Pack & Send Australia - No Limits Newsletter - Nov 2010, Australia

How do I send fragile gifts like wine with confidence?

Gifting someone with a bottle of superb Australian Wine is a great idea this Christmas but it needs the expert packing and sending skills of your nearest PACK & SEND® store!

Same old story... shopping, standing around in queues, gift wrapping, cards, just can’t find the right box, going to the post office, more queues, paperwork etc etc... Will it arrive safely? Before Christmas?

This year, keep it simple.

Let PACK & SEND take care of it for you. We offer total solutions from collecting your VIP gifts from your home or office to expert packaging and door-to-door delivery to almost anywhere in the world. All at a competitive price.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Can you guarantee delivery before Christmas?
Yes, to most destinations around Australia and the World* (*Check in store for details).

The post office won’t send gifts containing a Lithium Battery – will you?
Yes, PACK & SEND specialises in handling products that contain Lithium Batteries within the new legislation by providing the required professional packaging and sending expertise.

What kind of gifts items contain Lithium Batteries?
Lithium Batteries are contained in numerous devices including: iPhones and mobile phones, iPods, cameras, MP3 players, portable DVD players, most laptop computers, camcorders, power tools, GPS navigation systems, watches, clocks, calculators, some toys, remote car locks, bicycle lights, electronic shavers and many other consumer electronic devices.

Can I send gifts containing Lithium Batteries overseas?
Yes you can, through PACK & SEND’s extensive services, you can have your consignment sent almost anywhere in Australia or the world via air, road or sea.

Can I pack other gifts myself and bring them to you for sending?
Yes, PACK & SEND also sells a wide range of packaging materials such as, Bubble Wrap, Wine Packs, Mailing Tubes, Tape and Boxes & Cartons.

Can you collect my items from me at a convenient time?
Yes, just call us and ask.

Can you track my package for me?
Yes, PACK & SEND provide you with peace of mind by uniquely tracking your consignment and then contacting you to advise when it is delivered!

Can you offer me protection against possible loss or damage?
Yes, ask us about our very special Gold Service Warranty.

Excess Baggage costs skyrocket to cover cheap flights!

Airlines struggling to attract customers, are offering heavily discounted flights, but they have to catch up the shortfall elsewhere.

In some cases that means increases in fees and charges and passengers have already felt the sting, complaining about big jumps in excess baggage costs. A musician who regularly tours Australia says he has had a 10-fold increase in his excess baggage costs from Sydney to Perth.

Peter Combe is a popular children's singer/songwriter who makes around 25 trips around the country a year to perform his hits. But he says he got a nasty shock on a recent trip to Perth.

"I take a guitar, my keyboard player takes two keyboards, a keyboard stand, and of course just personal luggage. So that's pretty minimal stuff, that's barely half a band," he said. "The cost this time of going to Perth, rather than somewhere between $40 and $80, was $800. So that on my maths is a 1,000 per cent rise."

A spokeswoman for Qantas says the airline is introducing the new fee structure "to align its domestic and international allowances and provide greater consistency for customers, particularly in relation to other airlines."

It is worse for international travellers who now face up to a $50 fee for each extra kilo over the limit.

Choice spokesman Christopher Zinn says all airlines are now enforcing their excess baggage costs - where they once turned a blind eye.

(Source: ABC News)

The Challenge:

14,400 bottles of wine, 2,400 points of delivery, 5 states, 21 days before Christmas.

The Virgin Blue marketing manager was at a loss. It was three weeks before Christmas and it looked as though Richard Branson’s valued employees would be missing out on their presents. That wasn’t an option.

As the marketing manager hunted for a solution, the 14,400 bottles of wine and 2,400 brightly coloured picnic sets continued to sit in the warehouse. Two separate warehouses – the wine in Adelaide and the picnic sets in the Gold Coast.

Call after call, as he rang numerous transport companies, he was told that it couldn’t be done. That there wasn’t enough time.

And then he spoke to Julee Hartmann of Pack & Send Spring Hill.

So far, as part of the Brisbane CBD, the Spring Hill store had mainly serviced consumers and small businesses, specialising in delicate, awkward or valuable items. Julee had never before encountered a job this big. ‘No limits’ she remembered from her days of training. And so Pack & Send founder and managing director, Michael Paul, was called.

‘I’ve done everything you told me about in training and I’ve said we can definitely find a solution!’

Michael Paul winced. His ‘No Limits’ culture had come to give him a serving. ‘Julee,’ he replied gently. ‘That’s definitely a terrific attitude, but do you know how many semi-trailer loads of wine we’re talking about here?’ Not wanting to add any negativity, Michael decided a bit of exploration was called for.

And when a few heads get together, pretty special things can happen.

With a new direction to follow, Julee immediately recruited her Pack & Send partners. Pack & Send Crows Nest, Sydney for 400 deliveries, Pack & Send Boronia, Melbourne for 200 and Pack & Send Norwood in Adelaide for 100. Julee and Peter were to handle the 1700 Brisbane deliveries themselves.

After moving all the wine and picnic sets on to their prospective Pack & Send stores, the Hartmanns decided they would pack all their 1700 cartons in a warehouse offsite and then have them distributed through Pack & Send specialist courier suppliers.

To make the job easier for their assisting stores, Julee and Peter had the picnic sets sent along with cartons, pre-paid freight vouchers, address labels and detailed instructions for packaging. This could then be put together with the wine that was timed to arrive simultaneously.

And, needless to say, the Virgin Blue employees did get their presents. Right in time for a well deserved Christmas toast. Cheers!