FEBRUARY 2025 - THE INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE IS CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED SO MAY BE OUT OF DATE, INCOMPLETE or INCORRECT. NEW INFORMATION ABOUT OUR COURIER SERVICE CHARGES IS BEING ADDED, ALONG WITH UPDATES REGARDING HOW THE SERVICE OPERATES.

ANY QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT US, THANK YOU.

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COURIER SERVICE

Cannot get to us? We may be able to deliver & pickup items from you (including donations).

Briefly about the Services

Our courier delivery & collection services are operated by a mix of volunteers & grant funded staff and consists of a locally operated Cargo E-Bike (assigned to Benthyg Penarth and ridden by volunteers) that can deliver small items within a short radius, and an E-Van for larger items and further distances (which is operated by a mix of volunteers and a grant-funded coordinator, is owned by Benthyg Cymru and made available to Benthyg Penarth as part of a the Vale of Glamorgan area Libraries of Things coverage - a similar van is also operated within Cardiff as the Benthyg Cardiff Mobile service.)

Both methods were initially set up using grant funding, with the sustainability of continued operation relying on various methods of income generation and sources. Because of this we will now be charging a small fee for use of these services (see Fees for this Service below).

DELIVERY AREAS

We can deliver & collect within the following locations:

- CF64 (Penarth, Cogan, Dinas Powys, Sully etc.)

- Vale of Glamorgan (Barry, Rhoose, Lantwit Major etc.)

- Cardiff (County boundary)

Please note that the above services booked through our system are for Benthyg Penarth items only. Cardiff's 3 locations (Ely, Splott, and Llandaff North & Gabalfa) have their own combined Benthyg Cardiff Mobile Service available to book via their websites (and with their own T&Cs), and Benthyg Barry is collection only from their store.

CF64 AREA

Penarth, Cogan, Llandough, Sully, Dinas Powys and all parts CF64 postcode area.

WEDNESDAYS & THURSDAYS, [SATURDAYS when volunteers are available].

E-Bike &/ E-Van

Please select either option:

2B CF64 Area Courier Service & 2V CF64 Area Courier Service

Note, you may currently see one or both options presented on the system - we are currently doing some adjustments to improve how items are made available for courier booking.

When booking multiple items, you may be asked to chose either 2B or 2V for each item, depending on which one it has been assigned. This doesn't matter for the purposes of booking the courier service overall - HOWEVER 2V items are those capable of only being carried by the van, but not the bike, the service for which may not always be available (2B items can be carried by bike and van).

Because we use both the BP cargo e-bike and the VoG e-van within the CF64 area, (but may not always have both available - depending on available volunteer riders for the bike, and drivers for the van & the van itself) we need to distinguish what items can & cannot be transported using the bike.

All items can be transported using the e-van, but not all items using the e-bike.

Currently our system has limited methods for doing this, so we are trialling out this particular way of doing it. (Please let us know if you encounter any issues with it).

[For the purposes of using the courier service, we no longer distinguish between whether you are booking for an e-bike or e-van courier, as we will choose the best possible method on the given day. The separation on the system is merely to help us facilitate this choice. (i.e. if you have a mix of 2B & 2V we would look to use the van only, and if you have only 2B we might use either. We would not split a single trip across both methods unless there are mitigating circumstances. Courier fees will remain the same regardless of method(s) used.]

3 Vale of Glamorgan Courier Service

THURSDAYS

All other parts of the Vale of Glamorgan (via the VoG e-van only).

Notes

While this option is primarily to be selected by those who are outside of the CF64 area, this does include delivery within it (though you should look to select option 2 above).

Reminder - This service and timings are for the delivery &/ collection of Benthyg Penarth stock only, and not that of Benthyg Barry. If you are having issues with acquiring items from or returning them to Benthyg Barry please CONTACT THEM to discuss these issues and they will contact the VoG Van Courier if needed.

Quick FAQ - Can I return Benthyg Penarth items (or items from another Benthyg location) to Benthyg Barry instead of them being collected by the courier?

In short, no. Because of its location, Benthyg Barry is unable to accommodate items from other Benthygs. Should you have an issue with returning an item to us (e.g. you won't be available on date &/ time it is due to be collected), please CONTACT US to request arranging an alternative option.

4 Cardiff Courier Service

WEDNESDAYS

All parts of Cardiff (County)

Notes

Please note this is the Benthyg VoGC Van service which is separate from the Cardiff Courier Service (see Splott & Ely) for their options. We are currently not able to offer a collection & return service on their behalf.

If you are having issues with acquiring items from or returning them to the cardiff locations, please CONTACT THEM (ACE, SPLOTT) to discuss these issues and they will contact us if needed.

Quick FAQ - Can I return Benthyg Penarth items to a Cardiff based Benthyg instead of them being collected by the VoG Courier?

Depends.

Please CONTACT US first to inquire about the possibility of arranging. Benthyg Penarth, The Benthyg Vale of Glamorgan Courier Service, Cardiff based locations & the Benthyg Cardiff Mobile Service do cross-collaborate, so we may be able to sort something out with them. (However, we cannot refund any fees previously paid for the courier service, should you switch to this option.)

Fees for these Services (from Feb 2025)

To help keep our courier service & vehicles operational we have now implemented a small fee to cover this.

This fee will be manually applied to your reservation prior to the checkout process. Note, this fee is charged once, regardless of the number of items or number of loans you have being delivered / collected that day. For distinction we refer to each delivery / collection as a TRIP.

Charges

1 Trip (Delivery or Collection) +£3

2 Trips (Delivery & Collection) +4

Self-Collection / Return in Person from/to The Garage & The Kymin, Pop-ups, Events and other locations (including out-of-hours arrangements): Free

Discounts & Waived Fees

We are not entirely strict about charging these fees, and may, at our discretion, discount or waive them for various reasons.

We will also not look to not charge the fee should we change your means of returning items to us, due to our actions (e.g. we had to close on the day they are due for you to drop off back to us and instead we offer to collect, or we request that we collect from you due to the conveniences or advantages doing so that might occur... or similar scenarios).

Also, if you have any issues with paying an additional fee on top of your loan fees (such as struggling finances), please contact us as we may look to offer an alternative.

Donated Item Collection - We will not charge for the collection of donated items.

Voluntary £donations to help keep us running are also welcome.

Costume Courier Service

Our Children's Costume options are quite popular (especially around major dates like St David's Day, World Book Day, Halloween etc.), and we don't charge a great amount for borrowing them (just £2 per costume, per borrow during an event period, rather than on a per-week basis).

To reflect this we also offer a special rate for local delivery around the CF64 area (for Vale of Glamorgan & Cardiff addresses alternative fees may apply at our discretion).

Costume delivery service is currently capped at just £1 for collection &/ delivery within the CF64 area. For the other locations outside these areas we will charge £2 (C&D), as these will require us to use the van only.

Note, should your trip include additional items that are covered by the general fee, we will not add this additional fee, only charging the general rate(s).

Self-collection &/ return to The Kymin or other designated location (e.g. and event pop-up) is Free.

TIMINGS

Reservations for our courier service can be self-booked on the system up to 3hrs before the indicated start time (usually up to 10am on the day for a 1pm set-off). This is to ensure we are able to add all items for delivery to the run and work out the route & schedule. If you are looking to book after the self-booking period has closed, please ring us between 1230 & 1pm on the day so we can see if this is possible.

Timeslots listed on our website are merely an indicator that our courier service is available on that day, and which areas are covered. It does not indicate an estimated arrival period to a booked destination.

Couriers will look start their routes during store opening hours. Where possible our courier will leave by 1pm.

Arrival at your location will depend on:

- Distance from starting point (e.g. Kymin)

- No. of other stops on route.

- Traffic

- Other dynamic factors.

Where possible we will look to message you via text on the day with an approximate arrival time. Please let us know asap if there are any issues with this, so we can inform the courier.

Evening & Specified Time Slots

We are currently not offering this as a standard service, however if you would be unable to receive the courier at the time indicated, please CONTACT US before the due date to let us know so we can look to arrange alternative options.

UNAVAILABILITY OF THE SERVICE

From time-to-time we may have to limit, reschedule, or temporarily withdraw one or more of these services, &/ the availability of some of our items being available for transport through it.

This may be for any of the following reasons:

- no available rider &/ driver (Volunteering as a courier)

- bike &/ van are temporarily out of service, or being used elsewhere.

- hazardous weather conditions (mainly affecting the safety of using the bike)

- we are not operating the service &/ Kymin store during normal operating hours

- temporary issues with access to one or more of our storage locations, preventing us from retrieving our stock.

- we are participating in a local event that may necessitate the use of the vehicle(s).

- other reasons not listed here.

When we withdraw the service ahead of time, the option to self-reserve items for it will not be available on the system (there will be no operational hours to select from). If we have to dynamically withdraw the service at short notice, we will look to inform any pre-existing reservations & returns of this, and look to make alternative arrangements. We may also choose to waive any outstanding courier fees as well. Please look out for announcements on our Home Page, Facebook & Instagram.

ABOUT OUR DELIVERY METHODS

Cargo E-Bike - This is capable of carrying small, lightish items. This option will only be selectable on applicable (2B designated) items. Please note that due to weight limits, a loan of multiple items may need to be split delivery / collection, though this will still count as 1 Trip.

We can only deliver within the CF64 area + immediately across the Pont-Y-Werin Bridge as far as Ferry Rd.

To ensure the safety of our riders, we may choose to not operate the e-bike in adverse weather such as heavy rain, extreme cold and high winds. Where possible we will look to provide alternative methods, but this may mean a delay in service.

E-Van - This is capable of carrying all items (now including BP-0339 Ladder) and will deliver to all listed areas. The E-Van will be used when it is more beneficial to do so than the E-Bike.

Shank's Pony - If you're within close proximity to The Kymin, and have a light enough item(s) (and the weather isn't too horrible), we may reach you on foot instead.

Notes

BP-0339 - Ladder (2 Section - Straight) is ~4.5m in length when closed - On foot delivery/collection possible within Penarth area only OR you will have to supply a vehicle capable of transporting. See listing for details..

IMPORTANT CHECKLIST!

BEFORE BOOKING

ARE YOUR ACCOUNT DETAILS CORRECT?

Please ensure that your address is correct and complete on your account, including House/building No. (& Flat No.  &/ Building Name if applicable), street name, town/city, County & Postcode. This will ensure that we can correctly find you. If you have any specific locating instructions, you can add those to your loan reservation using the notes function.

If you need to update your address details, please do so at time of reservation so we have the correct address on file.

DOES YOUR LOCATION HAVE ANY SPECIAL ACCESS DETAILS OR DIRECTIONS?

Please add these to the bottom of your reservation using the ADD NOTE function.

DURING RECEIPT OF ITEM

- Have your payment method ready - Cash (Change will be available), Card/NFC (via Sumup) - We also accept BP Vouchers & TEMPO TIME CREDITS (1 credit = up to £5 worth of borrowing & courier fees - About / sign up).

- FIRST TIME BORROWERS - You will be asked to show ID & sign a Borrower’s Agreement & Liability Waiver form - Couriers carry copies, or, if you have printed a copy from the website, please hand over the signed sheet (retain the remainder), or, if you have returned a digital copy, please let the courier know.

- Don’t forget to also check with the courier when the item will likely be collected (Note, timings are either going to be similar or later - due to new deliveries going out before collections are made).

READY FOR RETURN

- Please ensure the item is CLEANED & HAS ALL PARTS!

- Please let the courier know if there are any issues with the item (e.g. something broke, it needs more consumable etc.)

- Don’t forget to also give us any positive feedback on how useful it was for you too!

- If you want to check possible pickup time please CONTACT US (you can text us, or call during opening hours).

ABOUT OUR COURIERS

Our courier services are run by volunteers &/ grant-funded staff, who offer their times as and when they can be available. While we will look to keep a regularly scheduled service, this may not always be possible, but we will look to arrange alternatives with both couriers and borrowers to ensure our items are delivered/returned as soon as possible. If you feel we could improve the service by assisting, we welcome volunteers (see this page for more details).

FAQs

I'm a First Time Borrower, anything Important I need to know when booking this service?

YES.

First time borrowers (the account holder who made the reservation) will need to read the Borrower's Agreement & Liability Waiver. and sign to say you agree to them. The courier will carry a copy of the signing chit, or you can download it here [link pending], print off the last page, sign and hand it over to them.

We also expect to do a one-time check of the ID of new account holders as part of this process, so would prefer you to be the item recipient (though we understand if this is not always possible, and ask you to notify us if there will be someone else accepting on your behalf).

We also cannot leave certain items with anyone in the household under the age of 18.

We can only deliver to the address on the account and not

Can Items booked be delivered/collected on an alternative day?

Normal reservations are for 1 week, with items booked for delivery automatically scheduled for return collection 1 week later (provided the system has this option - see UNAVAILABILITY OF SERVICE above).

Being able to individually schedule an out-of-hours delivery/collection will be at the discretion of a rel