Name and shame impact or sham

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Is the NSW name and shame web site working or are we just seeing political statistics.

Accoridng to the NSW Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson, the number of sites listed on the Food Authority’s “Name and Shame” register has dropped in the last couple of years. 785 eateries were listed in 2011/12 with 1337 penalty notices between them, a decline from 1309 business listed in 2009/10 with 2329 penalties. (Source: http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/breaking-news/dodgy-nsw-eateries-cleaning-up-act-govt/story-fnhrvfuw-1226614341978)

I think there could be a couple of reasons for this:

1. What council wants to list restaurants because it makes the area look bad? So it actually takes commitment by the council to list a failing restaurant. The break down by council shows that there are differing levels of commitment.

2. There was a big push back in 2009/10 and it revealed all these restaurants that could be fixed. Now we want to feel safe, so the push is off.

3. Food safety awareness is actually having an impact. We know that more restaurants are approaching us to buy temperature loggers because they are now aware of their legal requirements. 10 years ago and no-one knew what they were obliged to do. The standards haven’t changed, but people’s knowledge has.

Am I a bit too sceptical? Are the figures just statistics used by politicians, or has industry cleaned up its act?

What is covered with our shipping insurance?

Our normal terms and conditions (like most businesses) is that you take possession the moment an order ships. If the order is lost or damaged in transit then, in theory, it’s your problem. In reality we will have a conversation and try to work out a good way to resolve the issue where we are both happy (or not too upset).

Shipping insurance is there to remove the drama. If an order is lost or damaged in transit, we will simply send out a replacement, and we will then deal with the courier directly to resolve the original problem.

Our shipping insurance also means that if an order is delayed beyond what is normal and reasonable then we will send you another shipment (stock levels permitting). Then you should receive one of them sooner, and when the second one arrives you simply Return To Sender.

How much is shipping insurance?

Shipping insurance is 5% of the cost of the goods.

Is it worth it? Practically we have had far less than 5% of shipments have problems. It is, however, what Australia Post and other couriers charge. Ultimately insurance is about peace of mind and less hassle when something does go wrong.

Shipping insurance as an option

Shipping insurance is offered as an option on all our web sites. You can select it at the checkout.

For large orders our staff may also ask if you would like shipping insurance.

If you would like shipping insurance on an order you are placing with us, just ask.

Mandatory shipping insurance

Unfortunately we have had a couple of large orders not make it and then the customer refused to pay. A friend suggested that the easy way to avoid the dispute is to insure any shipments where we have a significant risk.

If you would like an immediate line of credit (30 days to pay) and have the goods ship immediately (no credit check delays) and are purchasing over $500 then we will add shipping insurance to your order.

The shipping insurance can be waived if the order is between $500 and $2,000 and you provide us with a formal confirmation that you accept responsibility of the goods once they ship.

Alternatively you can prepay by direct deposit or credit card.

What is not covered?

If there is a clear proof of delivery to the shipping address provided then we class that as delivered. Unfortunately there are cases where it is lost somewhere between the loading dock or receptionist and ending up in your hands. But we also know that a photo of the bag against a generic grey background is not proof of delivery, it is just proof of existence! It needs to be a reasonable proof of delivery.

It also doesn’t cover the expectation of overnight delivery. For example, if we were to ship to Melbourne (we are in Sydney) then we would expect it to be delivered within about 3 days. Most of the time it is overnight, but there are enough floods and other issues that regularly cause minor delays. Sending a second order the next day tends to not fix the problem. If it is super urgent, talk to us about how we can minimise the risk.

For damage claims we ask that you contact us immediately and we will probably ask for photos or some proof. The shipping insurance doesn’t cover claims weeks later. We do have warranty covering our items, but it excludes physical damage (e.g. being dropped). If the goods are damaged in transit then please let us know ASAP so we can cover it under the shipping insurance.