WARNING - Do you know your rights when it comes to postage, buyers must read!!!

[hothen69]

WARNING - ok so the bottom line is this and you need to read before buying online. Australia Post does not and will not refund the receiver of an item if lost. If you pay extra for insurance you are only paying to guarantee the sender will have insurance as he is the only one who can request a refund.  As far as Australia post is concerned they are contracted by the sender and you as the receiver have little rights, you can not even have a proper investigation as they will only act when the sender contacts them. So if your item has tracking and it says delivered, but you didnt get it, you canot ask the post to investigate and Ebay goes off the tracking info so if it says delivered its tough luck to you as the receiver.  Ebay will only refund if you can prove ITEM was delivered to wrong address, but you cant do that because the post wont investigate unless the seller asks them to.  Lets face it, the sender wont do it because he has his money and if the investigatioin proves item was delivered incorrectly, then he will have to refund buyer and fight Post for a refund.  So, DONT ever order anything of value because even though sellers ask if you want tracking and insurance it is of NO benefit to you.  Id also like to point out that Ebay deems an item delivered if the tracking shows it was delivered within a 30km radius of your actal address, and that came directly from an Ebay representative.  Dont know about you, but a 30km radius around my place, there are thousands of people, so this policy is an odd one.

[maranock]

I agree that some of their policies are flawed, and sometimes going through the Paypal process will help you get your money back, rather than through Ebay.

PLEASE break up your posts into paragraphs as what you have been posting is so difficult to read that many people will not bother. 

[davewil1964]

Unless you have information the rest of us aren't privy to, after an item is marked as delivered in AP's system, only the RECEIVER can initiate an investigation.

I can repeat in big red font with no paragraphs if you want.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

already posting in bold red, just need the Font size 4 and we are ready made for February

Spoiler

if there are more rants

[collect247]

Who can initiate an investigation?

Sender or receiver?

I know for a fact that it is the sender as I went through 15 investigations and I had to initiate them after the buyer had complained and the buyers all received their refunds but I had to chase AP for the money and it took over 5 months to just get the flaming postage cost back lol.

And yep you guessed it the buyers got their money back and also kept the items!

Rant over hahaha

[digital*ghost]

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@hothen69 wrote:

  Lets face it, the sender wont do it because he has his money and if the investigatioin proves item was delivered incorrectly, then he will have to refund buyer and fight Post for a refund.  

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I'm presuming this is specific to an experience you've had? Because it's certainly not the norm

I'm a buyer and a seller, but I'm going to speak as a seller, because it is in that capacity that I have conducted the most research into what my legal obligations are to buyers, and it's also in that capacity that I experience lost packages (not very often, but it does happen).

The first thing I want to point out that companies like eBay, PayPal and Australia Post all have something of a "first line of defence" when it comes to dealing with situations where they may have to compensate someone - if they can fob someone off with a line about company policy, they often will (they won't always do this - I've had them compensate me for lost packages that weren't insured without me even asking for it). I guess what I'm trying to get at here is that just because Aus Post (or whoever) say something, it doesn't mean that's the end of it. They are the first port of call when something goes wrong, but they don't have to be the last - there are higher authorities that can deal with situations if they were poorly handled. 

I also quoted that specific section of your post because it's kinda offensive...  And I use the smiley face because I'm not sitting here outraged or all b*tthurt about it, lol, but because I absolutely will open cases with Aus Post every single time something like this happens, without fail. And of course I will pass on compensation, or replace an order, if it's confirmed that the package was not delivered to their address (but probably not if it becomes apparent the most likely scenario is that it was delivered to them and subsequently stolen, because there's only so much I can take responsibility for, and the security of a delivered package, and/or theives across the country from me are not one of them - that is, unless the package required signature on delivery but was never obtained, just left at the premises). Some sellers - and I know for sure that I'm not the only one out there - genuinely care about their customers, not just the money that comes from them. (The other posters are correct, though, if a parcel is delivered, generally only the recipient can open a case and is the one who receives any compensation paid, while if it's still in transit and MIA, only the sender can open an investigation and they receive the compensation).

Delivery features like signature required, and insurance, not only help protect a purchase, but they (in general) increase a seller's legal obligation to their buyer if something goes wrong, so to say there is no point in purchasing these things, or it only benefits sellers, suggest you may perhaps not have a full understanding of your rights.

I suggest you maybe take a look beyond company policies of businesses like Aus Post - I'm willing to bet you'll be surprised in both good and bad ways. 

[melbourneclearance]

Maybe check your PayPal address, ebay address, and make sure that your street number is clearly visible and big on your letterbox, because 4 of the last 8 feedbacks you left for sellers say that you did not receive the items.

I'd run out and knock on my neighbour's door to see if they stole anything if half my parcels did not arrive.

You know, I'm just looking after ya. One can never fully trust those neighbours.

[davewil1964]

it is also a fair bet that those items the OP is having trouble with aren't starting their journey with Australia Post.

[apparuz14]

This is fraud & it does happen . A major glitch in the system and the big 3 companies were commenting about need to sort this out.

If you take the matter to the police, acorn etc they won’t touch it either cause it’s under 10k. There not going to waste there resources on small matters

[shoppingbag*]

Despite what you are stating.....I recently had a purchase and item was marked "delivered"  but I had not received it, despite being home at the time of "supposed" delivery.  I contacted Australia Post and they took details and said they would investigate. The next morning my package was delivered with an apology and explanation.  So warning people not to buy is like saying  "don't fly, your plane may crash"   The world if full of "if's, buts, and maybe's"  Consider instead the enormous number of items that are delivered safely.  I have been shopping online for around 13 years now, buying from all over the world, and the scenario of the missing parcel (previously mentioned) is the first problem I have had with Australia Post.  Sometimes they may be slow, but they DO deliver. I did purchase an item from China (cost under $3) that didn't turn up, but that sort of thing you do at your own risk, and it didn't change my life or send me bankrupt. Everything in life is a risk, I just find it better to look at the Positives, not the Negatives.