Having bought some slippers online and returned them to get the next larger size, I tried tracking my return parcel today (the company includes a free return label). It's now been delivered, but it seems the number was also used last October for a delivery by the same company.
Aren't these numbers unique, single use?
I thought the royal mail ones were, but certainly some (DHL?) seem to re-use them every few months, which has previously caused me to think parcels have been mis-delivered, rather than not delivered yet.
Yep, from DHL's FAQ ...
"When I track my international DHL Express shipments, why do I sometimes get information for a shipment that is not going to the intended destination?
DHL periodically recycles shipment waybill numbers for operational reasons. Occasionally this results in information being in our systems at the same time for two shipments travelling under the same waybill number. DHL is working hard to eliminate these occurrences. However, in the meantime, please be assured that while this information may be confusing, your physical shipment will be heading to its correct destination and be receiving the same careful attention as every other shipment in our network."
That sounds like the first step in: "How to create confusion within a shipping system".
"We'll never need more than 65536 shipping numbers."
Cheers
In message , Tim Streater writes
The numbers are unique when issued by RM, who issue individual labels as well as bulk allocations to companies who then use the numbers on their own labels, particularly pre paid customer returns. In theory, the customer should only use each number once, but in real life ...
Although our postie is lovely and gives real personal service, everything is possible with the RM...
Their system is at least 10 years behind that of their main competitors.
En el artículo , Clive Arthur escribió:
"640k shipping numbers will be more than enough for anyone"
..... you cannot track anything through Royal Mail until it has been delivered - and if it isn't there is no record of it being anywhere!
Not true. My item was shown as being in Bristol and when I checked later the DELIVERED line had been added.
The following shows the two sets of entries copy/pasted from the RM tracking page:
03-FEB-2017 10:24 DELIVERED - No Signature Glastonbury DO 03-FEB-2017 02:06 Accepted at Inward Mail Centre Bristol Mail Centre 02-FEB-2017 08:17 Accepted at Outward Mail Centre Medway Mail Centre 01-FEB-2017 10:13 Accepted at Post Office 19 Xxxxxx Street , XX1 2XX 08-OCT-2016 07:34 DELIVERED - No Signature Stockport Central DO 08-OCT-2016 07:07 Ready For Delivery Stockport Central DO 08-OCT-2016 02:43 Accepted at Inward Mail Centre Manchester Mail Centre 07-OCT-2016 08:12 Accepted at Outward Mail Centre South Midlands Mail Centre 07-OCT-2016 05:18 Sales Order Raised 06-OCT-2016 15:18 Accepted at Post Office 14 High Street , XX7 1XX
How about this?
Thursday, 2 Feb 10:26 Collected by the customer 111 Sea Street , CT6 8QX Tuesday, 31 Jan 05:10 Parcel has been handed over to the carrier and is in transit Dunfermline, Fife, UK Monday, 30 Jan 11:15 Available for collection 111 Sea Street , CT6 8QX 06:07 Out for delivery Herne Bay DO Sunday, 29 Jan 01:24 Parcel arrived at a carrier facility Medway Mail Centre Saturday, 28 Jan 02:43 Parcel arrived at a carrier facility Scottish RDC
At no point did I receive any notofication - I popped into the post office on the off chance!
Why would they be? After all if the previous use is now dead. I thought you were goin to tell us technically how its done. Knowing Royal mail its probably a long ball of strin or a dog following the scent. Brian
It might not be dead if you are founding on proof of delivery in court proceedings though I suppose if the purported delivery date is earler than the date of posting this event could be excluded. It would be simpler to have a single tracking number and single delivery address to avoid argument. .
They appear to have two different types of tracking. The cheap and cheerful one only tells you if and when it's been delivered. The full version tracks each stage in the journey as it happens. I don't know what determines the level you get.
En el artículo , Mike Clarke escribió:
'signed for' (which used to be called 'recorded') and 'special' perhaps?
In message , Mike Clarke writes
Yes. Signed for, used to be called recorded, only shows delivery. Special and Parcelforce both tracked during journey.
Money :-)
That seems to be what us ordinary consumers can get, but businesses seem to have more options. I have been seeing recently packets marked Royal Mail 24hr and 48hr analogous to the Parcelforce services similarly named, and these seem to be tracked but without exactly the same delivery guarantees as Special Delivery.
Round here, "signed for" means left on your doorstep if you are lucky - or dropped in a neighbour's garden if you aren't.
Round here the postie signs for it if it fits through the letter box, otherwise its kept at the delivery office unless its parcelforce in which case it goes to the local post office.
That's what's supposed to happen everywhere.
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