lol:

[Wildfisher]

Starting with logistics (which is where the cost lies) there is little difference in cost sending a container to Inverness or Cornwall

That depends on your starting point.  London to Cornwall  250 miles 4 hours.  London to Inverness 560 miles 9 hours.

If you were forced to deliver to every corner of the highlands you would do this.

Forced? Exactly would you force private companies to deliver to every corner of the highlands?

News Flash:  Wildfisher Haulage has just closed its Scottish operation and will now  be focusing on the  profitable large market place  and  customer base down south.  :lol:

[Wildfisher]

I used London because most of the issues and moans I hear seem to center around goods ordered from south of the border and shipped north. If it's costly now how much might it  cost if Inverness was a foreign destination?

[Midgie Hater]

Paisley is an issue, it shares its PA post code with some of the islands, its one of those nonsenses that is hard to unravel, market forces as such that the sender would just rather not have the custom from areas that are expensive to get to, and on the other hand they have no idea the business they are missing out on because they can't quantify where they don't do business,

This is what governments are for.

Falkirk is an issue for many couriers too apparently, and they can't use the excuse that it shares it's postcode with some of the islands! So yes, agreed Alan.

However...Fred: Free markets, market forces, business-friendly policies, with an emphasis on minimal regulation...are you quite certain you're a Socialist? As Roy Bland says to George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: "As a good Socialist i'm going where the money is, and as a Capitalist i'm sticking with the revolution".

[Wildfisher]

if it got that expensive i'd buy a van.

Now we are getting somewhere. Folk in remote areas should stop moaning  and buy a van.   :lol:

[Wildfisher]

The point is, if they pay the same taxes as someone in the central belt, should they not get the same services as someone in the central belt?

Because the taxes they pay have nothing whatsoever to do with private carriers or the services they provide. Other than setting up some kind of cooperative local service of their own I'm not sure what if anything can be done. That might not be possible for the very same reasons; too few customers, too thinly spread. You've done the delivery thing, you know fine what I mean. As I said it makes you realise what a terrific service UK Royal Mail provides within these  islands.