Royal Mail to introduce Tracked & International Returns
Royal Mail are to introduce two returns services to help you grow your business – Tracked Returns for domestic customers and International Returns for 26 countries across Europe.
Royal Mail Tracked Returns
A new service, Tracked Returns, is due to be launched in February. There will be a choice of 1st or 2nd class delivery options providing free proof of postage for customers, a scan at the Post Office Counter when the parcel is dropped off and a further scan at the Delivery Office when the item is received back for return to you, the retailer.
The aim of this service is to enable you to provide a free returns service for customers. If you’re interested in finding out more speak to your Royal Mail account manager or call 08457 950 950.
Royal Mail International Returns
This service really got my interest, Royal Mail are to introduce a service giving customers, across 26 European countries at launch, free returns at a reasonable cost to the retailer.
One of the issues with customers returning goods is that whilst a retailer can negotiate decent delivery rates from the UK to International Destinations, it’s nigh on impossible to get a contract collecting from far flung countries back to the UK. If left to the consumer to pick up the return cost they’re normally faced with paying the rack rate at their local Post Office counter.
Royal Mail’s solution is offer consumers a free and easy returns service, removing one of the biggest barriers to e-commerce. It’s free as you pay for the return of the item and it’s easy to use as access is via the post box or Post Office.
Costs will start at £5.59 plus VAT for items below 500g and rise to £9.05 plus VAT for items up to 2kg. You will also need to hold an International Response Services licence costing £140 plus VAT per year.
The service will cover international reply-paid goods return service available across 26 countries with more countries to be added. The service will also have a single returns label for all countries covered in the scheme making the set up really easy. You can expect returned goods to arrive within 7 to 10 working days.
Again if you’re interested in accessing simple, easy, cost effective International Returns contact your Royal Mail account manager.
puddleglums rest says
7:09 am on 11/01/2013
astounding , offering an easy option for returns and paying for it to is just simple ecomomic suicide for many , plus royalmail delivery tracking is a farce so why will returns be any better?
Chris says
8:47 am on January 11th, 2013
I disagree, offering free returns will most likely increase sales. Of course returns will go up slightly but will be far outweighed by the increase in sales.
Most of the “big boys” in my sector already do this and I have only heard good feedback from them.
puddleglums rest says
9:20 am on January 11th, 2013
free returns are not free just like customer service, if your profit margins or sales arehigh you can offer anything, but someone somewhere gets the bill
puddleglums rest says
7:39 am on 11/01/2013
royalmails failure to offer a cost effective reliable tracked delivery service is one of our biggest barriers then to offer a tracked return service is insulting and simply squeezing the juice to the last drop
Stuart says
9:06 am on 11/01/2013
I have to agree with puddle on this, Royal Mail tracked is a total farce and does not work, we have tried it on two occasions and on both items went missing within three or four days of starting the service.
Royal Mail and floundering with trying to adopt a decent strategy for online retailers and will loose out in time.
We spend around 200k a year and this year I am really considering leaving them!
Jimbo says
9:25 am on January 11th, 2013
You spend almost a quarter of a million a year with Royal Mail?
Stuart says
2:35 pm on January 11th, 2013
Yes we do!
Chris says
4:10 pm on January 11th, 2013
Spends 1/4 Million but can’t spell “lose”
puddleglums rest says
5:31 pm on January 11th, 2013
“Spends 1/4 Million but can’t spell “lose””
thats just so naff! surely you can find better critic than picking up on spelling
Chris says
5:45 pm on January 11th, 2013
One of the problems with having a common name such as Christopher, is that several people can claim it for their tag on postings. May I point out that I(From Cornwall) did not comment on spelling(I have been known to get spellings wrong), just in case puddleglums rest thinks that it is me.
Stuart says
8:26 am on January 12th, 2013
I am sorry for making a spelling mistake when typing (nobody is perfect) it was probably because I was so busy packing parcels to spend that amount with RM!
puddleglums rest says
1:26 pm on 11/01/2013
we can see the partial refund sharks circling now,
give us a fiver cos it will cost you that anyhow, or we will return it
Clarky says
3:41 pm on 11/01/2013
“Costs will start at £5.59 plus VAT for items below 500g and rise to £9.05 plus VAT for items up to 2kg. You will also need to hold an International Response Services licence costing £140 plus VAT per year.”
Am I the only one who sees this as ludicrously expensive? EMS (which this is basically but with a new name) is far cheaper than this.
I suppose it will be in fitting with RM’s new “screw you if you don’t spend a few million with us” approach of late with pricing.
puddleglums rest says
5:29 pm on January 11th, 2013
we just see it as ludicrously ludicrous
John says
11:39 pm on 11/01/2013
I have slowly been moving my business away from Royal Mail. They have a attitude of contempt for their customers. After agreeing points with an account manager, I have an automated email saying they are closing my Tracked account due to not posting enough parcels. Yes wel the reason was the local depot managed to put all my tracked next day into 2nd class mail. It took them 6 months to resolve it (I trained the posties on how to recognise the service and how to handle it! ). Once happy that it was being handled correctly I said I would restart….only to be told its being cancelled.
I wasted time talking to their office, they said we will extend for 3 months but are putting the price up by over £2. What a bunch of inept morons.
Well for the last year I switched 97% of all UK business to interlink. Interlink deliver next working day, with full tracking and SMS/email customers with a 1hr timeslot for delivery. My ebay DSR have risen to 4.97 to 5 for comms and delivery from about 4.87 in 1 year.
Royal Mail should be grabbing the business of SME’s not pushing them away with incompetence and contempt. I won’t be putting any more business their way and will only use them where it’s the only option.
Gary says
9:01 am on 15/01/2013
“Introducing free tracking on returns” anybody spotted the RM banner at the top of the Tamebay page?
Is it “free” or is it free in the sense that ebay suggest that sellers offer “free” shipping?
JD says
10:30 am on January 15th, 2013
Free? With RM you are lucky to get what you pay for. In my experience nothing is ever free.