canada post online shipping tools

[Guest]

do any of these contributions import data from osc to canada post's website? i just went through their shipping tools for the first time and i must say i'm pretty disgusted at the amount of time it takes to post a single package.

 

(and why the heck do their printouts use a FULL page??? the postage at their outlets use a FRACTION of paper/ink!!)

 

http://www.oscommerce.com/community?contri...mp;category=all

 

i downloaded all relevant-sounding ones and so far i'm not making sense of them at this point.

basically i need to use it for small packets, i prefer to send any xpresspost or expedited at their outlets.

 

edit: this - http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contri...rch,canada+post is not what i need. i do not want to bog up my site full of useless files from every order.

[Guest]

None will mport the details to CP Online, it works with the VCD program which is their desktop software.l Using their software or online with your Venture Card saves 8% on every order so 1 page is not a big issue (except if you are a tree).

 

http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contributions,1056 - Will import the info into the CP VCD program.

 

http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contributions,391 - Will pull the quotes for packages from the CP web site.

 

Last but certainly NOT least http://www.oscommerce.com/community/contributions,2464 will add package tracking to your web site.

 

If you are shipping more than 15 parcels per week you can get an access code for their VCD program. It is a HORRIBLE program, but does work. If not, you can save your customers info online along with your standard settings which does speed things up a bit. Doing it online does get faster as you get used to their site, but since it is CP they don't make anything easy.

[Guest]

thank you :)

 

i tried loading that ultra crappy program last night. i got to the point where i enter my venture one number, user id, password and some contract number??

 

i entered my venture one number, clicked next and then it told me it downloaded something from cp's website - to reboot the program.

 

after restarting, i get to that same page again and this time it tells me it can't connect, contact support if the problem persists... neverending cycle.

 

i loathe their support. just to get the online thing working yesterday i had to call and be transferred between 2 different departments, then the woman i ended up with was getting flustered (tone change).. last thing i want to hear when I AM flustered myself.

 

can you help and save the call to that dreaded place? :) what is the contract number, i suspect that's where my problem lies.

at present, i do not have a contractual agreenment to mail 750 packages a year because i was told that's for their express/expedited mailings, which i use infrequently due to their costs. and unreliability (expedited)

[Guest]

what is the contract number

 

The contract number is NOT the Venture Card number. It is a totally different number that you get when you sign up to use the VCD software. No wonder people get frustrated with them. You need to call them back and set up an account with them for their VCD program, they will ask for your first and second born children and then give you a number. Only do that if you plan on using them full time.

[Guest]

:rolleyes: they make it sound soooo easy on their stupid little flyers they decorate the outlets with

 

the lines are getting atrocious at the outlets and it's gonna get worse as christmas rolls on.

stupid stupid stupid!! :wacko:

 

the sad thing is i wanted to use vcd only to see how much easier this was from their 5-step online form. i absolutely hate canada post and wish there were shipping alternatives for smaller packages!!

[Guest]

oh man, what a joke.

i'm on the phone with their technical support. they cannot figure out why i'm not receiving their ADVERTISED 8% off canadian-bound expedited packages :huh:

 

appearently, i'm "not set up correctly" :blink:

i entered my venture one number, email address and created a user & pass... how can i not be setup correctly??

 

now i am speaking to the venture one tech department... they have no clue why this is happening either.

 

i haven't even gotten to the bits about VCD yet...

 

 

did they outsource their online shipping tools to a bunch of 6th graders to develop? nobody at canada post seems to know how to use this.

 

 

 

 

 

done with phonecall.

their venture one tech are dumb as a doornail, they didn't know why either, but instructed me to compare ship in a click versus the venture one parcel.

they don't show you the discount, it's automatically taken off what kind of nonsensical garbage is that? so it comes off anyway, why can't they SHOW it?

 

even still, there's a $0.02 difference. which adds up if you send a ton of packages in a short amount of time... which, they couldn't help me there either. i have to phone ANOTHER department. :rolleyes:

 

never even brung up the vcd. i can't stand canada post. it irks me to know how much money i've put into this moronic company.

[Guest]

i got adventurous and phoned about vcd.

 

firstly, the guy i talked to informed me that he couldn't help me, that i (AGAIN) need to be redirected to another department (but i selected the desktop program from the list??)

 

 

anyway, i was informed that i can only get a contract number if i agree to a contract by canada post, in which, they offered NO details until i asked specifically:

1) what's the requirement

2) how many

3) delivery restrictions.

 

answers

1) sign an agreenment to mail so many packages a year, if you fail to make it, you will receive a penalty to be paid

2) mail 750 packages a year (i can probably achieve that in a month)

3) canada only

 

NO THANKS. i'm lucky if i mail 50 in a month to canada.

 

what a freaking waste of time. so in order to "save time" i sit here and type all of my customers' names, addresses, etc. (that already exists in my osc database), to mail via their 5-step online form.

 

doesn't sound like "saving time" to me, because there is less effort standing in the postal outlet watching a gigantic line form behind me because i have 40+ parcels going all over the world.

 

not to mention, those new white custom forms sure save a lot of time. not only do i have to sit here and write package contents, value, shipping method... but once i get to the post office i have to watch the clerk measure length, width & height, type it into the computer, write it on the form, write the store number on the form and read off my shipping options, print it out and slap the postage and that useless os/blabla sticker (wtf is that for anyway!?)

 

each package can take up to 2 minutes each if i end up with a slow clerk.

 

did i mention i hate canada post?

it's almost tempting to move to windsor or sarnia just so i can drive across the border and use the u.s. postal service. :angry:

[Guest]

What I love about Canada Post is getting someone new behind the counter. Our boxes have the dimensions in inches so you give it to them in inches and they looked stumped because their computers are metric. I have to tell them to press F4 to get imperial measurement. I would think that would be part of their training. :'(

 

If you get the white customs forms from them in advance I am sure you can pull the info from osC and put it into Excel. Then create a template and use your printer to do the forms.

 

When you go to the post office just pile them on the desk and bring your laptop, you should be able to get a lot of work done while you are there. :thumbsup:

 

did they outsource their online shipping tools to a bunch of 6th graders to develop? nobody at canada post seems to know how to use this.

 

They certainly created the VCD program by using a lots of departments of 6th graders who never talked to each other. It is the MOST confusing mess I have ever seen.

 

Ohh, have you noticed they are closing a lot of postal outlets and turning them into Purolator Courier outlets. Which is WAY to expensive.

 

Only the start of my Canada Post rant. I have no other options. :( The only thing I do like about them is the GREAT WONDERFUL Canada Post Package Tracking contribution that is available for osC. :P

[Guest]

What I love about Canada Post is getting someone new behind the counter. Our boxes have the dimensions in inches so you give it to them in inches and they looked stumped because their computers are metric. I have to tell them to press F4 to get imperial measurement. I would think that would be part of their training.

they must have their phone support training these people :lol:

 

If you get the white customs forms from them in advance I am sure you can pull the info from osC and put it into Excel. Then create a template and use your printer to do the forms.

i have a stack of 1000 sitting in front of me, but this part doesn't bother me so much as watching the poor postal clerks struggle to fill these all in while listeining to asinine people huffing and moaning behind me, while waiting to pick up a package or buy a single stamp.

 

i also think those "STAMPS AVAILABLE AT FRONT CASH" signs were made to be ignored!! dark blue & white?? why aren't they neon orange and black about 7ft tall??

 

When you go to the post office just pile them on the desk and bring your laptop, you should be able to get a lot of work done while you are there.

:lol: no kidding!

 

Ohh, have you noticed they are closing a lot of postal outlets and turning them into Purolator Courier outlets. Which is WAY to expensive

hasn't been happening in my area, they actually just opened a bulding down the street from me, but i WILL NOT go there. SLOW AS HELL!!! overly finicky about light packets. i took 3 average sized parcels in there about 2 weeks ago and was in there for for 15-20 minutes!

there was only ONE other guy in there besides me, and he was at a separate counter, there were about 12 women working there... most standing around with their thumbs up their arse.

 

Only the start of my Canada Post rant. I have no other options.

oh i feel your pain :( canda post SUCKS.

[Guest]

some more hits against canada post:

tonight at the post office (that i frequent the most, i try to dispurse my parcels throughout the city to avoid agitated outlet employees mishandling my mail), i was told:

 

"i cannot give a full page of these anymore"... the airmail stickers?!

 

i don't know what the heck that is about, because we don't abuse them. more often than not our packages have "air" handwritten on them. (because when i DO finally get the stickers, i'm usually only given a few sheets anyway, when using 2 stickers per package they run out quickly)

 

wtf is this about? are the 1,000's of dollars people drop at these places not enough to cover the cost of printing airmail stickers? :angry:

[Chance]

Yeah! And it takes forever to get coffee to Atlanta too!