‘Expedited processing’ is a priority queue-jumping service. This places your order at the front of the processing (order entry, picking, invoicing and packing) queue.
Expedited processing greatly increases the probability of same-day dispatch, if we receive the order early enough to do all of the order entry, picking, invoicing and packing before the courier/post collection times. We will give our best efforts to dispatching as quickly as possible (subject to the terms below); but this service does not guarantee same-day dispatch.
Circumstances such as staffing levels due to vacation and sickness, stocktaking or other workload, may mean that the whole queue (including the front of the queue) may not always be actively processing. These are many reasons why we may suspend processing temporarily and that therefore why the ‘queue jumping’ service does not guarantee same-day dispatch. Your order will be at the front of the queue when processing resumes.
This optional service is not a delivery method or faster delivery service. Delivery service is a separate charge. You may enquire about faster delivery services or request them in your order comments; in either case, we will need to contact you to quote the difference in cost and take payment. The Royal Mail and UK Mail shipping options available on the website are next-day delivery after day of dispatch in the UK mainland (also not guaranteed by the providers). For normal dispatch and transit durations please see our shipping page.
Terms & Conditions
- The service is intended for emergency use only, not as a regular service.
- The expedited surcharge applies per expedited order.
- An order is each order placed at one moment in time for one delivery address; and not combined orders or adding to a main order throughout the day.
- The order is placed at the front of the processing queue as priority.
- The service does not guarantee same-day dispatch as the front of the processing queue may not reach the dispatching stage by the parcel collection time (approximately 4pm).
- The order needs time to go through order-entry, picking, payment, invoicing, checking, packing, consigning. So the expedited service can never mean immediate dispatch.
- A small expedited order placed at the front of the queue before 12:00 midday will almost certainly be ready before collection at 4pm on a normal day, but very large orders will require more notice. The exception is when order processing is closed due to stock-taking or system outages.
- An expedited order placed after 12:00 midday has a risk of not reaching the dispatch stage before 4pm (again depending on size).
- An expedited order placed after 2pm has a very high risk of not reaching dispatch status by 4pm. So please place your order before midday or expect it to be at the front of the queue for dispatch the next day.
- Your web order placed first thing on a Tuesday to Friday morning or on the evening before, has a high chance of being near the front of the queue anyway without needing to request the expedited service.
- An order placed on Monday morning has Friday evening’s, Saturday’s and Sunday’s orders in the queue before it. However, by placing the order as early as possible and asking about the length of the queue, you could avoid your need for requesting the expedited service.
- It is an expedited processing/dispatch service, not an expedited shipping service. Separate carriage charges and surcharges apply for express courier services and timed deliveries.
- Normal orders keep their fair place in the queue on a FIFO (First-in, First Out) basis to ensure all customers get good service without detrimental effect to each other’s orders.
- Expedited orders will be treated as FIFO with respect to each other if many expedited orders are received within a short space of time. Contending ‘expedited’ orders is another reason why the expedited surcharge may not guarantee same-day dispatch.
- Please use expedited service sparingly only for emergencies. If too many customers add the service onto too many orders, we will end up with another queue and then you will be paying the surcharge for effectively a normal service. This will also have too much detrimental effect on other customers’ orders who will rightly complain and then we will have to consider withdrawing the expedited service.
- The surcharge is not solely to cover the extra admin of the queue-jumping process. The surcharge is mainly a deterrent to avoid too many expedited orders forming a new queue, causing disappointment to other customers who have chosen expedited and customers who have not. The surcharge is a significant (but reasonable) sum, which sorts the ‘urgent’ orders from the real urgent orders.
The normal dispatch service level (for non-expedited orders) is within two complete working days of receiving the order, which may be sometimes longer under exceptional circumstances such as staff shortages, events, system failures, unusual demand, etc. We believe our normal service level is good and we believe it is excellent service when we exceed it. We do usually exceed the service level. The normal service level can work very well for you if you place your orders early and manage customers’ expectations about delivery times.
