Being properly insured is probably not worth it if you want to make a profit.
Managers will frequently change, substitute or even outright cancel routes without informing you. You can turn up only to find someone else has taken your assigned load.
Estimates can be massively off, its possible to have an estimate of just over 100 to turn up to over 200.
Its hard to make the workload fit around other commitments due to estimation issues.
Courier app is updated frequently which can lead to massive problems such as mis-application of preferences, issues with optimisation or navigation etc.
Being permanent means comitting to 6 days a week of work which is unrealistic.
You will be phoned, constantly, being asked to cover others who didnt show up, sometimes to cover areas so far away its barely worth doing after fuel expenses.
When they say theyl pay a premium for you to go far away, it doesnt usually appear.
Customers can vary wildly. I've met some truely lovely people, I've also had others who've marked me down for being late by 2 days (on my first day), for boxes being "moist" (in torrential rain) and others saying I didnt knock when I did. You have to provide proof that you attended the address, some people seriously think youre gonna drive miles just to take a picture and leave, its unreal.
Parking at some depots can be a nightmare, people want to get in and out quickly, this frequently leads to arguments and escalations at smaller depots.
Tremble maps is terrible and GPS sometimes takes you to the rear of properties. This wastes time, massively.
Parcels are frequently classed as the wrong size (misbanded). There is a limit to the number of claims you can make to get the right size applied, this can affect metrics, takes ages, can mess up your day and probably steals huge amounts of money from every courier. Many items classed as portable arent, Ive even had a wheelbarrow classed as postable, which is usually between 36 and 40 pence. Not worth it.
