Spectos/Royal Mail Monitoring and Posting Panel

MABLE

mrselliott said:

Glad I’m not the only one to have the package overdue section appear on the app. I’ve just found it when logging my unaddressed survey info.  I have 4 outstanding, one going back to August last year 2 for December and 1 for January, however I’ve been resting since December and all my postings were up to date.

Exactly the same months as me and I processed everything on time.  Also resting since March.

quoia

HonestJohn said:

I wonder when RM get paid. Is it when the manifest is scanned or when the parcels are scanned as they enter the system?

Surely they get paid when you buy the stamp! (In this case the label)

HonestJohn

quoia said:

HonestJohn said:

I wonder when RM get paid. Is it when the manifest is scanned or when the parcels are scanned as they enter the system?

Surely they get paid when you buy the stamp! (In this case the label)

I doubt it for account customers. I often get returns labels that I never use.

quoia

But aren't returns labels generic for any business that provides them?
That is that they may be unique to that specific supplier but every customer gets an identical label.
Basically the same as sending something FREEPOST 
It's a reverse charge paid by those receiving the item of mail if/when used.

The labels on the parcels in the sacks have unique identification for their size and weight and mail service requirements.
They look the same as those printed out by a post office counter to stick on a parcel if you hand over money for the postage not having put your own stamps on beforehand .

NBLondon

silvercar said:

The only members of staff are behind the counters. There is no one else to scan. I imagine if I dropped and ran I would get shouted at by someone behind the counter. There is no way of getting the manifest scanned and then attaching it to the sack without queueing. I'm always told to attach the manifest back to the parcel. 

Yep - that's my process.   Queue up, hand over manifest to be scanned. attach manifest to bag (I take a large elastic band for this) and leave bag in cage.

HonestJohn

quoia said:

But aren't returns labels generic for any business that provides them?
That is that they may be unique to that specific supplier but every customer gets an identical label.
Basically the same as sending something FREEPOST 
It's a reverse charge paid by those receiving the item of mail if/when used.

The labels on the parcels in the sacks have unique identification for their size and weight and mail service requirements.
They look the same as those printed out by a post office counter to stick on a parcel if you hand over money for the postage not having put your own stamps on beforehand .

Yes, that makes sense.

NBLondon

beanielou said:

I win this as I have 1234 packages outstanding!!!

I have 1234 due...

When I clicked in today , there were 8 overdue ones going back to December, one dated today and one marked future.  The one marked future actually arrived today (that's why I was looking at it) and disappeared when I logged it.  However the A number for the one marked today is between the last one I had (went out Monday) and the one I actually got today.  Which might fit with quoia's theory of ones that were never sent.   I reckon the app developers are pushing out test versions before they are ready.

kt01

silvercar said:

The only members of staff are behind the counters. There is no one else to scan. I imagine if I dropped and ran I would get shouted at by someone behind the counter. There is no way of getting the manifest scanned and then attaching it to the sack without queueing. I'm always told to attach the manifest back to the parcel. 

They're behind the counter in mine too. I just give it to them under the window and walk off, usually get a smile and a thanks.

If the don't want to give me a smile and a thanks, I'll still just leave it under the window and walk off, they can deal with it however they want. I'm not paid enough on this survey to stand in a 20 minute queue. If they don't scan the manifest, it's their loss, as it's the Post Office that isn't paid. Unless they litterally take my parcels off the trolley, they'll still get picked up by Royal Mail.

The whole point of postal bags, business items and manifests is you don't need to queue - I have occasionally seen other business customers do exactly the same thing when standing in the queue to post my own personal items (they are either posting loose franked items or postal bags like the Spectos one).

elsien said:

Whereas my usual procedure is:

Give bag to counter staff.
They scan, put the bag in the cage, then ask what they are meant to do with the paper manifest.
I tell  them I don't have a clue and was expecting them to know. 
We agree that they will keep it and I will take a photo of it  for my own records.
We shrug and repeat next time round, no idea what they do with it after I have gone. They certainly don't attach it to the bag. 

FWIW though if we were genuinely sending parcels for ourselves if we don't keep the manifest we don't have any direct proof we have taken it in and I have wondered what would happen if the parcels went awol? Same with the parcel postboxes - no proof of postage at all.

There's nothing to scan on the bag itself. All they need to do is scan the manifest - it takes them 10 seconds, there is no other paperwork or reciepts given. What happens to the manifest after, I don't know, I've never kept my manifest and they've always kept it behind the counter in mine (at least while I'm in there, maybe they give it to the driver later, I don't know). The Royal Mail website for business customers states a three step process: items must be handed over in sealed bags, the sales order must be given separately, and all they scan is the sales order and the number of bags. 

Most of the postal survey is based on trust (and GPS tags from the app), there's no requirement to get proof of postage etc and never has been (even back on the old Kantar panel when we paid over the counter).

HonestJohn said:

I wonder when RM get paid. Is it when the manifest is scanned or when the parcels are scanned as they enter the system?

I've never opened the bags as I have no parcel boxes near me - what items are in there? Are they stamped or business mail?

If it's business mail, the usual procedure is a customer enters the items they post, the manifest is generated on Royal Mail's system and Royal Mail invoices the business customer at the end of the month for items sent as per the manifest. The manifest only needs to be printed for Post Office use - if dropped in a parcel box, there's no need to print it - it was already digitally sent on Royal Mail's system. If collected the driver takes it, I believe.

As to why the Post Office scans it and exactly what this involves, I have no idea. By the info on the Royal Mail site it's just the number of bags, and it never takes my Post Office more than about 10 seconds so they can't be doing much. I assume they need to do it it in order to get paid for the drop off.

All business parcels have to be barcoded now. Most business parcels have now unique 2D barcodes per item, but some legacy customers use a "basic barcode" which is still unique to them as a customer. If more items with that barcode are found in the network than were electronically advised on the manifest, the business customer gets a surcharge. Before barcodes, and for some letters, this is done by the "license number" you see on the postage impression.

HonestJohn said:

I doubt it for account customers. I often get returns labels that I never use.

quoia said:

But aren't returns labels generic for any business that provides them?
That is that they may be unique to that specific supplier but every customer gets an identical label.
Basically the same as sending something FREEPOST 
It's a reverse charge paid by those receiving the item of mail if/when used.

Every tracked returns label is meant to be unique. You can't send multiple items using the same label - if you try to the Post Office should refuse it. They are only charged when they are used (any scan in the network).

Freepost is similar but "generic" without a unique tracking number/barcode. So they simply count the number of these items that go through the network to the business and bill them.

silvercar

kt01 said:

silvercar said:

The only members of staff are behind the counters. There is no one else to scan. I imagine if I dropped and ran I would get shouted at by someone behind the counter. There is no way of getting the manifest scanned and then attaching it to the sack without queueing. I'm always told to attach the manifest back to the parcel. 

They're behind the counter in mine too. I just give it to them under the window and walk off, usually get a smile and a thanks.

If the don't want to give me a smile and a thanks, I'll still just leave it under the window and walk off, they can deal with it however they want. I'm not paid enough on this survey to stand in a 20 minute queue. If they don't scan the manifest, it's their loss, as it's the Post Office that isn't paid. Unless they litterally take my parcels off the trolley, they'll still get picked up by Royal Mail.

The whole point of postal bags, business items and manifests is you don't need to queue - I have occasionally seen other business customers do exactly the same thing when standing in the queue to post my own personal items (they are either posting loose franked items or postal bags like the Spectos one).

elsien said:

Whereas my usual procedure is:

Give bag to counter staff.
They scan, put the bag in the cage, then ask what they are meant to do with the paper manifest.
I tell  them I don't have a clue and was expecting them to know. 
We agree that they will keep it and I will take a photo of it  for my own records.
We shrug and repeat next time round, no idea what they do with it after I have gone. They certainly don't attach it to the bag. 

FWIW though if we were genuinely sending parcels for ourselves if we don't keep the manifest we don't have any direct proof we have taken it in and I have wondered what would happen if the parcels went awol? Same with the parcel postboxes - no proof of postage at all.

There's nothing to scan on the bag itself. All they need to do is scan the manifest - it takes them 10 seconds, there is no other paperwork or reciepts given. What happens to the manifest after, I don't know, I've never kept my manifest and they've always kept it behind the counter in mine (at least while I'm in there, maybe they give it to the driver later, I don't know). The Royal Mail website for business customers states a three step process: items must be handed over in sealed bags, the sales order must be given separately, and all they scan is the sales order and the number of bags. 

Most of the postal survey is based on trust (and GPS tags from the app), there's no requirement to get proof of postage etc and never has been (even back on the old Kantar panel when we paid over the counter).

HonestJohn said:

I wonder when RM get paid. Is it when the manifest is scanned or when the parcels are scanned as they enter the system?

I've never opened the bags as I have no parcel boxes near me - what items are in there? Are they stamped or business mail?

If it's business mail, the usual procedure is a customer enters the items they post, the manifest is generated on Royal Mail's system and Royal Mail invoices the business customer at the end of the month for items sent as per the manifest. The manifest only needs to be printed for Post Office use - if dropped in a parcel box, there's no need to print it - it was already digitally sent on Royal Mail's system. If collected the driver takes it, I believe.

As to why the Post Office scans it and exactly what this involves, I have no idea. By the info on the Royal Mail site it's just the number of bags, and it never takes my Post Office more than about 10 seconds so they can't be doing much. I assume they need to do it it in order to get paid for the drop off.

All business parcels have to be barcoded now. Most business parcels have now unique 2D barcodes per item, but some legacy customers use a "basic barcode" which is still unique to them as a customer. If more items with that barcode are found in the network than were electronically advised on the manifest, the business customer gets a surcharge. Before barcodes, and for some letters, this is done by the "license number" you see on the postage impression.

HonestJohn said:

I doubt it for account customers. I often get returns labels that I never use.

quoia said:

But aren't returns labels generic for any business that provides them?
That is that they may be unique to that specific supplier but every customer gets an identical label.
Basically the same as sending something FREEPOST 
It's a reverse charge paid by those receiving the item of mail if/when used.

Every tracked returns label is meant to be unique. You can't send multiple items using the same label - if you try to the Post Office should refuse it. They are only charged when they are used (any scan in the network).

Freepost is similar but "generic" without a unique tracking number/barcode. So they simply count the number of these items that go through the network to the business and bill them.

The problem is that I can’t hand the manifest over without joining the queue. I can’t get anywhere near the window while they are serving a customer. 

silvercar

Just had a newsletter,  makes clear that you can post anywhere in the whole "letter" area of your postcode. This makes a difference to me, as I was sticking to the first half of the post code, now I can be miles away and it will be fine. (I live almost at the south eastern most tip of my post code area.)