We truly are a 24/7 operation, and at whichever hour you call our office number, you will always be able to contact us. In other words, we are available after hours, on weekends and on public holidays – even Christmas day! After hours rates vary depending on the required time and/or day of delivery. Whenever possible, we advise that you contact Operations in advance to discuss the logistics, since certain destination facilities may not be accessible at all hours.

Citi-Sprint started out as an inner-city messenger service in Cape Town in 1985, and has since grown into a fully-fledged courier/messenger company. Messenger services are still available in the CBD and Cape Peninsula, while national and international courier completes our service portfolio.

Our credentials speak for themselves: Citi-Sprint operated for many years side by side in the Western Cape with Dawn Wing; right up until the latter was taken over by the Laser Group. 1994 saw Citi-Sprint taking top honours as the local winner in the Small Business Division of the Enterprise of the Year competition run by the then Chamber of Trade & Small Business, the Afrikaanse Handels-Instituut, and Old Mutual.

Close tracking of why new clients contact us in the first place reveal that they are mostly referred by existing clients; a clear indication that the latter group are satisfied to partner with us on a business level.

Our staff members have been with the company for 8 years on average, resulting in an understanding and knowledge of our clients and their needs on an individual basis. Upon contacting us, clients deal directly with Operations Managers and Supervisors rather than Call Centre operators, resulting in immediate responses to queries, and immediate action of collection requests. Although we employ modern technology as support structures, it certainly works in tandem with our staff members, who offer the personal touch that we pride ourselves on and that our clients appreciate.

Partnering with us not only as an outsourcing partner but also as a strategic partner is further enhanced by our Level 2 BEE status, a position that we not only are determined to maintain, but also aim to improve.

Yes, certainly! Cash/EFT clients are as welcome as account holders to make use of our services, and therefore we offer our competitive rates to both. In fact, many business owners prefer to do business with us on a cash basis, and we gladly accommodate both cash and account preferences.

One could say the jury is still out on that one, but Citi-Sprint has made a conscious decision not to go that route many years ago, and here are the reasons why: adding infra-structural cost and control measures to an existing operation ultimately calculates into higher operational costs, which invariably leads to unavoidable rates increases to the end-user, you.

Over the past 26 years we have established strong relations with a few carefully selected logistics operators who have essentially become our associates. To ensure that our high service standards are maintained though, our relationship with these associates is governed by comprehensive service agreements, while our clients benefit from our ability to maintain competitive rates as a direct result of this arrangement.

In reality we have discovered that, properly managed, such an operational setup allows for better service delivery and is by far less costly.

All collections requests are called in, or e-mailed. Special deliveries and After hour deliveries should ideally be called in, as their very nature demands a prompt response, and online requests are noted only during regular week-day office hours (7h00- 18h00).

A popular choice for standard collections during normal business hours is to complete our online Collections Request Form.

After hour collections can be placed by calling our regular number: (021) 511 3105.

Drivers are immediately informed. Collections that are placed have a selection of services to choose from, and this service choice will determine the actual collection time. Please refer to our various services for detailed guidelines, as we have pre-determined service standards.

In regards to Same-day and Dawn deliveries, standard delivery times apply; alternatively Special Instructions from the sender apply.

Citi-Sprint offers both verbal and online POD's, and, more importantly, will accommodate your preference in this regard; call us for confirmation of delivery, access your POD's online, or request other formats such as hard copy, faxed copy or e-mail. Upon request, we provide the sender of an urgent consignment with a verbal POD on delivery.

POD's can be viewed online within 24 to 48 hours, depending on the area of delivery.

POD's are available free of charge. Please contact our offices on 021-511 3105, or obtain them directly online.

Big enough to be professional while small enough to care, Citi-Sprint is an owner-managed hands-on operation with a lean company structure that allows us to offer a personal, flexible and cost-effective service to blue chip companies and the cash client alike. With no hidden extra charges, apart from a fuel levy which is an industry standard, and a recently-introduced security surcharge, there are no other extra or hidden costs.

Fuel levy: This surcharge is standard throughout the industry, and was introduced at a time when domestic fuel prices experienced extreme fluctuations. To safeguard against similar extreme courier rates fluctuations which would negatively have affected clients' day to day business operations and planning, a fuel levy was introduced to act as a cost stabilizer. Although fluctuations in the fuel price are not always that extreme these days, the levy still acts as a stabilizer to allow for rates increases annually, rather than more often.

Most courier companies calculate a percentage of the value of the waybill as their fuel surcharge, or in some instances do not even disclose such a levy upfront. The fuel surcharge is determined by the local fuel price, and depending on the status of the fuel price for the month, is adjusted up or down on the first Wednesday of each month.

Security surcharge: You may be aware that couriers have been operating in accordance with Part 108 of the Airline Security Regulations since mid-2009. Amongst other measures, it involves a screening and handling process that all cargo must undergo with each and every airline before carriage of such goods can take place. Implementing and maintaining the required security measures that this additional regulation demanded, resulted in huge financial injections in the courier and freight industries globally. A security surcharge was introduced in the industry to offset these costs.

Added to this is the requirement for all courier companies to qualify for 'Known Shipper' status in accordance with the Civil Aviation Authority of South Africa. The Known Shipper security program has been adopted globally, and effectively eliminates the anonymous shipment of all on both passenger and cargo-only flights.

Although very confident of our ability to carry your consignments safely to its final destination, there are certain risks involved in moving goods over which we have very little, or no control, and therefore do provide insurance cover on a request basis. The cost factor for consignments eligible for insurance coverage is R 50.00 up to R 1 500.00, thereafter 1.5% of the value.

We do however find that most clients prefer to arrange their own insurance cover via their own brokers wherever they deem it necessary.

When it comes to the transportation of goods, one ultimately pays for space. Therefore courier shipments are charged either on volumetric weight or actual weight, both calculated in kilograms.

Actual weight of course is determined by simply weighing the parcel, while volumetric weight involves a little more work: measure the parcel in centimetres, and then multiply the three dimensions(width x height x length), and then divide by the conversion factor applicable to a particular service.

For example:

• Actual weight: 17 kg's
• Volumetric weight: 60 cm x 70 cm x 43 cm = 180 600

(Divided by the Volume Conversion Factor) 4 000 = 45.15 kg's (round up to the nearest kg)

Volumetric weight = 46 kg's

The actual mass is 17 kg's while the volumetric weight is 46 kg's, therefore the chargeable mass is 46 kg's.

PLEASE NOTE: The conversion factor differentiation is as follows:

Volumetric Conversion Factor for road-freight: 4 000 Volumetric Conversion Factor for air-freight: 5 000.

Delivery times are determined by the requirements and subsequent service selection, as each service has its own standard delivery times. For more detailed information, please read more on our service offerings.

It is a cost-effective air-freight service for larger shipments that are not urgent or time-sensitive. Delivery times are normally 48 hours for main centres and 72 hours to regional, outlying areas.

There are however certain restrictions in place, which makes this service unsuitable for bulk cargo.

The maximum weight per parcel is restricted to 32 kg's. The maximum size allowed is 80 cm x 80 cm x 80 cm. Self-evidently, this service does not apply to deliveries in the same main centre, i.e. Cape Town – Cape Town.

As a guideline, any destination that is outside of a 30 km radius of any Main Centre CBD is regarded as Regional. These areas will often have a delay in delivery time, since some of them are not serviced daily. Regional or outlying areas attract an additional surcharge, as is the norm in the industry.

Should you require further information as to whether a destination is classified as a main centre or a Regional area, please contact us.

A 'Special delivery' is also known as an 'Expedited delivery'. Our local 'Special' deliveries in the Cape Peninsula and nearby Country areas such as Stellenbosch and Somerset West involve a dedicated driver who will collect your consignment and do the delivery straight away, as opposed to doing the delivery on our regular rounds during the day or overnight, depending on the time of collection. The turn-around time on a 'Special' delivery is therefore much shorter (typically 2-3 hours depending on the request), and is ideal for urgent deliveries or where deadlines are involved.

It is advisable to call a Special delivery request in rather than booking it online, as a telephone request is expedited immediately.

A collection or delivery is considered to be after hours and will attract the appropriate surcharge on weekdays after 17h00 -08h00 and on weekends after 12h00 on Saturday through Sunday.

Public holidays are also classified as after-hours.

Documents: All loose, unbound sheets of paper and all documents that are business-related and therefore with no commercial value, are classified as documents. It includes general correspondence, tenders, reports or plans and banking, financial or shipping documents.

The delivery time is 1-6 days, depending on the final destination.

Parcels: This includes any article that does not fit the definition of a document, or which has any commercial value. This category includes samples, spares, CD's or DVD's and all other non-document articles, even documents with photographs.

Although delivery time to the final destination is the same as for documents, an extra couple of days may apply as a result of customs clearance procedures.

Cost: As is standard in the courier industry, your cost will be determined by the chargeable mass of your consignment; volumetric weight or actual weight, whichever is the greater of the two. Please refer to Question 12 for a more detailed explanation in this regard. Alternatively, please contact us for further assistance in this regard.

It is possible to send an overnight delivery to some overseas destinations, but in most instances not possible because of custom regulations and procedural constraints.

International documents have no commercial value and therefore do not require any accompanying official documentation.

Parcels require a variety of documents mainly for customs clearance purposes and to comply with exchange control regulations.

Please contact our International Operations at csprint@citisprint.co.za for comprehensive information.

You may find the following guideline helpful in terms of goods leaving South Africa:

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Tax & Duties:

The receiver has to pay the duties and applicable local taxes. Should the receiver be a registered business, they may be able to claim back the local tax element of the charge.

Customs:

Our client's invoices determine whether the goods attract duty charges and local taxes. It is therefore paramount that the invoice is completed accurately, in detail, and in full.

No, the very nature of courier is hand-to-hand deliveries. Waybills are used for each consignment and are signed by both the sender and the receiver, therefore ensuring a safe and secure means of transportation of goods.

A waybill must be completed for every shipment you send with Citi-Sprint – it helps to ensure timely, accurate and secure delivery.

• It tells Citi-Sprint where your shipment is going, what service you require and how you intend to pay.
• It tells you the terms and conditions upon which we provide our service. Please read these carefully as they limit and in some cases exclude our liability. You may also access our Standard Terms and Conditions.
• It gives you proof of consignment, with a unique Waybill (ID) number you can use on our web site to access your POD.
• It tells customs what's in your shipment, so that it gets cleared quickly and speeds through to its final destination without delay.

No, account holders are provided with pre-printed waybills and flyer bags at no cost to them, and we also provide the same stationery to cash clients.

No, except for the standard plastic flyer bags, we do not supply packaging material. We will happily recommend suitable companies that specialise in packaging, as well as share some tips with you.

As it ultimately is the client's responsibility to secure their shipments with adequate packaging, please contact us for advice on fragile shipments, especially on wine or glassware.

Any goods that require a Dangerous Goods Declaration in respect of air travel which is not permitted on an airline in terms of Civil Aviation Authorities and if needs to be flown, requires specialized packaging.

Herewith a list of the most common dangerous goods:

• Magnets or any magnetic materials, as they affect the aircraft's navigational equipment.
• Diagnostic specimens, as they may be of an infectious nature, and require special transit arrangements.
• Camping equipment, such as gas canisters or lighters containing lighter –fuel.
• Automobile parts, as it may contain oil or ferro-magnetic material.
• Household goods as it may involve aerosol cans or contain toxic substances.
• Perfumes or any product that contains a high percentage of alcohol, which makes them highly flammable.

Other items are:

• All illegal substances and items
• Antiques
• Any cash equivalent
• Bank and/or treasury notes
• Bloodstock
• Bullion
• Cheques
• Coins
• Credit cards
• Firearms
• Furs
• Glass products
• Jewellery
• Livestock
• Medical specimens
• Precious stones
• Securities
• Works of art

Citi-Sprint reserves the right to inspect any and all consignments suspected of containing any of the above-mentioned items. It should be noted that failure to comply with the above instructions may lead to confiscation of the shipment as well as legal proceedings. For further information, read more on Section 108 of the Civil Aviation Regulations.