Expats keep in touch with loved ones during festive seasons

Dubai: For many companies December is a month of setting targets and calculating budgets for the coming year. But on a social level it is a time to celebrate the festivities of Christmas by exchanging gifts and renewing ties with relatives and friends as well as setting goals for next year.

Eid Al Adha also took place during this month and the Hijri and Gregorian New Years lie ahead with courier companies reporting a surge in residents sending gift parcels to their loved ones abroad.

"I have sent occasional gifts such as clothes and books many times to India and Spain for Christmas. Sending your relatives and friends something makes them feel special and brings joy to both the shipper and the receiver, in addition to strengthening relationships," said James Shankar, an Indian expatriate.

Presents

To send a present to your nearest and dearest ones overseas, you can head down to either the government delivery company Empost or any private international delivery and logistics providers such as DHL Express, TNT, FedEx or UPS. Residents can send any kind of gifts except for those restricted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

According to Jessica J. Reta, sales coordinator for Empost, courier companies will ask customers for details such as the contact information of the shipper and the receiver, commodity, weight of the item, pick up timings, destination and specific handling instructions if required.

Customers are then informed about the shipment charges and once they agree, the delivery is finalised and a reference number is given to them.

Upon pick up, the receiver of the parcel will be asked to sign a form to acknowledge the receipt of item. During the delivery period, shippers can also track their items online on company websites.

Many companies offer door to door service as well. However, TNT prefers delivering to the receiver's business location.

"We prefer picking up from business premises and delivering to business premises as this makes it easier to ensure that there are no issues with people not being home on our delivery attempt. This can be a problem when delivering to residential addresses and TNT's tip would be to address your parcel to your loved one or relative at work where possible," said James Edgeworth, National Major accounts manager.

The courier charges depend on the destination of the shipment and the weight of the item.

"Volumetric weight is added as a factor when the shipment is delivered inside a box. It is a courier procedure to charge the shipment of whichever is higher between the Volumetric Weight and Actual Weight of the box," said Reta.

Calculate

Elliott Santon, marketing manager of DHL Express, agreed. "A shipment could be less than 500gm, but if the shipment is extremely large, we will calculate it volumetrically according to the standard IATA volumetric weight formula. In the same way, you could have an extremely small shipment, but could weigh a lot; this would be calculated at actual weight as it will be higher than the dimensional weight," he said.

Empost and TNT offer economy and express deliveries. For an economy option, which is cost effective for heavier parcels, the former transports the shipment in about five to seven working days while an express service for non-documents takes three to four working days. The latter company takes three to five days for weighty items and one to two days for express delivery.

Required documents

According to the International Air Transport Association, the following items are not allowed to be carried out or shipped by any courier company. In rare cases, approval from concerned authorities would be required.

These items are:

Currency, jewellery, bullion, cheques, antiques, pharmaceuticals, liquor, stamps, precious metals and stones, firearms, money orders, plants, drugs, tobacco, works of art, explosives, animals, foodstuffs, and perishables.

Prices for Non-Document Express Delivery Charges for Empost:

Australia: Dh208 (500gms), Dh285 (1kg)

France/Germany: Dh172 (500gms), Dh252 (1kg)

India*: Dh182 (500gms), Dh228 (1kg)

Philippines: Dh155 (500gms), Dh219 (1kg)

UK: Dh155 (500gms), Dh219 (1kg)

USA: Dh186 (500gms), Dh258 (1kg)

* Empost India Rates are divided into three zones. Rates given are for Zone 1 only.

Prices for Non-Document Express Delivery Charges for DHL Express

UK: Dh188 (500gms), Dh316 (1kg)

France/Germany: Dh298 (500gms), Dh443 (1kg)

Australia: Dh355 (500gms), Dh 521 (1kg)

USA: Dh327 (500gms), Dh 481 (1kg)

India: Dh188 (500gms), Dh316 (1kg)

Philippines: Dh355 (500gms), Dh521 (1kg)