Help/advice pls - Aust Post contractor signed for my item & it's missing

[the3coopers]

We've lost a very expensive item that was delivered from the USA via USPS Express last week. Yet the AP tracking shows that it's been signed for!

Last Sunday we arrived back from an Easter Holiday, and it seems that the AP Contractor had come Tuesday 10th at about 7:38am -  there is a hangup on our home Answering Machine (my home phone number is on the vendor's invoice) at that time. The delivery status says delivered at 7:42am.

I phoned AP customer service and they say there's a scrawled signature with my first name on it. I am unable to get a copy, but I've asked the vendor to request it via USPS. I never sign my name that way, and anyway I can easily verify that I wasn't here on that day. The item should have been carded, not dropped.

Item was paid by Paypal, funded by a ANZ Visa Debit card. Theoretically I cannot claim INR since the item was delivered - and it'd be really unfair to chargeback on the vendor since they certainly did deliver something to us.

AP seemed to be saying "too bad", claim back via the vendor. Yet the only reason it's missing is because the AP employee seems to have either delivered to the wrong address or signed for it themselves and left it sitting on our front porch for nearly a week!

So, how on earth should I handle this? The item cost me almost $1000, so it's not a loss that I can "absorb". I'm wondering if anybody has had similar experiences, especially with making a claim against Australia Post for such a loss.

Thanks heaps for any advice you can give me. 🙂

[australiapoststore]

Hi Viewmont,

In the text you quoted "In fact, the only International service that includes a Proof of Delivery option is International Registered Post, and the service must be nominated and paid for by the sender at the time of lodgement. This is true for items coming into Australia as well as going out." I was referring to services provided by Australia Post.

As the parcel you are referring to was delivered by Fedex, I cannot comment on what happened with the parcel or delivery of it as Fedex are a private courier company and Australia Post do not carry their products at any point of delivery.

Kind regards,

Alice F.

eBay Store Manager

Australia Post

ebaystore@auspost.com.au

http://auspost.ebay.com.au/

[australiapoststore]

Hi Viewmont,

I'm not sure which policy you are confused about. Judging by the excerpt below, I assume you are referring to the policy stating that only the sender may claim for, and receive compensation for damaged EMS articles. If I am wrong in this assumption, please accept my apologies.

This information can be found under section 5.15.3 - "Who May Claim" on page 44 of our International Post Guide (http://auspo.st/kvvGt8) and states:http://auspost.ebay.com.au/

Service or type of article                 Origin                   Claim type           Claimant              Postal administration

ECI and EPI – Parcels        Australia                Total loss               Sender                    Australia Post

Damage                                 Sender                    Australia Post

Overseas                Total loss               Sender                    Overseas

Damage                                 Sender                    Overseas

Kind regards,

Alice F.

eBay Store Manager

Australia Post

ebaystore@auspost.com.au

[tall_bearded]

Excerpt from

5.15.3 – Who may claim

‘With Registered Post International, the sender of an article is the claimant for loss or damage that

occurs before delivery and the addressee is the claimant after delivery. The claimant may waive the

right to claim compensation in favour of another person. The claimant must send written

notification of the waiver to the relevant postal administration’.

Now if I understand Coops’ initial claim was rejected on the grounds that Australia Post records confirm the item was delivered.

Now the policy clearly states that should a claim be made after it was delivered the claimant is the addressee.

So why is it that Australia Post continues to insist that in Coops case only the sender may claim.

[*kazumi*]

Now if I understand Coops’ initial claim was rejected on the grounds that Australia Post records confirm the item was delivered.

Now the policy clearly states that should a claim be made after it was delivered the claimant is the addressee.

So why is it that Australia Post continues to insist that in Coops case only the sender may claim.

That might be the problem TB, this parcel is neither delivered (coops has not got it) nor not delivered (it was signed for).  And AP clearly does not have a rule about this possibility 🙂

[australiapoststore]

Hi Tall_bearded,

You are correct that the addressee is able to claim for Registered Post International articles, however, the parcel in question was not a Registered Post International article, but an EMS article, which can only be claimed against by the sender, and the sender is not able to waive rights to compensation which can be done for other services.

Kind regards,

Alice F.

eBay Store Manager

Australia Post

ebaystore@auspost.com.au

http://auspost.ebay.com.au/

[australiapoststore]

Hi Greencat,

I can assure you that I am entirely human. Not even part computer. 😄

Kind regards,

Alice F.

eBay Store Manager

Australia Post

ebaystore@auspost.com.au

http://auspost.ebay.com.au/

[viewmont1071]

Hi Viewmont,

In the text you quoted "In fact, the only International service that includes a Proof of Delivery option is International Registered Post, and the service must be nominated and paid for by the sender at the time of lodgement. This is true for items coming into Australia as well as going out." I was referring to services provided by Australia Post.

As the parcel you are referring to was delivered by Fedex, I cannot comment on what happened with the parcel or delivery of it as Fedex are a private courier company and Australia Post do not carry their products at any point of delivery.

Kind regards,

Alice F.

eBay Store Manager

Australia Post

ebaystore@auspost.com.au

http://auspost.ebay.com.au/

Hi Alice... maybe I should have been clearer.

Last Thursday we received a red and white card in our mailbox.

We went to the post office at Nambucca Heads (not an LPO).

The Nambucca post office staff after sighting my daughters licence and requiring her to sign a sheet entitled registered post delivery record then scanned the box with the scanner connected to her computer, checked the screen and  handed us the box.

The box had fedex written all over it with 4 barcoded stickers.

We tracked the package on the fedex site. The box went from Alexandria Sydney to Kempsey NSW which, unusually, is where the regional Australia Post sorting centre is

Yesterday when I posted there were 4 fedex boxes and 7 AAE bags sitting on the counter. Joyzy woyzy (the manager) stated that they get many many fedex packages.

I asked if they came in with "Tony" the AAE guy, "the little box", she said, "the rest came with all the other AP packages"...... She was writing red and white "cards" to be put into mailboxes for the boxes that had fedex written all over them.

I am not trying to be smart I am trying to decide which system I will continue to use (given the option) for expensive overseas purchases.

The identification system that fedex required appears more security conscious than Australia Posts system and is a person to person delivery whether the Australia Post worker had their AP,AAE or FEDEX cap on I really do not care.

That is why I asked you the question given that Australia Post scanned the box, checked IDand then released the item I would think there would be some liability even if it was initially addressed to fedex

[cq_tech]

Sorry if it's been mentioned earlier, but has anybody yet lodged an official complaint with the PIO (Postal Industry Ombudsman) on http://www.pio.gov.au/ as they don't just investigate AP complaints, but all private companies or couriers who transport mail into and out of Australia.

As AP & EMS are clearly giving you the runaround and attempting to pass the buck, this appalling situation needs to be taken over by an organisation with teeth for a change, and the PIO would appear to be the obvious choice here.

[the3coopers]

Sorry if it's been mentioned earlier, but has anybody yet lodged an official complaint with the PIO (Postal Industry Ombudsman) on http://www.pio.gov.au/ as they don't just investigate AP complaints, but all private companies or couriers who transport mail into and out of Australia.

As AP & EMS are clearly giving you the runaround and attempting to pass the buck, this appalling situation needs to be taken over by an organisation with teeth for a change, and the PIO would appear to be the obvious choice here.

I have the report written up, am waiting on a final reply from AustPost before lodging it.

There was a handwritten note in our letterbox yesterday asking that I phone the local delivery contractor. Am just about to do that, and see what he says.

[lyndal1838]

Well at least you know that questions are being asked in the right quarters Coops.  It would appear that they have reached the contractor who delivered the parcel.  Better late than never I suppose.

I would have thought that he would have been the first person asked to clarify what had happened.