Signing for items troubles

[aiden01]

It won't go missing, it'll be lying on the carpet when she opens the door and steps into the house, and she'll be pleased that I've saved her an annoying journey to collect it.

Well good luck to you the first time its not lying on carpet as only you will be able to explain why said item has gone missing trust your own instincts good luck.

[Jmdnnlln]

I do rural PT cover for 3 duties. My full time colleagues mostly sign for their customers, I NEVER DO.. as proved recently when one of the items was reported not delivered but was signed by the full time postie...Try explaining that one. Now we form him every time. DONT DO IT

[TrueBlueTerrier]

It won't go missing, it'll be lying on the carpet when she opens the door and steps into the house, and she'll be pleased that I've saved her an annoying journey to collect it.

Well good luck to you the first time its not lying on carpet as only you will be able to explain why said item has gone missing trust your own instincts good luck.

The fact that its not lying on the doormat isn't the real problem.

Its when a son or daughter of the householder has ordered something and its arrived. They don't know about the "special relationship" and also know they didn;t sign for it. They chance their arm and complain to the sender.

The sender puts a claim in and RM investigate. They find out the postie signed for it. Postie has no way of proving that it was delivered.

Postie gets sacked. Hardly ever happens? I agree, but it does and has happened.

It's a remote chance, but considering we deliver 230 days in a year (on average) even in a 1000-1 chance it could only take 4 years to hit the jackpot.

[taurus88]

The thing is, you talk about postmen getting the sack for this, but I've known of complaints coming in about signed for items being posted/left in bins, this from people who did not even have an arrangement with the postman involved, and their punishment was ... absolutely nothing. I'm not saying that will always be the case, or that it's worth the risk. I'm just saying that for all the worst-case scenarios mentioned on here, and all the talk of fraud, I can relate a number of stories of complaints arising over just this issue, and nothing ever being done about it. I don't personally consider it to be worth the risk, but I guess those people who do could also look at the issue and ask 'what risk?' when there is no punishment. As always, there's a divide between those who do the job properly and the prospect of punishment, and those who don't do the job properly, who will never be punished for their mistakes, their missteps, or their fraudulent activities. It pays to cut corners.

[postslippete]

It doesn't pay to cut corners at all

I know of one postie who kept delivering recorded letters without even getting a signature. When questioned by the manager, they just said that they didn't know that they had a recorded item in the first place. But the numbers kept adding up and the postie ended up getting suspended. Point I am making is that whilst it appears that the punishment appears absolutely nothing, good managers will keep track of these customer complaints and use them to conduct and dismiss people.

So I would much rather a customer ring up and complain that I had slipped a parcel and followed procedure than the customer to ring up and complain that I signed for their parcel and they had either not received it or it was damaged.

[Darren Bent]

If the receiving customers doesn't like it, then they have to ask their supplier to change policies to send things via tracked without signature instead.

[Lounge Lizard]

If the receiving customers doesn't like it, then they have to ask their supplier to change policies to send things via tracked without signature instead.

or use one of our competitors whose routine policy is doorstepping

[Fifepostie]

So what happens if an old householder (or a technophobe) is struggling to sign on the PDA despite repeated attempts?? What would you do? In one case there was a slight mark on the PDA so I just pressed 'Done'......

[mw7485]

So what happens if an old householder (or a technophobe) is struggling to sign on the PDA despite repeated attempts?? What would you do? In one case there was a slight mark on the PDA so I just pressed 'Done'......

I have one customer who, don't laugh at the back, doesn't have hands (thalidomide). I put my name in the box and sign for her. This was agreed with the dom - what else can you realistically do? Another customer has mnd - can't sign, so I use the same procedure for him. These are the only circumstances under which I will sign on behalf of customers. As for the one's who can only seem to make random dots on the screen I just press done and move on. I'm not going to stand there and make them and me look foolish by looking for a perfectly formed work of art. If its acceptable to the PDA, its good enough for me.

[superports]

Items can disappear through misunderstandings.

My float had a parcel for a rural house, no-one at home, but note on door saying to leave parcel on rear window. Postie was happy to do this after he took a photo of the note.

Their postbox wasn't in the door, but a postbox at end of driveway, so postie, on the way past sticks a 739 in to say item was left on window.

All well and good, except they don't check the postbox everyday. So, someone comes home, lifts parcel on window, then 2 days later find 739 in postbox saying there's a parcel left, so they check and there's no parcel.

Phone calls to manager asking where their parcel is. I had 3 or 4 days being constantly asked about this "missing" parcel even though I had no knowledge of it before I figured out what happened. Imagine if it had been a signed for!

All well and good thinking nothing will go wrong, but truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Don't do it!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

So what happens if an old householder (or a technophobe) is struggling to sign on the PDA despite repeated attempts?? What would you do? In one case there was a slight mark on the PDA so I just pressed 'Done'......

I say "Use your finger tip, sometimes that works" most get it and it does.

Otherwise

Put MAR - Marked as received and get them to make a mark instead of a signature.
If they cannot sign or mark, then put DWS (delivered without signature).

[Anonymouse]

So far no one has complained about geting their stuff 739'd. It's about a 30 minute drive to go pick things up so i was expecting angry pitch forks from some people but it's been fine.

[White Van]

If you've been on the same round for some time then you get to know your customers. I'm on first name terms with many of mine. When they get in, the last thing they want to see is a red slip telling them to drive into town to collect something that would have fitted through the letterbox but for not having a signature. If the customer tells you it's ok with them, just put a scribble down and post it through. I do this, every single day.
Same goes for leaving stuff in sensible safe places. They're my customers, I've got to know them, and in their eyes I'm doing a great job! You can't just have some robotic attitude towards people who you're seeing on a regular basis.
For sure, there are people on my round that I wouldn't be taking any chances with and so they get a red slip through the door, but for me this is a last resort. If it's agreed with the customer, then just put the bloody thing through and stop overthinking the job.

Yeah but, are they even on your FB or anything like that?

I get a monthly drop of maybe 80 KG of raw fish to a residential address, there is no way that I am going to 739 or try to deliver to neighbours. The first time that I got the drop and the customer wasn't in I Googled the sender and spoke to the sales department who authorised a NSR delivery carded to the garden, called and told the DCM what was happening and it's now a done thing agreed with the sender, courier and end user.

If you have regulars that you are happy to doorstep then fair play to you, it's your job. Reserves don't have the luxury of overthinking.

[SpacePhoenix]

and told the DCM what was happening and it's now a done thing agreed with the sender, courier and end user.

Did you get that signed in writing from the DOM? If you didn't and something goes wrong the DOM will probably just deny authorising that