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.

[*crikey*mate*]

I reckon it relates to the likes of the GoodGuys who have their own courier service kind of thing where AP gets a kickback

dunno

but it makes sense to me that for AP to accept responsibility for a parcel then they must get some money for it from somewhere, they are not just going to take on the responsibility for every courier company and its dog

[digital*ghost]

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@amber-eyed-girl wrote:

The third last line is interesting...couriers that have "chosen" not to deliver to the parcel boxes.

so AP is open to that. If I used a courier as a seller I would ask the courier if they did, and put it in the listing.

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Yes, couriers can deliver to the lockers, but they have to readdress the package and pay AP (no idea what the fee is, but I'm assuming any couriers who are prepared to do so will either charge extra, or list AP as a partner).

"Please note: Australia Post will accept domestic and international parcels from other carriers into our Parcel Lockers, if those parcels have been lodged by the carriers as Australia Post articles addressed to the recipients' Parcel Lockers."

So it's more a case of paying AP to deliver it to the locker, I suppose.

[digital*ghost]

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@*crikey*mate* wrote:

I reckon it relates to the likes of the GoodGuys who have their own courier service kind of thing where AP gets a kickback

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No - further down the page it says: 

Are you a business? Offer more convenient parcel collection services to your customers by integrating our free parcel collections widget into your website.

If you click the links, you can see the widgets AP provide are for calculated postage on their services.

[amber-eyed-girl]

Which makes sense. As Crikey says, why do it for nothing.

but a courier and AP can make whatever arrangement, and then get it delivered to the locker.

up to the courier...AP is open to it.

So in theory, any courier could deliver to it if they have an arrangement.

so it boils down to checking who does and who doesn't, to make it clear up front to a buyer. Just like stating if the courier used won't deliver to a P.O. Box. 

[cherry*135]

There are too many exclusions to what is accepted in a Parcel Locker imo. (obviously AP aren't going to offer a free service for all mail items in competition with their own paid PO boxes).

Other companies have a system (drop point) where parcels are delivered to a service station or another business that has agreed to sign up with them. Therefore people can collect parcels out of normal business hours from a business in or near their location. Saves courier drivers time delivering to individual houses and people can pick their parcels outside 9-5 bus. hours.

[*crikey*mate*]

Personally AM - I am unconvinced about the whole thing

The whole process relies on AP scanning and notifying and automating things and well, their track record with that so far is pretty weak, so I'm not prepared to trust the system yet - i reckon too many potential areas for bugs

plus - maybe too many sopy films - but what iof a hacker worked out how to spring the auto open doors and made a clean sweep of all the parcels?

(saw that in some movie where the robbers pulled a bank heist LOL) was it one with Jodie Foster? 2 sets of robbers - one professional lot and one comedy set who kept mucking up - had all the bank people in a room at one stage?

at least with a PO box, they are opened by a physical lock

[amber-eyed-girl]

I thought that too...24/7 helpyourself lockers...but then I tend to always think the worst.

With all the limitations looks like it would not suit me, anyway.

thanks everyone who posted the details, should help anyone buyer or seller with locker questions.

[digital*ghost]

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@am*3 wrote:
There are too many exclusions to what is accepted in a Parcel Locker imo. (obviously AP aren't going to offer a free service for all mail items in competition with their own paid PO boxes).

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Yep, my guess is the pertinent word in the info is that it's 'currently free', so I wouldn't be surprised if they are popular enough, in the future there might be additional services / parcels that can be accepted via the lockers where the user pays. 

[*crikey*mate*]

and what if their system got some gl;itch and the machine opened the wrong door?

I might get someones musk soap their grandma bought for them whilst they get my free set of steak knives!

(I am now the owner of 12 very posh steak knives LOLOL - and 2 knife blocks and 2 steels and 10 cooks knives LOL - bought 2 complete sets for cheaper than importing just the steak knives on their own, plus I can now onsell the extra bits i don't want hehehehe)

[amber-eyed-girl]

well, as AP lets the lockers be used by couriers after all, that increases their usefulness, and makes what AP told me, make a bit more sense. It can act as an address, in the usual sense, if the courier chooses to use it.

if it is in a courier's interest (cutting down repeat delivery if noone home) then that should become more common, too.