Australia Post price increase - period of grace?

[cathyjoyjoy]

Is anyone aware if there is a "period of grace" after 4 January, where the old letter rates will be accepted without the recipient being charged for underpaid postage?  In the past there has been an "unwritten period of grace", sometimes two weeks or a month.

This is the case where you drop a pre-stamped letter into a red post box.  Of course once you approached the post office counter, the latest postage would be charged.

Happy New Year and thank you for all the very helpful "inside advice".

[joethenuts]

well if your post office told you that ,well no problems  thats called you got it thru the horses mouth, and if its a problem you know who to come back to. i will do the same ,  thank you for the info .

[*tippy*toes*]

The problem is, unless you have it in writing, they will just plead ignorance and say they said nothing of the sort. I certainly wouldn't be risking it.

[collect247]

Colonel Klink- I know nothing or in his words eyes nor nuttings

[lyndal1838]

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@joethenuts wrote:

well if your post office told you that ,well no problems  thats called you got it thru the horses mouth, and if its a problem you know who to come back to. i will do the same ,  thank you for the info .

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But Joe, you keep telling us that you do not use Australia Post....you only use couriers.

If you have not posted any mail by now you should definitely put correct posted on anything you post now or you can expect to be hit with an underpaid item notice.

[joethenuts]

mmmm arnt we talking about posting 70 cent letters   whats that got to do with couriers

no offence lyndal  but that poster got facts from a post office , maybe your info with the past  was past  we are not in the past  but presence ,  things do change , in fact a loaf of bread used to be 20 cents in the past, mmmm

as the poster said if it goes in a red box we have 2 weeks grace.

[lyndal1838]

My point is Joe, you don't use AP on a regular basis so you are not qualified to say what the usual practice may be.

As long as I can remember, when there is an AP increase in prices there is a week to 10 days grace to allow for mail that was posted before the increase to clear from the system.

If you go into the post office after the price rise has come into effect you SHOULD NOT be paying the old price....if the PO staff knows what they are doing.

Not sure what the price of a loaf of bread has to do with anything but I used to buy a loaf of bread for 6d and a half loaf for 3d.  And I can remember my mother complaining when bread went up to 1/1....the world was about to end according to her when we had to pay that much for a loaf of bread.

[mbselections00]

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@*tippy*toes* wrote:

The problem is, unless you have it in writing, they will just plead ignorance and say they said nothing of the sort. I certainly wouldn't be risking it.

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I agree, but the other day when I was talking with the local PO staff, they did mention that letters posted in the red box would probably go through no problems and that even throughout the year generally, they deem it is not worth their while trying to pursue people for small amounts of underpaid postage . . . . . . .  they may send out a card for underpaid postage but if that is ignored, they rarely follow-up on it as it is not cost effective  . . . . .  wonder why they are losing money !! Lol

[cathyjoyjoy]

Basically, the price went up on Monday - there's probably a period of grace - but it's not official - so we don't know when AP would start charging underpaid postage (which for sellers means a delay in items reaching buyers + buyer being charged extra !!!).

As is often the case;  ask one AP staff and they'll say "sure you can drop letters in red boxes at the old rate no problem for about 10 days/2 weeks" - ask another AP staff and you'll probably get a different story.

My conclusion is - seller beware.

With so many other opportunities for a transaction to go awry, why add another opportunity.

[joethenuts]

i am going by what the poster i was talking to said that went into a post office , and was told as long ats in a red box its 2 weeks,   so i am taking my info from someone who has asked a postoffice staff. 

you keep saying as long as you remember ,  we are talking about 2016  not what happened 10 20 years ago or even 2015, things change , for a staff member to tell this poster 2 weeks in a red box , do you think the staff member made it up or do you think the staff member who works there would know. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[mbselections00]

As is often the case;  ask one AP staff and they'll say "sure you can drop letters in red boxes at the old rate no problem for about 10 days/2 weeks" - ask another AP staff and you'll probably get a different story.

Hahahaha, a bit like CS here

Providing there is a Return Address, the Seller should be the one to be charged - if they want to risk underpaying.  Personally, it is not something I would ever do anyway, was just adding what I'd heard, lol