Incoming International parcels requiring signature

[simmo11]

Hi everyone

We receive a certain number per week of parcels incoming from abroad with a tracking element that has been purchased overseas when posting. These items have a tracking code as UK items except instead of 'GB' for the last two letters there is the particular country code (I am sure you are all familiar).

We have noticed recently that increasingly these parcels (although they tend to have a Royal Mail red 'Signature Required' label) are just going in the regular sack with our packets and we are not being asked to sign for them. Specials and Recordeds are given separately and scanned/signed for. Although much rarer, we have also had the odd Tracked in a bag too...

Is this a common occurrence? Is it just the case that as foreign mail they are given less priority? It is inconvenient for us and unfair to the customer who has paid for a signature service. We also get disputes from time to time when delivery scans are not obtained.

Any advise, as always, gratefully received... :)

[SpacePhoenix]

Does your postman use a paper form or a pda for dealing with anything that needs signing for?

If it's a pda, afaik the pdas will always reject any barcode not ending in GB so if they don't have a paper form available as a backup then they don't have any choice, they have to just deliver it with whatever stuff is being delivered to you. The only other option in that case would be for them to hand you a "you were out" card and you'd have to collect it from your local delivery office (however far you are away from it). It sounds like you've been signing for RM special delivery and recorded items ok.

Not all RM Tracked items need a signature, some your postman just needs to scan it as delivered when delivering it.

If your postman is using a pda and doesn't have the paper forum available as a backup another possibility is that their pda has either crashed or the battery has run out.

[shipmaster122]

We also often receive International items (mostly from China), on which there is a "Registered" label, and a red "Signature Required" label, and we actually sometimes say "Oh, doesn't that need a signature?", and we are just told that "It'll be fine, you don't need to sign for that"..

So even though there is a bright red sticker on it clearly stating that a signature is required, posties seem to think they don't need to get signatures..

It is a bit weird.. I'm glad you brought this up.

[DGP1]

I always get signatures when the item has a barcode that scans, so all foreign items get a signature or are P739'd and returned to the office for collection. People not doing it are either not been trained or they are trying to cut corners to get finished early/on time.

[Straight4ward]

Does your postman use a paper form or a pda for dealing with anything that needs signing for?

If it's a pda, afaik the pdas will always reject any barcode not ending in GB so if they don't have a paper form available as a backup then they don't have any choice, they have to just deliver it with whatever stuff is being delivered to you. The only other option in that case would be for them to hand you a "you were out" card and you'd have to collect it from your local delivery office (however far you are away from it). It sounds like you've been signing for RM special delivery and recorded items ok.

Not all RM Tracked items need a signature, some your postman just needs to scan it as delivered when delivering it.

If your postman is using a pda and doesn't have the paper forum available as a backup another possibility is that their pda has either crashed or the battery has run out.

Not so. The pda's will accept foreign registered providing they are the standard 2 alpha, 9 numeric, 2 alpha codes.
On the odd occasion I have to enter the number manually as, for some unknown reason, it won't scan but other than that, no problem.

[clashcityrocker]

If it says a signature is required then.......a signature is required.
I believe RM is so unhappy with the quality of service with these items they have started sending out test items .
Seems like a pretty pointless way to lose your job.

[DGP1]

If it says a signature is required then.......a signature is required.
I believe RM is so unhappy with the quality of service with these items they have started sending out test items .
Seems like a pretty pointless way to lose your job.

Seems that way to me too.............maybe we should use this tag line for all the corner cutting activities

[simmo11]

If it says a signature is required then.......a signature is required.
I believe RM is so unhappy with the quality of service with these items they have started sending out test items .
Seems like a pretty pointless way to lose your job.

So they shouldn't be going in the bag then with the regular packets?

Thanks all for the responses

[Lounge Lizard]

If it says a signature is required then.......a signature is required.
I believe RM is so unhappy with the quality of service with these items they have started sending out test items .
Seems like a pretty pointless way to lose your job.

So they shouldn't be going in the bag then with the regular packets?

Thanks all for the responses

But Recorded Deliveries go in the bag then with the regular packets and you get a signature for them, so why not the incoming international registered ?

[simmo11]

If it says a signature is required then.......a signature is required.
I believe RM is so unhappy with the quality of service with these items they have started sending out test items .
Seems like a pretty pointless way to lose your job.

So they shouldn't be going in the bag then with the regular packets?

Thanks all for the responses

But Recorded Deliveries go in the bag then with the regular packets and you get a signature for them, so why not the incoming international registered ?

Not so. We get Recordeds and Specials handed to us separately and are signed for.

Everything else is just given to us in a bag. Ie the Recordeds have already been taken out by this time.

[TeeferTiger]

If it says a signature is required then.......a signature is required.
I believe RM is so unhappy with the quality of service with these items they have started sending out test items .
Seems like a pretty pointless way to lose your job.

So they shouldn't be going in the bag then with the regular packets?

Thanks all for the responses

But Recorded Deliveries go in the bag then with the regular packets and you get a signature for them, so why not the incoming international registered ?

Not so. We get Recordeds and Specials handed to us separately and are signed for.

Everything else is just given to us in a bag. Ie the Recordeds have already been taken out by this time.

I think wires have been crossed here. When Recordeds arrive at the DO, they arrive in the same bag as the packets, unlike Specials which arrive in a separate bag and are handled in a separate area. The RDs and packets are all sorted in the same area into the same bag for the postie to sort out on his frame. He then leaves them out of the bag he delivers to you, which he's put the packets that don't require a signature in. Does that make sense?

[simmo11]

If it says a signature is required then.......a signature is required.
I believe RM is so unhappy with the quality of service with these items they have started sending out test items .
Seems like a pretty pointless way to lose your job.

So they shouldn't be going in the bag then with the regular packets?

Thanks all for the responses

But Recorded Deliveries go in the bag then with the regular packets and you get a signature for them, so why not the incoming international registered ?

Not so. We get Recordeds and Specials handed to us separately and are signed for.

Everything else is just given to us in a bag. Ie the Recordeds have already been taken out by this time.

I think wires have been crossed here. When Recordeds arrive at the DO, they arrive in the same bag as the packets, unlike Specials which arrive in a separate bag and are handled in a separate area. The RDs and packets are all sorted in the same area into the same bag for the postie to sort out on his frame. He then leaves them out of the bag he delivers to you, which he's put the packets that don't require a signature in. Does that make sense?

Exactly. And my point is that whilst Recordeds etc are being left aside, these International items are just left in the bag and not signed for.

[fishtank]

The next time the postie hands you the bag,stop him and empty the bag.
If he asks what you are doing tell him you are checking for foreign signed fors.
He will soon get the message.

[TeeferTiger]

If it says a signature is required then.......a signature is required.
I believe RM is so unhappy with the quality of service with these items they have started sending out test items .
Seems like a pretty pointless way to lose your job.

So they shouldn't be going in the bag then with the regular packets?

Thanks all for the responses

But Recorded Deliveries go in the bag then with the regular packets and you get a signature for them, so why not the incoming international registered ?

Not so. We get Recordeds and Specials handed to us separately and are signed for.

Everything else is just given to us in a bag. Ie the Recordeds have already been taken out by this time.

I think wires have been crossed here. When Recordeds arrive at the DO, they arrive in the same bag as the packets, unlike Specials which arrive in a separate bag and are handled in a separate area. The RDs and packets are all sorted in the same area into the same bag for the postie to sort out on his frame. He then leaves them out of the bag he delivers to you, which he's put the packets that don't require a signature in. Does that make sense?

Exactly. And my point is that whilst Recordeds etc are being left aside, these International items are just left in the bag and not signed for.

I think sometimes they're perhaps not noticed because they haven't got the usual stickers on for recordeds and sometimes it's pure laziness because they think that they won't be tracked from another country so there's no point getting a signature for it. I also know that when I used to try and scan the items/enter the code into the guns to confirm them as delivered, the guns wouldn't accept the code either, so perhaps they've been told at some point by the PHG not to bother because one code didn't work and so they now don't do it for any of them.... Who knows!

[arnold cheshire]

If it says a signature is required then.......a signature is required.
I believe RM is so unhappy with the quality of service with these items they have started sending out test items .
Seems like a pretty pointless way to lose your job.

So they shouldn't be going in the bag then with the regular packets?

Thanks all for the responses

But Recorded Deliveries go in the bag then with the regular packets and you get a signature for them, so why not the incoming international registered ?

Not so. We get Recordeds and Specials handed to us separately and are signed for.

Everything else is just given to us in a bag. Ie the Recordeds have already been taken out by this time.

I think wires have been crossed here. When Recordeds arrive at the DO, they arrive in the same bag as the packets, unlike Specials which arrive in a separate bag and are handled in a separate area. The RDs and packets are all sorted in the same area into the same bag for the postie to sort out on his frame. He then leaves them out of the bag he delivers to you, which he's put the packets that don't require a signature in. Does that make sense?

Exactly. And my point is that whilst Recordeds etc are being left aside, these International items are just left in the bag and not signed for.

I think sometimes they're perhaps not noticed because they haven't got the usual stickers on for recordeds and sometimes it's pure laziness because they think that they won't be tracked from another country so there's no point getting a signature for it. I also know that when I used to try and scan the items/enter the code into the guns to confirm them as delivered, the guns wouldn't accept the code either, so perhaps they've been told at some point by the PHG not to bother because one code didn't work and so they now don't do it for any of them.... Who knows!

what time are they saving by not getting a signature your there so they might has well get your signature when youre signing for the other recordeds