Special Delivery 1pm, tracking shows "sender preparing item"

Jamie_Cast · Post by **Jamie_Cast** » 16 Dec 2019, 18:19

I am waiting for an important package which I expected to land saturday before 1pm. I contacted the sender who says he mailed it on the friday at 3pm. However the tracking only says "we are expecting it/ sender preparing item" and has been stuck like this since friday 616pm, it is now Monday 615pm and still the same message.

Does this mean the sender could be telling me fibs and has not mailed in the item as he said?
Or could this be a RM fault? I thought that being SD it would still be guaranteed on time before 1pm the next working day despite being xmas.

Any help be appreciated.

Tracking SE085266647GB

Jamie_Cast · Post by **Jamie_Cast** » 16 Dec 2019, 18:55

This is something that has happened to me a few times before and already in the last 6-8 months I have recieved 9 SD refunds. However I still never get any explanation on the "sender is preparing item" ... what does this actually mean? How can the sender be given a tracking number without posting out the package?

I currently have 2 tracking numnbers, both are SD 1pm and both state the exact same thing. Is this common? Every other time I do receive SD on time every stage is scanned and is always up to date. But when it says "sender is preparing item" the mail is always either late or never turns up!

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 16 Dec 2019, 19:39

"sender is preparing item" means that the system has generated a tracking number but it's not been posted yet.

Given the time of year it's possible that the van doing collections has run out of space before the end of the collection round and so headed off to wherever they drop their collections off at.

If the item were physically in the system I would have expected to see a scan at a Post Office

Jamie_Cast · Post by **Jamie_Cast** » 16 Dec 2019, 19:44

I was actually hoping that it wasnt possibile to have a tracking number without the actual package being mailed in yet. Now that I know it is possible, what would happen if the sender who has "provisionaly" got the tracking number without mailing in the package yet, how long does the sender have to physically mail in the package? In other words, what if the sender never physically mails the package in, will the tracking system continually always say "sender preparing item"?

Jamie_Cast · Post by **Jamie_Cast** » 16 Dec 2019, 22:54

I have just found out the sender uses CLICK AND DROP and purchases the postage online. Does anyone know hen you use this method to purchase the special delivery by 1pm, is there a deadline to hand in the package into the post office after it has been paid for online?

This is obviously the route the sender used to obtain the tracking number in advance but as the tracking still says "sender is preparing the item and has yet to hand it in" this makes me think that the sender has purchased the postage last friday but now being almost tusday he has still not handed in the parcel.

How long does he have to hand it in before the transaction is cancelled, or does the CLICK AND DROP method has no time deadline to hand it in? Or in other words, once you buy a chosen postage method with Click and drop, does that postage label have an expiration date or time?

Jamie_Cast · Post by **Jamie_Cast** » 16 Dec 2019, 23:34

To try and answer my latest question above, I have just looked through the RM web site and found this....

"How long have I got to post my mail once I've printed a label?
Once you've printed your label, you have until the end of the next working day to post your mail. This means that if you buy and print your label on Friday, you will have until the end of the following Monday to post your mail (providing Monday is a working day). The post by date is printed on your label to remind you."

To clarify, does this mean the sender of my parcel which the tracking shows as "sender is preparing the item" on 13th fri dec must physically hand in the package into a post office (or other collection) by monday 16th (yesterday)? If this is the case, then surely the tracking should show some kind of movement by now?

Also, if it does expire after the first working day and has not been mailed in, is it just a simple case of cancelling, being refunded and restart all over again... with the capability of giving the receiver the original tracking number without any intent of posting? IE is this a loophole??

UnitedKing · Post by **UnitedKing** » 17 Dec 2019, 07:48

Hi

I am in a very similar situation and I dont know what to do next! I have googled everything and cant seem to find anything useful!

I have been waiting for a "Guaranteed Delivery by 1pm" letter, this should have arrived by Friday 1pm. The tracking has been the same all weekend.

"We are expecting it.
The sender has let us know this item will be with us soon.
Service used:

Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed 1pm™
The sender has advised us they're preparing your item. More information will be available when we receive it."

Is it true what the OP says and the sender can obtain a tracking number for the Guaranteed Delivery without even handing in anything to a collection point?

As this is a very important letter I took friday morning off work to make sure I was at home to sign for it. Saturday I was off work anyway and yesterday (Monday) I took the morning off. Now I dont know whether to just go to work this morning. The tracking is showing no changes.

Or should I hope for the best and take the morning off work and hope that it is on its way to me and RM have forgotten to scan it in at the various sorting offices and depots. Can this happen?

I was under the impression that Guaranteed Delivery trackings are always tracked at every stop overnight. It is only first class signed for which tracks the very start and the very end with the signiture.

I have so many new questions now! I am very annoyed with all this, it will totally ruin my xmas for all the family if I dont receive this letter this week and even though I may be able to claim a refund for a late Guaranteed, how on earth do I claim for a ruined christmas!!!!!

Not a happy bunny!!

PS how many days can the tracking show as "we are expecting it....." without any transit movements? 3 days? 5 days? 2 weeks? 2 months??????

I do apologise for sounding angry, I dont mean to take it out on anyone here as I think everyone here are all diamonds and far better than any customer helpline for RM. I am frustrated and annoyed with RM only!

UnitedKing · Post by **UnitedKing** » 17 Dec 2019, 07:59

I had always thought with Guaranteed delivery a tracking number is released only upon the letter or parcel has been handed in. Now that I have discovered from reading this post, the tracking number can be released and given to the customer without even a visit to the Post office!

This cant be right can it Guys? I get it that its christmas, delays, backlogs etc etc.... and to be honest I personally thought for the Guaranteed service, one extra working day is feasible at Christmas times.

But seriously, if my tracking shows as "Sender is preparing item" what does this really mean and when should I really start worrying?

Please can somebody tell me everything is all ok and that I am panicking for nothing!

Alpha_Omega · Post by **Alpha_Omega** » 17 Dec 2019, 09:24

A little while back I temped for a short xmas period at my local sorting office and this was a concern that I was intensely involved with - or at least it seemed intense to me as it was the major topic for a full week as every single day of that week I had at least 2 people everyday to deal with that had the exact same situation.

Basically with each one, once I scanned the current tracking number in they would all say "we are xpecting it" just like how the customer would see it on their own computers or mobiles. We were instructed to advise them to check again after 48 hours as any prepaid postage labels had an expiry time of the end of the next working day up until midnight. After midnight the tracking number would be deemed as invalid.

I hope this helps guys :)

UnitedKing · Post by **UnitedKing** » 17 Dec 2019, 10:00

Alpha_Omega wrote:Basically with each one, once I scanned the current tracking number in they would all say "we are xpecting it" just like how the customer would see it on their own computers or mobiles. We were instructed to advise them to check again after 48 hours as any prepaid postage labels had an expiry time of the end of the next working day up until midnight. After midnight the tracking number would be deemed as invalid.

I hope this helps guys :)

Once it becomes invalid, will the tracking also say it is invalid too? I dont want to be left in the lurch not knowing whether its coming or going or anything. I have even tried to call Royal Mail customer services this morning and already been on hold for 45 minutes which is expected right now. My tracking still says the same as it did before the weekend!

Jamie_Cast · Post by **Jamie_Cast** » 17 Dec 2019, 14:28

I have found out why my tracking is still stuck at this very first stage even though its now Tuesday and it was originally "sent" on friday.

The sender used click and drop to buy the special delivery and apparently he has been popping all his specials directly into a post box rather than handing them in to a post office, and that is exactly what hes done this time hence the delayed collection of mail and hence why it has not started moving in the system yet. I guess it will be treated almost like standard first class.

But what I am now worried about is the expiry date as mentioned earlier in the thread. With the late collection, the expiry date of the label will now be gone, so will it still be mailed out as normal or returned to sender?

Post by **Snaggletooth** » 17 Dec 2019, 15:43

I can’t answer your technical questions. But it is worth pointing out that he has invalidated the SD service by putting them in the normal mail, so you haven’t received the service you paid for, so you should get a refund from him.

I imagine that the parcels will still arrive but with a time penalty due to the Christmas mail.