Auspost Negligence - Should I Expect Compensation? Steps Forward?

I ordered a Pixel 4a from the Google store on the 29th of October, ETA 11~12/11.

On 12/11 it was attempted delivery while I was home, a common occurrence but I digress. When I visit the post office on the 13th they look for my phone for around 15 mins and then tell me they cannot find it. I look at the tracking and it shows it was returned to sender about 2 hours before I arrived, less than 24hrs after attempted delivery.

LPO tells me nothing they can do now and to lodge a missing item report via phone?

I contact AusPost via phone and the rep tells me they will try intercept it but no promises, otherwise it will be redelivered. I don't hear anything and tracking is frozen so I call again today and AusPost advise they are unsure where it currently is and are still awaiting a response from the LPO that was made with the case on the 13th. They now advise for me to contact Google and advise of the RTS and see what they think will happen as it looks like the phone came from overseas.

Google tell me they can see the RTS and they cannot deliver, as such it will be refunded in 3-5 business days.

I am now down a phone and $600 for the moment due to what I think is a rather large fk up.

The LPO reviews are terrible and they have packages literally everywhere with weird hand drawn notes on where each package is. They also never confirm ID and I have been handed the wrong parcel before as they go purely by address.

I have raised a complaint with AusPost but is there anything more that can be done, in this instance I don't know what compensation would look like but it is extremely disappointing.

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Comments

  • +19

    Contact Google Store (seller) to resolve item not delivered. Looks like you're getting a refund and that's that sorted.

    AusPost have no contract with you and you're not entitled to anything from them whatsoever. Things happen during logistics, it's part of life. Move on.

    • +2

      Mmm, I have accepted it for the most part. Re-reading it I guess what I really want is some type of audit on the LPO.

      It is really concerning how they manage packages, particularly the lack of ID checks. In a dense area they cannot go by addresses.

      • +25

        some type of audit on the LPO.

        Lolol. I want a flying pig.

      • +4

        My local p.o. gave me my sister's parcel, we don't live same address. I informed them of their mistake to which the lady insisted I take the parcel to my sister then gave me mine rofl…

        • -1

          I live in a smallish town and would be alarmed if this didn’t happen!

      • -4

        Auspost is the worst. I hate this attitude of "you just have to live with it". Very nearly time for them to become extinct.

        I leave negative feedback to vendors warning them I won't buy from them again unless they change their delivery processes. (My bigger complaint is vendors that don't allow delivery to be left unattended.)
        Sure, has zero effect. But if everyone did it instead of saying "it's part of life" maybe things would improve.

  • +2

    Par for the course for Aussie post.

  • +11

    I am interested to know what compensation the OP feels he is entitled to.

    • +48

      Perhaps a cartier watch for his trouble

  • +11

    You will have no phone and will have paid $0. Why do you need compensation? Just order another phone. Australia Post sucks.

    • +1

      I would love to see the day where every service has an SLA with penalty payments for failure. A company like Aus Post would go under, and quality of service would become a priority instead of just profits.

  • They give you $50 compensation if you didn’t have insurance attached to postage

    • +5

      The sender. ie. Google. Not OP.

      • Ah. Misread, thought that op got his phone lost in post

  • +6

    Contract to deliver the parcel is between Google and AusPost, not you … How are you to receive compensation?

  • +1

    You get no compensation at all. I’ve had similar thing happen and was told “there is no compensation available for delays, etc.”.

  • +6

    It is a bit crap, considering in their own T's&C's they state they're to hold it for 10 days

    If my parcel has gone back to a Post office, how long will it be held there?
    Generally, your item will be held at the Post Office for 10 business days. After five days, we may send you a reminder card.
    If not collected within 10 days, the item will be returned to sender.

    So in a way they've gone against their own terms

    • +3

      You glossed over the first keyword there.

      • +4

        Yeah i acknowledge the use of the word generally, but it is pretty poor form when you'd expect your parcel to be sent back to a post office only for it to go all the way back to the sender some 48 hours later.

        Not saying the OP is entitled to any compensation however, just Austpost once again failing at doing the 1 job it's supposed to carry out.

        Now if only they were as quick in delivering a parcel as returning it and everything would be right with the world.

      • +6

        IM shocked anyone at AP moved that fast to RTS!

        • Honestly me too, also the fact that they looked for it for so long that I looked at the tracking myself and saw it was RTS'd hours ago…

      • such words shouldn't be allowed in an agreement

  • +4

    I am now down a phone and $600 for the moment….

    and

    Google tell me they can see the RTS and they cannot deliver, as such it will be refunded in 3-5 business days.

    Key words highlighted in bold for everyone.

    What sort of compensation do you think you deserve?

    • I guess I just want an apology from the LPO or AusPost :P

      • +3

        I'm sure you got one each time you called or went to the post office, but you probably weren't paying attention it it! lol

        • The case people apologized but the LPO simply wrote a number down and said to say you have lost an item.

          If nothing else I hope I get a response to my complaint form.

          • @mezje: LOL.. the case people represent the LPO! If they screwed up, you'd be expecting the LPO to take responsibility, no?

          • @mezje: please dont hold your breath.

      • +6

        Hello Mr mezje,

        My name is Alvin. I'm from the call centre in Bangalore that has been subcontracted by Australia Post to issue apologies to all customers who would like an apology. On behalf of the LPO and AusPost, please accept our sincerest apologies for stuffing up your order.

        If you are not happy with this apology, please let me know and I will transfer you to the compensation team.

        Regards,

        Alvin

    • I think we all deserve better service than this. I think he deserves his post office to be closed down and a more competent service provider replace it.

      If we have to live with this rubbish, I'd say a $100 gift card for the inconvenience would be in order.
      If there is no incentive to improve, there will be no improvement.

  • +1

    Get your money back and save a few bucks
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/581501

  • Google tell me they can see the RTS and they cannot deliver, as such it will be refunded in 3-5 business days.

    Wait, you're telling me this is post-worthy?

    Damn, I should've made a post every time an item doesn't get delivered to me

  • +1

    At the end of the day, you are without a phone for a few days. This is the only "loss" you have suffered. You won't be seeing any compensation for it.

    That said, the process you have described is all too common and it sucks ass. It's not just AP, but various courier outfits as well. You may want to consider getting a PO Box if you get a lot of deliveries. While it's not a failsafe for various reasons, it is generally an improvement over residential deliveries.

  • +9

    Parcel Lockers

    • +4

      I never thought the day would come that I would upvote one of your messages! But here we are… you're full of surprises, Pam! :)

    • Thank you for this, I feel silly for thinking this was a paid service all along similar to a PO box…

      • -1

        wait until you get the notification that the delivery is not with Australia Post and the can't make the delivery, or the parcel is too big for the parcel locker and you need to collect from the post office during business hours… I gave up on parcel lockers. Typical Aus Post solution.

  • +1

    Not just Aust Post but private couriers are also not giving a damn where things end up.
    Motto seems to be these days "guess where your parcel is?".
    Expect it to get worse.
    Hope you get something sorted OP.

    • -1

      I once had to drive past the company I'd purchased from, to get the the transport company's depot that had my parcel.

      There are a few companies around that can deliver promptly. We need to weed out all the incompetent ones. What I hate is we don't get to choose - the vendor usually determines the courier.

  • The correct procedure is that the sender gets compensation for lost mail articles and the addressee gets compensation for damaged articles.

    • -1

      correct or current? Ideally, anyone who doesn't meet an agreed service level should compensate whoever was inconvenienced.
      No point in a courier compensating a vendor so the vendor can compensate the inconvenienced customer.

  • I am now down a phone

    How did you call Aus Post without a phone?

  • I never know if posts like these are just trolls or people are actually legit? Scary if it's the latter but then we are seeing how humans behave around potentially running out of toilet paper. How did we evolve to be such selfish, entitled bunch of pricks I will never understand.

    • +1

      You identified the disconnect yourself. To think we "evolved" to this point can't be understood because it never happened.
      Evolution is a natural, elegant process. This was much quicker and clumsier.

      Social engineering; transfer of power and assets from the collective to individuals. The shift from egalitarian utopia toward capitalist fruitopia.
      Really kicked off from 1996 in Australia.

      • What happened in 1996?

        I was a kid then, so not particularly aware of events or policy.

  • +1

    An insight into the mentality of some members of this website.

    If I had a dollar for every time I was inconvenienced by Australia Post..

    • +1

      While I somewhat agree with you, this is beyond an inconvenience imo.

      Attempted delivery majority of the time and going to the post office is an inconvenience. Parcels dropped in weird locations, things getting delayed, they are all inconveniences.

      Not having the chance to pick something up despite being carded less than 24hrs ago and being told they didn't send it back despite tracking, proceeding to get the run around for an international parcel is a bit more than an inconvenience. There is a real issue with the LPO, people receiving others parcel, no ID checks, address use only in a dense area. It really isn't good.

      • Not having the chance to pick something up despite being carded less than 24hrs ago and being told they didn't send it back despite tracking, proceeding to get the run around for an international parcel is a bit more than an inconvenience. There is a real issue with the LPO, people receiving others parcel, no ID checks, address use only in a dense area. It really isn't good.

        Australia Post (along with the rest of Australia) are operating through some difficult times, mistakes are guaranteed to happen and should be expected.

        If they had to compensate everybody that didn't receive a parcel either on time or at all, they would be bankrupt (despite their executive luxury watch scandal).

        Also, some LPOs are terrible compared to others, one local to me is a milk bar and it's obvious which came first.

  • +1

    If anybody cares, the second agent raised the case and I have been advised an "area manager" is going to discuss why an item was returned so quickly and investigate the lack of ID checks.

    Also, props to AusPost for answering the phone to enquiries so quickly with good reps. It is a shame the service isn't reflected at the LPO. I have lived in many areas and this is by far the worst LPO I have ever had, it reminds me of one I read about in Preston(?) or Coburg where the owner would literally close the door on people, the reviews were gold.

    Oddly enough the best LPO I had was also a bottle shop in Box Hill, they had their shit organized, you could buy beers at the same time and they were open late!

  • +1

    The "contract" is between Oz Post and the sender. NOT between you.
    If vis PayPal you lodge for refund. If off card, seek refund.
    No one can explain where your item is… and it is not up to you to track it down.
    Not your problem…. get money back from bank.

  • AustPost is a third world service provider with Cartier watches.

  • That's ridiculous, last time I had an item at post office they told me they hold onto it for 10 business days and sent out multiple reminder cards while I was out of town… But I've also had items taken to post office without even being attempted delivery because I was at home all day waiting for delivery!!!

  • If you are going to be refunded anyway so no lost, why you expecting compo?

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