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Author Topic: Home delivery services and the PDA characteristics  (Read 7093 times)
Chris from Nailsea
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« on: August 21, 2017, 01:26:32 »

We're going slightly off-topic, but ...

I had three phones during my work shift, driving a van, today: one, bolted to the dashboard - no SIM; another, in a hand-held gadget - no SIM; my personal mobile - fully functional.  Roll Eyes

Thus, most of my delivery work today was done with reference to a sheet of A4 paper, which contained all of the information I needed.  Lips sealed

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"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
bobm
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« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2017, 08:13:15 »

Continuing off topic - I had a home delivery yesterday (nice and early at 09:20 and on a Sunday mind you) and the driver had a fully functional PDA, but no stylus.   Huh
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LiskeardRich
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« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2017, 06:29:20 »

Continuing off topic - I had a home delivery yesterday (nice and early at 09:20 and on a Sunday mind you) and the driver had a fully functional PDA, but no stylus.   Huh

I've discovered styluses to be as rare as hens teeth, and carry a pen type item with a metal end which does the job well
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TonyK
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« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2017, 11:12:08 »

I scrawl with a finger, ending up with something that looks nothing like my autograph, but satisfies the driver.
« Last Edit: September 19, 2017, 08:52:32 by Four Track, Now! » Logged

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chuffed
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« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2017, 12:24:27 »

I srawl with a finger, ending up with something that looks nothing like my autograph, but satisfies the driver.

I would have thought eight vertical lines joined by several horizontal smaller lines that join vertical lines 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6 and 7 & 8 would have sufficed !
« Last Edit: September 18, 2017, 12:48:37 by chuffed » Logged
Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2017, 16:10:27 »

Continuing off topic - I had a home delivery yesterday (nice and early at 09:20 and on a Sunday mind you) and the driver had a fully functional PDA, but no stylus.   Huh

I've discovered styluses to be as rare as hens teeth, and carry a pen type item with a metal end which does the job well

Agreed - so do I.  Wink

I scrawl with a finger, ending up with something that looks nothing like my autograph, but satisfies the driver.

Agreed - a fingertip works equally well.  The driver is generally satisfied because there is absolutely nothing with which they could compare any 'signature' on the PDA.  My own employer's version includes an option for 'signed by driver' and many of my (generally elderly) delivery customers ask me to do so.  I simply draw a capital C and add a full stop on the screen.  Grin

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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
stuving
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« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2017, 17:41:39 »

Agreed - a fingertip works equally well.  The driver is generally satisfied because there is absolutely nothing with which they could compare any 'signature' on the PDA.  My own employer's version includes an option for 'signed by driver' and many of my (generally elderly) delivery customers ask me to do so.  I simply draw a capital C and add a full stop on the screen.  Grin

So what's the point of it?
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2017, 18:40:03 »

There is none.  It simply enables the driver to get to the final screen in the delivery sequence on the PDA, to 'confirm departure'.  Lips sealed

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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
TonyK
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« Reply #8 on: September 19, 2017, 09:05:16 »

Should the customer allege non-delivery, the signaure would be useless as evidence. But it is anyway - my previous job frequently involved questioning people who had alleged non-delivery of certain "instruments of payment" which turned out to have been cashed, and which bore a signature remarkably like the one on the form  reporting the loss or non-receipt. "That's not mine" was a common response. The tax payer will be pleased to know that I had other strings to my bow, and that eventually the whole paper-based system of payments was done away with.
On the other side of the coin, when buying a new car, I had to produce my driving licence to identify myself to satisfy anti-money laundering regulations. Unfortunately, I could not manage a signature than looked sufficiently like the one I had done in the small box on my licence form to satisfy whoever was making the judgment in the dealership's headquarters. Eventually, the salesman managed a reasonable facsimile.
So I don't know what's the point of a signature on a PDA other than, as CfN says, to move the process to a satisfactory conclusion. I suspect that if fraud becomes widespread in home delivery services, the scrawled moniker will be replaced by a photo of the smiling customer on their doorstep, holding a small sample of their groceries in one hand, and a copy of today's newspaper in the other.
« Last Edit: September 19, 2017, 10:07:10 by Four Track, Now! » Logged

Now, please!
Bmblbzzz
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« Reply #9 on: September 19, 2017, 11:00:41 »

Newspaper? That's an outdated concept!
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« Reply #10 on: September 19, 2017, 11:17:46 »

Newspaper? That's an outdated concept!
That's the way it's going especially with the price of newspapers ever increasing because their circulations are going down.
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TonyK
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« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2017, 11:49:33 »

Newspaper? That's an outdated concept!

So am I, but don't tell anybody!

That's the way it's going especially with the price of newspapers ever increasing because their circulations are going down.

As a subscriber, I enjoy a substantial discount, and significant perks. Plus, I don't like doing the crossword online.
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bobm
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« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2017, 11:55:33 »

Agreed - a fingertip works equally well.

The van ignition key is also a useful substitute.  Grin
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« Reply #13 on: September 19, 2017, 11:57:50 »

As a subscriber, I enjoy a substantial discount, and significant perks. Plus, I don't like doing the crossword online.
Yup that's the way to go if you are a regular reader of a newspaper.
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Red Squirrel
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« Reply #14 on: September 19, 2017, 15:42:50 »

Apologies if it has been expanded elsewhere, but PDA? Is that Pointless Digital Accessory?
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