Where do I Stand?

[character_parties_aus]

I recently sold a fully traceable item on ebay.  Most of my items are date critical delivery as they are driven by an event. Express Post was available but not selected and rightly so as  In this case the buyer correctly selected regular post Brisbane to Melbourne. Australia Post then took over two weeks to deliver the parcel. As the date for the event has passed the buyer refused delivery of the item and has told Aus Post to send it back and asked for a full refund including freight. The tracking backs this up 100%.  At no point did they contact to say not received etc. so it could be escalated with aus post ( if there is any point) I am not unreasonable and am happy to refund the product cost back to the buyer once its back as its not their fault Aus Post were slack, and I am also chasing a refund from Aus Post for the sloppy delivery. If I get one I will give it to the buyer. When this item arrives back with me if the buyer puts in a claim ( they have not entered the returns process formally they only have a feedback score of 2 and probably dont understand it all ) what will happen? Will I be slugged with the entire cost of sale and then get slugged for the cost of an Australia Post return as well caused by their own ineptitude?!

[character_parties_aus]

The parcel arrived back intact today and I got charged $11 for the return. I can tell you what I am going to do about it. Nothing. As I am currently asked to be doing nothing. I might call ebay record the call and ask for their position on it as a back up.

And after the ebay expiry period I will send the buyer the $9 I owe them for the product after fees post and all the rest of it is built in.

The most amazing thing is that in my eparcel contract a buyer can refuse delivery for ANY reason and Australia Post can charge me to send it back. Next time, circumstances permitting I am going to refuse the return ( as long as its not an expensive item) and see what happens!!!

I'd like to thank all for their commentary.

[x3n0m]

Let's see if Express Post becomes 3-5 days in the same state by 2020

I dread to think what fresh horrors auspost will be used to foist upon the Australian public in the coming years ..

[x3n0m]

The parcel arrived back intact today and I got charged $11 for the return.

 And after the ebay expiry period I will send the buyer the $9 I owe them for the product after fees post and all the rest of it is built in.

And face facts; expect to cop a defect from ebay on this too .. I doubt you will escape that small insanity either .. I didn't know auspost now charges to return undelivered mail so can imagine how easy it will be for a competitor to mess with you now .. just buy up from a competitor and then refuse delivery .. (***GROANS **) .. with these ruthless policies chipping away at your ability to trade and profit  it is like multiple institutions are deliberately trying to destroy the professional mail order industry in Australia .. the fact the auspost CEO has been known to announce major policy changes coming at auspost that auspost staff are not even aware of primarily  to the American Chamber of Commerce is not lost on me .. it seems like he is stealthily actually working for them, not us ..

[character_parties_aus]

I wont be kopping anything as there is no open return and I wont be wearing the postage cost.

All of this comes down to the fact that automation sometimes fails and we live in a society where nobody trusts each other.

My defect rate is almost zero anyway so If I kop one thats cool. No point in stressing over that I am actually more irked about Australia Post charging me, when last week they send 2 of my parcels to Vic to WA meaning that 2 buyers had stuff not there in time for their events and I have to deal with the fall out and drama associated with it.

Australia Post are 100% definately my most hated company in Australia.  There should be legislation to ban monopolies due to the incompetence and negligence that it causes.

[davewil1964]

They only have a monopoly on letters. Anybody is free to use one of the MANY alternatives for parcels.

[lyndal1838]

You can even send letters with a courier if you want to pay their asking price.

[x3n0m]

They only have a monopoly on letters.

Yeah and we have seen the price of posting a standard letter double in the last 12 months .. with the guarantee from auspost that if you don't buy the priority stamp then they will deliberately slow that letter down if or when they feel  it necessary .. I would suggest that we will see a lot of slow letters when the 4.5 Million dollar a year CEOs performance bonus is in jeapardy .. .. we saw the 250gram poistal article wiped from their list of services yet twhen coming from china it is treated by the posty just like they are delivering aletter .. you can pile all the lipstick in the world onto the auspost racketeering pig but it doesn't change the fact that their policies are systematically destoying a very important Australian public institution/utility .. and the minute my supply of  stamped envelopes is used up I will never buy another stamp from them ever again .. but I guess that is what they wanted; just to use our letter mail service to deliver china post stuff so as to prop up ebay profits and screw with our retail sector ..

[davidc4430]

not that it helps but i good read on a cold night,

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Standing-on-One-Leg-A-Little-Life-Lesson-about-Trying-New-Things-by-Jenny...

[jimmyjoejoe_jnr]

I also have a customer inquiry lodged with AusPost I sent a registered parcel from Newcastle to Sydney (2.5hrs away)it has now been 10 days and tracking shows it went to Chullora to Vic then Qld now has been back at Chullora since Wednesday.The customer service person I spoke to told me they would investigate and get back to me in 10 days.I said what if its not found and she said "well its lost isn't it" no longer our problem.Not a very helpful attitude, I asked her name and she said I don't have to tell you and hung up.

If it can't be found I assume I have to refund,the buyer has been good about it but don't know for how much longer,I know I wouldn't be happy.

[thecatspjs]

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@jimmyjoejoe_jnr wrote:

I also have a customer inquiry lodged with AusPost I sent a registered parcel from Newcastle to Sydney (2.5hrs away)it has now been 10 days and tracking shows it went to Chullora to Vic then Qld now has been back at Chullora since Wednesday.The customer service person I spoke to told me they would investigate and get back to me in 10 days.I said what if its not found and she said "well its lost isn't it" no longer our problem.Not a very helpful attitude, I asked her name and she said I don't have to tell you and hung up.

If it can't be found I assume I have to refund,the buyer has been good about it but don't know for how much longer,I know I wouldn't be happy.

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I would post this experience to APs facebook page.  Take a screenshot of the tracking also for your records, and post the screenshot to their page.  You may get a different response.

If you don't - I would lodge a formal complaint - you can do this online.  You may like to include in your complaint a request for a supervisor to phone you to provide a more appropriate response.

Without fail, it is my experience, that AP cave under pressure and respond much more appropriately WHEN you have adequate evidence to back up their incompetence - you have the tracking record in this case AND when you are persistance in continuing to pursue an appropriate resolution..