Courier firms cash in on Rakhi sentiments

Avneet Kaur 

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Jalandhar, August 4 

Cashing in on the sentiments of the people on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan that falls on August 7 this year, courier companies across the city have been fleecing residents intending to send rakhis to their brothers, charging three to four times more than the normal charges.

To send a rakhi parcel via Speed Post which weighs not more than 250 grams and should ideally cost Rs 35 to Rs 40 as a matter of routine, companies are charging an amount of Rs 100 to Rs 150 for it. 

They have several reasons to cite for this charge: Use of special rakhi envelopes, speedy, timely delivery and unusual rush. 

Knowing the tendency of the senders, the companies are minting money as they know they will not bother to pay more as for them timely delivery of rakhis is more important. Moreover, the companies have even adopted the strategy of influencing the customers to opt for a “Rs 150 package” that ensures the delivery of the parcel the very next day. 

Gagandeep Kaur, a local resident who was spotted sending her parcel at the counter of a courier company here, said, “I had to parcel five envelopes of rakhi within the region and thought it would not cost me more than Rs 200. I was surprised to know that each parcel would cost me Rs 100 and I need to pay Rs 500 in total which is even more than the price of rakhis that I was to send.”

In fact, a similar reaction was evoked in other customers who too seemed shocked over the higher charges being levied by the companies. 

Another customer, who was sending a parcel to Australia, said, “I am aware that the international charges are high and it costs me around Rs 800 every year to parcel my envelope to Australia. This time, they are charging Rs 1,400 to send an envelope weighing just 150 gm.” 

The operations manager of a famous courier company here said, “Around this time of the year, the rush is usually high. Some people parcel their envelopes just a day earlier and want it to reach in time. We have no option left other than to have premium rates. We also provide online tracking option, along with special rakhi envelopes of a good quality. Moreover, people themselves prefer these envelopes and all they want is safe and timely delivery of their parcel.”