2d barcodes = tracked?

Indy · Post by **Indy** » 04 Mar 2017, 21:06

Had a customer come out to me this morning and say that they'd sent an eBay parcel to a buyer but the buyer claims not to have received it after 3 weeks. He said it was a tracked but asking a bit more turns out it was just a 2d barcode.

In my experience 25%/30% of 2d barcodes don't scan as they are so poorly printed..... is RM paying compensation if we don't get the final scan. Lino and now DOM are pushing this 90% scan compliance despite poorly printed unscannable 2d codes not being scanned but still being being delivered.

What's going on?

centenaryman · Post by **centenaryman** » 04 Mar 2017, 21:21

Have noticed you only need a spot of rain on the home printed label and the 2d wont scan cos it smudges.

Post by **Lounge Lizard** » 04 Mar 2017, 21:22

Individuals can't send "Tracked" other than returns to large companies.
Individuals selling on eBay will likely send a package with a 2D barcode but that is only the Horizon label that proves nothing.
If it is "Signed For" or "Special Delivery" it will also have a 13 digit code ending ...GB which is what matters.

Indy · Post by **Indy** » 04 Mar 2017, 21:36

Lounge Lizard wrote:Individuals selling on eBay will likely send a package with a 2D barcode but that is only the Horizon label that proves nothing.

Exactly so if there is no scan of this Horizon 2d barcode can/does the sender get compensation?

datasaint · Post by **datasaint** » 04 Mar 2017, 21:49

I thought the whole point of adding 2d barcodes to packets was to improve tracking facilities to bring us in line with competitors and make it better for customers??

RM must have a different interpretation.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 04 Mar 2017, 22:38

norm wrote:I thought the whole point of adding 2d barcodes to packets was to improve tracking facilities to bring us in line with competitors and make it better for customers??

RM must have a different interpretation.

Only Tracked and Specials get scanned at inward MCs.

Surreypostie · Post by **Surreypostie** » 04 Mar 2017, 22:41

Everything I send at the post office, even birthday cards has a 2D label on it, you get no tracking numbers on your prof of postage receipt. I have no idea what use these 2D barcodes are to anybody except Rm so they know how many items each delivery is scanning.

telithowitis · Post by **telithowitis** » 05 Mar 2017, 00:52

I was told by my work place coach when I joined to deliver 2D even when they don't scan which is what I always do or I would bring 20-30% back.

Creditshampoo · Post by **Creditshampoo** » 05 Mar 2017, 00:58

SpacePhoenix wrote:
norm wrote:I thought the whole point of adding 2d barcodes to packets was to improve tracking facilities to bring us in line with competitors and make it better for customers??

RM must have a different interpretation.
Only Tracked and Specials get scanned at inward MCs.

We were told our mail centre scans all 2d Barcodes for them to show up on our system so if we can't scan them then they wouldn't have been able to. What a load of rubbish

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 05 Mar 2017, 02:15

Creditshampoo wrote:
SpacePhoenix wrote:
norm wrote:I thought the whole point of adding 2d barcodes to packets was to improve tracking facilities to bring us in line with competitors and make it better for customers??

RM must have a different interpretation.
Only Tracked and Specials get scanned at inward MCs.
We were told our mail centre scans all 2d Barcodes for them to show up on our system so if we can't scan them then they wouldn't have been able to. What a load of rubbish

They get scanned at the outward MC

postslippete · Post by **postslippete** » 05 Mar 2017, 09:17

There is no doubt that these 2D barcodes are being used to indicate that normal parcels being bought off sites like eBay are being delivered by the postie.

At the moment our managers are classing those where a customer has rung up to say their parcel has not been delivered when it had been scanned with a 2D barcode in mail centres - as a customer complaint. And that is the case even when you had scanned the barcode out on delivery

As for paying out compensation is another matter completely. I would argue - why pay the post office extra and get your parcel sent by either 'Tracked' or by 'recorded delivery' if sending out much cheaper by standard parcels will do exactly the same thing??

Post by **barrowc** » 06 Mar 2017, 01:13

Ofcom's review of the regulation of Royal Mail disallowed tracking of 1st and 2nd class parcels being offered as part of the universal service. So to have tracked 1st and 2nd class parcels available to non-account customers, RM would have to create a new product entirely (which would be outside the universal service and thus subject to VAT) while still having to offer non-tracked 1st and 2nd class parcels as part of the universal service.

From p. 55 of https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/ ... l-Mail.pdf

4.29 We consider that allowing Royal Mail to offer tracking on First and Second Class parcels would be likely to have a detrimental impact on competition for single piece parcels that has only emerged in recent years. This would likely lead to a reduction in choice, innovation and value for money for consumers.

4.30 In particular, we consider that the potential detriment to competition is unjustified given there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that consumers consider tracking to be a necessary feature of the universal service. Our assessment is that the needs of those who are currently using tracked products are likely to be adequately served by the provision of tracked single piece services by a competitive market outside of the universal service. Royal Mail already offers its tracked Special Delivery Next Day service within the universal service. Furthermore, Royal Mail is free to provide tracked parcel services outside of the universal service, in competition with other operators. In addition, Royal Mail’s intention to provide confirmation of delivery on single piece parcels in the universal service is likely to provide consumers and small businesses with many of the same benefits of using a tracked parcel product.

4.31 The risks to damaging emerging competition in the single piece sector appear unjustified in the circumstances. We have therefore decided not to include tracking for parcel services within the universal service. However, as part of our monitoring programme we will continue to monitor both users’ needs and the development of the market. If there was evidence of sufficient consumer need for tracked parcel services and we did not consider that inclusion of tracking in the universal service would damage competition (if, for example, there was a change in the tax treatment), we would be likely to reconsider our position.

Dantheunit · Post by **Dantheunit** » 06 Mar 2017, 02:00

My Opinion...

Honestly I think the real purpose of the 2d tracking on the parcels is data mining. My guess is it helps Royal Mail provide info to potential clients about where money is being spent, areas with high parcel volume etc... which then helps them get bigger contracts and more tracked items,D2D, and whatever upselling RM is pushing these days it's not really there for the customers benefit. The reason your lino/DOM is anal about it is because it is likely assesment criteria for some sort of performance review when they meet with thier boss or hold an area meeting.

Also other than monitoring what time you come back to the office RM don't really have any way of keeping track of seeing how fast you get around your walk. So that may be one benefit for management when they collapse duties, if you scan say 5-20 2d barcodes a day for 5 days a week 52 weeks a year once you correlate that to the frame you work off some egghead can probably work out how long your walk takes.So if the 2d barcodes contain address info it could maybe be used to assess how to get rid of duties and make people do more work.

my conjecture, however this is Royal Mail we're talking about so i'm probably giving them too much credit