What to do in a situation with a Parcel locker?

[dealuxe_store]

I sold an item to a customer and sent it to their address which was a parcel locker. I sent the item with my courier, and the parcel was subsequently rejected by the parcel locker as it is an Australia Post service and couriers need to pay an additional fee to lodge into the AP network. The parcel has been returned to me.

I had a look on the AP website and read that

"Other carriers / delivery providers can deliver items to a 24/7 Parcel Locker as long as they lodge the articles into our network and pay for this service.

StarTrack is a subsidiary of Australia Post, and parcels carried by StarTrack will be accepted for delivery into 24/7 Parcel Lockers.

Where possible, you should check with the sender or company you are buying from which delivery providers they use.

Delivery providers who do not wish to lodge your parcel into the Australia Post network for delivery to your parcel locker, should follow current standard procedure for carriers, which is to contact you or the sender to organise alternative delivery or pick-up options.".

After reading this, I believe it is up to the customer to check with the seller what service they use to ensure that the package will be accepted by their parcel locker. My listing had stated Courier delivery in the listing.

I sent the customer an invoice for redelivery fee but the customer now wants me to resend the package out of my own pocket to their home address.

Who would have thought that a "Parcel Locker" only accepts parcels from only AP?

Has anyone else had a similar experience and who is in the right here?

I feel like I am being held to ransom by the negative feedback system as even though I believe I am in the right, the customer will be able to leave me negative feedback and likely force a refund from my Paypal account.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks in advance.

[alan1o]

Assuming a courier can deliver to an AP facility seems very unlikely they never could before

[dealuxe_store]

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@alan1o wrote:

Assuming a courier can deliver to an AP facility seems very unlikely they never could before

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This is the first time I have dealt with a Parcel Locker so did not know that a courier could not deliver to one.

[digital*ghost]

In my experience, the buyer has the ability to redirect the package before it has been returned if the courier is given an address they can't deliver to - not sure if that's the case with your courier, but if so, the buyer had two options (as in, provide a deliverable address, or redirect it to a deliverable address - and addresses are the responsibility of the buyer).

That being said, I'm in two minds as your listings don't seem to indicate that you use a courier, except for the express service. Sometimes I buy from a seller and choose standard delivery via Australia Post, but they decide to upgrade my package to express via DHL or UPS, which can be really annoying because I like to use my PO box for as many parcels as possible to avoid having to wait at home for deliveries, so then I have to make different arrangements - I do this as soon as soon as it is possible, though, so the package is never returned to the seller. 

I guess wht I'm saying is, if I were the seller, if the buyer knew that a courier was being used, they should bear responsibility for providing an address the package couldn't be delivered to, if I hadn't made that clear to them, I would accept the responsibility.

[dealuxe_store]

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@digital*ghost wrote:

In my experience, the buyer has the ability to redirect the package before it has been returned if the courier is given an address they can't deliver to - not sure if that's the case with your courier, but if so, the buyer had two options (as in, provide a deliverable address, or redirect it to a deliverable address - and addresses are the responsibility of the buyer).

That being said, I'm in two minds as your listings don't seem to indicate that you use a courier, except for the express service. Sometimes I buy from a seller and choose standard delivery via Australia Post, but they decide to upgrade my package to express via DHL or UPS, which can be really annoying because I like to use my PO box for as many parcels as possible to avoid having to wait at home for deliveries, so then I have to make different arrangements - I do this as soon as soon as it is possible, though, so the package is never returned to the seller. 

I guess wht I'm saying is, if I were the seller, if the buyer knew that a courier was being used, they should bear responsibility for providing an address the package couldn't be delivered to, if I hadn't made that clear to them, I would accept the responsibility.

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Thanks for your response. The courier didn't have that option.

At the time that the customer purchased the package, the only form of shipping that was listed was "Courier" so they would have been aware of that (Assuming that they read it).

[phorum_junkie*]

Did you make it clear in the listing that it was courier delivery and could only be delivered to a street address? It is possible when using courier delivery to set things up so a PO box address will not allow payment and the buyer will see a pop up appear when they try to buy if their primary delivery address is a PO box but I do not know if you can set it up for parcel lockers.

[amber-eyed-girl]

Australia Post, which bombards my letterbox with pushy advertising for this parcel locker service, has Not Once stated that the service is only for AP articles, and Startrack as an AP associated courier.

Thank you for posting, if only to make that known.

As the AP flyer ads say it is the same as having an address.

[davewil1964]

I would have assumed an AP service would only be for AP posted items. But that's just me.

[digital*ghost]

There's actually a few things that can't be sent to a parcel locker, which are sent via Aus Post (eg letters and anything requiring signature on delivery - if they're sent using AP, though, the items are supposed to be forwarded on to the address used to sign up for the locker. So, even if the courier items were ultimately lodged with AP for delivery, if they required SOD - as most couriers do - it never would have gone to the locker anyway). 

[amber-eyed-girl]

Dave, what I have been sent clearly states that a parcel locker gives the holder the equivalent to a street address.

no disclaimers. Using that term, is the problem. As it encourages the thought that it is, in fact, what they say it is.

A new street address for your mail in general.

but since I personally, have zero interest in helping to put my nice AP delivery guys out of work, it is a moot point for me. 

But one ghat it is good to get clarified...as AP states it in a way that is erroneous. It is not a street address equivalent.