Duplicate parcels

Bboingg · Post by **Bboingg** » 24 Sep 2020, 21:15

Two tracked parcels, with identical labels and tracking numbers, the second one won’t scan , as the first one is scanned and showing on the pda, so no record is possible of a duplicate delivery . What should you do?

xPandabear1992x · Post by **xPandabear1992x** » 24 Sep 2020, 21:19

What's the context?

Normally I just deliver as normal, if safespace is available then stick it in safespace, if dibbed then band it up and shelve it for redelivery/collect.

Post by **chocolatesaltyballs** » 24 Sep 2020, 21:26

Bboingg wrote:Two tracked parcels, with identical labels and tracking numbers, the second one won’t scan , as the first one is scanned and showing on the pda, so no record is possible of a duplicate delivery . What should you do?

I've had this a couple of times before and just assumed it was a scam, only paying postage for one and using it on two packets but I took photos of them on my phone in case there was any come back or denial of receiving.

xPandabear1992x · Post by **xPandabear1992x** » 24 Sep 2020, 21:32

chocolatesaltyballs wrote:
Bboingg wrote:Two tracked parcels, with identical labels and tracking numbers, the second one won’t scan , as the first one is scanned and showing on the pda, so no record is possible of a duplicate delivery . What should you do?
I've had this a couple of times before and just assumed it was a scam, only paying postage for one and using it on two packets but I took photos of them on my phone in case there was any come back or denial of receiving.

Wise. I personally think it's an incorrect/incomplete distribution process from the sender's side. I mean, if they slapped quantity numbers on the boxes like 1/2 2/2 etc then it would make sense.

It's kind of like when people have packets that say "leave in safe place if not in" at the bottom of the label but don't tell you what the safe space is in the next section of the label.

I've delivered to thousands of delivery points and I can only remember ONE delivery point that uses the safe place system properly.

Zicomurphy · Post by **Zicomurphy** » 24 Sep 2020, 22:40

Bboingg wrote:Two tracked parcels, with identical labels and tracking numbers, the second one won’t scan , as the first one is scanned and showing on the pda, so no record is possible of a duplicate delivery . What should you do?

I scan in a lot of tracked every day as ready for delivery when it arrives in the office. Normally get this at least once a day. It’s nearly always 2 items sent by the same company going to the same address. I put it down to a glitch in the system of the sending company rather than a deliberate attempt to defraud Royal Mail.

Route1 · Post by **Route1** » 24 Sep 2020, 23:09

Its been happening since tracks started. Its always from the same company to the same address. Told managers numerous times & they said it should have flagged up at the mail centre. Essentially they dont care.

Its either
a. postage scam to pay postage once for two items
b. an error where the same label has been used twice
c. an error when the same parcel has been sent twice

Dont care anymore. It just gets delivered

twoloops · Post by **twoloops** » 25 Sep 2020, 04:54

Not your problem, scan one, enter, scan the other, enter, finish your shift, go home & forget about it.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 25 Sep 2020, 06:57

Route1 wrote:Told managers numerous times & they said it should have flagged up at the mail centre. Essentially they dont care.

It can only be flagged up in the DOs. In MCs you'll have multiple people scanning the Tracked and unless it happens to be two consecutive items in the same bullring you'll never notice it. The people scanning the Tracked won't always be the ones sorting it. The new PDAs don't highlight the issue as they send each scan as it's done where as the old PDAs used to send the scans off in lots of 50 so you had the last 49 items stored locally that it would check against

Alantidey · Post by **Alantidey** » 25 Sep 2020, 07:16

I’ve been told that yes this is an attempt to only pay once for postage. I get them quite regularly.

My DOM has told me that we should scan one item and complete the process on that one item as in delivered or not, then do the second one.

Apparently it is picked up by the system so that the customer gets billed twice for the delivery.

goneaway · Post by **goneaway** » 25 Sep 2020, 10:28

Alantidey wrote:I’ve been told that yes this is an attempt to only pay once for postage. I get them quite regularly.

My DOM has told me that we should scan one item and complete the process on that one item as in delivered or not, then do the second one.

Apparently it is picked up by the system so that the customer gets billed twice for the delivery.

What if you accidentally scanned a single parcel as "delivered to customer" twice? Would they end up getting billed for that parcel twice? I can't see what the difference would be two scanning two duplicate labels with the same barcode on two different packages.

2yearpostie · Post by **2yearpostie** » 25 Sep 2020, 10:36

We just deliver one and take the other back to the office, if they complain they were expecting two items we surcharge it when they come to collect.

twoloops · Post by **twoloops** » 25 Sep 2020, 15:05

Alantidey wrote: Apparently it is picked up by the system so that the customer gets billed twice for the delivery.

That's rubbish, so if I scan a parcel numerous times, they get billed the amount of times I scan it

Alantidey · Post by **Alantidey** » 25 Sep 2020, 19:11

I thought so too but bowing to greater knowledge.

I would quite happily send it for surcharge but our d.o. no longer has control of these, as they get sent to mail centre to deal with.

Would appreciate a correct route to follow.

Bboingg · Post by **Bboingg** » 26 Sep 2020, 21:37

Maybe the PDA should be re-programmed to ask -
When the second one is scanned, whilst the first one is already scanned.
* Is this a duplicate?
* YES
* Take a photo of both side-by-side.

At the moment it just won't accept a second scan of the same code (when the first one is already showing)
Not the same as scanning one parcel twice cos you quickly forgot that you did it, or you're making sure.

Mr Rush · Post by **Mr Rush** » 29 Sep 2020, 22:38

It seems like a pretty fatal flaw in the tracking service where reality and the simple the barcode is the packet model programmed into it diverge. It's Kafkaesque to stand there on the doorstep with two packets to be told there's only one.