Pickpoint: reviews, appointments, addresses, instructions for use, receiving packages

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The spread of online stores every year is gaining more and more momentum. If forecasts are to be believed, then in the coming decades they will nullify all the current sales of non-food products carried out today on such significant sales platforms as shopping centers, megastores, supermarkets, markets and other trading platforms. A huge number of various services available for use by a wide audience of consumers provide for the purchase of goods and services by those who wish exclusively through Internet services. Among them, the PickPoint postal service acts as a universal intermediary between the seller and the buyer. Reviews about the delivery, timing, service of the company, as well as its immediate advantages and disadvantages are rather mixed.

About company

For the first time, Russians heard about PickPoint mail delivery in November 2010, when athe first functional post office of this service. This service is reputed to be one of the pioneers of a new delivery channel built on a system of automated self-service terminals. The PickPoint Logistics Center provides a new generation of services by delivering online orders through parcel terminals and pickup points. Postamats relatively recently announced their existence on the territory of the Russian Federation - these are modern terminals equipped with an automated system, thanks to which you can pay for your parcel and receive it directly at the delivery point. Visually, such terminals are a wall of orange boxes with a setting machine in the center containing all the information for entering data and depositing funds. In appearance, it looks like the most ordinary terminal, thanks to which we replenish our mobile account or the balance of the Internet provider daily, so it is quite easy to use.

From the moment the delivery service appeared in Moscow to the present day, the company has not only expanded: the network of PickPoint terminals has distributed consumer access points to the automated system in every regional center of the country. As of June-July 2014, almost 90% of all well-known online stores that existed at that time and were included in the hundred of the most recognizable online sales points had already connected to the PickPoint service.

Today, the performance of the service surprises with its impressive numbers:

• number of parcel terminals on the territory of Russia, as well as points of directissuance of orders - 3416 pcs.;
• number of regional dislocation points for placing parcel terminals - more than 540 cities and towns of the Russian Federation;
• the level of online stores connected to the PickPoint service is about 5.5 thousand units;
• base of consumers (users of postal services) - about 5.2 million people.

PickPoint legislators position themselves as the cutting edge service for consumers to receive online orders. But not all users respond positively about the services of a popular service. So, reviews about PickPoint, pickup points and the level of automated service were divided into groups with opposite opinions. But first things first.

Destination

Speaking about the main purpose of this delivery service, it should be noted that it is focused exclusively on providing services to the field of virtual communications between the supplier and the end consumer. The role of the intermediary that PickPoint performs between the online store and the customer is a priority in the functioning of the delivery service as a whole. This is not ordinary mail, which involves the movement of letters, parcels and parcels from one point in Russia to another. This is a loophole of commercial activity, which involves working solely on the basis of a sale and purchase between the seller and the buyer, the transaction between which is carried out virtually, through Internet communications.

In the world of rapidly developing Internet marketing, where onlineclothing, footwear, cosmetics stores are rapidly spreading the range of their functional consumer orientation, PickPoint acts as a rather convenient intermediary. Judge for yourself: when ordering a dress they like on their favorite service or wishing to purchase a new spinning rod in a familiar online fishing tackle store, the user understands that he will have to wait for the parcel for some time, then go to the nearest post office and wait there for his turn (and in the case of Russian Post, this process takes quite a long time). According to user reviews of PickPoint, parcel machines make the process of receiving an online order much easier. This is tantamount to the fact that today a person is able to independently choose products that he likes in a supermarket: he himself chose the desired position on the rack, he read the label himself, he felt and touched the product himself, in a word, he did everything on his own, and not with the help of a seller who sells goods behind the counter. A similar scheme of work is provided for by the main purpose of PickPoint: the recipient independently pays for his goods through an automated terminal system and picks it up from the corresponding cell in the same way. That's it - easy and simple.

Benefits

But what is the fundamental difference between this delivery service and such familiar mail systems as Boxberry, Maxi Express, SPSR and, most importantly, Russian Post? Representatives of the PickPoint service assure us of the practicality, convenience and speed of the delivery functionality. ButWhat priority areas in the company's activities are noted by the users themselves and employees in the reviews? PickPoint has a number of advantages over other delivery services:

• The first and most important thing is self-service: I ordered goods in the online store myself, went to the post office myself, paid for it myself and took the parcel from the cell myself.
• Second: the ability to pick up your order at any time convenient for you, the terminals are available almost around the clock (if it is a post office, and not a pickup point), which is certainly very convenient for people who work from morning to evening and limited in time.
• Third: no need to stand in line for painful hours, because in order to pick up the package, you do not need to wait for the actions of slow operators looking specifically for your position in the mail warehouse.
• Fourth: wide spectrum branching of access points. Postamats and points of issue are located in each regional center, in all shopping malls, where there is a high daily traffic and a large flow of people. This allows you to pick up your order without any difficulties with transport movement around the city in search of a post office.
• Fifth: you can always find out at what stage the parcel is moving, for this a special PickPoint service is provided - order tracking.

Among other things, a significant advantage is the speed of delivery - the movement of the order from the store to the point of issue or parcel terminal is carried out in a fairly short time, it all depends on the corresponding distance. But the very factquick response system PickPoint noted by users. Moreover, delivery is completely free for the buyer himself. Significant merit, isn't it? All payment procedures for services are assigned specifically to the online store, which enters into an agreement for the provision of services with the delivery service. As a result, the store either assumes the costs, including the cost of shipping orders in the cost of its products, or, in the order conditions on its website, leaves information regarding the cost of delivery services, determining its level on its own. But specifically, the recipient of the goods does not pay anything to the PickPoint service.

Flaws

However, not all reviews about PickPoint parcel lockers are so rosy and positive. There are those who were extremely dissatisfied with the automated service, and there are many of them. Users express dissatisfaction with the following main shortcomings in the logistics service system:

• Underdeveloped support functionality. Parcel recipients often note the inability to get through to operators either the first or the second time, which causes some bewilderment and irritation among customers.
• Possible redirects due to congestion of parcel terminals. It often happens that there are not enough cells at the delivery point specified by the client - they are all occupied by other orders that came earlier. Then the PickPoint service operators call and ask to re-select the selected delivery location to another access point, which, of course, is not very convenient.
• Postamat breakdowns and terminal inoperability. It happens that the automated system fails and the recipients have to wait several days for repairs, respectively, the time for receiving the order is delayed.
• The terminal does not give change. Having lowered the banknotes into the bill acceptor, it will not be possible to pick up the change. But there is good news on this account - the money arrives almost immediately on the balance of the recipient's mobile phone.
• Intermittent difficulties with returns. The system provides for the return of unsuitable goods through PickPoint, but in order to avoid flaws in the automated system, it is better to do this at pick-up points where there are service personnel, and not specifically through the post office. It's safer this way.

In a word, during the existence of the company PickPoint has gained many followers among users. But for many people, the work of the service causes fear and distrust after experienced incidents and unpleasant stories associated with the unsuccessful receipt of parcels through this delivery service. In addition, recipients often complain in their reviews about the boorish attitude of PickPoint employees: many operators, according to consumers, respond extremely indifferently, not trying to help the client and not being imbued with his problem.

The service workers themselves, who provide services and carry out their labor activities here, note the average level of wages and the normal, unbiased average attitude of management towards staff. In their reviews, PickPoint LLC employees note the cleanliness of the office, the presence of an automated access control system, quite a decent improvement of the workerinterior.

How to use

Well, and, of course, the most interesting thing is the direct use of the service. How is the process of purchasing a purchase in an online store through an intermediary represented by PickPoint? How to use this delivery server?

1. Initially, you need to make a choice of goods in your favorite store that operates online, and in the list of delivery methods that opens, select, respectively, PickPoint.
2. In the list of access points to parcel lockers and parcel pick-up points, you need to choose the most convenient location for you.
3. When the order arrives at the right address, PickPoint will send a notification to the mobile phone number specified earlier by the buyer.

That's it - the process is quite simple. From the moment the order is placed, you can monitor your own parcel by entering the relevant information on the pickpoint.ru website. In the reviews, many also mention the ability to track the parcel through a special mobile application.

Tracking

Thanks to an application specially designed for users, the PickPoint service provides the ability to quickly access your personal account and track your own parcels, as well as their movement. This simplifies the process of controlling the movement of the goods ordered in the online store: you do not need to call either the supplier or the specific service operators in order to find out at what stage of delivery the order is. You need to trackjust register the application and link it to your phone number, after which you will immediately have the opportunity to follow information about all orders, the location of parcel machines, the work schedule of pickup points, and possible payment options. Among other things, you can see the photo gallery with the locations of the PickPoint terminals.

App order tracking enables users to:

• extend the shelf life of the parcel in the parcel terminal;
• redirect shipment from one delivery point to another;
• track the change in the status of the parcel;
• get a route on the map to the desired post office or parcel delivery point;
• to study the list of online stores by filtering by categories or keywords in the search engine;
• view the instructions for receiving the package and even save it to your phone.

Timing

As for the delivery time, many are satisfied with the speed of the service. But some in their reviews of PickPoint and the terms of the carrier's services are extremely unflattering. This is often due to intermittent system failures, but sometimes the cause may be a problem with the shipment from the supplier, namely the online store. And then all questions specifically from the PickPoint service are removed. You can also track the moment when the goods were registered by the delivery service in the PickPoint application.

The period of delivery of goods from the supplier to the final consumer is indicated onwebsite (or app) in business days. The term is calculated without taking into account the specific day of receipt of the shipment from the store and until the order is determined directly to the post office (or point of issue). Also on the official website of the delivery service there are two active buttons, by clicking on which you can follow the link that opens files to consumers with a list of possible routes for the parcel to move through the main large cities and their regions, namely Moscow and St. Petersburg. Everyone can find more accurate information on their order in the "Delivery Monitoring" section in their mobile application. Or you can check the information in the online store that is the supplier.

Points of issue

Dislocation of parcel terminals and points of issue of orders PickPoint has significant ramifications throughout the country. Everyone can choose a specific pickup address for themselves, taking into account their own needs and convenience, the mobile application is to help. People speak differently about parcel lockers and pickup points: some like one way to receive parcels, some like another. Some note the absence of the need to contact the staff and the possibility of self-service, while others are of the opinion that it is easier to discuss the details of the return of an unsuitable product with an employee. PickPoint accepts the return itself for processing, but this possibility depends solely on the contractual terms of the service with the online store: if the supplier of the product provides for the possibility of returning it from the client, the delivery staff accepts the goods for return to the online store. ATif the store does not provide a return, the buyer will not be able to put the unsuccessful purchase into the parcel locker box or hand it over to the PickPoint operator at the pickup point.

Receive

The direct procedure for receiving a parcel from a parcel terminal takes less than one minute - this is one of the main advantages of the PickPoint service. How to receive your package at the self-service terminal? Everything is very simple. To do this, you need to follow just a few simple steps:

1. First, you need to wait for a notification from the PickPoint mail service on your phone: it will be an SMS message with a verification code.
2. The next step is to go to the pre-specified pick-up point or post office for direct collection of the parcel. It is important to remember that from the moment the SMS notification is received until the parcel is sent back to the sender, the recipient has only three days - during this period he must pick up his order. Otherwise, it will be automatically sent back to the online store.
3. When you are in front of the terminal, you need to enter the appropriate data (the code from the previously received message). This is quite easy to do, since the interface of the automated system is very convenient.
4. The next step is making the payment. Another advantage of this service is the ability to pay for the services of an online store in cash or with a bank card. When depositing cash, it is important to remember that the terminal does not issue change. But if it so happened that the customer does not have the amount on hand for the calculation, the remaining funds after paymentwill be automatically transferred to the payer's mobile account.
5. After payment, an arrow appears on the screen indicating a specific cell containing the buyer's order. It remains only to press the "Open cell" key.
6. After clicking the specified button, the box with customer-owned content will automatically open. A characteristic click will sound, the box will slightly move outward. It is important to handle the box carefully, because if you accidentally close the cell, it will not open again. Then you will have to turn to operators for help and call PickPoint technical support. Service center employees will tell you how to use the terminal in such a situation.
7. If the product sent by the store did not fit, you can return it by putting it back in the cell and performing several manipulations using the steps described on the terminal display. But many prefer in this case to contact the points of issue of orders, where this procedure can be carried out by a specific person - a PickPoint employee. A return after a few days will be delivered to the supplier, if the store even provides for the customer to refuse the product that did not fit.

Franchise

It is also noteworthy that anyone can join the group of the innovative logistics project PickPoint, making investments in its development, namely by purchasing a franchise from the company. Becoming a member of the rapidly growing e-commerce market is quite easy: as they say, there would be money. Potential franchisees (buyersfranchises) point out two positive things that distinguish PickPoint from other franchisors:

• no need to make a lump-sum contribution - the investor will not pay a fixed amount of funds under the concession agreement;
• no need to pay roy alties – PickPoint does not require the buyer of a franchise to pay a roy alty, provided for the use of the company's brand and patent.

How is this procedure carried out? PickPoint offers to purchase an automated parcel terminal (that is, a post office), through which, in fact, the issuance and acceptance of items ordered by customers from online stores is implemented. What the franchisor offers:

• equipment: self-service terminal and cell wall;
• Ensuring the flow of parcels (already on the third or fourth day after installation, potential orders begin to go into circulation and bring income to the franchisee);
• related advisory services.

The latter include a training package and support in doing business, assistance in calculating the terms and payback amounts, functions for selecting a location for installing parcel lockers, technical support and related cash collection services, as well as a personal account with a practical and convenient remote control system. control and monitoring of the technical condition of equipment.

But not everything is as smooth as it seems at first glance. In reviews of the PickPoint franchise, many investors note a number of requirements that apply to franchise buyers. What are these requirements?

• The potential partner must be registered as a legal entity with the tax authorities.
• Investment contribution to the purchase of a franchise - 900,000 rubles.
• The location of the parcel locker should be at a point of free access for consumers: the transport interchange should be convenient, the internal location should correspond to practical and easy self-service.
• The working hours of the premises in which the parcel locker is installed should be as flexible and convenient as possible for users of postal delivery, namely at least ten daytime hours. This is a 24/7 schedule at best.

It should be noted that in their reviews, entrepreneurs, like all users of the PickPoint system, are divided into two camps: adherents and antagonists. Those who like to cooperate with this logistics center note the possibility of reaching payback within 6-8 months if the post office or pick-up point is in the right place. Although the company declares self-sufficiency in terms of approximately 3-4 months. But many opponents of this kind of investment, who "burned out" in such a business, say that you need to seriously approach the location of the installation postamate. Since if it is set up in a place remote from the daily flow of people, it will simply be unprofitable and will not bring the profit that the franchisor is talking about.

Address

As mentioned earlier, the points for placing postamates andparcel delivery points have a huge list of addresses in different regions of the country. It is worth noting that the main office of the logistics center is located at the following address: Moscow, Volgogradsky prospect, building 42, building 23.

In addition, the company's reference phone number is provided on the official website, as well as the numbers and e-mail addresses of the press center, sales department and network development department (we are talking about parcel terminals and pickup points).

Potential applicants for a position in the logistics center who have visited the central office generally respond positively to the well-being of the office space set aside for the commercial complex. The same is evidenced by the employees themselves in their reviews of PickPoint. "Tekstilshchiki" - this is the name of the metro station, which is located closest to the logistics center. On the positive side, judging by the comments of eyewitnesses, the staff transports a free shuttle bass from the station to the office itself, which is very convenient, since the road to the center does not differ in the presence of a pedestrian sidewalk.

Opinions

PickPoint is a young promising company operating in the field of services, logistics, transportation and storage of goods sold by online stores. The main focus of the company is the automation of the delivery process and the promotion of self-service postal services. The company considers efficiency, speed and convenience to be its motto, calling its services “smart delivery”. But the opinions of users are divided on this matter.

Internet ownersstores are generally satisfied with the performance of PickPoint postal delivery. The conclusion of the contract takes place on mutually beneficial terms. It is not the end consumer who pays for the delivery, but the online store itself. At its own discretion, it chooses whether to impose financial costs on the buyer separately, based on invoices received from the delivery service, or initially include payment for services under the contract in the cost of its products. Here is the choice for the online store. But in general, the delivery performance of product suppliers is rated above average.

As for the recipients of the parcels - buyers using the products of online stores, opinions are equally divided here. Some believe that the service deserves respect and the functioning of the automated system is carried out at its best. Others are extremely dissatisfied with the constant interruptions in the operation of terminals and boxes for storing parcels, they assess the quality of delivery as low. Be that as it may, today a huge number of people use the services of pick-up points and pick-up points of PickPoint orders, and it continues to grow. The speed and ease of receiving your parcel from this company cannot be taken away.

There is also no consensus among businessmen who are ready to invest in a young company. Some consider it a really profitable business and a good investment, others call buying a franchise a waste of time and money. However, one can argue here, because everything depends solely on where exactly the postamat will stand. It is clear that an entrepreneur who buys equipment for himself and installs it in the suburbs forMKAD, is unlikely to quickly pay back its investments and start earning a net profit on this. If you correctly choose a place to install a postamat, it can bring its owner a serious income without any significant effort.

The opinion of the company's employees is also divided: many leave negative comments on the discussion forums, arguing their biased attitude by the indifference of the management to circumstances that may prevent an employee from entering the workplace. The rest refute this opinion, explaining that, as in any company, PickPoint observes business labor discipline.