Where do I stand?

[kate399]

I hope somebody can advise me with my problem. Purchased a Samsung Tablet from eBay,  no problem with seller as he posted quickly with " Do not safe drop- signature on delivery".  However our brilliant postal service decided to leave it outside my front door.  Guess what? It's no longer there when I got home.  Who will end up out of pocket for Auspost mistake.  I hope it's not me or the seller.

[papermoon.lady]

Well, the listing does say registered.

Did the seller give you a tracking number? What does it say? When a parcel requires a signature, the tracking says so, at least with AusPost. ("This parcel requires a signature - Why we cannot leave it".... something like that.)

If they don't reply, open a case with the ombudsman. It takes a long time, but it might be worth it.

You could also go to your local post office and talk to them. I assume it is not very far, as you expected to pick up your parcel from there. When my parcel was stolen years ago, it was the delivery manager of my local post office who arranged compensation.

[papermoon.lady]

If the tracking does say registered, it is definitely AusPost's fault.

If not, I am not sure. When a tracking says "delivered", a seller is usually safe, but if a seller says in the listing that the item is going to be sent registered and that it requires a signature, and then he sends it with normal mail and it is stolen because it is safe-dropped, I am not sure where you stand. Maybe somebody else knows, but first we need to know what the tracking says.

[jellybirddesigns]

@kate - just prompt Aus Post again via message.

One of the main issues it if the seller actually sent it with SOD, regardless of what any message on the packaging said. Aus Post can tell you exactly what type of postage was purchased.

So, if the seller didn't send SOD (required with anything valued over $750), then I'm not sure what the next step will be as tracking shows delivered. You might have to open a case for Not Received, but in the notes you can mention that it was not sent SOD as confirmed with Australia Post.

[kate399]

Auspost are really being helpful to me today.   There first response today in part says "I’ve investigated with the Delivery Centre which is responsible for delivering parcels to your address. They’ve confirmed that this parcel was delivered as addressed. As a signature was not required, unfortunately we’re unable to investigate further. If your article is still outstanding I would recommend discussing it further with the sender in case there is anything they are able to organise for you."

I already have the paperwork from the seller showing "signature on delivery"  The friendly staff at my local post office reconfirmed this.

I contacted Auspost again With this reply in part " I can see that the sender has requested that a compulsory signature to be captured at the time of delivery. Currently we are still delivering via contactless delivery and what this means is that the postie will sign on your behalf as to adhere to health and safety measures.

I have read over the responses that the Toowoomba Delivery Centre has provided to us and can see that the postie noted that when he came to the front door that someone called out through the door to leave the parcel. He would have then signed and left the parcel at the front door.
On the day it was not delivered, I was in my back shed about forty meters behind my house. I live alone so nobody was in the house to yell out to the contractor. I don't think I've heard so much garbage coming from anybody.  Now for eBay's  & the sellers help, another complete story.

[papermoon.lady]

While it is true that they now sign on the recipient's behalf to avoid contact, the recipient has to be present and they have to ask for their name (in case they don't know the recipient well).

I don't know, but the contractor's story sounds suspicious. It is not the first time that iPhones or tablets go missing and that they say there was somebody who opened the door when according to the recipients it was not true. I still think it's his responsibility, not eBay's or the seller's. I mean, if nobody yelled to leave the phone at the door and the contractor says somebody did, then obviously something does not add up.

[papermoon.lady]

By the way, they are supposed to take a photo when they safe-drop something, although... of course if they want to be dishonest they can (they take a photo and then run away with the item, which is not even difficult if it is a small parcel). But he should have taken a photo - was any photo provided to you?

Sometimes they also make mistakes like knocking on the wrong door, and who knows, maybe somebody else told the contractor to leave the parcel at the front (in another house). People have reported cases where the front door was not theirs when they looked at the photo....

[domino-710]

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@kate399 wrote:

Auspost are really being helpful to me today.   There first response today in part says "I’ve investigated with the Delivery Centre which is responsible for delivering parcels to your address. They’ve confirmed that this parcel was delivered as addressed. As a signature was not required, unfortunately we’re unable to investigate further. If your article is still outstanding I would recommend discussing it further with the sender in case there is anything they are able to organise for you."

I already have the paperwork from the seller showing "signature on delivery"  The friendly staff at my local post office reconfirmed this.

I contacted Auspost again With this reply in part " I can see that the sender has requested that a compulsory signature to be captured at the time of delivery. Currently we are still delivering via contactless delivery and what this means is that the postie will sign on your behalf as to adhere to health and safety measures.

I have read over the responses that the Toowoomba Delivery Centre has provided to us and can see that the postie noted that when he came to the front door that someone called out through the door to leave the parcel. NO - he would have had to ask - please come to the door - so that this parcel is CONFIRMED - delivered. A yell - is not considered - DELIVERED. He would have then signed and left the parcel at the front door.
On the day it was not delivered, I was in my back shed about forty meters behind my house. I live alone so nobody was in the house to yell out to the contractor. I don't think I've heard so much garbage coming from anybody.  Now for eBay's  & the sellers help, another complete story.

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Good luck Aust Post.

[everard6920]

Don't listen to AP's nonsense - the AP-worker-signing-on-your-behalf arrangement has been in place for almost two years and it does not change the fact that the AP worker has left the parcel without doing what they were supposed to do.

If you're certain that nobody called out, then we can only conclude that AP have checked with the worker who left the parcel, and the worker has said that someone yelled out to save their own neck. They know very well that they're not supposed to just leave a parcel requiring a signature without sighting someone at the address.

My next question to AP would be - what is the name of the signee whom they supposedly sighted at your address, and whom they signed on behalf of? If they say you, then you can obviously assure them that this is false. Keep at them, and as someone else said, mention the ombudsman if necessary.

Overall, I think AP do a good job but this is definitely one area that needs improvement because this seems to happen often. I have parcel + signature as one of my postage options and I have had buyers ask me to refund the fee because this has happened to them, and they're upset about having paid for something that was not used. I've then had to go about proving that I did pay for signature for their parcel, and the AP worker just did not bother ringing their doorbell or whatever. Good times.