Failing Special Delivery(s)

notsure.com · Post by **notsure.com** » 26 Jun 2018, 15:38

Hi I'm quite new to the business and have a question about Special Delivery. Yesterday my DOM came around a few people and told us that if we weren't going to make the 1pm deadline for Special Delivery we had to fail them. No cutting off to do them even if you are just a few minutes away. I've only worked for RM for a few months but it has been drummed into me from the start to make sure I deliver my Specials by 1pm. I am on a town delivery and it doesn't take me long to cut off and do them so I'm struggling to understand why all of a sudden I have to start failing them. Is this how it works in other offices?

glenfiddich · Post by **glenfiddich** » 26 Jun 2018, 15:47

No we get told to go out of our way to do them before 1 and we get a reminder to do them before 1 on our pda

glenfiddich · Post by **glenfiddich** » 26 Jun 2018, 15:49

Except foreign ones as they're not time specific

notsure.com · Post by **notsure.com** » 26 Jun 2018, 15:53

glenfiddich wrote:No we get told to go out of our way to do them before 1 and we get a reminder to do them before 1 on our pda

Yes, I've noticed the reminder a couple of times. It just seemed strange a manager coming round and telling us to fail them. A few in the office did exactly what he said and failed them. I don't know who will get into trouble for that.

antcpfc · Post by **antcpfc** » 26 Jun 2018, 16:06

Ask him to put it in writing. It is bollocks and you could end up being sacked.

Post by **greengiant** » 26 Jun 2018, 18:33

Do not fail them. Ask the Dom to put it in writing for you to fail them.

No doubt if you do fail them, and a customer complains, you'll be on the naughty step despite being told to do so by the dom (who will deny ever telling you to fail specials!)

Justanotherstar · Post by **Justanotherstar** » 26 Jun 2018, 18:55

Could always scan as inaccessible to stop the clock then deliver when you get there, that way you aren't failing it...you will get moaned at by the customer though and still technically risking your job by doing it

personally i'd ignore him and do it properly.

crimson king · Post by **crimson king** » 26 Jun 2018, 19:06

greengiant wrote:Do not fail them. Ask the Dom to put it in writing for you to fail them.

No doubt if you do fail them, and a customer complains, you'll be on the naughty step despite being told to do so by the dom (who will deny ever telling you to fail specials!)

^^^This, with bells on...big bloody alarm bells!

Can't believe a DOM would be telling anyone to fail specials...well, yeah, actually I can as they seem quite mad and the current heat might be pushing some over the edge.

But I know for a fact that, as said already above, if any s**t starts hitting the fan your DOM will deny ever having such a conversation. I tend to corner management via text messages....stuff like, are you sure you want me to do such and such? If they then ring me I ask them to text confirmation as well. It's always a sweet moment when you hear their cogs going into overdrive and they say "oh don't worry about it, we'll get someone else to do it."

gunho · Post by **gunho** » 26 Jun 2018, 19:13

Do not fail specials under any circumstance

robbertwhitton · Post by **robbertwhitton** » 26 Jun 2018, 19:17

Yes in our office failure is not an option,if you do the Dom is on your case first thing,so it simply doesn’t happen,how is he telling people to fail them?yet another inconsistency from office to office,is his boss aware of this procedure?

notsure.com · Post by **notsure.com** » 26 Jun 2018, 19:35

robbertwhitton wrote:Yes in our office failure is not an option,if you do the Dom is on your case first thing,so it simply doesn’t happen,how is he telling people to fail them?yet another inconsistency from office to office,is his boss aware of this procedure?

He's new to Royal Mail and to be honest from the little amount I've seen he seems to be out of his depth. I haven't failed and will not fail a special. I spoke to a couple of staff senior than me who seem knowledgeable about stuff like that and they told me to keep myself right and deliver my specials by 1pm and that's what I'm doing. Yet there are other members of staff failing them. It's all a bit confusing for me so I did a bit of internet research and this forum popped up so I thought I'd ask in here to see if it's the same in other offices.

As for the question about his boss - I'm not sure who he/she is. We are in a pretty big area geographically and I haven't a clue who he answers to.

Thanks to all those that have given advice though. I'll be sticking to what I was taught to do by my workplace coach and ignoring what the DOM says

LaggyBand · Post by **LaggyBand** » 26 Jun 2018, 20:30

Justanotherstar wrote:Could always scan as inaccessible to stop the clock then deliver when you get there, that way you aren't failing it...you will get moaned at by the customer though and still technically risking your job by doing it personally i'd ignore him and do it properly.

Like you’ve alluded to that is really dodgy advice..GPS location on scan could easily show you couldn’t yet know if it was accessible or not. If you’re caught then you’re doomed.

In fact it could be PDA actuals that are causing the DOM to act this way.. maybe he wants a totally accurate picture of the duty route/time? Just a theory

Celgar · Post by **Celgar** » 26 Jun 2018, 23:20

Either the DOM was pulling your leg or he needs the sack. It's standard practice to leave or change your usual route if you will not be able to deliver special delivery items in time. Even recording the route for PDA data to work out delivery windows for tracked items has to be sacrificed. SDs are the premium product - there is nothing more important to deliver.

Seymour Buts · Post by **Seymour Buts** » 27 Jun 2018, 14:54

This is nonsense, as others have pointed out. Just ignore him and do what you've been taught to do (which is standard practice).

We had one exeption when we had that bad weather over the winter, they didn't want us breaking off with all that snow and ice so were told to scan it as adverse weather if we couldn't make on time which makes sense. Other than that always get them there by one.

Justanotherstar · Post by **Justanotherstar** » 27 Jun 2018, 20:08

LaggyBand wrote:
Justanotherstar wrote:Could always scan as inaccessible to stop the clock then deliver when you get there, that way you aren't failing it...you will get moaned at by the customer though and still technically risking your job by doing it personally i'd ignore him and do it properly.
Like you’ve alluded to that is really dodgy advice..GPS location on scan could easily show you couldn’t yet know if it was accessible or not. If you’re caught then you’re doomed.

In fact it could be PDA actuals that are causing the DOM to act this way.. maybe he wants a totally accurate picture of the duty route/time? Just a theory

It is very dodgy advice! I was once told by a manager to do it (was no way I was doing it!) but better than failing it on a managers say so then finding out he's about to feed you to the wolves when it comes on top...at least an inaccessible scan can be argued...car accident blocking the route for example.