When Your PDA crashes...

wannabeek · Post by **wannabeek** » 03 Dec 2016, 18:14

I'm guessing this will be a recurring problem this Christmas so I've a few basic tips I've learned here:

Log in EARLY - there's a massive slowdown at 9am with all the posties connecting so get your PDA and download route as soon as possible - 7:15 has reliably been ok.

If you cannot download the route, try putting in 10 zeroes as the route code (9 or 11 will not be accepted so count 10). Don't bother with a collection code, just ad-hoc all the boxes when you get to them.

When the device 'black screens', press all the side buttons rapidly and one of two things will happen. Either it'll return to normal functionality or it'll crash and you'll need to log in from scratch again - either of those is better than the 180 second wait for the 'black screen' to end - because it will subsequently happen every time you scan every.... single... item....!

When you get back to office and find a functioning PDA with your pages of unscanned items scribbled out, go to 'indoor' mode then find the 'failed scanner' option before inputting them, otherwise the gps will say you delivered them at the DO. That's not allowed.

These things are a bit crap eh, any more useful tips? (Useful ones, not 'put them in the bin' or 'stick them up the lino's ass'....)

*edits. Sorry I cannot knowingly leave spelling mistakes!

Bahia Feliz · Post by **Bahia Feliz** » 03 Dec 2016, 18:19

Mine was working but,It wasn't actually logged into the server.I ad hocked the boxes,It went Black a few times but came back on after a minute or so,There were loads of unsent items but,it must have logged on again at some point as the unsent items icon went to Zero!

steve1873 · Post by **steve1873** » 03 Dec 2016, 18:31

wannabeek wrote:I'm guessing this will be a recurring problem this Christmas so I've a few basic tips I've learned here:

Log in EARLY - there's a massive slowdown at 9am with all the posties connecting so get your PDA and download route as soon as possible - 7:15 has reliably been ok.

If you cannot download the route, try putting in 10 zeroes as the route code (9 or 11 will not be accepted so count 10). Don't bother with a collection code, just ad-hoc all the boxes when you get to them.

When the device 'black screens', press all the side buttons rapidly and one of two things will happen. Either it'll return to normal functionality or it'll crash and you'll need to log in from scratch again - either of those is better than the 180 second wait for the 'black screen' to end.

When you get back to office and find a functioning PDA with your pages of unscanned items scribbled out, go to 'indoor' mode then find the 'failed scanner' option before inputting them, otherwise the gps will say you delivered them at the DO. That's not allowed.

These things are a bit crap eh, any more useful tips? (Useful ones, not 'put them in the bin' or 'stick them up the lino's ass'....)

I don't actually care about that. If the equipment they provide us with isn't functioning correctly, I am not going to jump through hoops just to prevent something "that's not allowed".

I didn't even input my 7 or so items that I failed to scan today - just simply handed the P4550 card in to the locker and they can input them. Given that this was at 1335 and my finishing time was 1330 and I was late as a result of having to mess around with PDA all morning, then I don't actually care!

maninred · Post by **maninred** » 03 Dec 2016, 18:34

Thanks for that, very useful!

Surely RM must be getting some enormous recompense from BT for their complete planning failure for what should have been a simple project to install?

wannabeek · Post by **wannabeek** » 03 Dec 2016, 18:37

maninred wrote:Thanks for that, very useful!

Surely RM must be getting some enormous recompense from BT for their complete planning failure for what should have been a simple project to install?

Haha. If RM were a proper company they probably would have planned for that safeguard. Unfortunately we work for a shoddy shyster outfit pretending to be a big boy in the business world. Sad really.

Surreypostie · Post by **Surreypostie** » 03 Dec 2016, 19:49

My way of dealing with it, here you go Mr Manager, it's f****d, sort it out or get me one that works.

Post by **woopesh** » 03 Dec 2016, 20:14

When your pda crashes just use the bit of paper and get sigs on it. Tell them in the cage the PDA went down when you get in and let the cage guy deal with it. Standard Royal Mail procedure no? No one has ever questioned me when I do this with the new PDA's because they know they are shite.

Chewster · Post by **Chewster** » 03 Dec 2016, 22:39

We still haven't properly changed over to the new PDAs so the problem is pretty minimal for us as only about a quarter of us have a new one at a time. I've always taken out a paper sign sheet with me though, because if it's not the new PDAs failing, it's the old PDAs running out of battery!

lightningpostman · Post by **lightningpostman** » 04 Dec 2016, 10:55

wannabeek wrote: Don't bother with a collection code, just ad-hoc all the boxes when you get to them.

very bad advice, adhoc after 2pm counts as a fail

Chewster · Post by **Chewster** » 04 Dec 2016, 11:49

lightningpostman wrote:
wannabeek wrote: Don't bother with a collection code, just ad-hoc all the boxes when you get to them.

very bad advice, adhoc after 2pm counts as a fail

We've been told that we can now ad-hoc any of the boxes no problem. For a while ad-hocing any boxes went as a fail but they've sorted that out now (so we're told)

wannabeek · Post by **wannabeek** » 04 Dec 2016, 14:52

lightningpostman wrote:
wannabeek wrote: Don't bother with a collection code, just ad-hoc all the boxes when you get to them.

very bad advice, adhoc after 2pm counts as a fail

Huh? Who told you that? Certainly not true here, unless they have accepted them to fail every day since they started collection on delivery.

So long as the last collection of the day isn't earlier than the time on the plate and the mail in it will make the lorry, then how could it be a fail?

steve1873 · Post by **steve1873** » 04 Dec 2016, 15:39

wannabeek wrote:
lightningpostman wrote:
wannabeek wrote: Don't bother with a collection code, just ad-hoc all the boxes when you get to them.

very bad advice, adhoc after 2pm counts as a fail
Huh? Who told you that? Certainly not true here, unless they have accepted them to fail every day since they started collection on delivery.

So long as the last collection of the day isn't earlier than the time on the plate and the mail in it will make the lorry, then how could it be a fail?

I was told (and this came from a manager who was previously a collections manager in another office) that with ad-hoc, there is a 4 hour window. So if a box is timed at 9am for example, then as long as it is ad-hoced between 0900-1300, then it will be ok, but anytime after 1pm is a failure on the system. I do not know the reason for this.

There is no such 4 hour window if the route header is downloaded.

Nigel1505 · Post by **Nigel1505** » 04 Dec 2016, 16:24

You can only work with substandard equipment you are given, if it doesn't work, not your problem. My PDA is always rebooting,i have missed tracked items occasionally after posting, because it reboots after scanning item, not been mentioned by Dom yet, so what can you do.

Bernardson · Post by **Bernardson** » 04 Dec 2016, 20:50

:

Surreypostie wrote:My way of dealing with it, here you go Mr Manager, it's f****d, sort it out or get me one that works.

Post by **97gaz** » 05 Dec 2016, 00:57