Spectos/Royal Mail Monitoring and Posting Panel

HonestJohn

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81879106#Comment_81879106

I would say it is a grey area. The app used to say that the AB (in your example) was the relevant part but we had an email once saying you were to post locally ie your nearest box or Post Office. Spectos are well known for posting contradicting advice.

I go by the app. If you click the posting locations icon (top right) it should show you where you can post. I live at the juncion of 3 different areas say CD, EF and GH. I can only see posting locations for my area CD. Has anyone tried posting outside their area? Does the app allow it?

gt94sss2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81879014#Comment_81879014

It would anywhere in the AB region. When you log an item, you have to note the location of the post box as well as the time.

tlise

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81879222#Comment_81879222

that's what it seemed to imply thanks. I mean it's across the road from me so it's not an issue, altho I don't use the local post office but it's my postal town one so I assume the same number anyway.

tlise

Mine says there are 3 in my area but not where lol. Just a blank map.

Chocmonster7

The Instant News section on my app currently says:

'Hey, did you know you can post anywhere in your postcode area? Example: If you live in B66, you can post anywhere in the B area.'

Seems they decided to clear it up for everyone!

HonestJohn

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81880059#Comment_81880059

They monitor this forum then

MikeyPGT

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81880059#Comment_81880059

Are they really sure about that? The first two letters of my postcode covers 51 postcode districts and 40 post towns with an area of over 50 square miles!

MikeyPGT

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81880431#Comment_81880431

Even more insanely - apparently the B postcode covers 79 postcode areas and 502 square miles! Can't really see that they can get any usable data if you go far beyond your own or neighbouring area …

quoia

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81880439#Comment_81880439

Well obviously they can collect perfectly viable data providing you record exactly when (potentially to the minute) and where you have posted (the actual mailbox) any specific item and they know about it.

It's all to do with 1st or 2nd class, item size and/or weight, the A to B (source & destination) and the intermediate sorting office to produce the statistics of accuracy, delays, success and failure against the template of what the Royal Mail are aiming for.

Presuming my DE postcode encompasses ALL of Derbyshire then that would cover 1013 square miles, but as a county it's well less than a third of the size of North Yorkshire at over 3341 square miles.

However the DE postcode is actually "ONLY" 682 square miles comprising 24 districts and 11 towns.

So that suggests that DE is only about 67% of the county of Derbyshire ! Well no, it's actually a bit less

Maybe surprisingly to some the DE postcode actually encompasses parts of THREE OTHER COUNTIES.

Namely Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire.

So I'm guessing that there are some Spectos Mailagents participants posting in DE identified post boxes that aren't even in the same county that I'm in.

silvercar

The data can be perfectly viable and localised, but by allowing for you to post miles from your home they risk not covering all areas. That could leave gaps not monitored sufficiently. This impacts on national statistics ie they can’t claim to have covered X% of areas if there are patches missing. Who knows whether their contract with Royal Mail requires them to do so. They may even include an unconscious bias, in that some people may always post in town because they feel/ know/ past experience tells them that mail arrives quicker if it’s posted in X location. If you have your own mail to post you are more likely to post your Spectos stuff at the same time.