When something is delivered by Special Delivery , how does the fact it has been delivered get fed back to Royal Mail , is it at the end of the delivery run or is it during the day by wireless or a phone connection from the terminal that you sign for it on what , hope that makes sense
Two answers really, all depends on actually how it was signed for.
1. Postie delivers and asks the recipient to print and sign name and check time on a delivery card. Old fashioned piece of paper. That piece of paper then returned to delivery/sorting office for return to sorting office, where honestly I don't know what happens from there.
2. Postie delivers and the recipient signs name on a PDA. If there is a signal that info is sent to sorting office, if no signal PDA is downloaded at the end of delivery route.
Probably best not to quote me on any of this,but its as good as I've got.
Odd things can happen when sending to organisations. Two examples of my experience
Amazon (Recorded Delivery)
RM don't get signatures. Instead they give Amazon a bag with all the recorded items and ask Amazon to return the paperwork with signatures in due cause. I have seen this fail a number of times - either Amazon don't bother returning the paperwork, or RM don't process it when returned. Result - the parcel status remains 'being progressed through the network' indefinitely.
Birmingham University (Special Delivery)
Gets to the the closest RM depot. They put it in a bag for University collection or delivery. At this point they mark it as delivered even though it hasn't reached the addressee. Then gets passed to university post room who deliver the parcel with a signature card. Addressee receives it and may or may not sign the card and return it. If it is signed it is returned to the post depot who enter it in the system. In this case the signature arrived over a week after it was said to be delivered. Had an argument with RM over this, that the 'next day' had not been honoured because the point that they mark it as delivered it had not even left RM premises. Didn't get anywhere, RM were so thick skinned they could not see that this was wrong in the slightest.
Both these processes were as described by Customer Services after they had spoken to the Depot Managers concerned.