Specials back to 1pm and 9am from Monday 9th

[olilew]

In our office the times have never changed, still 1pm all the way through the pandemic. When we pointed out Royal Mails own policy our DOM said 'Not in this office'.

[Ad_bee]

I was told by Mngmnt that times are due to return to normal on the 2nd of September nationally and these variations are a 'settling-in' period.

So, from 2-9-21 the advertised stated times for Specials will return to normal.

[POSTMAN]

Nothing has changed so far.
@justsayit were lazy and just gave me 2 links when I queried it...

https://www.royalmail.com/d8/uk-services-faq & https://www.royalmail.com/coronavirus

I found this, if you can find more from the 2 links above be my guest, there is a prize for the winner...
https://www.royalmail.com/termschanges

Terms changes
Want to keep up-to-date with Royal Mail daily collection and delivery services? Simply visit royalmail.com/serviceupdates, where you can also sign up to receive email alerts about service-affecting issues in your area.


Listed on this page are:

Changes to our terms & conditions, with the most recent changes at the top, and
Reminders of our product procedures
Click on each section and read the full details.



Changes to service
Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am
From Thursday 24 December we will reinstate our temporary timed guarantee for Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am as follows.

For items posted from Thursday 24 December we will guarantee deliveries by 11.00am* the next working day. As a result, from that date we will not consider a claim for delay or consequential loss as a result of delay for items posted using the Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9.00am service that are delivered between 9.00am and 11.00am the next working day. This includes items where a Saturday guarantee has been purchased.

*existing postcode exceptions apply


Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm
From Thursday 24 December we will reinstate our temporary timed guarantee for Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm as follows.

For items posted from Thursday 24 December 2020 onwards we will guarantee deliveries by 4.00pm* the next working day. As a result, from that date we will not consider a claim for delay or consequential loss as a result of delay for items posted using the Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1.00pm service that are delivered between 1.00pm and 4.00pm the next working day. This includes items where a Saturday guarantee has been purchased.

*existing postcode exceptions apply

[rambo1]

Thatll be good, we dont get out till 10..

Most don't get out till 10. When you're not finished till 4pm there's always going to be a 50/50 chance you need to go out your way to get a SD done before 1pm. It'll take some getting used to now we've all been used to 4pm. Any news on when we will have to get customer to sign PDA again? That's gonna take more time.

[rambo1]

Most people who receive specials don't care if they're delivered after 1pm

Exactly. Most , including myself when I send anything, just want it for the extra insurance and level of security. How many do you find you go out the way for and they're not in, only to be home by the time you get there normally. You then have to tell them you can't give them it now coz the scan will come up as a failure. Royal mail. Gotta love em.

[ssdd]

You then have to tell them you can't give them it now coz the scan will come up as a failure. Royal mail. Gotta love em.

How would it show as a failure if it's already been scanned before time? I used to do this frequently before Covid and never had any comeback.

[yellowbelly]

Exactly. Most , including myself when I send anything, just want it for the extra insurance and level of security. How many do you find you go out the way for and they're not in, only to be home by the time you get there normally. You then have to tell them you can't give them it now coz the scan will come up as a failure. Royal mail. Gotta love em.

Of course you can give it to them. Get the 739 off them and scan it as normal.


Courier Aug 2013:

Graham Wonham, premium products improvement manager, replies:
The correct procedure in this instance is to scan the barcode on the item again, scan
the item as delivered, obtain the customer’s signature and then hand over the item (in
other words, simply repeat the delivery procedure as you would for a new item).
The reporting systems for Special Delivery and Royal Mail Tracked take the first doorstep
scan event to stop the Quality of Service clock, so quality will not be affected if you
use this procedure.
I hope this helps to clarify things and should prevent this situation from happening in future.

Courier Oct 2015:

Tim Stratton, quality and customer manager, replies:

.............This also applies when a postman or woman returns to
deliver standard mail items, after they have earlier attempted
a Special Delivery. If a customer appears after
an item has been scanned as ‘not delivered’, colleagues can
simply scan the item again, and follow the ‘delivered’ process.
This procedure is documented within our PDA training guides.
This second scan does not affect quality of service, as the original
scan stops this performance clock and this information
should not get overwritten.

[Dorset Plodder]

Of course you can give it to them. Get the 739 off them and scan it as normal.

I agree. No one in first time 739 them ...... Bump into them further down the road .... Scan it again as delivered and tell them to ignore the 739. I've never had any comeback doing that. I think the customer would prefer that to having to try and collect it, at every changing times.

[twoloops]

Any news on when we will have to get customer to sign PDA again? That's gonna take more time.

I'm not that sure we will ever hand over the PDA again, I also think leaving the parcel on the step/floor & knocking & leaving if you hear or see the customer will have to continue with the amount of parcels we now get?

[POSTMAN]

Exactly. Most , including myself when I send anything, just want it for the extra insurance and level of security. How many do you find you go out the way for and they're not in, only to be home by the time you get there normally. You then have to tell them you can't give them it now coz the scan will come up as a failure. Royal mail. Gotta love em.

Of course you can give it to them. Get the 739 off them and scan it as normal.


Courier Aug 2013:

Graham Wonham, premium products improvement manager, replies:
The correct procedure in this instance is to scan the barcode on the item again, scan
the item as delivered, obtain the customer’s signature and then hand over the item (in
other words, simply repeat the delivery procedure as you would for a new item).
The reporting systems for Special Delivery and Royal Mail Tracked take the first doorstep
scan event to stop the Quality of Service clock, so quality will not be affected if you
use this procedure.
I hope this helps to clarify things and should prevent this situation from happening in future.

Courier Oct 2015:

Tim Stratton, quality and customer manager, replies:

.............This also applies when a postman or woman returns to
deliver standard mail items, after they have earlier attempted
a Special Delivery. If a customer appears after
an item has been scanned as ‘not delivered’, colleagues can
simply scan the item again, and follow the ‘delivered’ process.
This procedure is documented within our PDA training guides.
This second scan does not affect quality of service, as the original
scan stops this performance clock and this information
should not get overwritten.

You've got the courier in binders just like me!

[yellowbelly]

Of course you can give it to them. Get the 739 off them and scan it as normal.

I agree. No one in first time 739 them ...... Bump into them further down the road .... Scan it again as delivered and tell them to ignore the 739. I've never had any comeback doing that. I think the customer would prefer that to having to try and collect it, at every changing times.

Dorset - I know you've had no comeback but perhaps I should have included the full response to the letter
for any newbies looking in so they know the official policy:

Tim Stratton, quality and customer manager, replies:

Thanks Brian – this is a valid point. Our policy states that colleagues are not permitted
to give mail to people in the street. The only incidence where they should hand over an item
once a ‘Something for you’ card has been delivered, is if the customer opens the door while
they are still on the customer’s property, ensuring they retrieve the ‘Something for you’ card.
This also applies when a postman or woman returns to deliver standard mail items,
after they have earlier attempted a Special Delivery.
If a customer appears after an item has been scanned as ‘not delivered’, colleagues can
simply scan the item again, and follow the ‘delivered’ process.
This procedure is documented within our PDA training guides.
This second scan does not affect quality of service, as the original
scan stops this performance clock and this information should not get overwritten.
We must be mindful that under no circumstances should items be scanned as undelivered,
without a delivery attempt being made at the delivery point for the address on the item.

[Dorset Plodder]

That's fair enough mate, that's the "Official Line" and TBH I've sometimes used that line in the past, "Sorry can't deliver mail in the street".
That was mainly when the Old Dole Giros used to come through the mail, or if it was a particularly obnoxious customer!

I'd be interested to know exactly how many deliveries Tim Stratton's actually taken out? Non I bet! In the Real World if I know the customer (obviously not applicable to Reserves) I'll use my common sense and give them their Special. I realise Common Sense is a rare commodity in this business, and Tim Stratton's probably not encountered it before.

[rambo1]

Exactly. Most , including myself when I send anything, just want it for the extra insurance and level of security. How many do you find you go out the way for and they're not in, only to be home by the time you get there normally. You then have to tell them you can't give them it now coz the scan will come up as a failure. Royal mail. Gotta love em.

Of course you can give it to them. Get the 739 off them and scan it as normal.


Courier Aug 2013:

Graham Wonham, premium products improvement manager, replies:
The correct procedure in this instance is to scan the barcode on the item again, scan
the item as delivered, obtain the customer’s signature and then hand over the item (in
other words, simply repeat the delivery procedure as you would for a new item).
The reporting systems for Special Delivery and Royal Mail Tracked take the first doorstep
scan event to stop the Quality of Service clock, so quality will not be affected if you
use this procedure.
I hope this helps to clarify things and should prevent this situation from happening in future.

Courier Oct 2015:

Tim Stratton, quality and customer manager, replies:

.............This also applies when a postman or woman returns to
deliver standard mail items, after they have earlier attempted
a Special Delivery. If a customer appears after
an item has been scanned as ‘not delivered’, colleagues can
simply scan the item again, and follow the ‘delivered’ process.
This procedure is documented within our PDA training guides.
This second scan does not affect quality of service, as the original
scan stops this performance clock and this information
should not get overwritten.

Yes, that's what I used to do then an area manager visited our office three or four yrs ago and told us we can't do that anymore or it'll be a failure. I asked, doesn't the first scan stop the clock , as you said, he said can't scan after one. Since then not done it. More duff information from the people who run our business.

[yellowbelly]

Exactly. Most , including myself when I send anything, just want it for the extra insurance and level of security. How many do you find you go out the way for and they're not in, only to be home by the time you get there normally. You then have to tell them you can't give them it now coz the scan will come up as a failure. Royal mail. Gotta love em.

Of course you can give it to them. Get the 739 off them and scan it as normal.


Courier Aug 2013:

Graham Wonham, premium products improvement manager, replies:
The correct procedure in this instance is to scan the barcode on the item again, scan
the item as delivered, obtain the customer’s signature and then hand over the item (in
other words, simply repeat the delivery procedure as you would for a new item).
The reporting systems for Special Delivery and Royal Mail Tracked take the first doorstep
scan event to stop the Quality of Service clock, so quality will not be affected if you
use this procedure.
I hope this helps to clarify things and should prevent this situation from happening in future.

Courier Oct 2015:

Tim Stratton, quality and customer manager, replies:

.............This also applies when a postman or woman returns to
deliver standard mail items, after they have earlier attempted
a Special Delivery. If a customer appears after
an item has been scanned as ‘not delivered’, colleagues can
simply scan the item again, and follow the ‘delivered’ process.
This procedure is documented within our PDA training guides.
This second scan does not affect quality of service, as the original
scan stops this performance clock and this information
should not get overwritten.

Yes, that's what I used to do then an area manager visited our office three or four yrs ago and told us we can't do that anymore or it'll be a failure. I asked, doesn't the first scan stop the clock , as you said, he said can't scan after one. Since then not done it. More duff information from the people who run our business.

Yeah, I do a route that I travel back along to get back to the office, scanned loads of Specials on the way back when
I see the car in the drive and they're in, never had managers say I'm getting failures - arses and elbows spring to mind.

[Ad_bee]

I was told by Mngmnt that times are due to return to normal on the 2nd of September nationally and these variations are a 'settling-in' period.

So, from 2-9-21 the advertised stated times for Specials will return to normal.

From today its gone back to 4PM "Until further notice".