AP lost two of my parcels in one week: what to expect?

[everard6920]

This has never happened to me before (I had a parcel arrive very late around Christmas, but that was Christmas).

Checked the tracking for a couple of packages sent the 8th (to VIC) and the 11th (to NSW) from QLD. First only shows as received at the post office I lodged it at; the second shows as in transit at Granville (on the 12th).

All of the packages I've posted since then have been delivered.

I've messaged both buyers and have told them that I've lodged enquiries with AP, and will let them know what happens. Thought it was a good idea to let them know that I was aware that they haven't received their orders and that I'm doing something about it.

What are the chances that AP will find the packages or do anything? Slim to none, I'm guessing? Does anyone know how long the process usually takes? If the packages are not found, what is the best option to reimburse the buyer and avoid defects? I have online proof of lodgement for both (both buyers paid with Paypal, if that makes a difference).

If I have to reimburse the buyers out of my own pocket then so be it, it isn't their fault. Just wondering what the best way is to go about this.

Thanks in advance.

[justcruising48]

Auspost has lost an international parcel of mine too. Sent by the new track and post at $28.40. They are still looking and said may take weeks so patiently waiting. I hope my customer can keep waiting till I refund them. It just shows as lodged and nothing else so maybe the new international pack and track is not so good?

[digital*ghost]

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@justcruising48 wrote:

 maybe the new international pack and track is not so good?

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The tracking can be a little hit and miss, it seems - I sent one to Italy a while ago, which I was a bit nervous about both due to the destination and the fact that it was one of my higher priced items that's a one-off, so not replaceable.

I signed up for email notifications so I'd be automatically alerted to any tracking updates (via My Post) but never got a single update. I was tempted to start an inquiry but thought I'd wait to see if the customer alerted me to any problems, then noticed they left feedback for the item about 4 weeks after posting, so they definitely received it, while tracking still just shows lodgement. Not good enough for the price of the service. 

Re: the op, I'm not 100% sure if there's a specified timeframe for the inquiry process, though they have generally told me up to 30 days in the past. I'm not sure how thorough their investigation process is, I think it's possible they just look at some internal data to see if the package can be traced to a location, as well as take down the package description / contents etc, and if something ends up in the dead letter office at a later stage they'll look up to see if anything like that has been reported lost (hence the longer timeframes), but that's mostly guessing.

If I refund a buyer voluntarily for any reason, I advise them that I will initiate a cancellation via eBay, then select the "buyer request" option as it's the most appropriate, plus won't cause any defects. 

The proof of lodgement would definitely help you in the instance of a PP claim, but not likely to for an eBay request. 

[designers*n*more]

Yeah sometimes the tracking won't show I anything until it's actually been delivered. I've encountered that a few times. Defeats the purpose of "tracking". Complained to AP and was told "it's been delivered and "tracking" shows this" lol.

most investigations with AP take 10 business days and they generally won't investigate until 10 business have passed, and most parcels will eventually turn up. I had one that took 16 days from Vic to NSW. When I complained to AP you generally just get the generic sympathetic response, but if I wanted the parcel to arrive quickly I should've sent it Express Post. They will then tell you there is no compo unless insurance was taken out. They also tell you that delivery times are estimates only, (long time from the few days it used to take to get something delivered)

hang in there, they will most likely turn up. And thumbs up for letting your buyers know! I'm sure they will appreciate it.

[black*poppy]

I play this game a little differently.

I think sometimes Australia Post doesn't track items at all.  Quite often I see parcels are 'On board with driver for delivery" and then never get the final Delivered scam.  Eeek.  So it is quite common for items to have been delivered and just haven't been scanned.  The problem is that if you alert the buyers that it's not showing delivered, you are leaving yourself open to being scammed.

So what I do (and this has only happened a couple of times) is I go ahead and open a case with AP at the appropriate time.  I do not inform the buyer.  If it really is lost then the buyer will get in contact with me and I can show I'm already on the ball.  But if it has been delivered, I think it is highly unlikely that a buyer will check the tracking.  If they do, I can only think it would be to look for an opportunity to scam anyway.

So no, don't tell your buyer that you are aware that their package has been delayed.  It might not be.

[5kazam]

My recent satchel from Vic to WA was damaged by Aust Post (admitted by them), and ended up in the Dead Letter Office, as they had also somehow removed the address label and put it on another package.

When I got back in touch with AP a few days later to find out if it had been onforwarded to WA, I couldn't get any info from them.

Posted my whinge on these boards, and davewil suggested I post on AP's Facebook page - which I did.  I had a positive response overnight, and was advised my parcel had been repackaged, was being sent registered post, and was on its way, finally.

If you're not getting satisfaction from AP's 'customer service', maybe try getting some answers from FB.

[everard6920]

Thank you to everyone for your replies.

AP updated one of the cases this morning to say that it is due to be delivered today (the Granville one), so that's a relief. One down.

I'll give them some time to investigate the other one, and if I don't get anywhere I'll try FB. Thanks for the suggestion.

The called the PO where I lodged the still-missing parcel (I know all of them by name as it's a small, friendly PO). They said they'll have a look around to make sure it isn't still there.

ETA: I went and had a quick look at AP's FB, and had to laugh at one complaint (not funny for the person affected though, obviously). The person had sent an item to British Columbia (Canada) and AP sent it to  . . . Colombia.

[*tippy*toes*]

I also never alert a buyer if the tracking is not showing as delivered. I have 4 on the AP My Post app saying they are still in transit, yet I know they have arrived because the buyers have left feedback and have bought more stuff. Alerting a buyer to a tracking number showing as not delivered opens the door to scammers in my opinion. Even if they ordinarily wouldn't try and scam, it would give some the idea that they could get their money back. Always best to wait for them to contact you.

If a buyer sends a message saying it hasn't arrived, I always ask if they would mind waiting another week as sometimes AP can be quite slow getting things to certain locations. I then say if it's still not arrived to let me know by replying to this message. Most have come back a few days later saying it arrived, some didn't come back at all, one came back to say it didn't arrive so I refunded. The biggest issues I have are sending items to NT. Minimum 4 weeks to get there from NSW for some reason.

[daintreejudi]

One of my parcels was lost recently, after lodging a claim, it was found within 8 days, thankfully. Best to open a case with Ebay immediately so that you will at least get your Ebay & Paypal fees refunded, unfortunately you will be out of pocket unless you can get Australia Post to refund, I have had a refund from them before, you have to provide them with your APost Receipts

[everard6920]

Um, so I received two messages on the case this morning. I have no words.

Thanks for your email. I can certainly understand your concerns as you have not received the __________ you have ordered. My name is ______ and I am the right person to assist you further from here.

I have checked our records and can see that we have received your electronic manifest from your sender. We do not have a record of the physical parcel being physically lodged in our network. This indicates that the parcel has not been lodged with us for carriage this can explain why you are still waiting for your parcel to be delivered.

In order to find the whereabouts of your parcel, we would like to investigate further.
In order to do that, we will need the sender to contact us to provide the information that we need to look into this. They can do this by lodging a missing item enquiry at (web address)

Just when I was about to call and point out that I AM the sender and that the tracking very clearly shows LODGED AT PO, I got this:

Please disregard the previous email. I have gone through the case again and I can see that you are the sender. I apologise for this mistake as I can see that you have actually lodged it over the counter at our Park Ridge Licensed Post Office.

I would expect that the parcel you sent to Buyer* should have been delivered by now. As the scans do not indicate your article was delivered, I am unable to identify where it currently is. The estimated delivery timeframe for this article is 14 July 2016 so I can certainly start an investigation for you.

In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the progress of your article and contact you as soon as we have any updates. Please allow 10 business days for this to happen as there may be several areas of the business involved in the investigation.