Is signature on delivery worth the extra cost????

[*sparklz*]

As a buyer I was shocked to see an item I had delivered was showing on the postage label as Signature on Delivery required (seen after I had the parcel handed to me and postie had left) which had also been highlighted by the seller and I was handed the package and was NOT asked to sign for it.

I contacted the seller and let them know this as well.

As a seller if I paid for signature on delivery no matter if it was at the buyers expense or mine, I want to get what was paid for.

Are any sellers being advised by their buyers that no signature was asked for when it had been paid for?

What is the point in charging or paying for it if it is not going to be done by the postie?

[seeds2freedom2010]

I rarely visit the forums but do have information for those sellers interested.

Without sounding disrespectful, all the answer Australia Post representatives will give you is a copy and paste answer of their policies and basically that is not good enough.

When the change came and the new 123 parcel system was introduced it was simply a system to derive more income for basically the same service. Australia Post along the way have diminished service and increased prices and are ignoring any complaints from customers.

We sell very little on eBay but have our own website and send many packages each week. We also have a large number of customers who regularly buy on a weekly and monthly basis. Since the change we have documented evidence that many packages are being simply dropped off without signature on delivery.

Contract drivers are now having extra work placed on them in regards to having to get a signature and are simply dropping them off without receiving a signature. I have 19 documented emails from our regular customers and several from one time buyers who have had their packages just dropped at the doorstep or placed in their mailbox.

I have spoken directly to the Australia Post manager in my area and after a meeting he said he would investigate. He also personally assured me if any of my packages went missing he would GUARANTEE a refund.

I would advise any of the sellers here to speak with their local Post manager regarding signature on delivery and seek similar assurances, as the policy from Australia Post states " At their discretion"

I left the meeting on the understanding that he would investigate the packages just being dropped off but I also explained a continuation is in fact a breach of contract. I pay for a signature on delivery and if that is not done I will take it further. All of my regular customers have agreed if needed to supply a statuary declaration that the signature is not being asked for.

So do not just take copy and paste advice from Australia Post representatives on here or behind the counter at your local post office.

Demand to speak to the Australia Post manager in your area and seek assurances of refund on lost packages and keep records of customers who advise you they were not asked to sign for a service you paid for.

All the best

[not_an_eloi]

oh, err, g'day seeds, say,  those tomatoes look good.  B-)

[chezzy]

Seeds, it is good to know the effort you and your customers are willing to go to.

As frustrated as I am with parts of the service I am not sure what to do. I am

worried if I talk to the postie or to the area manager and 'make waves' it might

end up with me being seen as fussy/irritating. I would hate to see any of my

mail 'accidently' damaged 'to teach me a lesson' if you know what I mean.

I am sure the posties just want their rounds over so they can get home.

[*new2vintage]

You are allowed to make enquiries and to stand up for yourself and in the unlikely event that your mail is deliberately damaged complain to headquarters.

[trash.talk]

In a sense you are not paying for the signature, you are paying for the peace of mind. If AP can't produce the signature, it becomes AP's headache, not yours, if (in the unlikely event) the seller decided to pretend they did not get it. You still get the peace of mind because AP have to do all the chasing up and if they have to prove it was delivered, if they can and if it was. 

That's my take on it. 

[*crikey*mate*]

But the very fact that I paid for the basic service, shouldn't that give me peace of mind that AP will do their job and provide that service, and if they fail to do so, take responsibility for it?

As someone has said above, failure to carry out a service that they agree to provide is akin to breach of Contract.

[anhar-9003]

Also if the postie takes it to the wrong address (as they do a lot) anybody else could sign for it, but at least the seller knows it was delivered somewhere. When I sign for my deliveries, he never checks the signature matches the name. However as a buyer I do appreciate the SOD on expensive purchases, in the trust that if it were delivered elsewhere the person will be honest enough not to sign, or would not be game to by providing a false signature.

[padi*0409]

Please start your own thread rather than dragging up one that's nearly 10 years old.

[underbat]

Due to the age of this thread, we are locking it from further comment.

Please start a new thread if you wish to discuss a similar point.

Thanks everyone