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This information kit is designed to inform Postal
ServiceTM employees about a service enhancement to Global Express Mail®
service. This enhancement - Global Express Mail with Guarantee service
(also called "GEM® with Guarantee service") - offers a date-certain,
money- back guarantee for items sent to five Pacific Rim countries and
territories: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Republic of Korea
(South Korea). This kit contains the following materials:
• Briefing Article.
• Fact Sheet.
• Talking Points.
• Frequently Asked Questions.
• Stand-Up Talk for Retail Associates.
• Refund Procedures.
Briefing Article
On July 26, 2005, the Postal Service began a service
enhancement to Global Express Mail service. This enhancement - Global
Express Mail with Guarantee service (also called "GEM with Guarantee
service") - offers a date-certain, money-back guarantee for items
sent to five Pacific Rim countries and territories: Australia, China,
Hong Kong, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). GEM with Guarantee
service provides delivery within 5-7 days depending on the destination.
The money- back guarantee provides a postage refund when the mailpiece
is not delivered by the date-certain time provided at the time of acceptance.
This new offering provides global mailers with one
more choice in the suite of international expedited products offered by
the Postal Service. Depending on need, international mailers can choose
from these options for sending their important documents and packages:
• Fastest: Global Express Guaranteed®
(GXGTM) in 1-3 days with date-certain, money-back delivery guarantee to
major metropolitan areas worldwide.
• Faster: Global Express Mail (GEM)
in 3-5 days to Canada and Western Europe, and 5-7 days to Pacific Rim
countries and territories.
• Fast: Global Priority Mail®
(GPM).
Adding GEM with Guarantee service to the international
product line is another way the Postal Service is working to provide easy
and convenient solutions to meet customer needs.
Fact Sheet
Service Start Date
GEM with Guarantee service became available beginning
July 26, 2005, at Post OfficeTM locations with POS ONE and IRT systems.
Service Description
GEM with Guarantee service provides a date-certain,
money-back guarantee for expedited service to five Pacific Rim countries
and territories: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Republic
of Korea (South Korea). The service is available from all origin points
within the 50 United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
It is not available from APOs/FPOs, Guam, and other Pacific territories
and possessions. GEM with Guarantee service is an expedited service that
includes tracking. Additional available services include Carrier PickupTM
service and insurance.
Service Guarantee
GEM with Guarantee service provides that the customer
may be eligible for a postage refund if a mailpiece is not delivered by
the date guaranteed at the time of acceptance.
Refunds
Customers seeking refunds must have either the POS
ONE receipt or a copy of the Express Mail® label as proof of purchase.
To get information on how to request a refund, customers should call the
USPS® call center at 800-222-1811 (for easy reference, the call center's
phone number is printed at the bottom of the label). The call center issues
a refund form for the customer to complete and mail back for payment.
Local Post Offices will not issue any postage refunds for GEM
with Guarantee service.
Talking Points
Use the following talking points to promote GEM
with Guarantee service to potential customers.
• Six of the world's leading postal services
have formed an integrated network that offers a date- certain, affordable,
international express service linking Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan,
the Republic of Korea, and the United States. The product offering from
the United States Postal Service® is Global Express Mail with Guarantee
service (also called "GEM with Guarantee service").
• The six postal services (Australia Post,
China Post, Hongkong Post, Japan Post, Korea Post, and the United States
Postal Service) offer their customers a powerful shipping alternative
for their express package needs.
• Among the six postal services, this new level
of express service provides enhanced reliability and convenience that
links 261 million delivery points, including businesses and households.
• Reliability is the basis for this network.
All six postal services have committed to strict quality control to provide
a united "single" network. This provides peace of mind to customers
and seamless package delivery.
• Customers can track their shipments' progress
- from origin to destination - online through a Web site link or by contacting
a customer service hotline.
• The integrated network offers proof of delivery
for shipments of documents, merchandise, or other packages.
• "Pick up" service, whether scheduled
or on-demand, is available.
• With extensive network coverage in these
key international marketplaces, no other delivery company in Asia today
can match this capacity or expertise.
• The price for GEM with Guarantee service
offered by the Postal Service is competitive and generally lower than
the competition's products and includes no hidden surcharges. GEM with
Guarantee service is expected to particularly help business customers
expand locally and globally by providing one of the most reliable, professional,
and cost-effective services to Pacific Rim countries and territories.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Global Express Mail with Guarantee
service?
Global Express Mail with Guarantee service (also
called "GEM with Guarantee service") is a service enhancement
to Global Express Mail service. The Postal Service is now offering a date-certain,
money-back guarantee for Global Express Mail pieces sent to the following
five destinations:
• Australia.
• China.
• Hong Kong.
• Japan.
• Republic of Korea (South Korea).
2. What does the guarantee mean?
If a GEM with Guarantee item isn't delivered by
the guaranteed date, the customer may be eligible for a postage refund.
3. How do customers get a postage refund?
At the end of a GEM with Guarantee transaction to
Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, or the Republic of Korea, the retail
associate should advise the customer to hold on to the mailing receipt
as proof of purchase and to contact the number printed at the bottom of
the receipt to obtain information on postage refunds (if needed).
Note: A customer who seeks a refund for
GEM with Guarantee service to Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, or the
Republic of Korea should call the USPS call center at 800-222-1811. The
call center will issue a refund form for the customer to complete and
mail back for payment. Local Post Offices will not issue any
postage refunds for GEM with Guarantee service.
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4. Why can't customers collect their postage
refund for GEM with Guarantee service at local Post Offices?
Customers must contact the USPS call center at 800-222-1811
because the call center will verify whether the item was delivered late
and whether the customer is entitled to a refund.
The Postal Service needs to account for GEM with
Guarantee refund payments separately. The agreement with the participating
postal administrations allows the Postal Service to be reimbursed for
a certain number of refunds. To receive reimbursement from the other postal
administrations, the Postal Service must be able to identify refunds that
relate to a service failure for GEM with Guarantee items in order to submit
them for reimbursement.
This refund process has advantages for the customer,
too. The accounting process is structured to pay the refund to the customer
within 7 business days after the Postal Service has received the completed
documents from the customer. It also allows the Postal Service to keep
refund costs low because reimbursements from the other postal administrations
pay for some of the refunds.
5. How do retail associates know whether a GEM
with Guarantee transaction to the five destinations is guaranteed?
When a retail associate sells GEM with Guarantee
service to Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, or the Republic of Korea,
the POS program guides them through the transaction. POS asks the retail
associate to enter the postal code of the city to which the mailpiece
is addressed. This information allows POS to determine whether the transaction
is guaranteed. For most destinations, POS provides a guaranteed delivery
date, but there are a few destinations (mainly in the very rural parts
of China) for which a guarantee is not available. In those cases, POS
indicates that a guarantee is not available but offers the retail associate
the opportunity to proceed with the transaction as a regular GEM transaction
without a guarantee. There should be very few transactions for which POS
does not return a guaranteed delivery date for GEM with Guarantee service
to the five countries and territories.
On POS, for all GEM with Guarantee transactions,
the guaranteed date is printed on the mailing receipt. If any U.S. or
foreign holidays occur during the delivery time frame, the receipt indicates
how the delivery date is affected. This information is helpful to the
customer and the retail associate.
6. Can customers track their GEM with Guarantee
packages?
Yes, customers can find the delivery status of GEM
with Guarantee items either by going online to www.usps.com or
by calling the USPS call center at 800-222-1811.
7. What does "date-certain" mean?
"Date-certain" means delivery on or before
the specific date provided at the time of acceptance.
8. What makes GEM with Guarantee service different
from the existing Global Express Mail service still available to many
locations?
Tracking, reliability, and a money-back guarantee
are the key features that distinguish GEM with Guarantee service from
Global Express Mail service.
9. Is Carrier Pickup service available for GEM
with Guarantee service?
Yes, Carrier Pickup service is available for GEM
with Guarantee service.
10. What benefits would customers receive from
using GEM with Guarantee service?
For customers, GEM with Guarantee service is easy,
reliable, and cost effective. The service offers proof of delivery, and
both the shipper and the recipient know where the item is throughout the
delivery process from origin to destination. Customers are able to track
their packages either by going online to www.usps.com or by calling
the USPS call center at 800-222-1811.
11. What is the value to a customer for using
GEM with Guarantee service compared with a commercial carrier?
By using GEM with Guarantee service, businesses
can save as much as 60 percent of their courier costs.
12. Is there an extra charge for tracking GEM
with Guarantee items?
No, tracking is included in the price for GEM with
Guarantee service. Customers are able to track their packages either by
going online to www.usps.com or by calling the USPS call center
at 800-222-1811.
Stand-Up Talk for Retail Associates
On July 26, 2005, the Postal Service began a service
enhancement to Global Express Mail service. This enhancement - Global
Express Mail with Guarantee service (also called "GEM with Guarantee
service") - offers a date-certain, money-back guarantee for items
sent to five Pacific Rim countries and territories: Australia, China,
Hong Kong, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). GEM with Guarantee
service provides delivery within 5-7 days depending on the destination.
The money- back guarantee provides a postage refund when the mailpiece
is not delivered by the date-certain time provided at the time of acceptance.
At POS ONE and IRT sites, GEM with Guarantee service
is available to the five Pacific Rim countries and territories from all
origins within the 50 United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. The service is not available from APOs/FPOs or from
Guam and other Pacific territories and possessions.
When a GEM with Guarantee transaction, including
Collection Mode transactions, to the five countries and territories is
initiated, the POS ONE system automatically accesses the GEM with Guarantee
Web site, which uses the originating ZIP CodeTM and destination postal
code to calculate the transit time and generate the guaranteed delivery
date. The guaranteed date is printed on the mailing receipt. If any U.S.
or foreign holidays occur during the delivery time frame, the information
printed on the receipt indicates how the delivery date is affected.
At the end of a GEM with Guarantee transaction to
Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, or the Republic of Korea, the retail
associate should advise the customer to hold on to the mailing receipt
as proof of purchase and to contact the number printed at the bottom of
the receipt to obtain information on postage refunds (if needed).
The price for GEM with Guarantee service is generally
lower than our competition's products and includes no hidden surcharges.
Our product offering is expected to particularly help business customers
expand locally and globally by providing one of the most reliable, professional,
and cost-effective services to the five Pacific Rim countries and territories.
Adding GEM with Guarantee service to our international
product line is another way the Postal Service is working to provide easy
and convenient solutions to meet customer needs.
Refund Procedures
This section presents general information on handling
refunds.
1. To request a refund, the customer
calls the USPS call center at 800-222-1811.
2. The call center agent asks the customer
for the GEM with Guarantee item number (the barcode number on the GEM
label).
3. Based on the GEM number, the agent
researches the delivery status of the package. If the package was delivered
late and for reasons outside the control of the Postal Service (natural
disasters or packages being held (and delayed) in foreign Customs), the
agent issues a refund form and mails it to the customer.
4. Upon receiving the refund form, the
customer signs the refund form, attaches either the POS mailing receipt
or GEM label to the form, and mails it to the address on the refund form.
5. The scanning center transmits the
electronic file (a picture of the refund form and receipt) to the Accounting
Service Center in San Mateo, CA.
6. If the Accounting Service Center
verifies the information, it authorizes payment and sends an authorization
file to the Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable System (APARS) and to
the Kahala Post Group Refund Reconciliation System (KPGRRS).
7. APARS receives the payment information
and issues a check for the postage to the customer. APARS submits an electronic
file with the payment information to KPGRRS, which reconciles the information
from APARS and the Accounting Service Center to ensure that the proper
amount is refunded to the customer and to provide the Postal Service the
opportunity to seek reimbursement from other postal administrations.
8. As per the Kahala agreement, the
Postal Service is required to process and pay a postage refund within
7 business days after receiving the refund form from the customer.
For all refund-related questions, the retail associate
should instruct the customer to call the USPS call center at 800-222-1811.
— International Product
Development,
Product Development, 8-4-05
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