It is many months since I wrote anything substantive about the SwapOut scheme to replace invalidated stamps with new barcoded definitives. The system worked substantially well, and apart from the occasional glitch (soon corrected), most people seemed satisfied if annoyed at the amount of effort involved and that the change had happened at all.
Since Christmas, however, readers and other dealers have been commenting that the turnaround has moved from the original 7 days to much longer. Indeed I'm told the Terms and Conditions have been changed to '30 days' - but the allegations are that it is closer to 7 weeks!
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| Use up your non-barcoded stamps slogan August 2022. |
I decided to try to find out whether this was the occasional glitch or an on-going problem.
Mechanics
I phoned and established what the mechanics are for the process. The support line is at Doxford (Sunderland) but that it only the very important call centre. We send stamps in to Edinburgh, and we get stamps back from Edinburgh.
Each of our packages is logged onto a database in Edinburgh when it is opened for processing, not before. So of my 8 packages in the last four weeks only that posted on 30 January has so far been logged into the system.
The target turn-around is still 30 days, so if we experience a longer delay and phone Duxford, they check the database and they might arrange to send replacements. I imagine they wait a couple of weeks after the 30 days to ensure that when we ask, the replacements are not in transit which might mean we end up with two sets of replacements!
Manpower
It is evident that the manpower devoted to this task has was reduced after the original surge in submissions. I'm told that additional staff were added when there was a further surge late last year, but that the numbers have probably been reduced again. Obviously the call centre can't answer for management but it does seem likely that if more people are sending in larger batches additional staffing must be applied.
Freepost address and certificates of postingA reminder that you cannot get a certificate of posting if you use the Freepost SwapOut address. If you require one for anything not sent by Special Delivery or Signed For (and you should) then you must use the address shown above, with the EH12 9GT postcode or to this address for batches over £200:
Royal Mail
Swap Out
Tallents House
21 South Gyle Crescent
EDINBURGH
EH12 9PB
It does not bode well for when they have to withdraw all the commemorative stamps which have no data matrix codes on them because the phosphor band cfc postmarking machines have worn out. I shall use what I have up swiftly.
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