When a tracking number isn't a tracking number

[golfing_in_style]

For years I have used the Canada Post electronic shipping tools to print all my mailings,knowing full well that US Small Packet Air was not trackable.When Canada Post began to offer a 25% discount for shipping your Ebay stuff through Paypal for certain shipments I switched and started printing the postage right from the Pay Pal site.There were some very nice discounts.Lo and behold when I printed a US Small Packet Air..up came a tracking number,which I proudly announced to my US customers.Wow... I thought that's great.That was until the many US customers would go the their Paypal site and click on the track button,which lead them to the Canada Post website..Guess what there is no tracking, although you are certainly lead to believe so..It says track .Several customers were angry stating: where is my tracking information?...Why havent you shipped it yet?. etc etc. as you know many US customers are very anxious to get their items and pay close attention to these details.
I contacted a rep a Canada Post and here is the reply: "The tracking number that appears on the US Small Packet is not a tracking number, it's a registration number confirming the postage was paid on line.We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you.Well this so called registration number which in every respect is a tracking number has the same number configuration as a tracking number, looks like a tracking number, smells like a tracking number, and is called a tracking number on the PayPal site.
I can cause myself enough headcaches in this business without their help.

[coxengines]

Sorry that you had to find out the hard way. The transaction ID has never been a tracking #.

We ship 99% Small and Light Packet and that's just the way it is.

We rarely get a query from a buyer in this respect but does happen once a month or so. For those occasions we simply use one of our many copy and paste replies.

Bernie

[femmefan1946]

Let your customer know that the number is the CanadaPost invoice for the postage purchased. Then go into some bumpf about your policy of shipping within XX hours/days. Tell him you have checked his paperwork and the item went out on Sept XX and should in your experience arrive within 20 business days. Tell him you have put his paperwork into your BF file for Oct.XX. and then, if you have heard nothing by the day before that, get back in touch.

Since you have sent the item, your job is to reassure your customer.

Small Packet is also insured automatically by Canada Post. The invoice number is also the insurance number. Let your customer know that the item is insured, this is also very reassuring, even though the insurance protects you not him. Small Packet is not Delivery Confirmed.

The 25% discount is not on SP shipping it is on Expedited shipping, which is Delivery Confirmed. I agree the wording used by PP is confusing, but most US sellers only purchase Delivery Confirmation. Tracking is also possible but is very expensive with USPS.

Delivery Confirmation is not tracking. The DC number may be accidentally scanned from time to time along its travels, but neither you nor the customer can count on it.

Again you have to reassure your customer. He can see the DC on canadapost.ca and also on UPS.com. Let him know that this shows it is on its way, but that his letter carrier will only scan it when he has it in his hands, at best a few minutes before he puts it in the mail box.

BTW, some carriers will scan in the truck, discover the receiver is not home, drop a pickup slip (which naturally is immediately eaten by the dog) and returns the parcel to the Post Office. This is also useful information for your customer.

Well this so called registration number which in every respect is a tracking number has the same number configuration as a tracking number, looks like a tracking number, smells like a tracking number, and is called a tracking number on the PayPal site.

You can make this confusion work for you too. Since I have been inclluding the invoice number in my feedback, my honest customers are reassured that the parcel has been sent, and I believe a few sketchey buyers have decided not to try anything since there appears to be a DC number .

[coxengines]

The invoice number is also the insurance number.

Wrong. Not only is this # never required when making a claim, CP can't even look up details with this #. I have tried in the past.

The DC number may be accidentally scanned from time to time

Wrong. The lower portion of the label where this # sits is either separated before shipping or the label folded in 1/2, making it invisible.

You can make this confusion work for you too.

Absolutely 🙂

I will post one of our texts we use when we get the "where is my package?"

Bernie

[coxengines]

I will post one of our texts we use when we get the "where is my package?"


Bernie

Your package was shipped on September 4 and we sent a shipping notification on September 4 to (insert email address) which is the one that was sent to us with your Paypal payment.

Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing when you will receive your package as that is knowledge that only the United States Postal System would have. However, in our shipping notification we included this line:

Please note that mail within Canada can take a week, to the USA can take aprx. 2 weeks and mail to international destinations can take 3 weeks or longer.

The above represents our experience with the postal system. Also, sometimes Customs in the destination country can be backlogged, adding to the transit time.

It is our policy to replace shipments if they have not arrived after 15 days within Canada, 21 days for the USA and 30 days for International destinations. Should this be the case, please drop us a line after that period and we will re-ship your merchandise.

Thanks again for shopping with us and have a great day!

Bernie

[golfing_in_style]

Thanks Bernie
Im gong to use your words...great stuff
jesse

[femmefan1946]

Wrong. The lower portion of the label where this # sits is either separated before shipping or the label folded in 1/2, making it invisible.

Only the paper copy.

If you are making an insurance claim, CP asks for the number as a proof that the service was actually purchased. The clerk can look up the number and sees the entire page electronically.

There is no need to see the paper label-- the insurance claim is most often made when the parcel is "lost".

[coxengines]

..... um.... we file 2-3 claims each and every month and we have never, ever been asked for that #, seriously.

The conversation usually begins with "What is the tracking #?". My reply is always "Don't have one".

You must be claiming a different way then. We use a certain toll-free # and the package ID never plays a role. We just give the rep our Venture One customer #, the addressee data, value of the shipment and postage paid and a cheque is eventually sent to us.

Bernie

[femmefan1946]

Whatever works!

That's a lot of losses. I've had maybe one a year selling my books here, probably less. The B&M has a similar loss rate over twenty or more years of mail order.

The "tracking number" the clerk asks for would be what I tend to call the shipping invoice number. It can act only as a transaction number on LetterPost/Light Packet, or as an insurance number on Small Packet and as a Delivery Confirmation (and Insurance) on Expedited parcels.

There is no "tracking" until you buy the ExpressPost/Priority Post and Registered services. Nor does Paypal need tracking. Just Delivery /Signature Confirmation. (I'm a real stickler on this point, sorry.)

But lots do call DC "tracking", including eBay, Paypal and members.

Still it's nice to know that the PO can follow your purchases through your VentureOne number. I seem to recall that when I last gave the invoice number to identify my missing package, the phone clerk was giving me prompts that made me believe she had all the information you mention on her screen and was just confirming it with my records.

[coxengines]

Again, you must be calling a different dept as we have never, ever, been asked for that #.

Losses are aprx 1/2%, which is industry standard. Our sales are 2% to Canada and the balance pretty well equally divided between USA and the rest of the world.

Venture one does not follow your purchases. Al the # does is pull up your account info so the rep does not have to ask all the boring questions as to who you are.

We ship almost 100% without tracking - the nature of our business.

Bernie

[ecbluestar]

You must be claiming a different way then. We use a certain toll-free # and the package ID never plays a role. We just give the rep our Venture One customer #, the addressee data, value of the shipment and postage paid and a cheque is eventually sent to us.

Bernie

I use online claiming based on that invoice number

[coxengines]

How do you do that on-line for Small Packets? Last I tried it was not possible.

Bernie

[femmefan1946]

Maybe that's the difference. I don't bother claiming anything when it is LP. There is no insurance to claim after all.

Small Packet, Regular and Expedited are my usual shipping methods. Those are the ones I have claimed on in the past. All include $100 automatic insurance. And all have shipping invoice numbers.

In the distant past (pre-Paypal) I kept a little book with the stick in brown or red labels. Those had numbers too -- half the label went on the parcel.

The B&M also uses ExpressPost International and Priority Post (or whatever they are calling it this week.)

[pjcdn2005]

How do you do that on-line for Small Packets? Last I tried it was not possible.

Bernie

It still isn't possible for small packet or for any package sent out of Canada...It has to be done by phone.Like Bernie, I've never been asked for that number either.

[ecbluestar]

I never called with claim, always done online login from venture account, I enter number select Intl air insured parcel from drop down menu, on next page I fill in all info. I am doing this way for the last two years.

[coxengines]

I think there are 2 parallel threads here.

It was said that the package ID gets scanned on Small Packets and is also used for claims. I challenged that.

Then, it was said that sellers can file claims on-line via the tracking # and I asked whether this was possible for Small Packets, as I did not think that it was possible.

Somewhere along the lines the two issues got mixed up.

Yes, one can file claims on-line with the tracking # and, yes, one will also need the tracking # when filing the claim via telephone.
The aforementioned only applies to parcels with tracking and Xpresspost and not to Small Packets.

No, one cannot file claims on-line for Small packets and, no, the package ID is not a requirement for a claim and neither is this ID scanned along the package's route. The ID is actually not visible on the label as the bottom 1/2 of the label is generally discarded of folded inwards.

Bernie

[femmefan1946]

Well Bernie that may be true, but you are focussing on paper when you should be thinking virtually.

When I give the SP shipping invoice number (not tracking just insurance), the telephone clerk looks up the number on her computer. She sees my name and address, she sees my customer's name and address. She also sees the date it was put in the mail.

What she is looking at is an image of the whole label. Only the paper label is cut in half with one part (unnumbered) being attached to the parcel, and the other going in the seller's files.

She also sees how many claims I have made since I joined VentureONE. (About three maybe four and I joined when they started the program). She indicated that seemed to confirm that I was not scamming the insurance system since at the time I was shipping about 35 or 45 packages a month. Made me wonder what other info they have on that computer. 😮

Since the package is missing, thus the claim, no one can see what is on the paper label.

[coxengines]

That is interesting!

On my next claim I will use that # when I am asked for the tracking #.

I last did this a couple of years ago and was told that CP could not pull up info that way.

I give them my Venture One # instead and at least they have my info, which they still make me confirm. The recipient's info I have to dictate to them. I always print a duplicate label and store it for 3 months.

If what you say is correct, that would save me a lot of work (spelling out all those foreign addresses lol). Perhaps CP has now upgraded their systems?

What is weird is that the phone reps never, ever, ask for this SP shipping invoice #. As soon as I mention "Small Packet" they shift gears and go through the other motions.

Bernie

[coxengines]

Ok, I just filed a claim this morning for a package that was sent to Finland.

I gave the gal the reference #, which she pulled up. She said it was of no help as all it showed was date of shipment and destination country. No type of service, no address, no declared value.

After I filed my claim I requested she humour me and I gave her 2 more reference #'s (for shipments that were not lost), one for Germany and one for the USA. Again, in both cases only the ship date and country showed on her screen.

To be fair she did say that sometimes more info shows but, as a rule, the info is lacking.

I therefore maintain, as before, that the reference # is not a usable tool to file claims for Small Packets.

Bernie