Australia Post price increase - period of grace?

[cathyjoyjoy]

Is anyone aware if there is a "period of grace" after 4 January, where the old letter rates will be accepted without the recipient being charged for underpaid postage?  In the past there has been an "unwritten period of grace", sometimes two weeks or a month.

This is the case where you drop a pre-stamped letter into a red post box.  Of course once you approached the post office counter, the latest postage would be charged.

Happy New Year and thank you for all the very helpful "inside advice".

[joethenuts]

you are correct  and as proven by 5 posters here,  you dont even have to pay for a stamp and fit what ever in an envelope .mmmm

[247newdeals]

For me personally it is not worth the riskI even overpaid on a few stuck 3 $0.70 stamps on. I must admit I am a little gutted as the last 2 days I have had a lot of orders that are being sent as a large letter 15 so far usallty get 1 or 2 a day. I think they know I have not decided if I am going to increase the prices by $0.69 or to wear the cost yet 😉

Also just bought 20 $1 and 15 $0.30 stamps got home and realised they need to be licked 😞 I hate licking stamps 

[collect247]

That's what dogs are for they will lick anything haha

[lyndal1838]

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@joethenuts wrote:

i am going by what the poster i was talking to said that went into a post office , and was told as long ats in a red box its 2 weeks,   so i am taking my info from someone who has asked a postoffice staff. 

you keep saying as long as you remember ,  we are talking about 2016  not what happened 10 20 years ago or even 2015, things change , for a staff member to tell this poster 2 weeks in a red box , do you think the staff member made it up or do you think the staff member who works there would know. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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Joe, I am not just relying on what I remember happening for over 50 years...since I first started doing the mail for the business I was working for.

My husband is a StarTrack courier and is in and out of the major post offices in Sydney CBD every working day.  I am pretty sure the Post Mistress at Haymarket PO knows the correct information and she said what I have always understood....a week to 10 days grace to allow mail already in the system to clear and be delivered but no mail to be posted with the old rate of postage.

If we keep arguing long enough we will be able to see for ourselves....in 2 more days we may be seeing underpaid postage notifications being handed out.

[chameleon54]

I JUST MAILED A LETTER FOR FREE ( REAL FREE POSTAGE ) WOOOHOOO    

I went to one of my local small country PO,s where I often mail my parcels. I only had one small letter addressed to a local business. I went to reach for my dollar and the staff member said, dont worry about it, i,ll just pop it in his mail box. Are you sure ? I asked, Yes no problem he responded.

It shows how much I get out cos. it just made my day.       

[247newdeals]

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@collect247 wrote:

That's what dogs are for they will lick anything haha

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I have a cat and she is not allowed near anything I do not want shredded the stamps would not stand a chance 

[lyndal1838]

While not strictly legal is was sure good customer service.

I someties think there should be a reduced rate for items posted and delivered within the same postcode.  It must happen a lot in counrty towns,

[theforcemedia]

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@cathyjoyjoy wrote:

Basically, the price went up on Monday - there's probably a period of grace - but it's not official - so we don't know when AP would start charging underpaid postage (which for sellers means a delay in items reaching buyers + buyer being charged extra !!!).

As is often the case;  ask one AP staff and they'll say "sure you can drop letters in red boxes at the old rate no problem for about 10 days/2 weeks" - ask another AP staff and you'll probably get a different story.

My conclusion is - seller beware.

With so many other opportunities for a transaction to go awry, why add another opportunity.

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Yeah you're right about getting different stories. 

I have a good relationship with my PO, and I'm confident that she wasn't lying to me. She actually lost income by telling me this.

She basically stated that anything being lodged over the counter would need the updated pricing, but simple letters in the street box would be ok for two weeks. The leftover 70c stamps I have will only last me a couple of days, so I think that's fine. I won't be posting 70c stamps on the 18th, don't get that idea.

I suppose a good recommendation is to not do this unless you have spoken to your PO. But if they aren't nice like mine, or you don't have a good working relationship, they may just tell you to buy the stamps because they want your $$$.

As far as a delay for underpostage, well.. it seems to me that ALL mail is being pretty well delayed at the moment. So 

[theforcemedia]

Wet sponge mate!!!!

[chameleon54]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

While not strictly legal is was sure good customer service.

I someties think there should be a reduced rate for items posted and delivered within the same postcode.  It must happen a lot in counrty towns,

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It used to happen quite regularly when we lived in a remote rural town, twenty years ago, but this is the first time I have recieved the favor lately in a more populated area. The Post Office is privately owned and it was the owner who popped the letter in the recipients mail box. 

The post office is in a small rural community where I have my main farm. It still has country feel and strong local community, but is in easy commuting distance to the city. This means there are probably twice as many "city" residents in the town who dont mix or contribute to the community as there are " locals".

 There are large developments of housing "waste lands" with their shiny ticky tacky houses with the fake lawn and crushed granite gardens, plus the obligatory black SUV,s in the drive. We never see these people. They just drive up the freeway to the city everyday and shop and socialise there.

The locals seem to be a different species from a different planet. A great tight knit rural community that still cares, talks to and helps their neighbors.