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India: Postal dept liable to pay for late delivery

Posted by | Sep 17, 2007 | |

The postal department is liable to compensate a consumer for not delivering a consignment within the stipulated time as assured under it Speed Post service, the Delhi Consumer Commission has held.

Rejecting the department’s plea that the Indian Post Office Act gives it immunity from paying compensation for any delay in delivering articles, the Commission, presided over by Justice J D Kapoor, said it was liable for any “deficiency in service or negligence”.

“The immunity under the law of any office or of any government authority has nothing to do with the concept of compensation to a consumer due to the negligence of the opposite party (post offices) in not maintaining the standard of service,” Justice Kapoor said.

Allowing the appeal of complainant Yatendra Sharma, the Commission observed in a recent order that the department could be saddled with liability for non-delivery of postal articles within the stipulated time under its special Speed Post scheme.

“Whenever any consumer avails service like Speed Post or courier and if there is any shortcoming or inadequacy in the manner of performance, the service provider can be held guilty for deficiency in service,” it said.

The Commission’s ruling came in response to an appeal by Sharma, a resident of Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh, who sought compensation for the delay in delivering a consignment, sent through Speed Post to Singapore in 2002.

A consumer forum had quashed his complaint on the ground that the postal department was immune under a statute from paying any compensation on this ground.

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Europlus expands DHL's express offering

Posted by | Sep 17, 2007 | |

DHL has expanded its Europlus Day Definite delivery service to Romania, Bulgaria, Russia and Turkey.

The new service expansion brings the total number of European destinations serviced by DHL Europlus to 34 countries and territories.

The Europlus service provides fast, reliable and convenient business-to-business Day Definite deliveries for single and multiple parcel shipments as well as pallets guaranteeing extremely competitive transit times.

Angus Whiteman, product director at DHL Express, said: “Customer feedback has told us there is a real need for one supplier that can offer a complete delivery solution to Eastern Europe and we are delighted to be able to respond to that need. DHL Express is always looking for new opportunities to grow the business and the expansion into Eastern Europe represents an exciting challenge for us.”

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Norwich Union announces Post Office deal

Posted by | Sep 17, 2007 | |

UK-based insurer Norwich Union has announced a distribution deal with Post Office Financial Services. Under the agreement, Post Office-branded Norwich Union protection products will be available for the millions of customers who use the Post Office every week.

A 50-plus life insurance plan is the first product to be launched. It offers simple, affordable life insurance for those over 50 without the need for underwriting. A further life protection product will be launched later in the year.

David Barral, intermediary and partnerships director for Norwich Union, said: “We are delighted to announce our latest partnership, which builds on our existing relationship as the Post Office’s lead insurance provider of personal motor, home and commercial vehicle insurance.

“This is an exciting opportunity which supports our strategy to develop new distribution channels, in particular to increase our offerings direct to customers and to develop new, simpler products which are affordable and easy to buy. It will also help to close the estimated GBP2.3 trillion life protection gap that consumers have in the UK.”

Post Office director of insurance Phil Ashkuri said: “The Post Office has already attracted well over half a million insurance customers and this new launch builds on our existing range, which now includes travel, home, motor and van insurance and a payment protection policy – lifestyle protection. As with all our financial services products, our new over-50s life plan offer a simple and straightforward solution at value for money prices.”

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In A Strategic Agreement between Emirates Post and Du

Posted by | Sep 17, 2007 | |

Du, the UAE’s new telecom operator, has entered into an agreement with Emirates Post to offer du mobile Pay as You Go lines and recharge cards through 84 post offices across the UAE starting from 18 September 2007.

Emirates Post offices will sell du Pay as You Go, and Visitor mobile lines and recharge cards. Counter staff of Emirates Post offices have been trained to deliver all du services to customers and guide them, as part of du’s goal of making its services accessible in all corners of the UAE.

Abdulla Al Daboos, Director General of Emirates Post, said: “du is a dynamic new player on the UAE telecom landscape and we are delighted to add its services and products to our diversified portfolio.”

“The new service fits into Emirates Post’s strategic diversification plan that aims to provide a clutch of services under one roof through the postal network. All our efforts are focused on providing quality services to customers, with a high degree of convenience and comfort at any of our 85 post offices.”

Commenting on the agreement, Osman Sultan, Chief Executive Officer of du, said: “This partnership with Emirates Post will support our efforts to take our services to a wider customer base, given their postal network across the country. du is committed to changing people’s perception of communication and this is exactly what we are doing here, by providing telecommunication solutions through non-traditional channels.”

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Logistics major Kuehne + Nagel begins construction at Dubai Logistics City

Posted by | Sep 15, 2007 | |

Kuehne + Nagel, one of the world’s leading logistics companies, has begun construction on its state-of-the-art logistics facility in Dubai Logistics City (DLC), set to become the world’s largest supply chain community within Dubai World Central (DWC) – the huge city-within-a-city taking shape at Jebel Ali in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The facility, for which Kuehne + Nagel has leased land on a long-term basis, paves the way for the development of the company’s Dubai base into the principal Kuehne + Nagel distribution hub for the Middle East.

The new facility will become operational mid next year upon completion of the first phase of construction, featuring 17,000 square meters of logistics and warehouse space – with the option to expand to a total of 30,000 square meters. The new facility will complement the company’s existing 16,000 square meter logistics terminal in the Jebel Ali Free Zone.

Phase one of the new facility will be equipped with temperature controlled VNA (very narrow aisle) racking and conventional ambient racking. Total capacity will exceed 20,000 pallet locations, with over 5,000 square meters of handling area for value added services like kitting and final assembly activities. The building will be a modern shared logistics environment for customers across different industries. Special security requirements and dedicated storage and handling equipment for customers from the high tech and pharma industries are also implemented in phase one.

DWC includes Dubai World Central International Airport (JXB), which when completed will be the world’s largest airport with a capacity equal to that of Chicago O’Hare and London Heathrow combined; and specialised free zones such as Dubai Logistics City and DWC Aviation City.

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Use Your Postal Service or Lose It

Posted by | Sep 14, 2007 | |

Hardened unionists, determined to stand on picket lines to the last, are a big part of Royal Mail’s present troubles.

There are of course many that will be doing so because the changes ahead at Britain’s monopoly postal provider will affect their way of lives, there is also a proportion who feel its in the interest of their customers, but by and large, activists make up a large percentage of strikers, particularly in areas that have in the past seen mining strikes.

Such memories are not easily forgotten – particularly in the north and parts of Wales but certainly Royal Mail has had a great deal of influence from the union in its lifetime, and its a strength that is not easily given up by its members.

In the private sector, flexibility has been key to maximizing profits and arguably with little reward for those doing the actual work but in most cases, productivity bonuses and reward payments have been welcomed. On the reverse side, the fat cat culture has swelled in some industries and understandably unions are becoming somewhat restless. That said, industrial action in the form of strikes also has a negative effect. Loss of revenue can weaken a business to the point of no return and Royal Mail is determined not to be bullied by strikes as it reorganizes the way it works simply to survive.

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BT signs communication services agreement with DHL Express Italy

Posted by | Sep 14, 2007 | |

A three year agreement for the supply of communication services has been signed by communication services and solutions provider BT and DHL Express Italy, an international express transport services company.

BT said BT Italy will manage and develop the domestic data transmission network of DHL Express, under the terms of the agreement, connecting its 180+ Italian offices and seven contact centers and providing voice services. It confirmed the agreement incorporates a switch from traditional voice to VoIP-based services and includes the supply of 3,000 next-generation IP phones.

According to BT, it will also provide a new contact centre platform, developed in cooperation with Cisco, to manage over 1,100 operator desks in DHL Express’s seven Italian contact centers. It said a centralized platform hosted within BT’s Milan and Rome data centers will be used to supply services for VoIP and contact centers.

The new network will use the full potential of IP MPLS technology and ensure security, reliability, speed and scalability.

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