Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Donald Gillies said:Aint it always true that quality and value takes a nosedive after a
corporate takeover or stock issuance. That, in my opinion, is exactly
what people say about Cinelli (and also about UPS here in the USA ...)
So much for capitalism !!!
Quoted message said:A Muzi said:I do not know of a bicycle manufacturer named "UPS".
UPS package delivery service started 1907 with bicycle deliveries and
successfully went public in 1999. Capitalism achieves more, and for more
people, than any other real or putative format (How efficient is package
delivery in North Korea nowadays?)
Donald Gillies said:Since the IPO, i have tried to use UPS for shipping, but their prices
are normally 2x Fedex and USPostal. Quite frankly, I don't know how
they stay in business. Oh yeah I know, they rip off everyday
consumers and use their booty to subsidize amazon.com ...
Also, they're the only place ever to charge me $112.00 to ship a
bicycle across the USA. Most places only charge $35 to ship that bike
across country. The box bulged by 1/2", i had to go home before the
drop-off, and they ripped off my 79-yr old grandmother.
yeah, capitalism works real, real well ...
I've been around the block with UPS, FedEx and DHL. They are tough
negotiators with sharp pencils, I agree. Labor fuel etc have made _all_
delivery services expensive, and strict about size limits and
surcharges, compared to the low rates of our youth.
Be that as it may, service is still relatively cheap, quite reliable
overall. You're welcome to send your small packets by USPS and heavy
freight by motor carrier, as we do. It's a broad and diverse market,
package delivery.
We sometimes do not appreciate the broad and deep societal benefits of
competition where it exists. I give you Ryan Air or Southwest for
example. In 1980, Dave Goodall from Holdsworthy explained they were
opening six new US importers (a company I partly owned imported them
then). We were shocked. He unrolled a US map, noting that more were
needed to "get the lorries around to dealers promptly". Our mouths were
agape. Unlike here, England didn't yet have much FedEx or UPS
penetration and distributors really did deliver to shops in their own
trucks. Wanna pay for _that_??
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971