An item I bought from overseas has gone missing in Oz....specifically with Aust Post. It was sent by registered post, I wasn't at home to sign for it so I got a card. Unfortunately I can't collect parcels from my local post office so I have them transferred to another post office. Unfortunately though the parcel has a number it can't be tracked by me on the AP site and only basic details can be found on other tracking sites.
Because of Aust Post changing their Parcel Transfer Request Forms on the net I had difficulty finding the right info so in the end I phoned AP customer service and the person I spoke to filled out the request for me over the phone. She then faxed the transfer details to my local post office. That was two weeks ago. After some days went by I called the PO where the parcel was to transfer to but they hadn't received it. So I phoned my local post office...and discovered nothing had been done. It was still there. The person I spoke to said she would process the transfer.
By the end of last week the parcel still hadn't arrived at the new location but I know from experience it's a S-L-O-W service at times so I left calling them again until Tuesday this week. It still hadn't arrived. I phoned my local post office and their records show it had been sent on as per the transfer request. Unfortunately sometimes these parcels take the scenic route but nevertheless it really should have turned up at the other post office by then. I phoned AP customer service in the hope that they might be able to see more of the tracking details....but no luck.and they advised me to 'give it a few more days'. So I did.
Two days later and the parcel still hasn't turned up. I phoned AP customer service and they admitted AP has lost the parcel, because it was likely that where ever it was at the moment it hadn't been scanned. I asked what they could do to find it and it was explained to me that the only way I could get a deeper search for the parcel was if the sender lodged an enquiry. Due to legislation blah blah blah I hadn't received it so the sender was still the owner, and for me they could nothing more to find it. Grrrr.
I contacted the overseas seller who not surprisingly wasn't keen - the reply I got was: The shipping method (INT’L-BMP) has only limited tracking capabilities and is not insured. As such, we are not able to send a formal request to Australian Post for an investigation. Either that or they looked at the AP website, couldn't find the right info and wisely decided not to get involved. They then suggested I make a claim to AP to recover my money.
The thing is, the value of my misisng parcel is only around $20 but the purchase was at a bargain price (half what is usually charged overseas and a quarter of what it would cost in Oz). I see getting my money back as a last resort as it is better to find my missing parcel. Whether I get the money back or not I will end up paying at least double to buy the item again. Sigh.
So, is there anything I can do go get AP to pull their finger out and really look for my item?
And....failing that, what do I have to do to get my money back....and what are my chances?
