When Austpost Blows

[Tandum]

It seems a delivery from me via Austpost has vanished. First time ever for me and $250 worth of stuff. I have a tracking number and it says delivered but I didn't get a delivery sig so who knows? He says it didn't show but it wasn't delivered to his address, was delivered to his parents address.

What do you do? Austpost ain't doing much.

[Allan_L]

Hi Robin,
Assuming you sent a parcel to someone, and you have Aust Post saying it was delivered to the correct address, I would say that you have fulfilled your responsibilities.
The onus would be on him to go to aust Post, quoting the tracking number, and making a claim.

If the tracking means it was "registered" then it will be automatically insured for up to $100.

If it is just tracking but unregistered (if this is possible) then it will be up to him to convince Aust Post that they are at fault.

For parcels of value greater than $100, it is always wise to ask the recipient if they are willing to pay the extra for insurance. If not, they take the risk of damage or non-delivery.

Although, I must admit I have sometimes insured Astro items at my own cost, just for peace of mind.

Good luck with this.
Hope all works out well.

[troypiggo]

I've been on the receiving end of something lost in transit (actually, bad choice of words, because I didn't receive...). Apparently they don't care who signs, as long as there's a scribble there. It doesn't necessarily have to match the actual recipient's name. Unless it was the special service (can't recall what they call it - registered?) where the recipient must show ID. But delivery confirmation just means that, even if they deliver to wrong address as far as they're concerned it was signed for and therefore delivered.

[LewisM]

Robin, LEGALLY, you have fulfilled your obligations. Once it left your hands, entrusted to Aust. Post with their registered service, it is entirely THEIR responsibility.

How you wish to handle it from this point on of course is YOUR responsibility/conscience (but you knew this) and that of the buyer/recipient.

I am like Allan - I will usually flip the few coins extra to have it insured AND Addressee Signature required. I do NOT like it when someone asks it to be shipped elsewhere other than their address - WITHOUT disclosing it first.

[Stardrifter_WA]

Hi all :hi:

Normally, all my parcels and other mail go to my post office box, for this reason. I have received hundreds of parcels over the years. I have only ever had one item go missing, and they sent a replacement, which also went missing, so they replaced it again and I still ended up not getting that replacement either. I had waited six months all up. I argued that three separately sent items could not have possibly gone missing in the same manner. By the time it was sorted out, the item was no longer available. In the end, it turned out that none of them had actually been despatch in the first place. They gave me a full refund and a reasonably good gift certificate for the trouble caused. Which was nice of them. :)

I recently had a delivery sent from JMI Telescopes just left on my doorstep. The delivery man just didn't bother to get a signature, as I wasn't home. Usually, they leave a message to say to pick it up from the local post office. Fortunately, I live in a good area and no one nicked it.

JMI won't delivery anything to my post office box address, as they said that if they send it to a PO box then there is no way to track the parcel and it would have no insurance in that case. I could easily have told JMI that I hadn't received it and without proof, they would have had to replace it. Fortunately, I am a very honest person. I let Lillian at JMI know this and was advised that they had no control over local contractors. It would have been safer going to my PO box in the first place, so go figure.

Oh well, it all ended well anyway, so what does it matter.

Cheers Peter

[allan gould]

Robin
As said you have fullfilled your end and no responsibility lies with you except the bad feeling. The intended recipient now should take this up with AustPost and if nothing happens go to the Ombudsman and raise an official complaint.
This usually gets AustPost off its fat @rse to find out whats happened and makes then cough up for the insurance or what ever.

[Ausrock]

I always find the negative references to AP sadly funny, sure some items get delayed or "lost", sure there's any number of "lazy" people work there but considering the huge volume of mail handled each day, it's to be expected that some things unfortunately fall through the cracks, some things are for any number of reasons "undeliverable"...........about 10 years ago I ended up involved in an undeliverable parcel situation and was surprised to find out first hand just what effort the staff at the "dead letter" dept., actually go to.

Now, if you really want to risk losing a parcel send it through Allied Express...............we've had two seperate orders from a Sydney company go to Perth prior to eventually arriving in Newcastle.........6 weeks the first time and two months the second, this despite lodging enquiries with Allied, being virtually abused then hung up on by their customer "service" dept., on at least two occasions. Doubt me?...........Google Allied and read the complaints.

[Shano592]

Only the sender can start a trace with Australia Post. Sorry Robin, but your obligations haven't ended just yet, I'm afraid...

How long has it been since you sent it? I believe that AP make you wait 10 business days before they will start an enquiry.

[LewisM]

If Aus Post declares they hav delivered, there is VERY little chance they will start an investigation, but you CAN try. I believe if Aus Post says it was SIGNED for at the destination as delivered, then it is a different story, AND I believe the CORRECT recipient can start the search.

Aus Post is FINE in my opinion. I currently have a significant issue with e-Go. I paid for a guy to send a headlight economy rate from Tasmania to here. e-Go said 10-11 days. Cost $20 to send it, which was wel under Aus Post, and could live with the small wait for that. Checked on it at 10 days, and it said it was "Scanned at Depot". So, I head down to my local handling agent thinking it was there. Nope, it had JUST been scanned onto the system in LAUNCESTON!!! 10 days to get scanned onto a system when the sender is 3 KM away from the freaking Depot. WTH???? And now eGo claim it is usual, and may take another 3 weeks to arrive here! I have lodged a complaint for refund of monies, since they plainly said delivery will be in 10 to 11 days to the DESTINATION.

[LewisM]

Just checked with eGo, and now they have no record of it. Something is WRONG here, seeing I checked up on it online 2 weeks ago. Emails and Phone calls happening today!

[OICURMT]

Here's my story...

Guadong sent me an ASI120MM, which according to Auspost was delivered... to Beverly SA. Problem is I live in Belair...

Sooo.... called Auspost to see what was going on and to place lodge a complaint for the missing camera. It was a Saturday afternoon.

Following took place after that...

1) I called back on Monday and they stated (again) that the camera was delivered. I asked for the address and they told me they didn't know, but it was delivered to Beverly... to which I replied... I'm in Belair. Auspost promised to get back to me by Thursday. I (obviously) had to call back on Friday, at which time they stated... you guessed it... it was delivered to Beverly... "Lather, Rinse, Repeat"...

2) I called again on Wednesday. They told me they were still looking for it.

3) The following Monday I got a call from Auspost to confirm that the package was delivered to ... once again.... Beverly...

4) On Tuesday as I was driving home, I got a call from some guy stating that there was a package delivered to his house in Belair... Thinking that the postman made a simple mistake and delivered it to a neighbor, I thought I'd walk to his house and pick it up once I got home.... WRONG!!!! The guy lived 3 kilometres away in Belair... SAY WHAT?!?!?!?

Yep, they got the house number correct, but the wrong street. Also, my name is short and sweet, his l-o-n-g... so the name should have been an indication (his surname was on his mailbox).

5) Auspost called me on Thursday to state that the package was lost and they can't track down where in Beverly they delivered it. At which point I enlightened them to their great service... and told them I'd like to claim insurance on the package even though it was eventually delivered to me via some random citizen in Belair. She stated that if I had it, why would I want to claim insurance on it.

I told her because I'd like to donate the proceeds to the "AusPost Literacy Fund"

OIC!

[naskies]

Sorry to hear about your troubles! Where I live, the contractors are a bit shoddy with delivering mail properly. We constantly get our neighbours' mail (and vice versa)... but they're surprisingly good with hand delivering packages instead of just leaving the card in the mailbox.

[Tandum]

Done all that. I always thought there was a basic insurance cover included with parcel post. I mean they list extra cover as an option and the name 'extra cover' implies there is already a base component. This is not the case, all care taken but no responsibility accepted by the looks. I guess the moral is always use registered post and add 'extra cover' if required.

[gary]

Just for your reference, Registered Post for parcels will cease to exist on 8th April
2013.

Australia Post have announced that come April 8th, "all domestic parcels lodged
through an Australia Post retail outlet will be traceable through their online tracking tool."

Registered Post for domestic parcels included Signature on Delivery and the optional
feature of Extra Cover. This service will be withdrawn from 8 April 2013. However,
Registered Post products and services will still be available for standard letters.

Australia Post advise that for a similar offering to Registered Post for parcel
delivery, come 8th April 2013, purchase Signature on Delivery for $2.95.

If you require Extra Cover you need to purchase both Signature on Delivery for
$2.95 and Extra Cover for $1.50 per $100 value (or part thereof).

Parcels can now be 22kg in weight, 0.25m³ in size and 105cm in length.
Previously the parcel limit was 20kg.

Come April 8th, gone is the cubic weight system for rectangular or square parcels
over 1kg. In its place is a basic rate, which differs whether it is going within
the same state or to a different state, then a distance per kg charge depending
upon your lodgment zone and the destination zone.

More details of the new changes can be found here -
http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/new-prices.html?cmpid=edm-smb-p11stand-clicksend-newprices-find-130325

We post thousands of parcels to destinations across Australia and around the
world and to date (touch wood) have never had one go missing.

If you have valuable items to ship via Australia Post, my personal tips are -

1) Always lodge across the counter of an Australia Post outlet and watch that it is
scanned.
2) As at today always use Registered Post, or as Australia Post advise, come next
week, purchase Signature on Delivery.
3) Registered Post provided cover up to the first $100. Come the changes, purchase
Extra Cover if need be.
4) *Don't* use Express Post if the item is of value. These parcels simply get dropped
in the recipient's letter box at the street level and not delivered to the door.
Anyone on the street can simply steal it.
5) If you observe that one of the agents is not delivering a parcel as it should have
been, for example, a Registered Parcel (or soon Signature on Delivery parcel)
just dropped in the letter box or on the front door step, report it to the Australia Post
customer service line. Our experience is that they take this seriously, they will
investigate and you will never see that contractor again.

[AdrianF]

Ordered a 78rpm record online. The record was lost in transit. Record showed up in Nowra PO, I live in Moura. Easy mistake(?) They redirected the record to Moura record arrive in 2 pieces even though record packed really well. Comment made by PO staff "what do you want us to do it arrived like that maybe sender broke it"

Adrian

[LewisM]

Oh, BIG surprise! Shook the eGo tree yesterday, and within 2 hours, I got an SMS saying my parcel was ready for collection. BIG surprise there. Won't EVER use eGo again!

Their initial email claimed that they attempted delivery on the 21st of March, which is absolute BS,and claimed it had been carded, which again is blatantly a lie. I kindly re-informed them that I was at the local depot on the 21st (when they claim it was attempted delivery), and the clerks BOTH told me that it had only JUST been scanned into the system at the ORIGIN depot, and to give it another 2 weeks at least.

So, either the clerks were full of it, or head office is. Funny how ONE email had the parcel found.