Express post is not Express post as we remember

[prettypaperprints]

Just been going back and forward with emails with Aussie post for 2 hours now and finally have an answer.

I posted an Express post item on Monday last week and the customer received it Friday ....4 days. It should have arrived Thursday at the latest.

Anyway, it appears now that only 80% of Australia is covered by the Express post network. If the item you are posting falls outside the network, it goes NO faster than regular mail.  What a rip off.  They take extra money from us for a service they do not provide to some areas AND they don't tell us about it. It explains why the postcode delivery areas are not shown on the back anymore. 

I used the calculator below and there was no difference in delivery time for Express or regular to this customer as their postcode is " Outside the network "

It means more work, but in future I will be checking my customers postcode 1st, before charging express post. I will also need to contact the customer and let them know if there postcode falls outside the " Network "

Anyone else had problems with this happening ?

How can I send my item urgently if the origin or destination fall outside the Express Post network?

You can still use Express Post for delivery to or from areas that fall outside the Express post network

While next day delivery is not guaranteed, your item will still be processed, handled and delivered as fast as possible.

Use our online postage calculator for an estimate of when your parcel might arrive.

[cherry*135]

Yes, I have been aware of that for years. I live in a regional town and was told by staff at  my local PO that the Express Post delivery guarantee doesn't apply as we are not in the network. I also still hear them telling people that at the counter when they ask how to get a item delivered quickly. At least they do let customers know our PO is outside the networ,k.

I can drive 10 mins up the road and use a 'city'  PO, which is in the network.

[phorum_junkie*]

It has been that way for as long as I have been using AP which is about 13 years so I certainly don't remember it as being any different other than the fact that the number of postcodes for next day delivery has increased considerably.

[cq_tech]

AP advertise that as long as both parties reside in the Express Post network area, they guarantee that the item will be delivered the next working day, and if not, the cost of postage is refunded. It's easy to check before sending as the available postcodes are specified on the back of the satchel / envelope, and if not, they're available on separate documentation inside the PO and on-line. If either party resides outside the designated area, there's no point paying the extra cost for Express Post.

I've lost count of the number of Express Post items I've sent over the years, but in all that time I've only ever had to claim for reimbursement of the cost of postage on one occasion, when the item wasn't delivered until 2 days after having been posted, and as far as I'm concerned that's a pretty good track record.

Incidentally, if you offer Express Post as an option, it's a simple matter to transpose the list of available postcodes from the AP site into your listing so that buyers will immediately know if it's worth paying the extra for Express Post, and if you as a seller live outside the network area, there's no point offering it at all.

[prettypaperprints]

Thakyou all for your comments.

I have be selling and poting items for 11 years now and know that where we live has never been next day delivery.

My point is that my customers always received their Express post items on the 3rd day...never has it been 4 days for me, so something has changed and they haven't told us about it.

Also, regular parcels from where I live are now taking 3 days longer to deliver.

Cheers

[cherry*135]

Maybe your mail goes to a different sorting centre now. 

[prettypaperprints]

Yes... I was wondering if that was the case. I have also heard that 2 or 3 sorting centres have been shut down

Oh well ...just keep plodding along 

Thanks 🙂

[harley_babes_hoard]

I would say it is the sorting centre that is the issue. I am in NSW my mail has to go 1.5 hours up the road into QLD sorting centre before continuing on it's journey to NSW. Seems ridiculous to me.

[prettypaperprints]

Yes, it all seems ridiculous. Things have certainly changed the last few months.

The women at my PO told me today, that if I want to send a letter to Lismore from where I am.... 30 minutes away...  it now takes 3 days to deliver as the letter would be sent to Coffs Harbour 1st and then back up to Lismore. Just crazy.

The staff at my PO are getting so many compaints and questions about why it takes longer now and what is going on. I feel sorry for the staff as they said they don't know much either.... left a bit in the dark.

Cheers 🙂

[cq_tech]

As your not in an express zone, surely you'd be far better off sending your item via registered mail. It costs less and you get the added advantage of tracking, insurance and signed delivery, and it would still take precisely the same amount of time to arrive.