Adjustment charges
From time to time, courier companies may review the pricing of a shipment after it has been picked up and/or delivered. When this happens, you will receive a notification email with the details of each adjustment, which is sent automatically to the main account owner address.
If you find that some of these adjustment charges are unjustified or may have been billed by mistake, please contact support@machool.com and we will be happy to file a dispute with the courier on your behalf.
You will find a description of the most common adjustment types listed below.
ADJUSTED CUBED WEIGHT
Cubic weight, or dimensional weight, is a technique used by several carriers to estimate the overall logistical burden of a shipment more accurately.
The cubed weight is compared with the actual weight, and the higher of the two values is used for billing purposes. This way, more cumbersome shipments, which take up more space in the courier’s vehicles even if they are relatively light, will be billed accordingly.
Generally speaking, the three dimensions (length, width and height) of each package are multiplied to get the volume in terms of cubic feet or metres, and each cubic foot or metre is converted to a given number of pounds or kilograms.
Each courier uses a slightly different equation to obtain the cubic weight of a shipment. For instance, the same shipment measuring 12” x 12” x 12” (1 cubic foot) would have a dimensional weight of 11 lb for DHL, 12.4 lb for FedEx, Purolator Ground and UPS, and 15 lb for Purolator Express.
Even if the real weight of the shipment is lower than the dimensional value, the higher of the two values will be used for billing purposes.
A slight variation in one or more of the dimensions declared can have important repercussions on the final price of the shipment. We strongly encourage you to declare your shipments as accurately as possible to avoid unexpected costs.
ADJUSTED BASE/FUEL COST
Since the price of fuel changes constantly, couriers revise their fuel charges on a regular basis. If there is a delay of a few days between the moment a shipment is created and the time it is picked up by the courier, the final fuel rate may vary slightly. These adjustments normally total less than a dollar per shipment.
ADDITIONAL HANDLING
Additional handling surcharges can be applied for a variety of reasons depending on the courier. Generally speaking, this means either the packaging is non-standard, or the contents have been identified as fragile or requiring special care. The use of “Fragile” or “This Way Up” stickers can sometimes trigger this surcharge.
NON-CONVEYABLE
If a parcel is unable to be put on the automated conveyor system used by the courier and instead needs to be sorted manually, a surcharge may apply. This can be included in the initial quote, but may be added after the fact if the package’s dimensions or weight have been declared inaccurately.
ADDRESS CORRECTION
Many couriers will bill a surcharge if the destination address has been declared inaccurately or incompletely, or if the shipping label is not printed legibly. This can also include cases where the delivery address is in an apartment building and a buzzer code is required for access to a safe delivery location.