topic Re: Stole item in Buying

Stole item

natha_jesso — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 19:22:19 GMT

I recently have a an item say it was delivered. It was left in clear view of the road and footpath and the courier never made contact with anyone that was home at the time. However when I got the notification to say it was delivered it was taken.

Re: Stole item

lynsh84 — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 22:16:01 GMT

Your fight is with the courier company, not ebay or the seller.

Re: Stole item

jellybirddesigns — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 00:35:34 GMT

Buyers are responsible for providing a safe place for deliveries, regardless of whether they are home or not.

In the past, I've had deliveries left at the front door even when I was at home. They literally drop and go, unless the item needs a signature. Part of the reason they are doing this is because of Covid and to minimise contact.

It's not an Ebay or a seller issue though.

Getting a PO Box is a much better idea for peace of mind - even if you have to drive a bit to pick up the item.

Alternatively, get a Ring doorbell which is fantastic for detecting motion outside your house and will notify you when someone is on the premises.

Re: Stole item

zanadoo_56 — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 01:33:57 GMT

II agree it's not an Ebay or a seller issue - the OP will have to take it up the slack courier.

But it is certainly not a buyer issue if the buyer provides CLEAR safe drop instructions for deliveries that couriers choose to ignore whichis an issue I've struck. If the OP was hoping for a courier posessing commonsense then he had no hope! (I might add that Aust Post are much more reliable and do follow instructions). I am home all the time but I always include safe drop instructions because apparently despite calling out that I'm coming, using a walker frame means I am too slowfor them to bother waiting. Mind you that's only if the delivery person bothers to knock so I know they arethere! AP don't always do so but as they leave my parcels in the right place that's OK with me. Couriers....grrrrr.

A PO box is not always the answer - there are sellers that state they won't accept PO boxes as an address.

A Ring door bell is not going to get me to the door faster either LOL ,and if the buyer gets a notice but it not at home, then it is not foolproof for more mobile buyers either. However with any luck they can post pics of the thief on social media and hopefully someone will recognise that person and dob them in.

There is no perfect answer to counter delivery theft but sellers desisting from using dodgy courier services (we all know which ones) and including buyers' delivery instructions on the packaging in clear print would certainly go some way to improving deliveries.

Re: Stole item

sugar249 — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 01:40:51 GMT

@zanadoo_56 wrote:

But it is certainly not a buyer issue if the buyer provides CLEAR safe drop instructions for deliveries that couriers choose to ignore whichis an issue I've struck. If the OP was hoping for a courier posessing commonsense then he had no hope! (I might add that Aust Post are much more reliable and do follow instructions). I am home all the time but I always include safe drop instructions because apparently despite calling out that I'm coming, using a walker frame means I am too slowfor them to bother waiting. Mind you that's only if the delivery person bothers to knock so I know they arethere! AP don't always do so but as they leave my parcels in the right place that's OK with me. Couriers....grrrrr.
.

Another post saying Australia Post are good but ''the'' couriers are bad.

Interesting I get a mixture of couriers and Australia Post, 99% of the time I can guarantee the couriers leave it at the front door, sometimes to a point where I can't open the front door but thats another issue, but at least at the front door.

50 plus percent of the time I can guarantee that Australia Post will dump them anywhere accept the front door, mostly in conspicuous spots from the road. I even had one Australia Post delivery thrown over 10 metres at the front door, I know because I watched her.

Re: Stole item

jellybirddesigns — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 02:05:50 GMT

@zanadoo - I mentioned the Ring doorbell, not because you'll get to the door faster, but you will, at least, know that the courier has dropped the parcel and you can bring it inside. 🙂

Since the OP implied that someone was at home at the time of delivery, they would have been made aware, as opposed to the item sitting outside for several hours and then being stolen.

Re: Stole item

jellybirddesigns — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 02:08:03 GMT

I should also add to this thread that there are certainly cases where the courier/parcel company has been followed and then the item is promptly stolen, no matter what instructions the buyer has left.

If a thief sees an opportunity, they will exploit it.

Re: Stole item

ambercat16 — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 08:13:55 GMT

@zanadoo_56 wrote:

A PO box is not always the answer - there are sellers that state they won't accept PO boxes as an address.

I don't know if every Post Office will do it, but my PO has provided me with a street address to use for couriers to deliver to (and would solve the problem of sellers that won't accept PO Boxes as addresses). They also notify me by email when there is mail in my PO Box which saves me driving into town just to check.

Re: Stole item

sugar249 — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 08:25:41 GMT

@ambercat16 wrote:
@zanadoo_56 wrote:

A PO box is not always the answer - there are sellers that state they won't accept PO boxes as an address.
I don't know if every Post Office will do it, but my PO has provided me with a street address to use for couriers to deliver to (and would solve the problem of sellers that won't accept PO Boxes as addresses). They also notify me by email when there is mail in my PO Box which saves me driving into town just to check.

It is frowned upon by AP HQ, as PO's arent setup as collection points for the opposition.

It is generally smaller country PO's or LPO's in particular, which have to stay in good keeping with their community that break this rule.

Re: Stole item

ambercat16 — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 09:01:13 GMT

@sugar249 wrote:
@ambercat16 wrote:
@zanadoo_56 wrote:

A PO box is not always the answer - there are sellers that state they won't accept PO boxes as an address.
I don't know if every Post Office will do it, but my PO has provided me with a street address to use for couriers to deliver to (and would solve the problem of sellers that won't accept PO Boxes as addresses). They also notify me by email when there is mail in my PO Box which saves me driving into town just to check.
It is frowned upon by AP HQ, as PO's arent setup as collection points for the opposition.

It is generally smaller country PO's or LPO's in particular, which have to stay in good keeping with their community that break this rule.

Dunno where you get your info from but in my case, it's the capital city GPO that offers the services, not an LPO or a small PO.

Re: Stole item

digital*ghost — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 21:56:38 GMT

@ambercat16 wrote:
Dunno where you get your info from but in my case, it's the capital city GPO that offers the services, not an LPO or a small PO.

Do you have PO Box plus? i.e. The paid "upgrade" that allows a certain number of B2C deliveries from couriers a year? If so, every post office with PO boxes offers that (AFAIK).

But, some POs will give individual customers - many who don't hold a PO box at all - permission just to provide the address of the PO for deliveries from couriers, but I can't imagine it would be common practice for a large city PO.

Re: Stole item

zanadoo_56 — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 02:34:39 GMT

Re leaving parcels at the front door.

But I don't want couriers to leave parcels at the front door!

My front door is only 3 metres from the public footpath. Aside from the fact that I have difficulty retrieving parcels from the steps at the front door as parcels left there are too low for me to reach, my delivery instructions are clear and concise about where my safe drop place is.....and it is easy to get to as well. Couriers is seems just can't be bothered.

Aust Post are not perfect but in my area they are definitely better than the couriers I've encountered.....with the exception of Toll who followed my delivery instructions to the letter. Needless to say that was not an eBay purchase..

Re: Stole item

zanadoo_56 — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 02:44:17 GMT

Agreed.

But on the Ring advert it shows the homeowner getting a message while away from home. It lets the courier think someone in in the house but there's no saying a thief will believe it as it only takes seconds to steal a parcel. I'm just saying there's no perfect solution for buyers waiting for parcels....not even Ring. Catching the thief is a possibility though if the police get the footage.

BTW I think my neighbours have installed Ring. They both work and probably locally judging by the time between a delivery and how long it takes for one of them to drive home. It's still not quick enough if someone else sees the package and helps themselves to it!

Re: Stole item

zanadoo_56 — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 02:46:36 GMT

I've never come across a post office that provides that level of service. You have a real gem there!

Re: Stole item

*sons_and_daughters* — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 05:16:25 GMT

I have had quite a few parcels stolen from my front door. Some in under a minute of being dropped. Like Zanadoo_56, my front door is very accessible from the footpath. Anyone can swoop in and grab something very easily. Yet, AP still see it as being a "safe place".

I couldn't afford a PO box, so I am now using Parcel Collect. It means all my parcels go to the post office, and I get a notification through My Post that it's there to be collected. Or, the postmaster's wife gives me a call (she knows me). I also believe we have recently got parcel lockers in my area, so that's another option for me.

Obviously, that is no good for courier deliveries, but worth mentioning for deliveries that you know are coming via Australia Post.

As a side note, my most recent delivery to my door, my national bowel screening kit, sat there for 8 hours and didn't get stolen!!! I saw it when I checked my CCTV cameras in the morning, and was surprised it was still there when I got home from work. Maybe the local thieves weren't interesting in poking their poo with a stick 😄 😄 😄

Re: Stole item

ambercat16 — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 12:40:29 GMT

@digital*ghost wrote:
@ambercat16 wrote:
Dunno where you get your info from but in my case, it's the capital city GPO that offers the services, not an LPO or a small PO.
Do you have PO Box plus? i.e. The paid "upgrade" that allows a certain number of B2C deliveries from couriers a year? If so, every post office with PO boxes offers that (AFAIK).

But, some POs will give individual customers - many who don't hold a PO box at all - permission just to provide the address of the PO for deliveries from couriers, but I can't imagine it would be common practice for a large city PO.

I was offered the service about a year ago - free but I guess they might start charging for it. As far as I know there isn't a limit of deliveries, but I have only used it once😁. Could be related to the fact that I have had this box number for probably around 30 years, I dunno. I'm not sure how many customers would have been offered the service, but hasten to add that the Darwin GPO is relatively small in the scheme of things.

Re: Stole item

digital*ghost — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 23:18:28 GMT

@ambercat16 wrote:
I was offered the service about a year ago - free but I guess they might start charging for it.

That's better than I got, lol - there was an introductory rate at my PO, if memory serves it was a cheap price for a short trial period, but officially the annual cost is an extra $24 for up to 50 courier deliveries to non-business holders, which isn't too bad considering the rate they would charge other couriers to accept individual PO box deliveries from them (hence why PO's just allowing deliveries from couriers without any other paid service being so unusual).

Re: Stole item

zanadoo_56 — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 03:23:49 GMT

The safe drop options that Aust Post allows irk me no end. Front door, side door of house, garage, carport etc....but NOT the BACK DOOR!

There are plenty of houses in my street where the carports are so open there's nowhere to hide anything. There's garages of course - usually kept closed and some even behind closed gates. AP doesn't want to deliver in closed backyards - hard to keep an eye on the van and the resident might have a dog. They have the option to override the customer's requested 'approved site' anyway, if they think it isn't safe or there's a dog.

My backyard is completely open, and there's no dog but my safe drop place is hidden by a wheelie bin and tall shrubs. Of course I put the details on the parcels, but I have also suggested to Aust Post that the back door be included as an option for MyPost customers to nominate. Of course they have ignored it despite several requests on my part. NONE of their current suggested places are safe at my address.