Tracked 48 - All parcels i have posted with this service have been late or LOST

johnny_c

I have started (been forced) to use the Tracked 48 with a QR code printed at the PO.  So far, of all the parcels I have sent (6 to date), all have been considerably late (i.e. taking at least 5-6 days) , and TWO have gone missing.  

The two that are currently missing seem to have arrived at the MC (according to the tracker), but one has not progressed in 12 days after arriving at the MC, and the other after 9. 

I have put in a claim for the first, and am waiting a few days to claim the other.

Before tracked 48 I do not know if I have ever had a missing parcel (certainly it must be many many years ago), and now I have had two in the last six I posted.

p00hsticks

I'm not sure how many I've sent or received in the last year - at least six out and the same in, and they've all arrived within two days (although I don't believe that Royal Mail guarantee that) so it sounds as if you are very unfortunate (not that that's any consolation to you). 

johnny_c

Is there possibly anything I (the sender) can do wrong ? 

I am selecting the right size and weight as far as i understand .In any case, 4 of the 6 HAVE arrived, albeit late, so my thoughts are that I am not doing anything wrong.  

The two ''missing/lost'' parcels arrived within a couple of days of being sent, to Dorset and Warrington MC respectively and then the trail went cold.  They still state that they have arrived there, and that's the last notification.   

It is also very annoying that you cannot contact the MC directly with evidence of the tracker showing that the trail went cold there.. Instead having to raise a general failure to deliver /lost claim. 

Tommo2448

That's very disappointing, to be sure. I have started using Tracked 48 for higher value Ebay items (and also Tracked 24 for some lots) since late 2023, and keep detailed records in my Ebay spreadsheet.  So far I have sent 11 Tracked 48s, to a wide variety of places across the UK.  Six arrived within two days, four within three days, and one after four days.  My Tracked 24s have been fine as well.  If relevant to your circs, I am using Click & Drop myself as a personal customer to generate labels, rather than using the Ebay system, and am now almost always dropping off at the PO.

Sounds like you are being very unlucky, unless there is some systemic issue somewhere in where they are being sent/routed.  It will be interesting to see what RM say when they respond to your claims !   As they are promoting these services hard at the moment, for their claimed reliability and to compete with other couriers, I would hope they would try to get to the bottom of this.

ETA - see also my comments on this from early 2023, https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80138381#Comment_80138381

(I don't work for RM, honest !)

soolin

Tommo2448 said:

That's very disappointing, to be sure. I have started using Tracked 48 for higher value Ebay items (and also Tracked 24 for some lots) since late 2023, and keep detailed records in my Ebay spreadsheet.  So far I have sent 11 Tracked 48s, to a wide variety of places across the UK.  Six arrived within two days, four within three days, and one after four days.  My Tracked 24s have been fine as well.  If relevant to your circs, I am using Click & Drop myself as a personal customer to generate labels, rather than using the Ebay system.

Sounds like you are being very unlucky, unless there is some systemic issue somewhere in where they are being sent/routed.  It will be interesting to see what RM say when they respond to your claims !   As they are promoting these services hard at the moment, for their claimed reliability and to compete with other couriers, I would hope they would try to get to the bottom of this.

ETA - see also my comments on this from early 2023, https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80138381#Comment_80138381

(I don't work for RM, honest !)

Just for comparison in case in case anyone is looking for a pattern, 99% of my RM48 are printed via eBay labels , some are collected, some are dropped off at either the mail centre or a post office. 2-4. Days is about my average time for delivery , with some taking a week. 

RedImp_2

Could it just be a glitch in the tracking?  Any way of knowing if the parcels have been delivered regardless of what tracking says?

Tommo2448

RedImp_2 said:

Could it just be a glitch in the tracking?  Any way of knowing if the parcels have been delivered regardless of what tracking says?

It can occasionally not update for every stage of the journey, but I have never had a RM tracked delivery fail to record final delivery.  And I guess the buyer would complain if it did not arrive...

What I normally expect to see on RM tracking are scans for (1) acceptance at PO ; (2) arrival at my local Mail Centre ; (3) arrival at customer's receiving Mail Centre in city or region ; (4) arrival at customer's local delivery office ; (5) ready for delivery at delivery office (= put in van/bag ?) ; and (6) delivery (and sometimes (7) awaiting collection if customer not in).   The tracking shown within the Ebay system can sometimes lag what is shown on the RM tracking.

This is generally for letters/large letters - parcels sometimes go via dedicated Parcel Centres, I think - but the process is similar.

I also enter, if the RM system allows me and I have it available, the customer's mobile no. and/or ebay email address so that they get positive 'pings' when scans happen.   This can possibly help them see where it has got to and when it might arrive.

I would also assume (one hopes !) that RM managers have some way of being alerted if an item misses an expected scan or expected timing point, but I have no idea if they do.

johnny_c

Interesting reading. The two "missing parcels " are ebay and are boxes , but neither are oversized. I chose the correct category for each. I am doing the download QR code option and going to a PO to get it scanned and labelled. 

In any case,I presume that if I had underpaid the delivery somehow,  it would still get to the recipient and an extra payment would be requested.  Rather than it just being stalled at the MC. 

It is true that the items are not delivered according to the tracker , but neither have the buyers requested a refund. I presume it is because they just keep waiting and hoping as I do, seeing as they can also track that it was sent, and the fault is not with me.

One item states:

Thursday 06 June 2024

05:37

Item Received

Dorset MC

The other is :

Wednesday 12 June 2024

00:37

Item Received

Warrington MC

The first has been stationary for 12 days coming, and the second parcel was sent on the 9th , so it took 3 days just to get to the MC, (nevermind the recipient) , and has not moved for 6 days coming.

johnny_c

Oddly,  when I started a process for the investigation into a delayed/missing parcel the online form said the tracker number was' not recognised' . I however ignored this,  and found I could still send the request  . 

I have no idea how the tracker number could be wrong...  I have a printed receipt from the PO with the same number and if i click the tracking number on ebay it brings me to the RM tracking system showing that the parcels are in Dorset and Warrington?! So  , i don't know why the online form for refund  says the number is wrong.

Tommo2448

Right, got it.  I guess one possibility is also that RM have tried to deliver, customer has not been there (maybe holiday, given time of year ?), they have left a card for redelivery/collection, but the customer has not seen it or done anything.  Although if that happened it should, I think, generate a scan to say "delivery attempted".   

I had one go through Warrington MC to Liverpool fine last month, funnily enough.

Or it is one of the MCs or DOs with staff shortages or other reasons why they are behind on deliveries ?  Might expect that with untracked letters, but not with Tracked ones, surely.

Just seen your other one re tracking number being "wrong" !  Odd indeed.  But I do sometimes in normal use enter the number, system says doesn't recognise, I do it again, and it does get it OK.  Maybe a technical quirk of the number entering box.

Tommo2448

Tommo2448 said:

Right, got it.  I guess one possibility is also that RM have tried to deliver, customer has not been there (maybe holiday, given time of year ?), they have left a card for redelivery/collection, but the customer has not seen it or done anything.  Although if that happened it should, I think, generate a scan to say "delivery attempted".   

Or it is one of the MCs or DOs with staff shortages or other reasons why they are behind on deliveries ?  Might expect that with untracked letters, but not with Tracked ones, surely.

Just seen your other one re tracking number being "wrong" !  Odd indeed.  But I do sometimes in normal use enter the number, system says doesn't recognise, I do it again, and it does get it OK.  Maybe a technical quirk of the number entering box.

ETA - sorry - if it was an "attempted delivery" or underpaid, that would show when it reaches the Delivery Office, not at the Mail Centre.  So I can't see a reason why items would hold at the Mail Centre unless the downstream Delivery Office cannot accept them for some reason.  Or a bag or item has been put aside and forgotten about ?   But this should (should !) be the sort of thing RM managers would surely notice if things were moving on ?

We could do with a postie or other RM person on here to help us understand likely glitches !