Scanning Signed For/Tracked/Special Delivery items dropped off at delivery offices

[theseagull]

Hi RMC folks,

First time on here, so thanks for having me!

Anyway, question for you folks...I've had the issue a few times in recent times when items I printed Signed For or Special Delivery postage off Click and Drop or generated a tracked returns label for stuff bought online that when I've dropped them off at a delivery office, they've not scanned them so depending on the service if they got lost I'd have no track of where they went. Some delivery offices have never been a problem, some occasionally problematic and one has consistently been problematic. It's considerably more convenient than going to a post office to drop them off, but why are some better than others at scanning? I complained about the problematic one but I've not been back recently, but one I went to about a week ago wasn't going to scan it unless I asked.

Any thoughts on this from those at the sharp end?

Thanks very much,

Seagull

[Janet Brum]

Always ask for proof of postage, any delivery office should have them, they are grey/white Certificates of Posting and the callers office postperson has to sign and date stamp it.
They might scan them as accepted in bulk, especially if it`s a busy customer service point but they should scan each accepted parcel on the spot.

[yellowbelly]

Hi RMC folks,

First time on here, so thanks for having me!

Anyway, question for you folks...I've had the issue a few times in recent times when items I printed Signed For or Special Delivery postage off Click and Drop or generated a tracked returns label for stuff bought online that when I've dropped them off at a delivery office, they've not scanned them so depending on the service if they got lost I'd have no track of where they went. Some delivery offices have never been a problem, some occasionally problematic and one has consistently been problematic. It's considerably more convenient than going to a post office to drop them off, but why are some better than others at scanning? I complained about the problematic one but I've not been back recently, but one I went to about a week ago wasn't going to scan it unless I asked.

Any thoughts on this from those at the sharp end?

Thanks very much,

Seagull

Depends on the size of the RM delivery office. I work between several smaller Royal Mail Delivery Offices that are all attached to Post Offices. I know that
the Post Offices can't, don't or won't (not sure which) scan tracked items that are click and drop. They have sent the customer 'round the back' so to speak
to see if we (the RM posties) will scan it for the customer. None of us have been trained (although I've got an educated guess of how to do it)
or given authority (if you like) to scan tracked items from a customer into the RM system and can't give a receipt. As we are attached to a
Post Office we don't have dedicated staff or the receipts for an item as the answer from Janet Brum above suggests.

[theseagull]

Depends on the size of the RM delivery office. I work between several smaller Royal Mail Delivery Offices that are all attached to Post Offices. I know that
the Post Offices can't, don't or won't (not sure which) scan tracked items that are click and drop. They have sent the customer 'round the back' so to speak
to see if we (the RM posties) will scan it for the customer. None of us have been trained (although I've got an educated guess of how to do it)
or given authority (if you like) to scan tracked items from a customer into the RM system and can't give a receipt. As we are attached to a
Post Office we don't have dedicated staff or the receipts for an item as the answer from Janet Brum above suggests.

See I've never had a problem, from tiny post offices to main ones they all just scan them and print a receipt. Delivery offices, I've had problems in a right mix of sizes - the most problematic which resulted in me complaining to RM is fairly small however. RM said all delivery offices should scan all mail in response to my complaint - I specifically asked for it to be scanned last time but they weren't going to unless I asked.

[97gaz]

A Delivery Office is just that. It's not a Post Office. Royal Mail (not to be confused with the Post Office which is separate now), have only relatively recently had an acceptance scan put on their scanners. As far as I know, and I work in a callers office, it's only to be used with our tracked returns process. If you need a scan for signed for or special delivery it should be done at a P.O. You can request a proof of postage for signed for and Specials at your Delivery Office which will prove you've dropped it off there. Specials dropped off there will have a scan as soon as it reaches a Sorting Centre. Signed for is not tracked and will not see another scan until it is at the doorstep.

[theseagull]

A Delivery Office is just that. It's not a Post Office. Royal Mail (not to be confused with the Post Office which is separate now), have only relatively recently had an acceptance scan put on their scanners. As far as I know, and I work in a callers office, it's only to be used with our tracked returns process. If you need a scan for signed for or special delivery it should be done at a P.O. You can request a proof of postage for signed for and Specials at your Delivery Office which will prove you've dropped it off there. Specials dropped off there will have a scan as soon as it reaches a Sorting Centre. Signed for is not tracked and will not see another scan until it is at the doorstep.

You say that 97gaz, the Royal Mail website advertises them as a "Customer Service Point" specifically to drop off items using the Click and Drop service to drop off such items - I know what you mean about Post Office v Royal Mail, but to market a service and then not support it is a bit remiss. In fact, the Royal Mail Tracked services HAVE to be dropped off at a Delivery Office, they can't be dropped off at the post office.

In contrast to my original post, I went into a delivery office with a Tracked 24 parcel and it was scanned without issue, didn't even have to ask.

[97gaz]

I maybe didn't read your post properly.
Post Offices don't have the capability to scan tracked. That's why they have to come to us and it is mandatory for the CSP to scan all tracked items. The service started out as a returns only service a couple of years ago for Amazon mostly and eventually moved onto all tracked parcels. On the other hand If you come to a CSP with parcels with an "R" in the product code, I have to refuse to take it and send you to a PO. (Then one of our collections goes and picks it up from the Post Office)

We haven't however been told to scan specials or signed for since then. The signed for is not tracked so it makes no difference whether you get a POP or if it is scanned. The specials get sent via a system separate from the normal mail and Royal Mail attach a lot of importance to them. You should ask for a proof of postage for them and they will be scanned in at the local mail centre so they can be tracked.

[theseagull]

I maybe didn't read your post properly.
Post Offices don't have the capability to scan tracked. That's why they have to come to us and it is mandatory for the CSP to scan all tracked items. The service started out as a returns only service a couple of years ago for Amazon mostly and eventually moved onto all tracked parcels. On the other hand If you come to a CSP with parcels with an "R" in the product code, I have to refuse to take it and send you to a PO. (Then one of our collections goes and picks it up from the Post Office)

We haven't however been told to scan specials or signed for since then. The signed for is not tracked so it makes no difference whether you get a POP or if it is scanned. The specials get sent via a system separate from the normal mail and Royal Mail attach a lot of importance to them. You should ask for a proof of postage for them and they will be scanned in at the local mail centre so they can be tracked.

Ahhh I see! That explains a lot.

In your opinion, why say for bog standard "signed for" items have some delivery offices been more active scanners of dropped off mail than others?

I appreciate they're not the same business, but when dropped off at the Post Office, they're always scanned and the tracking system says it's been dropped off at that PO and no updates until it's been delivered. I personally would have thought it would be easier to have all signed for or special delivery mail scanned as received at CSP and then just have customers track it online rather than writing out proof of postage each time?

[97gaz]

Probably because we haven't been instructed to.