Courier Review: LBC, PhilFox and BayadPo Courier

In this day and age, anything is possible with the world wide web. As we mentioned on our Blogger Debut post, we became an online shop on a whim.

But the moment we launched the page it did not go as perfectly well as we imagined. There were just too many things, we didn't think through. And while we stumbled and fell along the way we learned a few tricks of the trade that we'd like to share with you.

Ok... so you have a good supplier... you have a good facebook page to advertise your products ... your orders are piling up ... BUT you have no idea how to make your products reach your customers. That was exactly our predicament in the beginning. We did mention a few things in our Blogger Debut article but we didn't go through each Courier in detail. So we are going to do just that on this post. 

LBC. We started out with LBC in August 2013. Everybody knows LBC -lol! They're the most trusted courier in the Philippines. And boy, do they deliver well and fast! BUT their prices are just too high. These are their quick stats and the pros and cons of their service:


LBC Quick Stats:

• Shipping Rate : Metro Manila - 145-150 Php ; Provincial 155-165 Php  (Minimum Parcel Rate)
• Duration : Metro Manila - 1 Day ; Provincial - 1 Day
• Online Tracking : Yes (Updated)
• Facebook Tracking : Yes 
• Hotline Tracking : Yes (Only one hotline but there is always a customer service agent available to answer)
• Text Confirmation : Yes (You receive a text that the package has been received)

Pros:

• Highly efficient.
• Products are received in mint condition 99% of the time.
• Parcels could be tracked on line with detailed description of your parcel's whereabouts.
• Good customer service in their branches. Will even go as far as helping you insulate your packages so they reach their intended in perfect condition.
• A Customer Hotline that actually works and with CSR's that are polite and knowledgeable.
• The only one with a 'pick-up option' at all LBC branches in the Philippines. If you are sending a parcel outside LBC's delivery range you can just ask the receiver to pick it up at a branch closest to him/her.

Cons:

• Good service comes at a high price.
• You need a corporate account to enjoy free pickup service plus your own parcels and waybill supply. Getting a corporate account means you'll have to spend 10,000 Php  per month of courier expenses... I know... ridiculous right? For a small online shop like ours, this seems unreal. lol
• Your customers are more likely to be turned off by your shipping fees!

PhilFox . In November 2013 we learned about PhilFox and it quickly clicked! Take note 'click-ed' (past tense -lol). We'll tell you why after the quick stats:

PhilFox Quick Stats:

• Shipping Rate : Metro Manila - 38-40 Php ; Provincial 88-98 Php  (Metro Manila Rate includes Cainta and Las Pinas)
• Duration : Metro Manila - 1 Day ; Provincial - 1-2 Days
• Online Tracking : Yes (Updated)
• Facebook Tracking : Yes 
• Hotline Tracking : Yes (They have multiple hotlines for all mobile carriers, Smart, Sun and Globe, plus 2 landline numbers.)
• Text Confirmation : None

Pros:

• Mostly efficient.
• Products are received in mint condition 99% of the time.
• Parcels could be tracked on line but the tracking information is not updated.
• You can book online, through text, through their Customer Hotline.
• You can book pickups even after 2PM for as long as the courier driver is still within your area.
• You can track your packages online, through text, or through their Customer Hotline or through their facebook page.
• Gives a generous supply of courier parcels and waybills.
• Cheapest Metro Manila shipping rate.

Cons:

• PhilFox's Customer Service Agents are always polite but are not entirely honest. They only have their company's interest in mind when accepting bookings. They will not tell you that no one will pickup your parcels when their driver is on sick leave or terminated. They will make you wait until the end of office hours to tell you that their driver had an accident or whatever sort of excuse... ugh so upsetting!
• They are a small company so they only have one driver assigned per area/city. In our area in Marikina, we got to know our courier driver well. We called him Kuya Jun. And we would just text him and he would go to our place at our specifed time, without the need to book online or through their customer hotline. BUT when he goes on sick-leave we are left hanging! LOL.. But at least he tells us if he is absent or on sick. 
• Tracking System is not updated. You need to wait 24 hours after pickup, for the information to reflect on their website.

Just last week we stopped shipping through PhilFox, because for two days after Typhoon Glenda, they were not able to pickup our parcels. The day after Typhoon Glenda, we learned that Kuya Jun resigned and so we had to contact their office to send someone else. They said they will send a driver but no one came. The next day, we called them again. They said that they will send someone but, again, no one came. Good thing we had a backup --BayadPo Courier.

BayadPo Courier. One of our suppliers sent the products through BayadPo courier and it took almost a month for the items to reach us and when they did, half of them were broken. Although a lot of it was the supplier's fault because the items were not insulated with bubble wrap and the address was incorrect. lol! Despite the really bad first impression, they came in as a trusty backup for PhilFox. Here are their quick stats:

BayadPo Quick Stats:

• Shipping Rate : Metro Manila - 45 Php ; Provincial 75 Php  (Metro Manila Rate includes Cainta and Las Pinas)
• Duration : Metro Manila - 1-2 Days ; Provincial - 2-3 Days
• Online Tracking : Yes (Updated)
• Facebook Tracking : No (Facebook Page is non-interactive) 
• Hotline Tracking : Yes (Hotline is always busy; Only has 2 hotlines: landline & Globe only)
• Text Confirmation : None

Pros:

• Products are received in mint condition 99% of the time.
• Updated online tracking system.
• Printable online Waybill which you could send to your customers as proof of shipping.
• You can book online, through text or through their Customer Hotline.
• You can track your packages online, through text or through their Customer Hotline.
• Cheapest Provincial shipping rate.

Cons:

• BayadPo Courier is not very efficient especially with provincial deliveries.
• Customer Hotlines are always busy.
• No Facebook tracking.
• Customer Sevice Agents aren't always polite and may, at times, be rude. lol!
• No Waybill and Courier Parcel Supply, we have so far been using our supplies from Philfox.
• Cannot book after 11AM, the courier comes in at 12PM everyday.

There are other couriers  out there like Xend, LRC Express and MCE but we haven't really tried them. We know Xend only accepts online bookings... we did try but we get an error on registration all the time and for no apparent reason. So we stopped trying. And besides their shipping rates are 60 Php and 95 Php for Metro Manila and Provincial, respectively. A lot more expensive than BayadPo or Philfox. LRC Express on the other hand is quite new. The rates are almost the same as PhilFox but we have yet to try them out. 

There are just too many couriers out there, especially that online shops have been a steady trend in the Philippines for the past couple of years. I guess in the end you stick to the one that does your job and does it well. :D

If you have any feedback on other couriers, we would appreciate it if you let us know. Leave a comment below for questions and feedback. Let us know your experience with other couriers and those that we have just reviewed. 

Update: Click here to see the review on LRC Express Courier.