RAYMONDO ARCHIVEThe full archive of entries from Pink Express guru Raymondo. 2007
1. IT'S BECOMING GREEN AT PINK EXPRESSThe transport industry has a major environmental impact across the globe. We are all involved, when we go on holiday, or travel for business, or even just commute to work. Everything that we do at Pink Express, we do on your behalf, so it’s important that we all understand our responsibilities environmentally. That’s why we have published the Pink Express Environmental Policy, and will be implementing it across our activity. You can read the policy in full on the “News” section of this website. It is a policy based on the real world – not a “corporate message” about being “green”, or “carbon-neutral”. A recent DEFRA report highlighted the number of bogus carbon-neutral schemes, and stressed the importance of thinking about how we use energy in our homes, at work, and when we travel, rather than just “buying trees” to make up for our poor environmental performance. As a transport and logistics company, Pink Express lives at the tough end of the environmental impact business – our whole industry involves the consumption of fossil fuels, carbon emissions, paper, noise – everything that we should be looking to control. What we are really doing is trying to ensure that our children, and theirs after them, have at least a chance for a decent quality of life. That can mean something as simple as switching the light off when you leave a room, or not printing that email message. 2. YOU CAN EVEN SEE THE GREEN INFLUENCE AT PINKTake a moment to look, and you’ll start to see where our environmental policies are changing the way we work on your behalf. When you sign for a delivery, you will be signing an electronic screen, not a piece of paper. You can now make all bookings online, and when booking International shipments, you do not have to complete a paper airwaybill – in fact, we will be phasing out the old, 7-part carbon airwaybills very soon as part of this policy. All of our delivery vans are “duel-fuel” hybrid vehicles, running on non-polluting LPG fuel, and you’ll start to see our new hybrid cars appear on our passenger fleet too, specifically the Toyota Prius cars, which have an electric engine for town driving. And of course, we operate the most efficient bicycle fleet in London, and what can be greener than a bicycle? Your company may or may not have its own environmental policy, but you can help us too, so if you have any ideas about how we can be even more environmentally friendly, do let us know. 3. WE MAY BE GREEN BUT IT'S STILL ROCK 'N' ROLLPink Express is probably unique in its musical influence. Currently, four of the management team are past musicians with various levels of pop success, and quite a few of our riders and drivers are involved in writing and performing too, in the hope of future fame and glory. As an example, did you know that our current hold-music is a track written and produced by one of our managers? No copyright problems there! I will be posting some photographs of our Pink pop-stars on this page soon, and challenging you to identify them – a prize or two may be forthcoming! 4. WANNA BE A PINK STAR?As a valued customer, you're just as big a part of Pink Express as we are. Every month, we're looking to feature one of our friends on this website; a brief story about you, your family, where you work, what you like to do in your spare time etc, along with a photograph of your beautiful self. So now's your chance to get a bit of exposure on the famous Pink Express website. If you would like to be considered as a Pink Star, just email a few details about yourself as listed above, along with a photograph (or two). Tell us who you are, where you work, what you do, maybe even what you like about Pink, and we'll be in touch. Email your details to raymondo@pinkexpress.com and you could be our next super star! 2006
1. HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM PINK EXPRESSWe hope you all had a super Christmas and jolly New Year. We'd also like to wish you all a fantastic 2006. January & February can be perceived as those "dreary" days of winter, full of grey skies, cold winds and no holidays. However, the first day of Spring is only a few weeks away - the 20th March - so keep yourself wrapped up warm until then and it'll be flowers and green grass before you know it! 2. SOFTWARE & POSTCODESFrom January 1st 2006 Pink Express will be upgrading all internal and external software. These upgrades will offer many benefits to you all. As with all improvements, there's a very small change; eventually, our booking systems will be completely "postcode" driven. That means we'll need you to know the full postcode for any journeys that you are booking, whether couriers or cars.
You're all using full postcodes anyway, so its not like a new thing. Also, our software will be really good at saving your regular addresses, so if you do have to look up a postcode, you'll only have to do so once. Failing that, we can look up a full postcode and address for you, although there may be a small charge for doing so. Its all designed to guarantee better quality deliveries to you, our valued client. A full postcode means our couriers and drivers can employ satellite navigation systems to ensure a quick and successful delivery to the right destination. 3. ONLINE BOOKINGAnother of the major new benefits will be our "online" booking. This means that you'll be able to book any service via the Pink Express website. You'll also be able to manage your own "saved addresses" file, call up reports, invoicing etc, all via our secure and user-friendly website. You can still book by telephone too, but on-line booking may provide you with an excellent alternative. If you would like to register for online booking, or would like more information, please contact us as above. 4. WANNA BE A PINK STAR?As a valued customer, you're just as big a part of Pink Express as we are. Every month, we're looking to feature one of our friends on this website; a brief story about you, your family, where you work, what you like to do in your spare time etc, along with a photograph of your beautiful self. So now's your chance to get a bit of exposure on the famous Pink Express website. If you would like to be considered as a Pink Star, just email a few details about yourself as listed above, along with a photograph (or two). Tell us who you are, where you work, what you do, maybe even what you like about Pink, and we'll be in touch. Email your details to raymondo@pinkexpress.com and you could be our next super star! 5. THE PINK EXPRESS CLIENT CHARTERYou may have been contacted recently to answer some questions about our products, services and performance. This questionnaire was part of a major research campaign into what you, our valued client, really needs from its courier and car service. Based on what you have told us, on Wednesday March 1st we are pleased to launch the new Pink Express Client Charter 2006. The idea of the client charter is to show you our commitment, and to make you a promise; that Pink Express will do everything possible to provide the very best service available in our industry. We have sent a written copy of the Client Charter to every single client. If you have not received yours, or would like additional copies, please let us know. If you have any feedback, opinions or ideas about the Client Charter, don't keep them to yourself. The charter is all about you, the client, and what you need form your courier and car services. 6. THAMES CHARITY BICYCLE RIDE
Thank you for your support I recently completed a Charity Cycle Ride along the length of the River Thames, and raised money for Breast Cancer Care. I would just like to say a huge "thank you" to those friends and associates who sponsored me for the event. All contributions were very gratefully received and I was pleasantly surprised at the level of support I received. I would like to give every sponsor a mention here but that's not possible - everyone who contributed has received a personal thank-you gift from me. I would, however, like to offer my special thanks to Mr. Ian Waldock of Metropolis Motorcycles (www.metrop.co.uk) for his company's extreme generosity and support. If you would like to receive my diary of the ride, with some pictures of the route, then please do email me and ask. 7. ONLINE BOOKING SERVICES AND PDA TECHNOLOGYRecent updates on this website mean that you can now use the Pink Express Online Booking facility for all Sameday Courier and Passenger Car services. If you would like to register for Online Booking please contact us at info@pinkexpress.com. We will issue you with a Sign-In and Password and a small on-line training instruction. Also, you may notice some of our couriers carrying "PDA" hand-units for you to sign, instead of the traditional delivery-sheet. These couriers and drivers are testing new software that will enable us to speed-up the flow of information between the delivery rider and you, the customer. That means you can receive delivery notifications within seconds of the actual delivery. Pretty soon all Pink Express couriers and drivers will be carrying these PDA's so please don't be surprised if you are asked to sign a screen rather than a piece of paper - it's called progress! 2005
1. WELCOME TO THE NEW, UPDATED PINK EXPRESS WEBSITEYou'll have already noticed some of the changes on the new Pink Express website. Over the coming months, there'll be lots of new sections that will make the website even more useful for you as a client of Pink. One of the major changes in the website will be the On-Line Booking page. This will enable you to book same-day couriers, UK Next-Day and International deliveries, and order passenger cars, all from the comfort of your desk-top PC. You'll also be able to track your shipments, manage your address files, and update your own lists of "authorised users" should you wish. While we don't want you to stop calling us, the on-line booking facility will provide a fantastic alternative to the telephone, at no extra cost to you. Keep looking for new sections and updates, and contact Raymondo if you would like to register for the on-line booking system for your company. 2. EATERIESLooking for somewhere to eat in London? Something special or different? Check out Raymondo's Eateries, where you'll find some personal recommendations from Raymondo himself. This month, the flavour is undeniably Spanish. If you've never tried traditional Spanish "tapas" then you should get down to Meson Don Felipe (61 The Cut, SE1, just a few yards from Waterloo Station, Tel 020 7928 3237). Installed in an old High Street Bank building, Meson Don Felipe has the classic tapas layout; centrally located bar, around which are a number of two-seater "high" tables, with more conventional low tables set at the back. It's not a spacious restaurant - you'll need to book in the evenings, as the Old Vic pre-theatre crowd can fill it easily - but the atmosphere is warm and cosy, and if you do manage a table at night you'll be entertained by the most manic flamenco guitarist ever. However, Don Felipe is all about the food. The menu is religiously traditional, one of the highlights being the best Calamares in town; always fresh, always soft, covered in a wonderful batter and served in generous portions. To be frank, whatever you choose you will not be disappointed. Staying with the fish, there's superb "Bacaloa" (fried cod portions in batter with garlic mayonnaise), the Croquetas de Atun (wonderful Tuna balls in breadcrumbs) and super Sardines, cooked and served in the old-fashioned way. The meat is superb too; Albondigas (Pork Balls) of the highest quality, and a lovely Lamb Kebab that literally melts in the mouth. The good thing about tapas is that you can try lots of different dishes; make sure you include the "Espinacas con Pinenes" (Spinach with Pine-nuts), and you mustn't forget the Tortilla de Espanola for a properly presented Spanish Omelette. The service is always warm, friendly, and because it's so busy, the food is always fresh and superbly presented. As for cost, it's probably the best value eatery in town. I have spent many a lunch-time and evening there and even with wine (and their selection of Riojas is excellent) I've never managed to exceed £30 per head, which, for such good quality food, wine and service, is a real Spanish bargain! 3. SAME-DAY COURIER "ADD ONS"There are a variety of add-on services that can be extremely useful when booking Same-day couriers. As a customer of Pink Express you can benefit from any of the following; "Deadline" - if you have a deadline for your same-day delivery, please do tell us at time of booking, and we'll record that time on the booking. Our telephone staff can then advise you of the best time and service to book when sending your item. "Deadline" bookings do not have to be Special deliveries - as long as we know your deadline we can inform you of the latest booking time available on both Stanfdard and Special services. "Consignee Only" - got a shipment that has to be delivered to a specific person? The "Consignee Only" bookings can solve your problem. They stipulate that the delivery must be made to and signed for by a specific person and no other party. The courier will not deliver the shipment to anyone else. Consignee Only bookings can therefore safeguard against items being signed for by the wrong person and going missing. Because of the nature of these shipments, consigmee only bookings can only be sent on our "Special" service. "Permission to Post" - there can be nothing more infuriating than sending a shipment to someone only for it to be returned to you at a later time as there was no one to accept delivery. As from now you can stipulate "Permission to Post" when you make your booking. This provides the authorization for the courier to deliver the shipment safely, either through a letter-box or with adjacent neighbours etc. If you are sending to private addresses and do not want the hassle of having the shipment returned, then please specify "Permission to Post" at time of booking. If you are interested in Deadline, Consignee Only or Permission to Post bookings you can request details by emailing us at info@pinkexpress.com 4. FUEL AND SECURITY SURCHARGES ON "BY AIR" SERVICESWhen sending international deliveries by air, Pink Express is subject to both Security and Fuel surcharges applied by all major commercial airlines. These surcharges, particularly fuel-related surcharges, have been increasing steadily as the price of oil rises and international security confidence falls. As a supplier of overseas delivery services that travel by air, Pink Express are subject to fuel and security surcharges of over 10% by most major airlines and carriers. From the 1st October 2005, please note that the Security and Fuel surcharge on all "by air" shipments will be 8% of the delivery cost. This is not "Pink Express raising its prices" but rather passing on a percentage of the surcharges as applied by the airlines. We are required to show the surcharge as a separate cost so it will be shown on your "Shipment Summary" that accompanies your company's invoices. We sincerely hope that at least the "fuel" aspect of these charges will only be applied in the short-term. However, with crude oil at record prices and political unrest in the Middle East continuing we can only follow the advice of our politicians and leaders! Please also note that Pink Express does not apply any surcharges relating to the London Congestion Charge. If you have any questions or queries regarding this matter please do contact us on 020 7840 7000 or email at info@pinkexpress.com |