Twodose
Active member
ordered 2 boxes of 72 trees and UPS was $19.05, i'm only about 3 hours from them, seems outrageous.
Why is Kleen-Rite Shipping so much?
- Thread starter Twodose
- Start date
MEP001
Well-known member
UPS rates have gone way up in the last couple years. Kleen-Rite actually does the best they can in keeping shipping costs down. The only reason they don't do as well as other companies is that they aren't sending a thousand identical-sized boxes at once in a big container to be sorted at the UPS facility, everything has to be hand-scanned at pickup. They've even managed to get UPS to waive the $20 fee for shipping a five gallon pail without it being in a box.
soapy
Senior Member
One thing I think they could do is have their shipping department use the smallest possible box. Too many times I open a large box from them that is stuffed with paper in more than half the box. Shipping cost is determined by weight and box size.
bert79
Active member
I have asked them to ship very small items via usps and they were quite willing to do so. Took a couple more days but was a LOT cheaper.
Twodose
Active member
Maybe they could offer fedx as an alternative.
Chuck Ivey
Member
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They do offer FEDEX.
I don't think $19.05 is outrageous. There are a lot of factors that go into the cost of shipping an item.
There’s a minimum charge, then there is the size of the box, the weight of the box, the delivery location, is it a residential address or business address, a residential address is always more expensive, insurance, most companies insure the item for full replacement value, and then there is the handling fee that most companies charge, this handling fee is normally around $8 - $10 per order. As you can see with all the additional fees and charges shipping can get really expensive. We try to ship as much as we can by US Priority mail. We shipped 5 Mars validators on Friday afternoon in a large $19.95 Flat rate Priority mail box, 2 to Texas, 1 to Kentucky and 1 to Florida, they were all delivered on Monday morning. Had we shipped them by UPS or FedEx it would have been almost a week to get them delivered. We’ve been business so long that we pretty much know what we are going to need so we only order from KR twice a year, 2 big orders.
We never order online, we call. I want to know if they have in stock or not.
There’s a minimum charge, then there is the size of the box, the weight of the box, the delivery location, is it a residential address or business address, a residential address is always more expensive, insurance, most companies insure the item for full replacement value, and then there is the handling fee that most companies charge, this handling fee is normally around $8 - $10 per order. As you can see with all the additional fees and charges shipping can get really expensive. We try to ship as much as we can by US Priority mail. We shipped 5 Mars validators on Friday afternoon in a large $19.95 Flat rate Priority mail box, 2 to Texas, 1 to Kentucky and 1 to Florida, they were all delivered on Monday morning. Had we shipped them by UPS or FedEx it would have been almost a week to get them delivered. We’ve been business so long that we pretty much know what we are going to need so we only order from KR twice a year, 2 big orders.
We never order online, we call. I want to know if they have in stock or not.
I.B. Washincars
Car Washer Emeritus
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I just ordered two blue white diaphragms and two keys. I think they misunderstood and are shipping both locks and keys. This is just the little vacuum lock where the coin acceptor is, so it's ounces, not pounds. This whole order would easily fit in a 3" by 3" box, or the smallest USPS flat rate box. They just e-mailed the invoice to me, $19.55 for shipping (no handling mentioned) from PA to KY. I even told them I wasn't in a huge rush and to ship the cheapest way, because this thread was fresh in my mind. You guys can take up for them if you want, but they gouge on shipping.
MEP001
Well-known member
You may call it gouging, but IMO it's more about the workers not caring what it costs who. They just sent it whatever way is easiest for them, which includes sending one item at a time as they come in off a backorder. It's just like the packaging - I've gotten a huge box with just a few strips of paper thrown on top of a bunch of loose parts like swivels and vac brushes. The low guys don't care.
I used to complain about Kleen-Rite all the time. They've greatly improved their customer service over the last few years, which was always my biggest issue. They've done well with my orders lately as long as I give them very clear instructions.
OurTown
Well-known member
Of you guys that have signed up for carwashsuperstore.com's elite club, how do you like it? I keep thinking of joining but the free shipping does not include non-stocked items or chemicals. They also do not seem to offer as much as KR.
JMMUSTANG
car wash owner
I love it. Last month I had an order for 2 fittings, price for shipping ZERO.
Two weeks later a Cat pump shot craps, price for shipping ZERO.
It’s more than paid for itself in the few months I’ve had it. You just don’t have to worry about shipping size or dollars spent to get free shipping.
Two months ago I called them looking for bug sponges. They did not carry them but the girl said she would check it out and call me back. She called back and said she purchased it from another vender and would ship it to me at the same price I had paid from KR in the past. That’s customer service.
By far though Kleenrite has a larger selection and better catalog.
Two weeks later a Cat pump shot craps, price for shipping ZERO.
It’s more than paid for itself in the few months I’ve had it. You just don’t have to worry about shipping size or dollars spent to get free shipping.
Two months ago I called them looking for bug sponges. They did not carry them but the girl said she would check it out and call me back. She called back and said she purchased it from another vender and would ship it to me at the same price I had paid from KR in the past. That’s customer service.
By far though Kleenrite has a larger selection and better catalog.
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Funny you should mention that, I just read where Amazon is letting their contract with UPS expire because they are building out their own delivery service. The implication was that they would be delivering their own packages instead of using 3rd party services like UPS and FedEx, but it wouldn't surprise me if they ultimately ended up competing with them down the road.
Rudy
Active member
Greg Pack
Wash Weenie
Older post, but just noticed an email from dultmeier saying free freight for orders over $1800. I like them, and Mike Hansen is a really nice guy. They are a good resource for the newer operator that might need some support when sourcing parts.
I'm utilizing car wash superstore's elite more and more. I carry an Ipad and order while I'm onsite. Their shopping software could be better though. Will be interesting to see if they can afford to continue this service. If people literally start ordering a box of single fragrance trees or whatever it's not going to pencil out for them. I always try to order over $100 worth of stuff, that's not hard to do.
I'm utilizing car wash superstore's elite more and more. I carry an Ipad and order while I'm onsite. Their shopping software could be better though. Will be interesting to see if they can afford to continue this service. If people literally start ordering a box of single fragrance trees or whatever it's not going to pencil out for them. I always try to order over $100 worth of stuff, that's not hard to do.
wendy's wash
Member
I placed an online order for a few things from Kleen rite. I knew I was going to pay Shipping but I couldn't believe it when I got an invoice for four 3/4" brass nipples from the 20 items that I ordered figuring they would send them all at once. For some reason they sent a second shipping for the nipples only. Total cost of nipples was $9.88 plus tax. The shipping cost was $15.12 and that was more than the cost of the nipples. I don't know why someone did not called me and say you might want to go to Home Depot or Lowe's and purchased the nipples cheaper. When you place an order for a few things you would think that it would all be shipped in one order but no. I will never order online again. Right now all I can see is red. Purchase was 10-8-2019
Car_Wash_Guy
Well-known member
They did something similar to me. I place a ~$2500 order. I specifically noted in the "note" box to ship as one order as I wanted the free shipping. They ended up shipping my order in 3 shipments, and then charged me for al three. I called them and they graciously apologized for the error and credited me for all the shipping charges.
