Minor warning. Potential major problem. Ultratape.
PhylPho
Posts: 1,443 Forumite
Not a rant. Nor even, a major warning. BUT . . . If you're tempted to rely on your local village Post Office (which, God knows, needs as much income as it can get) for materials relating to, er, posting stuff, then. . . don't.
Mrs P recently purchased a roll of Sellotape-like stuff for sticking down labels, envelopes, and other things not requiring broad brown parcel tape. It's called Ultratape. As it was on sale at our local Post office, we assume it's on sale at other POs, too.
We're returning a parcel to Amazon, due to be collected by courier today. We retained the original Amazon packaging and parcel-taped that for a secure fix. We then used 'Ultratape' to stick down the Return Label which Amazon sent us in pdf form and which we printed out. The label is bar coded, so is quite important.
We used a fair bit of Ultratape to ensure the Return label was in place, then left the parcel on our hall table overnight, awaiting today's collection. We're advised that the courier is due shortly. We happened to glance at the parcel this morning and noticed that every strip of this so-called ultra adhesive has peeled back and the Return label has curled up and over and darn near fallen off.
Had that happened during transit, then this returned order (value in excess of £100) might possibly have never have made its way back to our regional Amazon returns centre -- with all the attendant hassle that would've caused.
We had assumed that a Post Office selling postal-related materials could be relied upon. Apparently not. We've now, fortunately, discovered a roll of Sellotape in a workshop drawer. The proper stuff, 24mm wide compared to the crap Ultratape's 18mm.
Moral of the story: don't trust a Post Office to supply materials that are fit for posting tasks. And definitely, don't go anywhere near the rubbish that is 'Ultratape': sticking with Sellotape is, in every sense, the best bet.
Mrs P recently purchased a roll of Sellotape-like stuff for sticking down labels, envelopes, and other things not requiring broad brown parcel tape. It's called Ultratape. As it was on sale at our local Post office, we assume it's on sale at other POs, too.
We're returning a parcel to Amazon, due to be collected by courier today. We retained the original Amazon packaging and parcel-taped that for a secure fix. We then used 'Ultratape' to stick down the Return Label which Amazon sent us in pdf form and which we printed out. The label is bar coded, so is quite important.
We used a fair bit of Ultratape to ensure the Return label was in place, then left the parcel on our hall table overnight, awaiting today's collection. We're advised that the courier is due shortly. We happened to glance at the parcel this morning and noticed that every strip of this so-called ultra adhesive has peeled back and the Return label has curled up and over and darn near fallen off.
Had that happened during transit, then this returned order (value in excess of £100) might possibly have never have made its way back to our regional Amazon returns centre -- with all the attendant hassle that would've caused.
We had assumed that a Post Office selling postal-related materials could be relied upon. Apparently not. We've now, fortunately, discovered a roll of Sellotape in a workshop drawer. The proper stuff, 24mm wide compared to the crap Ultratape's 18mm.
Moral of the story: don't trust a Post Office to supply materials that are fit for posting tasks. And definitely, don't go anywhere near the rubbish that is 'Ultratape': sticking with Sellotape is, in every sense, the best bet.
0
Comments
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Have you contacted Ultratape to advise them of the problem?0
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Post Offices are nearly always independent franchises. They can source their other items anywhere they wish.0
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Have you contacted Ultratape to advise them of the problem?
"Hello? Is that Ultratape?"
"It is."
"Your tape doesn't stick."
"Goodness, we weren't aware of that. Not much point making sticky tape that doesn't stick. I am surprised nobody has told us this before! We'll close the business down immediately."
"That's probably best. Bye."0 -
If you contact the manufacturer they may well ask for the tape to be returned to them for testing and give you a voucher or replacement tapes worth more than the one that failed.
Sticky tapes can lose their adhesive properties if they're stored incorrectly (too hot/cold), or for too long.
I've had the same thing happen to various types of tapes and labels over the years, it's one of the reasons some of the more expensive masking tapes come in an airtight (resealable) tub as their adhesive is more prone to it.
I was rather annoyed the other week when I needed to send a batch of letters out and the "self seal" envelopes didn't and I didn't have the time to go out and get more (I ended up using a load of scotch tape).0
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