Geez Louise, you really are missing the point.
1) Re seller: Item was bought from a company selling on ebay, not an individual. When I finally traced the right person to speak to I was told THEY HAD FORGOTTEN TO POST THE ITEM, THAT THE ITEM WAS STILL SITTING IN THE WAREHOUSE AND HAD NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DESPATCH AREA. The item was bought on April 15 and paid for the same day with Paypal and through an email I received via the ebay sytem was advised "Your item has been shipped" and "estimated delivery between Fri Apr 17 and Tue Apr 21". It was on the Tuesday after our mail delivery that I phoned the seller/company only to be told the item was still sitting in the warehouse. Now I was a tad upset but happy to know where the item was. Was told item would be sent that day (Tuesday) by priority and that later that day I would receive via email tracking details. This happened and late Tuesday I was able to see that the item had been picked up and was en route.
The next morning I checked to the online tracking system to see what was happening and saw that at 8.26am the item status had been updated to "onboard for delivery". So far all good and knowing this I then cancelled two appointments I had for the day so that I would be home to receive/sign for the item.
Every hour or so I checked the status and then around 1.15pm I saw a status update to "Unsuccessful Delivery". I also noticed a NHCL reference number (not home card left) so went out looking for the card - no such card had been left either in or on top of the letter box or anywhere near the front door which was open - the security screen door was locked and all morning I was sitting in the front room at my computer and can clearly see down our short driveway and see passing traffic.
About 11.45am I saw the company truck concerned drive by and jut put it down to his doing his run up one side of the street and expected he would be back down my side in due course. That never happened. After seeing the online statue update to "undeliverable" I phoned the company about 1.30pm , went through my issue and was told someone would get back to me. No one phoned back so I called back at 2.30pm and after a bit of a runaround and the customer service supervisor speaking to the driver they came back and said the driver had tried to deliver and had left a card. They then told me that I could go down to our local post office and pick up the item after 4.00pm and I asked since the PO is only five minutes away why can't the driver do the delivery then. Was told the driver refused to do so. In the end I had to go to the post office to pick up the item that was sent priority - not blaming the seller and never have, my issue is with the courier company and once agais this was the question I was raising at the outset. Have others had similar experiences and if so with which company.
BTW. Before a massive heart attack in 2007 I was working as a courier here where I live and in fact had a number of times did sub-contracting work for the company concerned and the company that bought them out in 2011so fully conversant with the procedures when it comes to an item not being delivered because no one is at home to sign for the parcel. In the above incident the driver concerned did not do as he says he did. I can also add that when I lived in Sydney I did courier work for Aust Post and know very well what you are talking about as I heard this happening just about everyday, some got caught, some didn't. I never thought it was worth the risk, earning 23.50 an hour in 2000 was too good money to risk on fiddling times.
