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Unknown return - Please help

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rickbrett
Posts: 5
Joined: 21 Sep 2021, 12:16
Gender: Male

Unknown return - Please help

Post by rickbrett »

Hi folks, I am turning to you in desparation and hoping someone can help. I am a small business and have been sending parcels all around the World for the last 30 Years. I have been using the same local post office and I take 10 parcels there every week. Obviously they have the correct return address on, a correct customs form, even an arrow saying deliver to! The delivery address is correct and often comes with the Ebay code saying that all taxes have been paid. I give them to the clerk, she deals with them, prints a label off and sends it out.

However, I am now getting One back every week and NO ONE can tell me why ? ? ? The post office can't the complaints can't the sorting office can't . . . but they all come back with a similar bar code and it is always placed over the delivery address!

Not only is my business now suffering but my customers are giving me grief and I am obviously now spending £20 to send my parcels out instead of £10

Oh, and every time I send it back out with a reprinted label it gets through!

What on earth is going on ?

Thanks!
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Grumpyoldmailman
Posts: 810
Joined: 24 Nov 2019, 22:29
Gender: Male

Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by Grumpyoldmailman »

Overseas Customs seem to be rejecting loads of stuff since Brexit.
SpacePhoenix
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 10213
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Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by SpacePhoenix »

Any particular country that seems to be rejecting a lot?
rickbrett
Posts: 5
Joined: 21 Sep 2021, 12:16
Gender: Male

Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by rickbrett »

Thanks for asking, but No, from the percentage sent, the ratio is correct, I get more back from the USA than from Australia but I post more to the USA, and none from Europe yet.

It's been hapenning the last 3 Months

Always the same size label and barcode and always in the same place obliterating the actual address

I am at a loss and there is no actual way to claim the cost back :roll:
aiden01
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
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Joined: 27 Feb 2013, 21:43
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Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by aiden01 »

SpacePhoenix wrote:
21 Sep 2021, 19:27
Any particular country that seems to be rejecting a lot?
Republic of ireland are rejecting a hell of a lot.
postman2014
Posts: 64
Joined: 04 Aug 2013, 00:15
Gender: Male

Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by postman2014 »

I think its because the return label is to big and looks like the send to address, obvious to us but agency workers and less experienced workers won't know. I would make it smaller and circle the address its going to in crayon ect.... that's the only reason for it being sent back. I would peel that little tracking label off and send it back to the post office as it came back to you in error so no extra fee to pay.
rickbrett
Posts: 5
Joined: 21 Sep 2021, 12:16
Gender: Male

Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by rickbrett »

postman2014 wrote:
22 Sep 2021, 14:46
I think its because the return label is to big and looks like the send to address, obvious to us but agency workers and less experienced workers won't know. I would make it smaller and circle the address its going to in crayon ect.... that's the only reason for it being sent back. I would peel that little tracking label off and send it back to the post office as it came back to you in error so no extra fee to pay.
Thanks for taking the time to reply! I even write "Deliver to" with an arrow above every label, maybe those that don't speak fluent English would struggle :cry

I have tried to peel that little label off many times, but it's a bugger to get off and I have only ever managed to get a quesrter of One off.
postman2014
Posts: 64
Joined: 04 Aug 2013, 00:15
Gender: Male

Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by postman2014 »

rickbrett wrote:
23 Sep 2021, 08:46
postman2014 wrote:
22 Sep 2021, 14:46
I think its because the return label is to big and looks like the send to address, obvious to us but agency workers and less experienced workers won't know. I would make it smaller and circle the address its going to in crayon ect.... that's the only reason for it being sent back. I would peel that little tracking label off and send it back to the post office as it came back to you in error so no extra fee to pay.
Thanks for taking the time to reply! I even write "Deliver to" with an arrow above every label, maybe those that don't speak fluent English would struggle :cry

I have tried to peel that little label off many times, but it's a bugger to get off and I have only ever managed to get a quesrter of One off.
Just put a fresh lable over it. Saves the hassle. Just tell the post office they accidentally sent it back to you and can they put it back in the system for it to be delivered correctly!
SpacePhoenix
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 10213
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Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by SpacePhoenix »

I believe that Heathrow MC (HWDC) do a lot of their parcel sorting by machine. With a lot of countries requiring that the customs declaration be locate don the front of a item, maybe the system there has been programmed to treat whatever side the customs declaration is on as the front of the item
Grumpyoldmailman
Posts: 810
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Gender: Male

Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by Grumpyoldmailman »

SpacePhoenix wrote:
21 Sep 2021, 19:27
Any particular country that seems to be rejecting a lot?
Sweden seems to be the country we see lots of stuff coming back from, have seen afew from Germany and Spain this week also marked “rejected by customs”. They take an age to come back looking at the dates on the barcodes.
rickbrett
Posts: 5
Joined: 21 Sep 2021, 12:16
Gender: Male

Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by rickbrett »

ALL my returns have the same small barcode label OVER the address, I thank you for your suggestions, but SOMEONE must know what exactly that label means.

All your suggestions are appreciated, but I am still frustrated at the root cause.
SpacePhoenix
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 10213
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Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by SpacePhoenix »

It's probably the tracking number that's encoded in the 2D barcode on the postage label. AFAIK 2D barcodes are only useful within the UK as 1D barcodes are the standard for tracking numbers going between countries. Is the barcode label always orientated the same (which would suggest that it's being applied by a machine)?
crillz
Posts: 6
Joined: 27 Sep 2021, 00:00
Gender: Male

Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by crillz »

Grumpyoldmailman wrote:
26 Sep 2021, 22:18
SpacePhoenix wrote:
21 Sep 2021, 19:27
Any particular country that seems to be rejecting a lot?
Sweden seems to be the country we see lots of stuff coming back from, have seen afew from Germany and Spain this week also marked “rejected by customs”. They take an age to come back looking at the dates on the barcodes.
I am waiting for a parcel thats been rejected by the German customs - is there a date on the label/ package on how long it took to return. As I am still waiting for nearly a month now for mine. Last update was 'The item was processed on 31.08.2021 at our Logistics Center in Frankfurt Flughafen.' :(
rickbrett
Posts: 5
Joined: 21 Sep 2021, 12:16
Gender: Male

Re: Unknown return - Please help

Post by rickbrett »

SpacePhoenix wrote:
29 Sep 2021, 10:25
It's probably the tracking number that's encoded in the 2D barcode on the postage label. AFAIK 2D barcodes are only useful within the UK as 1D barcodes are the standard for tracking numbers going between countries. Is the barcode label always orientated the same (which would suggest that it's being applied by a machine)?
Yes, it is ALWAYS at an angle, smack in the middle of the address label so that the actual original label is illegible, I did wonder why it was always so correctly positioned and now realise that it is so that it virtually impossible to now deliver to the correct address.

So, we now know it is from a machine, but where, and more importantly WHY ?


With the latest package, I simply put a new label over the bar code and gave it back to my Post Office - It arrived safely in Australia 10 days later :nana
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