Tracked 48 available at a post office?

[sarahq1962]

HI, my post office ( it isn't a main post office by the way and in N Ireland )....still says it cannot do over the counter tracked 48 - only accepting ones as before where the postage has already been bought online. They are saying they don't expect ever to get it? Is this the case with all post offices / sub P Offices does anyone know? or have some people been able to get them done ( from scratech at a post office ) - I do drop and go and used to do signed for but want to change to tracked 48 but want the Post office to do the tracked 48 as they did signed for. Thanks all 

[myriad*seller]

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@4_bathrooms wrote:

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@myriad*seller wrote:

It depends on the Post Office

My local sub post office (England) does Tracked 24/48 over the counter and pre-paid but it depends on the contract they have 

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Is it the contract or is it whether the sub-postmaster is a union member or not?

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@myriad*seller wrote:

Its cheaper to buy online postage anyway! 

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Exactly!

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Not sure to be honest, but I certainly have used it in the last 3 weeks from my local sub PO which is in a retail premises (and open 7 days a week as a result!!) 

[myriad*seller]

My delivery postie collects it when they deliver my letters/parcels

[barry.110]

Interestingly I was just creating a dummy request on the Royal Mail website for 24 Tracked and 48 Tracked and when I got to the Sender step there was the below message.

"Sorry!

Our free collection service is currently unavailable at the moment, but don't panic, branch drop off is free for all services."

Sure enough where it normally shows you the fee to drop the 24 Tracked and 48 Tracked parcels at the Post Office it does say free.

[4_bathrooms]

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@barry.110 wrote:

You only have to pay more if you are buying Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 online and taking it to the Post Office.

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Correct; it's a recent oddity. Until very recently it was possible to buy (non-account) Tracked online and take it to a PO counter without being surcharged. I suspect the recently introduced surcharge is in part due to the current wrangling by the NFSP.

Tracked services used to be account only; if a retail customer wanted a service with tracking they had to purchase Special Delivery. Royal Mail then introduced non-account Tracked services that could be dropped off at a PO counter; non-account Tracked has different terms to account Tracked due to the statutory rights consumers have. For example, account Tracked only offers compensation for "actual loss" and requires the recipient to state in writing they haven't received the item even if the tracking indicates the item has been lost. Non-account Tracked offers compensation for "market value" and doesn't require the recipient to state they haven't received their item in writing. There are other differences but other than the price and terms account Tracked and non-account Tracked are treated the same within RM's delivery network.

The National Federation of Subpostmasters (the union) wanted non-account Tracked to be available at the counter. This is likely because once people realised they could buy Tracked online - which is a cheaper and superior service to Special Delivery - many PO customers stopped buying SD at the counter. It seems the agreement was in place for this to happen but the NFSP decided their members should be paid more than the company (Post Office Ltd) was offering for each item they process. I can see their point; if someone buys their postage from Royal Mail online and takes the item to the PO counter the subpostmaster likely receives some token amount of a few pence; I certainly wouldn't like to work for nothing!

[merv9104]

Just back for my local Sub Post Office also in N.Ireland. Had 2 parcels I wished to post UK TRACKED 48. Sorry ONLINE SERVICE ONLY  applies at ALL Post Office even MAIN was reply. Showed pricing guide which didn’t state. Told Icould get a CODE if I went on line and bring to them and they would sort. I pointed out I had no printer so this solves. Just also off phone to Royal Mail, apparently Counter Service for UK TRACKED 48 withdrawn at present and hope to have restored soon, not so sure it was ever available 🙈🙈🙈🙈NOT SATISFACTORY AT ALL😡😡😡😡😡

[cinderella*uk]

Royal Mail New price valid from 2 April is SCAM.

Despite all the PROMISES FROM ROYAL MAIL:
"It will be from June."

"It will be from July."
IN 2 months (!!!????!!!!) NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
UK Tracked Service NOT EXIST at Post Office.

SHAME to Royal Mail.
They then wonder...
“Why is there such NEGATIVITY towards us almost everywhere on review sites online?

[tommystrezures]

It's available at our post office now. I am currently sat on one of our outreach services in a village hall and it's available here too!

It was part rolled out to mains and crowns at the end of April, and yes there has been a bit of a delay whilst the system/process was improved. But we have the service for the past couple of weeks now.

[*vyolla*]

We have it too now in our tiny Post Office, it appeared a couple of weeks ago. 

[tommystrezures]

And a very useful service it is too, so much cheaper than the signed for services.

[cinderella*uk]

Yesterday it was not at the post office in a small town.
I'll check today and update the information here accordingly.

[tommystrezures]

I think you will find it's still being rolled out. Originally there were two dates published, so there may well be another tranche of post offices going live. Tuesday and or Wednesday seems to be the days it's being rolled out on 

[the-almighty-inquisitor]

So my local Post Office has finally been updated to now offer the Tracked 48 / 24 services.  So of course, I decided today to send an item using Tracked 48.  It was the first the PO had done, so it was uncharted territory...so here is how it went.

The address info the PO clerk enters is basically Post Code and House number or name, nothing else.  The label is printed on the same larger labels used for Tracked and Tracked Returns in basically the same format with QR code, and the recipents address details are in quite a large sized font.  The tracking number generated is the same 16 digit/character as per your usual standard Large Letter or Small Parcels reference numbers you get.

The Proof / Certificate of Posting is also the same format us usual with the 16 digit code printed in the format XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX 

So it is advised your still fully address any package your sending, giving enough room for the larger labels that are printed.

Thats it.  I'll keep an eye out on the RM site to see how the tracking is updated, but within 20 minutes it went to 'We're expecting it' 

[cinderella*uk]

4 Months NOW:
Nothing has changed for those who want to use the stamps they bought before - Tracked 24/48 NOT AVAILABLE.

[4_bathrooms]

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@cinderella*uk wrote:

4 Months NOW:
Nothing has changed for those who want to use the stamps they bought before - Tracked 24/48 NOT AVAILABLE.

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You will never be able to use stamps to pay for Tracked services. Stamps are exempt from VAT whilst Tracked services are subject to VAT. Even if you put 20% extra in value of stamps on the package than the Tracked service would have cost the VAT due still wouldn't have been paid because stamps are exempt from VAT so no VAT was paid when they were purchased...

[warren_1979]

Hi.

Can I use a QR code for a tracked 48 large letter at my local post office/parcel shop?

This piece of text on the tracked 48 royal mail website is confusing me:

**Label printing at a Post Office is available for 1st Class (including Signed For), 2nd Class (including Signed For), Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm. It is also available for Tracked (including with signature) but parcel only format.