At BasketsGalore our motto if you like, or perhaps aim is a better word, is to "exceed our customers expectations"To achieve this we aim to offer a great product, at a great price along with a high level of customer service. We have 2 different people to please with every order. Our customer who has purchased the gift and the recipient who has received the gift.We offer a wide variety of gifts that are available for delivery between Monday-Friday, sometimes even Saturday for a supplement.However, there are certain gift baskets and hampers that we recommend not dispatching on a Friday, as instead of arriving overnight they arrive on Monday. If you upgrade to the Saturday service then it will of course arrive overnight, but on a Friday a "next day" delivery means "next working day" according to the courier delivery network in the UK & Ireland.So which baskets can't be sent on a Friday then?This would be any containing fresh fruit or smoked salmon.And why is this?Well as we mentioned, even if we send a gift on the express next day service on a Friday, this actually means it will be scheduled for Monday delivery.Why does it take a whole weekend to deliver it?Couriers in the UK & Ireland work separately to the postal system and so their normal operating hours are Monday-Friday. Saturday deliveries are an option as an upgrade, but you have to pay quite a bit extra for this specialist service.So you only send fruit & salmon baskets on a next day delivery basis?Yes we upgrade all fruit & salmon orders to the express next day delivery service, and dispatch them Monday-Thursday.Couldn't you just send it on Friday & hope for the best?Yes we could and they might well be OK, but we aim to exceed our customers expectations and so do not want to risk the fruit arriving slightly over-ripe or bruised. The salmon and ham is dispatched in a cool sleeve containing ice packs which last for up to 72 hours, but again we prefer to send it overnight so as it arrives in tip top condition.Does this not cause problems when people request a Monday though?Yes quite a lot of people seem to order fruit baskets on a Friday, and so the next available date in the calendar is Monday. Unfortunately we have no way to switch Monday off in the calendar, for only certain baskets so customers can still select it. However, we email them immediately to explain the situation and they got offered a number of options.1 - Upgrade to the Saturday delivery service, so it will arrive overnight2 -Wait until Monday, and dispatch for Tuesday arrival3 - Replace any fresh fruit or salmon with non perishable alternatives (sun-dried fruit or paté for example)Most customers are happy to wait until Tuesday, but some opt for the upgrade or replacement items as they need delivery more urgently.Are most customers satisfied with this?Yes most are happy with the explanation & that we are simply acting so as their order arrives perfectly. Some are a bit disappointed, if they really need a Monday delivery (to a hospital for example) and so we wanted to be able to show them in advance that delivery won't actually be until Tuesday so they can decide for themselves.As we said before we can't turn the calendar off altogether, as that would mean no-one else could order non-perishable baskets for Monday. Instead we came up with a warning message that displays when you are viewing fruit baskets after 3 pm on a Thursday.Surely I could just order elsewhere then?Many other companies also won't deliver fruit on a Monday. Some might not be as upfront about it as we are, and let you think it will arrive on Monday.Or perhaps they can offer Monday delivery if they outsource the order to a local grocers who deliver it on the day. the danger with that is that you might not get exactly what you expected, as with flowers. All our gift baskets come from a central depot and so you get exactly what you see on the website.Also our fruit baskets are unique and not easily replicated, as we combine them with lots of other goodies.I trust this explains the situation a little and our reasoning behind our decision. We get lots of positive feedback on our fresh fruit baskets so you won't be disappointed, even if you have to wait a little longer at the weekend!