There appears to have been no change to Aust Posts discretionary claims policy for items sent regular post. What appears to have changed is how these claims are determined.
In the past when an item went missing, Aust post accepted that there were multiple reasons why this happened, including, theft by Aust Post staff or contractors, lost somewhere is the postal system, though correctly addressed delivered to the wrong address etc. However though they accepted it may have gone missing on account of something that went wrong at their end, they also suspected that the vast majority of items actually went missing after they had been delivered, but as they didn’t have the actual data in support, they simply paid up.
The same doesn’t apply now. Today as all parcels and packs have an individual bar code, all can be recorded when they enter and leave the system. Therefore what happens now is, when the claim is made, the postage and tracking details are checked against data held by Aust Post, and if the data shows the item has being delivered then, though the possibility of contractor error remains a possibility, unless the buyer has proof to the contrary, Aust Post will determine the most likely reason it went missing is because it was stolen after it was safe dropped.
That is, if my understanding of the rationale behind the decision to moderate the policy is correct, Aust Post will still compensate for lost items sent regular post, but to receive that compensation they now require proof that the item was lost on account of Aust Post or Contractor negligence and not simply because someone decided to avail themselves of a five finger discount after it had been safe dropped, and as long as the buyer has taken the necessary precautions, that may be a lot simpler than one thinks.
For instance all my purchases are sent to a PO Box. Therefore the item must either be placed in that box and only that box, or if it too big, carded to that box and no other box. Now as I have the only key and as Aust Post if responsible for the security of the box and its contents, if I say the item is not in that box nore has it been carded to that box, this is the required proof that it was never delivered to the correct address.
If you don’t want the inconvenience of a PO Box (it can be a pain in the backside having to go daily to the PO to collect your mail) you can have a Safe Drop Box installed. That is install something or provide someplace on the property where safe dropped items can be secured if you are not home. Now, if you have such a facility and Aust post say it was delivered, the fact you provided a secure site for delivery and the fact it wasn’t in that secure facility proves it was either delivered to the wrong address, or if delivered to the correct address, proves it was not placed into the facility provided for its safekeeping, and this would normally be sufficient to prove the loss was on account of contractor negligence.
However, if the buyer wants to take the cheaper option, have items sent regular post but not pay for PO Box or Safe Drop Box, they must accept the risks and the consequences inherent with that decision.
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