Walkers Price Rise...

just noticed walkers couriers will be charging £50 now, instead of £45.........

Just got this from another site,so thought I’d share it with you all.


Please find listed below our new pricing structure which will commence on Monday 4th March 2019. This increase has been implemented to cover the rising costs of supplying the boxes and providing the level of service our customers have now become accustomed to :

Deliveries within England, Wales and Lower Scotland will now be £50.00
Deliveries to Higher Scotland will commence at £60.00
Deliveries from the UK to Ireland will be £60.00

Deliveries from Belgium to England & Wales will be £60.00
Deliveries from Belgium to Scotland will commence at £75.00
Deliveries from Belgium to Ireland will be £120.00

Deliveries from Holland with the postcodes starting with 1,2,3,4,5 & 6 to
England & Wales will be £90.00
Scotland £100.00
Ireland £120.00

Deliveries from Holland with the postcodes starting with 7,8 & 9 to
England & Wales will be £100.00
Scotland £110.00
Ireland £120.00

These prices are for up to 12 birds per consignment. Any consignments with more than 12 birds will be charged £3.00 extra per bird.

Higher Scotland postcodes now include KY,PH &DD as well as the previous listed ones.

If you wish to discuss these prices then please do not hesitate to contact us.


Mark Walker


Mind I was asked well over a £100 for Belgium and the Netherlands etc. back in 1984
5 or 6 years ago £140 to get a bird back from Spain!

Why not book a holiday weekend, cheaper and pick the pigeon up yourself.

Can anyone in their right mind see a young lad or girl who has just entered the sport and loses several pigeons in a fly away and is asked to pay the ridiculous amounts and in the sport, or one reading such, even contemplate having to deal with such matters if they become involved?

Time some common sense was used between fanciers themselves, I know it is to a certain extent but apparently not enough.

Regards.

I see Britannia Hotels - Scarborough the Grand is part of, are still offering Bed, Breakfast and dinner with entertainment in evenings for £14 95p. Now that is a great price.

Now I have posted for a decade or more now, and often, that many can afford - just to keep and race pigeons to a certain level only. But CAN'T afford to lose any.

It is why we often hear the more wealthy/able fancier complaining regards the fanciers not wanting their' 'Stray' back and make excuses. I honestly believe and state I 100% think that they are uncalled for, malicious and unsporting brain dead cretins.
These are often the very fancier that they beat week in and week out. Ones who help cut costs to them. Who bolster their' winnings.
Say a 23-year-old fancier with a wife, two kids and high mortgage or rent to pay, before food for the kids has 20 pairs of pigeons. Feed etc. and forget the medicine's - fortunately - has a girl starting gymnastic (They have to start young, my daughter was nigh 8 when I took her along. They gave her three weeks. Said, 'Yes quite good, brave and had an outstanding balance, but sadly too late to be of a good standard. By all means, she is welcome, but we can't promise time and effort for her etc.) and the son needs - like the girl new clothes often - days of jumble sale are nigh a thing of the past. Charity shops too dear.
Wife complains every weekend and twice during the week regards the cost of the pigeons. The waste of money and there are better and more importantly more needing things to spend the money on.
He comes home with near £275 pounds if having a little over time.... £165 - £210 rent. Or goes to pay the mortgage. Wife says that she wants Sky Tele / broadband. Kids need shoes this week, and it is a fortune direct Debbie for water and Council rates. So wife then helps by getting a job so many hours a week. Gosh, winter heating! Can't let the kids freeze... and that's nearly just the basics.


Then he has a fly away. 30 birds away. 4 found locally, 7 return. 19 away... struth at £35 a pop if reported!!!
No wonder the R.P.R.A the S.N.R.P ETC. TURN a blind eye. If they didn't 50% would soon black leg banned etc.
Time some grew up and smelt the coffee I honestly believe. Yes, I do feel that strong and have often got into a face to tell them so.

I remember in the 80`s it was £7.50 if you have a bird found, and the bird was sent on the train.

In our area the lads used to get all the strays together and release then after releasing their trainers
or take them to a stay centre.

Some times the number were well into the double figures, they never actualy reported them.

Not many returned to the loft they srayed into.

Regards.



,

.

Daz wrote:

Now I have posted for a decade or more now, and often, that many can afford - just to keep and race pigeons to a certain level only. But CAN'T afford to lose any.

It is why we often hear the more wealthy/able fancier complaining regards the fanciers not wanting their' 'Stray' back and make excuses. I honestly believe and state I 100% think that they are uncalled for, malicious and unsporting brain dead cretins.
These are often the very fancier that they beat week in and week out. Ones who help cut costs to them. Who bolster their' winnings.
Say a 23-year-old fancier with a wife, two kids and high mortgage or rent to pay, before food for the kids has 20 pairs of pigeons. Feed etc. and forget the medicine's - fortunately - has a girl starting gymnastic (They have to start young, my daughter was nigh 8 when I took her along. They gave her three weeks. Said, 'Yes quite good, brave and had an outstanding balance, but sadly too late to be of a good standard. By all means, she is welcome, but we can't promise time and effort for her etc.) and the son needs - like the girl new clothes often - days of jumble sale are nigh a thing of the past. Charity shops too dear.
Wife complains every weekend and twice during the week regards the cost of the pigeons. The waste of money and there are better and more importantly more needing things to spend the money on.
He comes home with near £275 pounds if having a little over time.... £165 - £210 rent. Or goes to pay the mortgage. Wife says that she wants Sky Tele / broadband. Kids need shoes this week, and it is a fortune direct Debbie for water and Council rates. So wife then helps by getting a job so many hours a week. Gosh, winter heating! Can't let the kids freeze... and that's nearly just the basics.


Then he has a fly away. 30 birds away. 4 found locally, 7 return. 19 away... struth at £35 a pop if reported!!!
No wonder the R.P.R.A the S.N.R.P ETC. TURN a blind eye. If they didn't 50% would soon black leg banned etc.
Time some grew up and smelt the coffee I honestly believe. Yes, I do feel that strong and have often got into a face to tell them so.

Absolutely true Daz I suggest in what you say etc . Same, same here the power brokers thou here actually don't give a rats a**e from my perspective about what actually is happening in the real world for the average type working man with a family & all that is attached with their scenario on average. Few years ago here they those with the power had a thought bubble moment & sent a question-are out to all the flyers for their insite at the time to our problems as such then. Total waste of time from my perspective sadly as what they actually should have done was send the question-are out to all the flyers that had left the sport in recent years to get a true & accurate account of why they had actually left the sport type of thing from my way of thinking etc    . Now     I kid you not     Rome is burning here on the local scene unfortunately & sadly from my point of view & the bean counter types with the smarts, suppossibly     have just placed a debt around the flyers necks of around 150,000 odd dollars, with little chance it will be paid off over the next 5/10 years I suspect. Smart     Dumb as horse sh*te     certain pigeon flyers I'm   at times     I've found. 

These sentiments have been around for at least 50 years, very well documented.

I have many times made suggestions regarding making the actual basic participation in the sport as cheap as possible and let those wanting to race for money do so by pools, up to any amount they want but entirely optional.


This would cut the costs for the less well off.


Having the short races transported on the day of the race would further cut the costs, reduce losses and avoid the raptors.


Also well documented many years ago.


Just read in the Cage and Aviary, once money becomes involved in any sport the rot sets in or words to that effect.


In got a voucher from Haighs for a similar letter I wrote in the same vein 20years ago.



Does take some people to catch up.


As things stand as much notice will be taken now as it was all those years ago.


Too many not affected in positions to do something and they are all money men, others could not be bothered.


There Is a RPRA AGM coming up and only one proposition that will affect the ordinary fancier and the sport in general.


Just shows how much fanciers actually care about the sports future.

I think the old boys have given up on the sport and are just enjoying the time they have left .


If the others do not get their fingers out there will be no sport within the next 5years or so.


That is not taking into consideration any possible bans brought about by existing or new health threats.


Every one of the sports problems have been well documented widely over the past 45 years obviously not long enough for the penny to drop.

Regards.

MISTY wrote:

These sentiments have been around for at least 50 years, very well documented.

I have many times made suggestions regarding making the actual basic participation in the sport as cheap as possible and let those wanting to race for money do so by pools, up to any amount they want but entirely optional.


This would cut the costs for the less well off.


Having the short races transported on the day of the race would further cut the costs, reduce losses and avoid the raptors.


Also well documented many years ago.


Just read in the Cage and Aviary, once money becomes involved in any sport the rot sets in or words to that effect.


In got a voucher from Haighs  for a similar letter I wrote in the same vein 20years ago.



Does take some people to catch up.


As  things stand as much notice  will be taken now as it was all those years ago.


Too many not affected in positions  to do something and they are all money men, others could not be bothered.


There Is  a RPRA AGM coming up and only one proposition that will affect  the ordinary fancier and the sport in general.


Just shows how much fanciers actually care about the sports future.

I think the old boys have given up on the sport and are just enjoying the time they have left .


If the others do not get their  fingers out there will be no sport within the next 5years or so.


That is not taking into consideration any possible bans brought about by existing or new health threats.


Every one of the sports problems have been well documented widely over the past 45 years obviously not long enough for the penny to drop.

Regards.      

The actual truth of the matter I suggest Misty on average is those at the top of the tree want the money from the peasant types at the bottom of the tree I suspect. They may spin the bottle every which way at times  for their own reasons sadly I'm but I suspect from what I have experienced, it is so       unfortunately .

the rpra must be coining in plenty of money when you think about it........think of all the wages they pay out to staff for a start

I dread getting a bird reported, I just can’t justify paying that sort of money on my families budget.

true steve, how can you send for them all back........even if you lost 6 birds racing that got reported, that's £300.

What I have attempted to point out is the fact that you can get as much pleasure from the sport if you pay 10p for a pigeon or a thousand pounds.

The only thing that makes this logic impossible is greed and the money men wanting to gamble along with taking all the spoils, the grass root fancier they ensure have to contribute the most relatively, because they are the vast majority without whom there would be no sport.

I would like to know how the advantage takers deal with strays, some "REAL" fanciers send over100 pigeons to a race or more, stats say they will lose many, do they pay to send for them, bet your bottom dollar, no, every one will be a world beater will transfer it, or alternatively send for it and offer it for sale at a ridiculous price.

A stray enters their loft, how dare it, you must send for it straight away or the "RULES".


They have to ensure the grass root fancier has enough pigeons to send or their little game would be over.

Please, Please, do not say Jack sends 100 pigeons and is a grand chap, look what he does for the sport etc; he gives to charity auctions etc; of course he does must supply the victims, and put
on a angelic face.

If a fancier has to send 100 pigeons then he/she in my mind does not know a pigeon from a duck, and only wins because of advantage in numbers, and sells a load of also rans on the strength of a couple of good ones that despite the fancier actually win.

Then he/she sells all the also rans, some actually win for others because having paid over the odds the new owners starts looking after them better than the ones they had, had they treated the previous ones the same their results would probably been better than the new ones.

No one investing thousands of pounds in anything does It for fun unless so rich they treat it as a bit of fun which using their wealth is an insult to the real grass root fancier.

The only thing the wealthy give to the sport is LIP SERVICE.


Just a little to kick about in the closed season, do not expect all to agree but then that is why the sport is in it's present state of APATHY.


Regards.

So the sport in some parts of the world is in apathy. So let it be so. People who want to race pigeons will. If people are not interested then that is up to them. All the posts on here or the majority of them, are for getting new fanciers involved. Beating a dead horse.

getting back to the original post:

It's a difficult one, if you had to pick up a reported bird @ 100 miles away you might decide to pick it up and take your own for a training toss depending on time of year and weather of course. Costing you under well £50 probably.
If it was at the opposite end of the country it either wouldn't be practical or would certainly cost you well over £50 so that's when the courier comes in.

If it was your best bird that got reported you'd pay the £50 and be thrilled to get it home regardless.
These companies have to make a profit, to be honest I wouldn't bother giving up my time and vehicle plus fuel for at least half a day or more for £50. I know thier logistics allow for scheduled pick ups to make it viable as a business, but by comparrison I just got some steel bars delivered from 8 miles away and delivery was £28.00.

A lot of people have thought there was a good living to be made collecting stray pigeons, or delivering sold ones from internet sites. Most of them have failed, that's a fact.
I think, but may be wrong, the most successful couriers have broad ranging delivery/courier services as their main business, running pigeons is only a part of what they do.

Not saying what's wrong or right but the only way to keep costs down with such a venture is for the Governing pigeon bodies to run their own service on a non-profit making scheme. Can't deny getting 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 birds reported each year will put a dent in most fanciers budget.

Nothing to do with the return of lost pigeons but relative to the sport.

Just looked up some of the prices pigeons reached in the Blackpool sales.


Cannot understand fanciers paying thousands for untried pigeons when it is a well established fact that in any loft only a very small proportion of those bred are any good at anything, and no fancier with a brain will sell their best, or potential best.

That is why those making a bomb from selling more rubbish than the real goods are able to continue doing so, many fanciers buying on pedigrees will have better performance pigeons in their own loft, dispose of them for the new flavour of the week and have to do the same over and over again in search of the Holy Grail.

Do not care where the original pigeons come from, if here has been winning genes in the background and you select on performance for long enough you will have as much success as anyone, all other things being equal, and it need not cost a bomb just a little less instant success
but once established well worth while.

Regards.