Dear Steve Rayson ...

[P13]

Christ PDAs are piss easy. scan delivered and type the name after knocking the door, if they don`t answer click back and not delivered, what could be easier? piddling about with a bit of paper and peeling off the barcode is so out of date.

How do you know the customers name before they answer the door ?

It's probably on the item to be delivered I'd have thought

The person who answers the door does not neccessarly have the same name as the person for whom the packet is addressed to hence the reason you are supposed to ask them what their surname is.

[dvbuk55]

Christ PDAs are piss easy. scan delivered and type the name after knocking the door, if they don`t answer click back and not delivered, what could be easier? piddling about with a bit of paper and peeling off the barcode is so out of date.

How do you know the customers name before they answer the door ?

It's probably on the item to be delivered I'd have thought

The person who answers the door does not neccessarly have the same name as the person for whom the packet is addressed to hence the reason you are supposed to ask them what their surname is.

Of course but you can make an educated guess - especially as most posties deliver to the same addresses every day. If you want to be pedantic of course - fill yer boots.

[dvbuk55]

I thought it was a trick question

Not everything is a trick question Shambles - normally the answer is yes or no

[Shambles]

I thought it was a trick question

Not everything is a trick question Shambles - normally the answer is yes or no

Really Does that mean I can stop analysing everything, and just relax

yes or no

Ty dvbuk...huge weight off my shoulders

[dvbuk55]

I thought it was a trick question

Not everything is a trick question Shambles - normally the answer is yes or no

Really Does that mean I can stop analysing everything, and just relax

yes or no

Ty dvbuk...huge weight off my shoulders

Well not entirely Shambles - you do need to analyse the question before deciding on whether or not it's something you'd be comfortable with

[Shambles]

Oh ok

[dvbuk55]

Oh ok

Is that a yes then?

[mickeymacca]

The ONLY advantage the PDA has over pen and paper is that its waterproof. Theyre heavy, cumbersome, VERY unreliable, and quite frankly a pain the arse. Theyare the reason I came off PnL, as I kept having take the battery on, reconnection to comms, and typing in my duty code and off all morning, added an hour to my time. So I moved to HCTs and they gave HCTs PDAs I got a brand new one, last about 4 weeks, then started playing up. Now I reconnect to comms daily about 4 times, and have to take the battery out once a day. Also ive never taken 1 sinlge signature that the customer has been happy with, its always "that looks nothing like my signature". Then theres the lock it, unlock it, lock it, unlock it. If you dont lock it it beeps like jimmy saville in a nursery everytime it touches something, that and/or ends up on some random screen ive no idea how to get back from, so its battery off and start again

'The ONLY advantage the PDA has over pen and paper is that its waterproof.'

what about the hassle finding a pen, your paperwork, getting your phone out to find the time? the informative messages we get from HQ ( OK I am struggling now)

, 'as I kept having take the battery on, reconnection to comms, and typing in my duty code and off all morning, added an hour to my time.'

seriously an hour to your time? if there is an issue do you just not revert to the old method of pen and paper? if it adds an hour to your time is n't that just less time to deliver meaning you have to cut off?

'Now I reconnect to comms daily about 4 times'

Is this a time consuming process? have n't experienced it yet myself

'Then theres the lock it, unlock it, lock it, unlock it. If you dont lock it it beeps like jimmy saville in a nursery everytime it touches something, that and/or ends up on some random screen ive no idea how to get back from, so its battery off and start again [/quote]

I did n't even know it had a lock on it, agree with the beeping not that big a deal though, have ended up on a random screen as well though (like a phone layout), I just scanned the next item and it corrected itself I think.

'Also ive never taken 1 sinlge signature that the customer has been happy with, its always "that looks nothing like my signature"

Blimey, where do you deliver miserable-ville! I think it is the low pixellated screen that accounts for the unclear signatures. I think when it is shown on a larger screen it becomes more recognisable ( I may be making that up though!). Do you not have a bit of banter with your customers when they sign?

I've set myself up to be reminded of the inadequacies of the PDA in the future by writing this post, so feel free to remind me if/when my attitude changes.....

[Shambles]

Kippers

[cweg]

I'm sure they're good when they actually work.

Mine is constantly moaning about its battery, even though it's only been out of the charging cradle for about half an hour. The battery message pops up in front of everything else, so if you get it when people are signing they have to start again. Happened 3 times when some old dear was trying to sign for a packet earlier in the week.

Hardly any have the stylus still attached too, so you have to ask folk to sign with an upside down biro.

[dvbuk55]

Oh ok

Is that a yes then?

Ambiguity is my middle name ...

Now that's interesting I knew a girl once called Ambiguity she could never make her mind up, I always seemed to be left hanging, waiting for a response

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Do you 2 need a private area.

[dvbuk55]

Do you 2 need a private area.

Double or single Sorry. Things just pop into my head

[mickeymacca]

Pen and paper? Yeah, tried that once, got a 1 yr reprimand - no joke.

Low resolution screen means sigs arent gona be clear? Yeah coz they bought cheap ass brick like del boy esque phones that do about 300 different jobs, but we only use them for 1! Surely they can come up with something the size and weight of a mobile that just does signatures, rather than something thats probably capable of manualy flying a boeing 747, and weighs the same as one. Also try explaining to a 90yro woman that she cant read her sig coz its a low resolution cheap ass screen.

The hassle of finding a pen? You for real? Its MUCH easier to grab a pen from your pocket, the same pocket that your delivery card and form lefts are in, than to unlock your HCT, unlock your PDA, log in, scan the item, fill the polish name in, then knock.

Takes me an hour extra on bad days - yeah it does, imagine having to send out 3 extra bags coz your HCT is bustling, you have 15 tracked shoe boxes, 10 recordeds and 6 specials, thats 31 sigs, knocks, discussions about screen resolution etc etc, not to mention filling cards out. Meaning I leave in? No, thelast 30 people to leave mail in at my place where soon after dismissed for "other offences". Its just not what you do. Also I walk at 7 mph i`ll have you know, and im normally done by 12 -1230 most days, so taking an hour longer just means im out an hour longer.

Miserable-Ville? Well kind of, my youngest customer is about 78, no joke. Its a big estate, and the people who bought the houses when they where built 50/60 years ago, still live there.

The lock button is on the bottom, if you dont use it you`ll often find it calls the airport or the fire service whilst its banging around in your trolley.

When I did PnL the PDA was often left on top of the van, or in the wrong bag, or going flat, or going dead , or freezing. Now on hcts its just cumbersome and time consuming, and very unreliable.

Ha Ha quality reply made me laugh...

Serious question. Do you have to log in and log off every day, and as such do you see the PDAs as way of keeping tabs on us ( I work in rurals, so have no management contact) and to see how long duties are taking?

[Shambles]

Kippers