Our shipping costs are set by the manufacturer shipping directly to our customers.
Most deliveries are to our customers homes and will include a Home Delivery fee.
This is considered an accessorial charge by the trucking company that is not included in their standard service.
The reasons are:
- Delivery to a residential neighborhood. In some cases certain types of trucks are not allowed into all areas so special equipment must be used.
- Delivery arrangements. Call ahead for appointment must be made and delivery window is generally smaller so it may not fit into the normal routes/times that carriers use for their outbound deliveries.
In order to have the Home Delivery fee waived the following criteria must be met:
- Location must have a business name
- Location must have regular business hours
- Locations must have unloading equipment onsite
Things to consider when receiving a home delivery:
The manufacturer selects the trucking company, not A Vinyl Fence, and most deliveries are good experiences for all involved. There are occasional exceptions.
Some guidelines as to what to expect.
Most deliveries are to commercial locations that have loading docks, fork lifts, and full-time workers to receive deliveries. Home deliveries are an exception and require special consideration. That’s why there is a home delivery charge.
Arranging to receive the delivery:
Once an order has been loaded on a truck for shipment, we will normally be notified with the name and phone of the carrier along with a tracking/Pro number. We will email this information to you as soon as we receive it and also call you by phone to confirm that your order is on it’s way. You should call the freight company and arrange to receive your delivery. It can take 24 hours for the tracking information to be loaded into the trucking company’s system so make sure to check back if the information is not immediately available for your delivery.
The freight company has agreed to notify you 24 hours before they deliver.
You have a right to expect the freight dispatcher to give you a reasonable time window for delivery. It is reasonable to request that the driver or the dispatcher notify you when the driver is on his way to you. It is also expected that should the driver be delayed or run ahead of schedule, you would be notified and approve the change in advance. If the delivery is made outside of the agreed window without your agreement, you can refuse the delivery without charge and reschedule.
Receiving your delivery:
Please note that it is the customer’s responsibility to unload the truck. It is the driver’s responsibility to get it to the delivery address and to the back of the truck. The trucking company will call 24 hr before delivery to make sure the customer or their representative will be there to offload. The driver is only responsible to get the order to the end of the truck. It will be the customer’s responsibility to remove it. The customer or their representative must be on site at the time of delivery to offload the materials and to check the order for damaged and/or missing items.
Large shipments may be delivered on pallets and most residential deliveries will need to be offloaded by hand. The pallets can be broken open to be offloaded by hand. Your orders should arrive neatly stacked on pallets, wrapped in protective wrapping, securely banded and be easily accessible at the back of the truck. If this is not the case it is important that everything received should be closely inspected for any damage and duly noted on the bill of lading before the driver leaves.
Things you should have to receive a home delivery:
A. A cutter/nipper to cut the bands and remove the wrappings.
B. A digital camera to document any damage or compromised packaging.
C. Gloves if you like and/or eye protection.
D. An able body or two. (more if it’s a really big delivery)
Your home delivery will usually arrive in a large semi truck unless other arrangements have been made between you and the trucking company. Please don’t expect forklifts, lift gates or other special equipment to be provided. Also, please don’t expect the trucking company to off load the material, carry it into your garage or install the fence for you.
Time for delivery:
Your home delivery should typically take less than an hour to complete. If you take longer you may be charged by the trucking company or driver for extra time.
The best way to receive a home delivery is when the truck arrives, cut the bands that secure the materials and hand them off the truck piece by piece. Most orders can be off loaded by one or two people though large shipments may require more help. The material is light and the job should go quickly. Most drivers are more than helpful and hand the pieces off to the customer with no problems. Our experience is that most drivers take the drayage (packing materials) back to their depot and dispose of them. Most drivers go above and beyond the call on these deliveries but there are a few who don’t. Sometimes local trucking companies are not as polite or professional as FED-EX or UPS. Most of them are good people who do a good job but there are a few exceptions. If you have a good experience with a driver who goes beyond the call, it’s not a bad idea to give a small gratuity or a call of praise to the dispatcher.
If you have a problem with a trucking company and need our help, feel free to give us a call and we’ll do all we can to make sure your delivery goes smoothly. 1-800-431-4720