Coming to a Post Office Near You

[*tippy*toes*]

I went to the PO this afternoon and there was no one else there, so had a bit of a chat to the postmaster and his wife. I gave him my My Post card to scan and he said that they were being audited next month to see how many customers are actually using them. That discussion lead to another revelation.

Apparently from (I think) June, parcels for regular customers will only be held for 5 days. After that, they will be charged a fee per day for holding it. My Post customers will have theirs held for 10 days before being charged the daily fee. PO box holders will be 30 days. He said it was basically an incentive to upgrade. My Post is free, PO boxes aren't!

Why I think it's significant to know this is, I've seen on here where sellers have mentioned that some buyers are waiting a week or 2 before they collect their item from the PO. Are sellers then going to cop flack or even negative feedback if the buyer waits 2 weeks then has to pay a fee to collect their parcel? Will they blame the seller? Should be we keeping a closer eye on the tracking numbers and sending buyers a message to say their item is ready for collection?

I've only had one buyer that waited 10 days to collect his parcel, but I know others have had more. I don't know what the daily holding fee will be, but I don't want to be held responsible if a buyer is too lazy to go and collect their parcel!

Thoughts?

[mbselections00]

---

@*tippy*toes* wrote:

Parcel lockers are only available in city areas. Rural and regional people don't have them. I have no idea why! The only option we have is Parcel Collect, but your item is still left at the PO (as it's addressed to the PO). You have to join My Post to use that service, which would still give you the 10 days. Thankfully my small local PO has extended trading hours (7am to 6pm).

My concern with all this is, are buyers going to kick up a stink and blame the seller for the fee payable? Are they going to refuse to pay it, therefore item is RTS? I'm thinking like some UK buyers do when they realise they are hit with customs duties (or whatever that fee is they have to pay over a certain amount). I've seen so many negs where buyers complained they had to pay to collect the parcel (and not due to underpaid postage).

---

Of course tippy, aren't most problems the sellers fault ?    There are always those who will never admit they have erred, and possibly there will be others who don't realise what the fee is for - and will possibly think the PO is holding it due to underpaid postage, much will depend on PO staff explaining what the fee is actually for  

I don't send a lot Registered / with Tracking, but those I do, in the past if I haven't noticed FB within a couple of days, I check the Tracking myself & if I notice an item has been carded I send the buyer a brief polite message, in case they haven't actually received a card.  Only twice have buyers messaged back to acknowledge my message - and on both occasions said they never received a card.  I can only assume the others did receive a card and perhaps didn't appreciate being prompted.  For that very reason, I now usually wait several days before sending a message.   Maybe I will need to rethink that and send it sooner rather than later. . . . . . sigh .  . . . . .

[lane-ends]

i can imagine all the arguments about whether a card for pick up was left at all. Many claim this already. They do easily get lost amongst the junk mail

[davidc4430]

as i live in a rural area i have had one particular delivery company regularly dropping my oarcels at the local post office and not leaving a card. how do i know this, i'm home on the days delivery was supposed to have been attempted.

i rekon this 'star' of the delivery business doesnt want to 'track' out to my house to deliver one parcel.

but as no card gets left i have no idea its at the post office.

my post office guy says it happens a lot here.

luckily i'm at the post office several times a week and the guy knows me by name now so tells me when a parcels been left.

[lyndal1838]

StarTrack is the only courier company who can deliver to a Post Office....they are owned by Australia Post.

If the driver constantly does not leave a card your best course of action is to complain to the company.   Find the local depot in your area and put in a formal complaint.  The driver should be disciplined.

Make sure you let them know your exact address and the PO where the parcels are being left as several drivers could be using your PO to drop off their undelivered parcels.

[bettyboopsadaisy]

I heard about this the other day as well and thought I would ask ebay whether an announcement about this might be in order, especially for buyers who might be unaware of it. Afterall, this would be a service to their customers. 

Silly me. . . . why would I imagine that ebay would want to support their users in such a helpful way ??? 

According to the response I got from CS, it is the responsibility of Austpost to inform their users, not ebay's responsibility. (even though they themselves quite unjustifiably charge a fee on postage !!!)

Typical !!

[davidc4430]

i did make a formal complaint to the adelaide head office, got a lovely lady who was mortified my parcels were being dumped at the post office. was told this will be sorted sir in no uncertain terms.

nothing changed, sigh.

oh, and the online page she directed mt to to fill out a complaint in future instead of calling head office....didnt work lol

i dont waste time ringing now as i get my parcels because my post office guy knows me and tells me when **bleep**track have left me a parcel.

[lotsamagsnbags]

so what do you reckon will be the implications on the seller? bad feedback? disputes? even if you put a warning in your listings no-one would read the small print

if a parcel delivery is attempted on a monday that the household works.... they hold for 5 days and for whatever reason the  person can't get to the post office on the sat.... as their post office isn't open on a saturday or doesn't have early post box hrs....... if if if...