A little advice for Aus post to help us sellers out with suspect customers and SOD.

[northern_4x4]

If the person the postie is handing the parcel over to is NOT the person who has made the order. How about getting their full name and some ID? Two parcels in two weeks, the customers say they never got the item, even though it was signed for. And NOT by the customer.

Just need to vent....

[clarry100]

If you have tracking AND proof of lodgement then you have seller protection and should not lose any INR claim.

As long as you have mailed to the PayPal address given at the time of the order. Regardless of any signature.

"Proof Of Lodgement" is the key here. Under Australian Law this is all that is required.

That means the receipt issued by AP when you lodge the item over the counter.

If you drop the parcel in a red street box you do not have the required proof of lodgement even tho you have tracking and may lose any INR case.

Signature on delivery is really quite meaningless unless you specify person-to-person then it MUST be signed by the addressee and ID will be required to do that. Anybody over the age of 18 at the delivery address can sign for a parcel with ordinary SOD.

[digital*ghost]

I agree it would be helpful in a lot of cases, but SOD is specifically for the delivery address - anyone at the location is basically able to sign for a delivery (I know that's not quite the point you're making, but because of that, ID is essentially deemed unnecessay, except to prove a person is authorised to sign for a package if it's collected from a different location, because AP consider their job done if they deliver to the address, or someone at that address, no matter what - same as they would if SOD wasn't required and they dropped it at the door, then someone stole it straight after).

Person-to-Person (a more expensive service, of course) is supposed to guarantee that only the adressee can sign for the item. 

Edit: time for an evening coffee, me thinks, revitalise the typin' fingers. 

[northern_4x4]

I know of the protection of SOD. I use it alot. Unfortunately, for a lot of items I sell, I cannot fit in the extra $$$ for insurance. It will just eat away at the bottom line too much. So when a parcel does go walkies with SOD, the best I get out of it is the postal cost back. Nothing for the loss of the goods.

I know I can just tell the seller, tough, it was signed for, but I am not that type of person, I like to help out where I can. I would not like it if I were to spend my hard earned only to lose it because of an incompetent postal service. 

Maybe I am too nice. I think I give the benefit of doubt too much. Or I should just bite the bullet and add insurance.

In the end AP do need to lift their game here in this regard. SOD means jack chit when the parcel goes missing. Even if signed for.

[northern_4x4]

Whats the difference, or preference I should say, between spending the extra on SOD and NO insurance, to, NO SOD and spending the extra on insurance? The way I see it, I'm better off the latter way....
Unless I'm missing something.

[jensmanchester-australia]

If a buyer claims that they haven't received a parcel which has been signed for advise them you will lodge a complaint with AP and get a copy of the signature as well.

The last one who tried this on me had clearly signed the parcel in her name and once that evidence wa presented to them they suddenly went very quiet.

The one I had prior to that was a misdelivery by AP and they went around and retrieved the parcel and delivered it to the correct address.

[digital*ghost]

---

@northern_4x4 wrote:
Whats the difference, or preference I should say, between spending the extra on SOD and NO insurance, to, NO SOD and spending the extra on insurance? The way I see it, I'm better off the latter way....
Unless I'm missing something.

---

AP's insurance only covers you for stuff that's their fault (and they admit to it). SOD means an item shouldn't be safe-dropped (i.e. left at the delivery address when no one is there to sign for it), so that helps to ensure the package doesn't get stolen after delivery, and no one being covered anyway (if a parcel is tracked as delivered, insurance won't mean much unless AP admit to delivering it to the wrong address and can't recover it). 

[northern_4x4]

---

@jensmanchester-australia wrote:

If a buyer claims that they haven't received a parcel which has been signed for advise them you will lodge a complaint with AP and get a copy of the signature as well.

The last one who tried this on me had clearly signed the parcel in her name and once that evidence wa presented to them they suddenly went very quiet.

The one I had prior to that was a misdelivery by AP and they went around and retrieved the parcel and delivered it to the correct address.

---

Both my parcels the signatures don't match the buyer. the second delivery even got a name. But no one lives there by this name appanrently.

[northern_4x4]

---

@digital*ghost wrote:

AP's insurance only covers you for stuff that's their fault (and they admit to it). SOD means an item shouldn't be safe-dropped (i.e. left at the delivery address when no one is there to sign for it), so that helps to ensure the package doesn't get stolen after delivery, and no one being covered anyway (if a parcel is tracked as delivered, insurance won't mean much unless AP admit to delivering it to the wrong address and can't recover it). 

---

So if the buyer claims they haven't got the parcel, and the postie says they delivered it. Its a stale mate? I suppose either way it will only work out for AP the best in the end.

[jensmanchester-australia]

Did you ask AP to investigate? Misdeliveries do happen so perhaps in both cases the parcel has been delivered to the wrong address.

If AP say they can't lodge an investigation that is incorrect and you have to push the point that the parcels have not been signed for by anyone at the addresses.