Australia Post suspends its Express next-day delivery guarantee

[imastawka]

Australia Post suspends its Express next-day delivery guarantee as part of cutbacks forced by the coronavirus pandemic

Australia Post has suspended its Express next-day delivery guarantee as part of coronavirus pandemic cutbacks. 

Australia Post announced last week the Express option would still be available but not operate as frequently.    

'We are temporarily suspending the Express Post guarantee of next day delivery as we are unable to commit to this time frame,' a spokesperson said. 

'Express Post is still available but parcels may not be delivered next business day every time.'

The statement noted that several changes were being implemented 'due to delays to our delivery services caused by the ongoing impacts of the coronavirus pandemic'. 

Australia Post has axed its more expensive priority letters service and redeployed 2000 motorbike postmen to deliver parcels. 

Australian posties are now handling almost two million parcels a day thanks to a boom in online shopping prompted by the coronavirus. 

Parcel volumes have nearly doubled in the last four weeks and were up by 80 per cent in comparison to last year.  

The Australia Post statement said 'significant delivery delays' were cause by 'limited flights, social distancing requirements and a substantial increase in parcel volumes as more people shop online.' 

Chief Executive Officer of Australia Post, Christine Holgate, said the organisation was being overwhelmed by the amount of parcels being sent each day. 

Ms Holgate explained: 'We will retrain up to 2,000 motorbike posties to process or deliver parcels in vans.'

This will enable posties to carry more and relieve some of the significant pressure on our parcel delivery drivers, who have been swamped with huge volumes,' she said.   

Australia Post have also started delivering letters every second day in metropolitan areas after the government granted temporary relief from their community service obligations. 

The relief from daily letter deliveries will allow Australia Post to focus on parcel deliveries and clear the backlog caused by the grounding of most of Qantas' passenger fleet.

Australia Post were reliant on the flights to deliver online shopping orders, Express Post and essential medical supplies across the country.    

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/coronavirus/australia-post-suspends-its-express-next-day-delivery-gua...

[tazzieterror]

That's why I have my doubts as well - if they're so snowed under as to be delivering some things weeks late, how can they find an item within a day or so of an enquiry being logged? Yet six outta six seems too much of a coincidence for it to be chance.

[everard6920]

---

@tazzieterror wrote:

---

@cezm wrote:

...

On the other hand, on 3/4 I posted 3 parcels (2 x extra large, 1 x small) to different areas of SA. They all got to Redbank and got stuck. The day after I raised the enquiry they all arrived in Melbourne.

Perhaps raising an enquiry helps???

...

---

I've nearly concluded the same after submitting support tickets for six items in the past fortnight, none of which had scans showing beyond lodgement. Within maybe 48 hours of each ticket being submitted (and most were half that), its respective item had been found and scanned and moved along.

---

Yes, I had a package to WA (I'm in QLD) lodged on the 8th with no other scans. Lodged an inquiry on Monday, and today it's magically onboard for delivery.

Actual sorcery, those inquiries.

(I'm not complaining about the delays - they can and will happen at this time. It was the complete absence of scans over 3 weeks that concerned me).

[everard6920]

---

@everard6920 wrote:

---

@tazzieterror wrote:

---

@cezm wrote:

...

On the other hand, on 3/4 I posted 3 parcels (2 x extra large, 1 x small) to different areas of SA. They all got to Redbank and got stuck. The day after I raised the enquiry they all arrived in Melbourne.

Perhaps raising an enquiry helps???

...

---

I've nearly concluded the same after submitting support tickets for six items in the past fortnight, none of which had scans showing beyond lodgement. Within maybe 48 hours of each ticket being submitted (and most were half that), its respective item had been found and scanned and moved along.

---

Yes, I had a package to WA (I'm in QLD) lodged on the 8th with no other scans. Lodged an inquiry on Monday, and today it's magically onboard for delivery.

Actual sorcery, those inquiries.

(I'm not complaining about the delays - they can and will happen at this time. It was the complete absence of scans over 3 weeks that concerned me).

---

Andddd there's the automated message from the AP inquiry case, telling me my item is due for delivery today, but it's worded in such a way that suggests I am the recipient.

That better be accidental automation, and not the reality, because if it's delivered here after three weeks I will be sdfkmbmbfrwejgfjwecfjbwejegf

[digital*ghost]

---

@tazzieterror wrote:

That's why I have my doubts as well - if they're so snowed under as to be delivering some things weeks late, how can they find an item within a day or so of an enquiry being logged? Yet six outta six seems too much of a coincidence for it to be chance.

---

Australia Post only know where an item could be based on where the last scan event was, meaning if there's been no scans for a couple of weeks, finding a parcel with that kind of accuracy 2-3 weeks later is near impossible. At best, they might be able to estimate which delivery or sorting centre it's at, and in which load of parcels awaiting delivery, and rush the processing / delivery of that specific lot. I have my doubts they would be prompted to do this after receiving an inquiry, particularly considering they're probably getting thousands a day, and not everyone is seeing their packages appear after one is opened (meaning they can't be sitting there guessing for all of them, and send priority delivery notices for where they think it is, for every enquiry that's made). 

If they're taking up to X weeks on average for some deliveries, you can get to a point where you time your enquiries on their average delivery timeframes, which makes a pattern of coincidences. (With one of the other examples, Melbourne is 1600ks away from Redbank. Rushing some packages that distance for them to appear back in the system the day after an inquiry is improbable - apparently it's an 18 hour drive). 

[tazzieterror]

---

@digital*ghost wrote:
...

Australia Post only know where an item could be based on where the last scan event was, meaning if there's been no scans for a couple of weeks, finding a parcel with that kind of accuracy 2-3 weeks later is near impossible. At best, they might be able to estimate which delivery or sorting centre it's at, and in which load of parcels awaiting delivery, and rush the processing / delivery of that specific lot. I have my doubts they would be prompted to do this after receiving an inquiry, particularly considering they're probably getting thousands a day, and not everyone is seeing their packages appear after one is opened (meaning they can't be sitting there guessing for all of them, and send priority delivery notices for where they think it is, for every enquiry that's made). 

If they're taking up to X weeks on average for some deliveries, you can get to a point where you time your enquiries on their average delivery timeframes, which makes a pattern of coincidences. (With one of the other examples, Melbourne is 1600ks away from Redbank. Rushing some packages that distance for them to appear back in the system the day after an inquiry is improbable - apparently it's an 18 hour drive). 

---

Yes, all very good points, and could very well be coincidence.  I've created a little table of some particulars for the six items in case that provides any clues.  Not really enough data points to be useful, but hey, it's a dreary day here so why not!

Spoiler

[digital*ghost]

I was just going through the tracking for parcels I've sent over the last month - one package sent on the 7th, and one on the 14th, no tracking beyond the first scan. If they haven't actually arrived, it's amazing I haven't heard from the buyers yet... But, I'll raise an enquiry for them both now and see what happens. 

(I've only raised one enquiry thus far - around 11am on a Friday morning via the online form, parcel was delivered the following Monday,  which is in line with your experiences as well, but it's not a big enough data as yet; nor can I think what AP's motivation would be for working this way at the moment).  

[eol-products]

I went through my list early on and still had plenty not delivered but as of yesterday it's only been WA that are over 3 weeks delayed. 

[lm-entertainment]

yeah, i live in WA and can confirm that Express Post is ridiculously slow at the moment. I send items via Express Post and receive a lot of them. Most of my sent ones haven't had many issues getting to the eastern states - most are 2-3 days late. 

however on the receiving end, i've had "Express" parcels take 24 days for delivery and i've got one at 19 days currently which still hasn't been delivered. strangely though, i've had other items from the exact same place and passing through the same facilities arrive in the normal timeframe of 2-3 business days. 

i can definitely understand why there's a delay with less commercial flights - especially between WA and the eastern states. however, 20 days is taking the p!ss - considering normal mail by road can take a lot less than that.