Investigation on the charge of express cabinet： standard is unavoidable or compulsory consumption

　　□ Reporter Zhao Li Majia

　　"If you put it in the morning and pick it up in the morning, you will jump out of an interface and say that you will charge 1 yuan." Recently, Zhang Kai, the owner of a residential area in Gaobeidian, Beijing, took out his mobile phone and scanned the QR code on the express cabinet, and found that the express cabinet that had been stored for more than 24 hours before it began to charge had "quietly changed".

　　In fact, there are less than two months before the annual "double 11", and the signs of express price increase have begun to appear. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, two private express delivery giants, Zhongtong and Yunda, issued notices one after another, saying that they would raise the express delivery fee in some areas. What makes "hands-chopping people" unable to sit still is that the express cabinet in charge of "the last mile" seems to have started charging recently. In the face of the public’s concern that express cabinets are forced to charge, the reporter conducted a survey.

　　The overtime charging standards of express cabinets are different.

　　During the Mid-Autumn Festival, ZTO Express issued a notice: Starting from October 1, 2018, the express delivery fee adjustment mechanism will be started, and the express delivery fee from the whole country to Shanghai will be adjusted. The specific fee adjustment range will be implemented by local service outlets according to the guidance and suggestions of the headquarters and their actual conditions.

　　Soon after, Yunda also said that in order to alleviate the delivery pressure, the delivery fee for express mail arriving in Shanghai at all outlets in the country will be raised to 0.5 yuan/piece, and the adjustment time for other regions will be informed separately.

　　It should be noted that the two express delivery companies raised the "delivery fee", that is, the fee that the delivery outlets have to pay to the delivery outlets, not the fee paid by consumers to send express delivery, and whether the price increase is in the hands of the outlets.

　　In addition to the price increase that express delivery may face, what has recently upset hands-chopping people is the charge for express delivery cabinets. Not long ago, Mr. Liang in Beijing found that the "HIVE BOX" downstairs had to "charge".

　　According to him, in the past, HIVE BOX would only jump out of the QR code of "reward" after the courier stayed for 24 hours, but now it will jump out after being stored for 8 hours. Previously, it was clearly a "reward-seeking" page. At first glance, I knew that I didn’t have to pay, but now it has become a payment page.

　　"Because there were a lot of express delivery in the past two days, I didn’t look carefully. When I jumped out for the first time, I scanned the code and paid 1 yuan." When I took the second courier, Mr. Liang discovered that there was a line of small words at the bottom of the payment interface, "Like HIVE BOX, get it for free", "Actually and before ‘ Seek a reward ’ The same, but more guide users to pay, the experience is not friendly. "

　　From the information on the Internet, users in Hangzhou, Jiangsu and other places have recently discovered that express cabinets that could have been stored for a few days for free have started to charge, and the prices are mostly from 0.5 yuan/day to 1 yuan/day.

　　"Some express cabinets have not been picked up for 24 hours, and they have to pay 1 yuan to pick up the pieces." Zhang Kai often buys online and is busy at work on weekdays. Many couriers put his express in the express cabinet. Sometimes I forget to take out the courier in time, so I have to pay the "overtime fee". "Rationally, I can accept the overtime fee. After all, occupying the grid takes up resources. However, it is a bit unacceptable emotionally, and I feel that consumers should not be allowed to bear the cost of express cabinets. "

　　So, do all brands of express cabinets charge? The reporter’s investigation found that the charging standards of various express cabinets are different.

　　Zhang Kai told the reporter that there is a row of express cabinets downstairs in a high-rise residential building in Gaobeidian where he lives. Many owners will ask the courier to temporarily store things in the express cabinets and come back to pick them up after work. "It turns out that there is no charge within 24 hours, and it will only be charged after more than 24 hours." "After the owner who came home from work to pick up the express recently scanned the code, he found that the express that had only been left for 6 hours actually showed overtime, and 1 yuan was charged."

　　In the survey, many people interviewed told reporters that Express Delivery, cloud cabinets and mail boxes in their communities all charge a service fee of one day in 1 yuan. However, the charging standards of many express cabinets are not uniform. The fees are concentrated in two standards: one day in 0.5 yuan and one day in 1 yuan, and the overtime standard is shortened from 24 hours and 12 hours to 6 hours.

　　"Now more and more express cabinets require that they can only be put for 6 hours for free, and even if they don’t work, how can they get the express delivery in time?" Zhang Kai said, "No one will quarrel with the courier for this one dollar, but if the standard changes, can you let me know in advance? Sometimes there is someone at home, and the courier has to put it in the courier cabinet for you."

　　Is it forced or compulsory consumption?

　　In the survey, forced charging is also the focus of many interviewees’ voicing. Many people report that the courier stores the courier in the courier cabinet without authorization.

　　"Every time it is almost overtime, I received a text message saying that it has exceeded the storage time, and I will charge if I don’t pick it up. I don’t know that there is a courier in the courier cabinet in advance." Xie Han, who lives in Wangjing, Beijing, told reporters that it is not once or twice for some couriers to put things in the express cabinet without calling or texting.

　　Courier Xiao Qin told reporters that the use of express cabinets is also to improve efficiency.

　　"Many people may not know that the courier cabinet actually charges the courier. The bigger the volume, the more fees will be charged, and small pieces can also be stored in the courier cabinet. The storage cost of large pieces is too high, so we will still deliver them to your door. " Xiao Qin said.

　　In the survey, many interviewees also expressed dissatisfaction with the courier’s behavior of storing the courier without saying hello. Netizen @ 中中中中 said that every time I write the address of the company, almost every time the courier is sent to the courier cabinet. "Sometimes I am at home on weekends, I write my home address, or I am put in the courier cabinet, and I have to run down to get it."

　　"If you don’t deliver the goods to your door, why don’t you say it? If you don’t say it, put it in the express cabinet, and you have to pay for it yourself later." Xie Han told reporters indignantly, "This is a strong buying and selling.".

　　Netizen @nice-xing said that the courier fee includes door-to-door delivery. "It is a robber’s behavior to let customers pay for the courier cabinet in order to save trouble."

　　It is understood that HIVE BOX Express Cabinet recently replied in the official Weibo about the charges for express cabinets: "When picking up the pieces, you can take the initiative to choose ‘ Free pickup ’ Or ‘ Scan the code to reward ’ , not mandatory. "

　　But consumers also have something to say about it. Zhang Kai said that when he put it in the morning, he immediately picked it up after receiving the text message from the express cabinet, but he jumped out of the interface and said that it had been stored for several hours and minutes, charging 1 yuan. "If you don’t pay 1 yuan, you will have to scan the code and like it, and several interfaces will pop up in a row, which is very troublesome."

　　"During the day, the elderly are basically at home. I don’t know which button to click. When I come back from work, it will be overtime." Xie Han said that there are many neighbors in the building where he lives.

　　Many interviewees said that their time is also very precious, and the pages such as praise are refreshed over and over again. It is better to take a dollar and hurry to take things and leave. Netizen @Agoni- Liangbo said that he asked the courier why he didn’t send it to the door. "The courier said that there are thousands of households in this community, and every family can’t be exhausted when they send it to the door."

　　In this regard, the "Provisional Regulations on Express Delivery", which came into effect on May 1, 2018, clearly stipulates that enterprises engaged in express delivery business should deliver express mail to the agreed delivery address, the recipient or the agent designated by the recipient, and inform the recipient or the agent to accept it in person. The consignee or agent has the right to face-to-face acceptance.

　　In other words, if the courier leaves the courier in the courier cabinet, he needs to get the consent of the recipient first.

　　In this regard, a courier said that express delivery often bursts, and all of them can’t be delivered to the door. It is also a last resort to put some of them in the express cabinet.

　　Does the express cabinet belong to the delivery process?

　　Is the courier cabinet part of the delivery process?

　　This is a question raised by many people in the interview.

　　"If it is part of the delivery process, then I think this fee should be settled by the courier company and the company to which the cabinet belongs, because I have paid the courier fee." Zhang Kai put forward such a question to reporters. If it is not part of the delivery process, then there will be a second question: Does the express cabinet serve the express company or the customer?

　　According to Zhang Kai’s understanding, if the courier cabinet serves the courier company in order to reduce the workload for the courier, then why should this fee be settled with the end customer? "That is, I spent the courier fee on shopping, so why should I pay for the courier cabinet if you don’t deliver it to my door or deliver it to the designated location according to my requirements? I don’t have permission, and you ask me for money because of any business activities with the express cabinet? If I agree to put the express cabinet, do I need to determine a mutually acceptable price first? In addition, does the courier cabinet need to take the responsibility of replacing me for inspection? These two points are clear. The end customer takes the initiative to form a contractual relationship with the courier cabinet, so I think the customer needs to pay for this service. "

　　Xie Han, who once had a dispute with a brand express cabinet, revealed to reporters that the explanation given by the express cabinet afterwards was that there was a problem with the use of the express cabinet, and the responsibility was on the express company. "But the express company asked me to find the express cabinet company and kick the ball. Later, my number was added to the blacklist of the express cabinet of this brand, but the express can still throw my express into the cabinet. There must be a problem in supervision."

　　However, for the express cabinet, the courier seems to have a hard time.

　　"We have to pay for these express cabinets." For the blame of netizens, Master Zhang, who is engaged in the express delivery industry in Majiapu, Beijing, is also a little wronged. According to him, at present, in addition to the rookie smart cabinets, mainstream smart express cabinets on the market, such as E-mail cabinets, HIVE BOX, Express Easy, Neighbourhood Bao and Gege Community, charge couriers when they submit articles.

　　"Express cabinets in HIVE BOX will charge me from 0.2 yuan to 0.4 yuan every time according to three types of cabinets. E-mail cabinets charge 0.2 yuan every time regardless of the size of the space. " Every month, Master Zhang said that his company would directly add more 200 yuan money to his salary card as a subsidy for the use of express cabinets.

　　Like the logic of express price increase, behind the express cabinet’s attempt to change from free to charge, it is also the pressure of sustained losses.

　　As of May 2018, HIVE BOX Technology’s operating income was 288 million yuan and its net profit was-249 million yuan; The net profit of express parent company Chengdu Santai Holdings in 2016 was-1.25 billion yuan, down 5,278.9% year-on-year; The net loss of the rookie station in 2017 reached 290 million yuan, and its net loss in the first quarter of 2018 was 114 million yuan.

　　Why does the express cabinet business with strong demand suffer serious losses? Cao Lei, director of China E-commerce Research Center, believes that the express cabinet needs huge investment as hardware. In addition to high operating costs, the unclear profit model of express cabinets also led to losses. As a result, the free express cabinet for users began to try to charge a certain amount of usage fees. At the same time, courier companies are still trying to advertise and conduct e-commerce to realize traffic and increase profitability.

　　In this regard, Cao Lei believes that the realization of express cabinet advertisements is limited, and the prospect of realizing traffic has not been confirmed. "The essence of the express cabinet is the logistics service experience, followed by the flow. The essence should be to enhance the consumer experience through its logistics attributes, which is fundamental."

　　Cartography/Li Xiaojun