Postman Caught Throwing Fragile Parcel on Camera

Youtube link (put on sound to hear a uncomfortable bang when my parcel meets concrete): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdSCRSIDl-Y&feature=youtu.be

Background: Over a month ago I had bought prescription glasses from a brick and mortar store and requested express shipping. I opened my item to find my parcel damaged and was concerned as you would need a significant amount of force to damage an item which was packed pretty well. This in turn made me review my camera footage and I was infuriated to witness my parcel being handled inappropriately. All he needed to do was walk 3 meters forward, knock the door, wait a few seconds and gently leave my parcel at the door, not throw the package onto concrete. I understand that the nature of the job requires speed and the stressors can get overwhelming, but this is beyond what a reasonable person would consider acceptable.

I sent Auspost 2 letters of complaint and received a generic reply with the gist of 'bring to post office and we will inspect'. While it would be nice if my item was repaired, I did not care if they did so. My main wish was to prevent such appalling behavior from happening again (what if this was something far more expensive, fragile, unique or sentimental) and a apology. Following the lack of written communication, I decided to call Auspost and the staff member on the phone who I discussed this situation genuinely was caring and wanted to resolve this. I did request to be kept in the loop and in return I wanted to keep things discreet. Nevertheless, that was nearly 2 weeks ago and I have received no resolution or further correspondence to this matter.

The reason I posting this here is to:
1. Highlight that this is definitely an issue that I have heard of numerous times before and there needs to be more done to improve the situation
2. If you are getting expensive items posted to you via mail it would be wise to invest in cameras in order to provide evidence in case your items are damaged.
3. Hoping that this video gains some traction to expedite a resolution.
4. Giving myself a sense of closure.

Thanks for reading

Edit: I really want to emphasize that I really do not really care much for the damage and thus decided to not get compensation for it. The comments blaming the situation on poor packaging are deflecting from the primary issue, which is the carelessness and negligence in the handing of the parcel. Ultimately, normalising or trivialising this kind of behavior is not constructive and only further propagates the issue. Imagine if someone from the street went to house, took an item that is important to you and threw it 3 meters on concrete. Would that make you frustrated? Why is a postman doing it suddenly make it ok? If the item was not damaged at all would you be perfectly ok with it?

Comments

  • +67

    That is outrageous. That should be worth a bit of compensation.

    • +1

      Probably in their terms of service somewhere that they don't have to.

      • +3

        It's limited to $100 plus the cost of postage for lost and damaged parcels, and if you purchase Extra Cover it's up to $5,000.

        • +10

          Chuck this video to A Current Affair.

  • +27

    Off topic but, nice car.

  • +36

    Auspost doesn’t provide a fragile service. They sort 100s of mail articles in ULD with one on top of each other. The articles on the bottom getting crushed is normal.

    Pro tip. It’s the sender’s responsible to pack the mail article to withstand a 1.2m drop on a concrete floor.

    • +20

      The packaging should withstand a 20 mtr drop as per Auspost.

      • +23

        I heard that during COVID, they changed it to a 200 mtr drop.

        • +6

          COVID's still going. Slow news day jv?

        • and a sledge hammer hit

        • Maybe OP should try some defensive driving.

    • +1

      yes waist height drop onto concrete

      being thrown like that is not the same. more force.

      • +1

        more force.

        Not if it's bottom of the ULD and a 5 kg mail article is dropped on top of it.

        Pack it right or risk it getting crushed.

  • +6

    If you received a reply saying the postie was spoken to and reminded that parcels, even light weight, heavily padded ones must be left carefully, would that be the outcome you need?
    I would expect parcels to have similar abuse in transit, where there is the possibility of a heavier item falling on them, or other damage, and I would have hoped the vendor would pop a bit of bubble wrap or other padding around a pair of glasses to protect them form a 1m fall, but I can understand you would like to see your parcels treated with more care, and I agree more care should have been taken.

    • +27

      That would have sufficed. It is understandable to have protection from a 1m fall, however, the item was thrown with some force behind it at approx 3m hand to floor. Regardless, its the disrespect to my property that I find 'personal'.

      • +12

        Very lazy on the posties part.

      • +5

        Yes its very disrespectful for the (tehnically) customer facing employee to be treating packages like this. But unfortunately, your package would've endured mouch more abuse on its way over, through all the sorting facilities.

        edit: read through afew of your other replies. I agree with some other people that the toss is unlikely to have been the cause of the damage. I worked at a sorting facility for a couple months a few years back and the parcels goes through a lot of abuse, not always intentionally by employees, but just the process itself introduces alot of abuse. Regardless, the postie should not be throwing stuff.

  • +16

    Nevertheless, that was nearly 2 weeks ago and I have received no resolution or further correspondence to this matter.

    You can now expect future mail articles to take a round trip to TAS > N.Qld > WA > VIC before you get them.

    • +7

      Companies generally don't respond to warranted, non aggressive complaints with toxicity and usually the opposite is true.

  • +21

    if the parcel couldnt handle that, then it was insufficiently packaged

    It likely got worse on the journey from sender to the postie anyway.

    • +26

      While you can only take my word on it, it was packaged quite well. While difficult to ascertain in the video, there was a significant amount of force applied to the package. However, I am confused why the quality of packaging is being highlighted over the, arguably, severe mishandling of the parcel. I want to emphasize that I do not care about the damage, that is beside the point. It is the blatant not giving a s*** that irks me.

      • +11

        I don't think that toss would have broken the glasses. It wasn't a high fall or a forceful toss.

        The sound you hear seems to be the echo in the car port and not the force itself.

        It would have been damaged in transit or it was not packaged carefully enough for the post.

        Glasses come in hard cases, which provide some protection but the bubble wrap and even hard cardboard.

        I hardly think the package was severely mishandled from this footage.

        • +8

          I have to agree with diddy50 that the toss from the video footage is not likely to damage the glasses from that throw.

          I run an online store and have ship many things and if the item cannot withstand a throw like that then it is not packaged well enough.

          I have also as a buyer ordered many glassses (well I should say sunglasses) online.

          If you think this is being mishandled then you haven't seen the "real" mishandled package/parcels.

        • +7

          The glasses had a minor scratch and bend secondary to the case breaking. It is not significant and I really wish people would stop focusing on the damage as even if it had been pristine, I would be just as frustrated.

          I have to argue that the package was clearly mishandled. If someone got their hands on a valuable possession of yours and did what the postie did to mine, irrespective of the packaging, wouldn't you be upset? I think it comes down to expectations, in my perspective, I expect my property to be treated with respect as I would do so. I find it disturbing how many people find this paradigm to be 'normal' as this viewpoint will never bring positive change.

          • +4

            @eldudebrothers:

            I expect my property

            A small correction. It's actually Auspost's property while it's in their possession.

            • +1

              @whooah1979: Semantically that is true. Yet, in reality it is not really. If that was really the consensus, Auspost will be in possession of a whole load of crazy s***.

              • +1

                @eldudebrothers: APC Act 1989 section 101

                Articles carried by post to be taken to be Australia Post's property
                For the purpose of any legal proceeding or action in relation to an article carried by post or under the control of Australia Post, the article shall be taken to be, while it is being carried by post or under the control of Australia Post, the property of Australia Post.

                • +1

                  @whooah1979: I am not disagreeing with you, technically speaking that is 100% true. I am just stating there is a difference with perceived ownership of, lets say for example, a computer being used by an AusPost store in comparison to one which I have purchased that's being carried to my premises by a courier service.

          • @eldudebrothers: But it's not mishandled. Stop focusing on the toss and realise the glasses were damaged and if packaged properly would have survived the post.

        • However if the parcel hadn't been thrown into the driveway we could be more confident that damage occurred during sorting.

      • Some people on here don't think with logic and love to blame sellers, even though it's clearly the fault of the postman.

      • +3

        Not giving a sh!t is a defecto standard these days. Not like the postie would get a bonus if he "gave a sh!t".

        He did throw the parcel needlessly, but it didn't appear malicious or forceful. The packaging doesn't seem to be done that well in all your assurances.

        • Agreed did not look malicious or forceful. Bit of a storm in a teacup.

          OP really needs to not take the little things as a personal affront.

      • +1

        You seem to be suggesting that it was this particular event which caused the damage.

        What evidence do you have to support this? Because a video of <1% of the journey that the parcel took to get to your door isn't enough. In fact, I wouldn't even consider it enough to prove that it was mishandled by auspost overall.

        I highly doubt a toss like this would damage the item, especially if it was packaged. Heck, I would be pretty comfortable with tossing my own sunnies if it had nothing but bubble wrap, like that.

        What I think more likely happened, is there was insufficient packaging and it probably got crushed under a mountain of other stuff during sorting/transit. Which is typical.

        However, I am confused why the quality of packaging is being highlighted over the, arguably, severe mishandling of the parcel.

        Because proper packaging (which is DEFINITELY the responsibility of the seller, because they alone know the nature of the item inside the package) could easily prevent damage during transit. Especially when people read your post and see that you are suggesting that this mishandling was what caused the damage. If you have that little confidence in the packaging to think that this could cause the damage, then it was probably improperly packaged. This appears to be a small item, it really shouldn't be that hard for the seller to package it properly.

        If I were you, I would be complaining to the seller

        • +2

          If I were you, I would be complaining to the seller

          The complaint went to the right place. Throwing parcels is not acceptable at any point of the delivery process, regardless of how well they are packaged.

          • +1

            @crentist: You realise that as long as it isn't being thrown at a wall or at the ground, it will hit the ground at the same speed as dropping it? (at least according to my yr10 science knowledge) So once you consider how gravity works, the "throw" is essentially a drop from waist height

            During the sorting process, I would not at all be surprised if parcels are dumped at over or close to a meter height with other items falling on top of it afterwards. If it is packaged in a way that it doesn't account for small drops like this, then there certainly is an issue with how they are packaged.

          • +2

            @crentist: But piling 50kg of other crap on them in transit is ok?

            People need to get a grip, he didn't peg it at the wall. Very unlikely that this was the point the item was damaged in transit.

            • +1

              @Lichen6420: So throwing them around after that is fair game? Is that the point you're trying to make?

              Because as well as being ridiculous, it's also quite wrong. Stacking things and throwing them are completely different. Of course you can pile things that you wouldn't throw around.

              And it's not about the weakest link in the chain anyway, more mishandling means more damage.

      • -1

        However, I am confused why the quality of packaging is being highlighted over the, arguably, severe mishandling of the parcel.

        There's a bunch of people around who love to point fingers, while also being massive bootlickers

        In this case the postal service is assumed to be a large (and therefore blindly trusted) organisation, so accusing them of anything makes them instantly try to turn the blame on you somehow.

        The packaging is irrelevant here, blaming the seller is just an easy way of defending the posties and pretending that you didn't just show everyone clear evidence of mishandling.

        • +2

          I have been trying to understand where people are coming from but it seems to be more and more a "blame the victim" mindset and I think you hit the nail on the head crentist.

          • @eldudebrothers: Mate, no one blames you for it. At least not from what I can see

            • +1

              @Butt Scratcher: I am lumping the "its the senders fault for not packing it properly" and "you are being too sensitive, that was fine" into the 'victim blame' mantra as it deflects the obvious fundamental issue of the posties behavior. Is it technically victim blaming? Probably not.

              • @eldudebrothers: "Victim blaming" is certainly inappropriately used to refer to the seller, whom no one knows and quite frankly don't care if they see this or not. Maybe you should consider the context that the term "victim blaming" is often used, because the way you are using it is certainly watering down its meaning.

                "its the senders fault for not packing it properly" and "you are being too sensitive, that was fine"

                Can you blame them? If people think your crusade against the postie is misdirected, they should voice their opinion.

                Right from the get go, your post you seem very emotionally charged. Your refusal to see any value in peoples opinion on the alternative, seemingly based on your feelings of being personally offended, certainly supports it.

                I can see why you would do this though, because acknowledging the alternative would mean your apparent reasons for posting this is meaningless

                • +1

                  @Butt Scratcher: I do regret using the term victim blaming as you are correct, I am watering down its meaning.

                  While I do agree that I am emotional over this matter, I do not believe I am overly so. Additionally, while I do respect that other people have opinions on this matter (I didn't expect this to even be debated), it confuses me how this in any way can seem acceptable. I do not see any value to that opinion as normalising it further perpetuates this cycle of behavior.

      • +1

        that's a normal postie toss. that would not have damaged the parcel, especially if glasses, shouldn't it be in a hard case?

        if your glasses were to shatter from a drop like that, they are not worth wearing, i drop mine heaps of times, they shouldn't shatter.

    • +12

      lol drive one and they will surprise you. There is a reason why they are one of the best selling sports cars in history.

    • +1

      Rode in an mx5 the other day for the first time ever. It was awesome! Very fun car.

    • You don't even know anything about cars, why bother…

    • aard probably meant postie shoulda assumed security camera on the car

  • +4

    Post on AU post forum. Someone contacted me once for something similar a while back. Not sure if anything happened afterwards.

  • the nature of the job requires speed

    if the postman was smart, he could've drove his motorcycle to the front door (looks like sufficient space)

    • +2

      He didn't seem to be walking too fast.

  • +3

    There’s certainly a market for a new postage service. I’ve got 3 small steps to my door. Amount of times I’ve seen my parcels thrown from the kerb on security cameras is incredible.

    My local estate Facebook group would have over 50+ posts a day about wrongly delivered parcels.

    • +1

      Yeah, I guess some people don't see the problem as being that bad…. But…. remember the guy, who while throwing the package got it on the roof of the ladies house instead…..

      That was certainly unfair to the occupant, so why allow it to happen in the first place…. https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/postie-leaves-wo… only 'last year' apparently too….

      • +5

        "She didn’t use a broom but an extendible mop in the end to retrieve the package."
        Now that's the kind of investigative journalism we've come to expect and admire from News Corp.

  • -7

    some posties are just annoying- i remember one postie didn't want to use his small cart to drive around lawns- rather drive through the driveways that he drove over a newly growing lawn that was cornered off with rope- he basically drove over the rope.

    Also once i was was literally 5 sec late to collect a parcel and he stared at me - perhaps he is gay and liked me but meh i doubt that. -__-

    They feel that they have the power- only thing i can say is…so did sauron..so did Sauron..

    • he drove over a newly growing lawn that was cornered off with rope- he basically drove over the rope.

      Do you mean the nature strip?

      • Yes. They are allowed to i know but neigbhours were just building their new lawn which included the nature strip so cordened off..

  • +2

    This why ( and possible theft) that I have parcels delivered to a P.O. box. Got to know local staff, they seem to go the 'extra mile', chasing up delayed packages via tracking through their system etc.

    • +3

      Can also do parcel locker for free.

    • Some people even get more than the 'extra mile' from auspost! That's why it takes so long to deliver :P

  • +3

    I wouldn't hold your breath for any meaningful response in any sort of time frame that might be acceptable.

    My experience earlier this year was:

    Parcel tracking shows parcel was delivered, but I couldn't find it. Tried phoning Aus Post, but in the midst of COVID19, just got an automated message saying that they weren't taking calls and to use the website.

    1 month after I raised claim/investigation: Response was along the lines of "yes, we delivered it to the correct address and that the parcel was left in a safe location".
    After another week, they provided "photographic evidence" of where it was delivered, which turned out to not be my property at all (based on a number of things in the photo, e.g. colour of bricks don't match, bins in photo don't match what we have, etc.). I replied with photos of our property.

    2 month after I raised claim/investigation: "We spoke to the drive and they don't remember anything. The item was delivered to your property, we are closing the case". My response was, "Of course they don't fking remember anything. It's taken you 2 months to respond. Re-open the fking case and review the evidence I provided."

    2.5 month after I raised claim/investigation: "Oh yes, we can see that the evidence you provided does seem to indicate the parcel was delivered to an incorrect address. We'll attempt to retrieve the parcel and re-deliver it."

    3 month after I raised claim/investigation: Finally received the parcel.

    How did they manage the retrieve a parcel that was apparently delivered to the correct address in the first place? Clearly they knew the exact address the parcel got delivered to, otherwise they wouldn't know where to retrieve it from. The "photographic evidence" from the original delivery didn't help me narrow down where the parcel was delivered to, so how did they know?

    • Wow, that would have incredibly frustrating and you should not have to advocate so much as the consumer for what is clearly a significant error on their half. As someone commented above, there is increasing competition and when it comes to delivery services, many people would happily spend money if it meant more reliable, efficient and transparent services. There will ultimately be an ever increasing disruption in postal services, while not at a Uber vs Taxi level yet, Auspost will lose unless there are major changes.

    • +4

      I had a very similar experience but a different result, AusPost sent me a photo of a totally different house as "proof" of delivery. I followed up with them and told them as much.

      Later that day, a total stranger knocked on my door - it was the guy who the parcel had been delivered to, re-delivering it to me! In the rain! He lived in a nearby suburb with he same street name. I was beyond grateful.

      AusPost did follow up a week later but their response was by then reduntdant.

      • This seems to happen about 10 times a day on my local facebook group (admittedly a large group)

    • The same thing happened to me; Auspost postie came around the next day with the parcel. I figured out the house they delivered to was the same number but next street. What's weird in your situation is apparently someone had your parcel for 3 months and did… nothing?

      • I wouldn't blame them… the proof of delivery photos showed that they hid the package behind the glass bin, which was in the middle of two other bins. If you didn't know it was there, I could completely see how they didn't see it. The glass bins only get picked up once a month, and most people only put it out if it's full. We only put ours out once every 3-6 months… so totally plausible that they never even knew it was there.

        • -1

          That makes sense; my photo showed him holding the parcel near the mailbox…

  • +2

    be thankful he bothered to get off his bike and left the parcel at your door

  • +1

    Your not their customer the shop is. Complain to the shop.

    • +2

      Both the sender and the addressee are customers.

      • +2

        Lol sadly not how they treat it.

      • +1

        How is the addressee the customer? They didn’t directly pay auspost for anything. They may have paid the business a postage fee but the business is the one that paid for Australia post to deliver it.

        Considering anything up to 22kg can be dropped from 1.2m on top of the box (thanks Kogan microwaves!!!) this “throw” would be a holiday for the parcel

        • +8

          It's written in the Auspost t&c.

          customer means a person for whom, or on whose behalf, Australia Post provides a service,
          and includes the sender and the addressee of an article.

          • +1
          • -8

            @whooah1979: Correct a service, doesn’t make you the customer.

            • +2

              @bangzzz:

              customer…includes…the addressee of an article

              Slow enough for you this time?

              • @GrueHunter: Sorry I may or may not work for the place in question

                I definitely need it slower

        • Even ebay now asks the customer to chase aus post first. Happened a few times

  • +2

    It gets handled much worse before it gets to the delivery stage. I used to watch an Aus Post driver fill up his van with parcels from the post office in a Westfields loading dock and he used to throw them into the back as hard as he could and when he was done he'd do a burn out when he drove away.

    • +4

      youtube link?

  • +9

    Looks like standard 101 Auspost delivery to me. Nothing out of the ordinary.

    All items should be packed to withstand handling like that. If your glasses broke they either hadn't been packed well or are of poor quality to begin with.

  • +1

    I am guessing that the damage did not happen from that throw but somewhere else along the postage transit - eg maybe crushed by a heavier box.

    I also noticed the MX5, how is that car treating you?

    • That is a possibility but the damage is the least of my concerns.

      I have owned the MX5 for nearly 5 years now and the plan was to have it for 2 years. I still have not driven a car that makes me smile like this. The only car that comes close is the Lotus Exige but that has its own new problems.

      • Hope you get a speedy resolution for AusPost

        Thanks for the Mx5 feedback. In light of no international travel for a while - I am tempted to get a new 2nd car hand cabriolet, either a MX5, A5 or E300 … I know they are completely different category and price points and have their pros and cons, so good to get some feedback.

        • +1

          Don't buy an MX5 unless you have a backup car with space. My partner has a SUV which sorts this problem lol

  • +5

    AusPost are absolute turds when it comes to handling fragile items. They literally don't give a damn what happens to your stuff, because they simply hide behind the massive bureaucracy and never accept responsibility for anything.

    • +4

      Auspost isn't a fragile service carrier. You've to use a carrier that offers a fragile service.

      • +6

        So you reckon the video is reasonable behaviour?

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