Missing parcel - advice?

eve on 16/02/2013 - 14:57
Last edited 16/02/2013 - 19:55

Edit: changed title from frank n beans courier and post office investigation because the main issue is approach to missing parcels.

I bought from fnb on the 26 dec. Afte paying, got an email from them saying they were out of stock. I agreed to be put on backorder for four weeks. After 4 weeks, emailed them again and they tell me they already sent the parcel a few days earlier.
Abt two weeks later, I still hadn't received the item, so I emailed them again and they promptly sent another package, this time with an auspost tracking number (14 feb).

Now Im quite concerned about the missing package so want to get to the bottom of this.

I tried to open a paypal case today to ensure that i get my money back if i dont receive a aprcel again, but it's past the claimable date, but it appears paypal have sent my message on to fnb.

Fnb have told me that theynuse a courier to pick up their parcels from the warehouse where it is then taken to the bulk lodgement centre. Fnb have also told me they have contacted Auspost about my missing parcel and Auspost has been in contact with my local post office about the missing parcel.

Fnb emailed me this file, asking me to sign it, saying it was needed as part of the Auspost investigation, however I googled it up and it was a generic form from the UK http://www.collectmyparcel.com/docs/NonReceiptofGoods.pdf
So Im not very keen to sign random pieces of paper. Fnb have clarified and said that it is the form used by their courier company in case an investigation is needed and that they have filled and lodged in the official Auspost form for missing parcels.

Ive emailed auspost about this missing item and will be waiting for their reply.
Fnb have given me a claim Reference number and a parcel number for the courier system they use - Ive emailed asking for the name of the courier company they use so I can chase them down too.

Does anyone else have any advice onhow to follow this up?

General Discussion

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 16/02/2013 - 16:43
    +3

    Advice - Next time keep track of what you order and lodge a Paypal claim within the 45 days if you haven't received your item no matter what the seller/vendor tells you.

  • bobjane on 16/02/2013 - 16:58

    So let me get this straight. FnB promptly sent you a second package (with tracking no less) upon which you tried to open a Paypal claim on them. Real nice.

    FnB are out two sets of goods and shipping costs. That form is very straightforward, I'm not sure why you are having such difficulty understanding it. All it is is a statement from you saying your didn't get your package and therefore allows FnB to make an insurance claim from the courier. Since FnB have already done right by you with a replacement, how about you stop making things difficult for no reason.

    As for emailing Australia Post, following up, blah blah. You've got your tracked replacement on its way and you are out nothing. So why waste everybody's time… except to get a second set of goods that you are not really entitled to?

    • eve on 16/02/2013 - 19:40

      Paypal have said that opening a case does not harm the seller's ratings unless it becomes a claim. I explained in my case message to frank and beans that I would close the case as soon as I received my parcel because it was getting very delayed (didn't realise it was already too late for a paypal refund anyway). Are you saying that you would not protect your own interests, esp when you expect it to cause no harm to the seller?

      Frank and Beans have not advised me that this form is for their insurance claim and have told me this was a "just in case" there is an investigation. Do you put your signature on any form someone puts in your face? I am happy to help frank and beans for an insurance claim, and I didnt get the impression that that was what the form is for. Good point you make though. I will ask fnb if I can assist with an insurance claim, but I would have expected official forms from auspost or their courier company allied express. Then again, I dont know much about insurance claims.

      You seem to think I am doing this to waste people's time or to get a second lot of items for free - why is that?

      Is a missing parcel not something that needs to be looked into?
      Do you guys think Ive taken the wrong approach to a missing parcel?

      • eve on 16/02/2013 - 20:09

        Also, if the item is sent to the wrong address or something like that, it gets returned to sender doesnt it?

      • bobjane on 16/02/2013 - 21:13
        +2

        From everything you've described it sounds like the seller has been doing everything they can to sort things out. They are communicating with you and promptly sent a replacement with tracked shipping. It's not as if they're pulling a Kogan on you. What else do you want? FYI even if this had all happened within 45 days, Paypal would have ruled against you upon seeing the seller's proof of sending and tracking info.

        Im not very keen to sign random pieces of paper.
        Do you put your signature on any form someone puts in your face?

        You keep making it out as if this form is some suspicious/misleading/complicated document when it's all of 5 lines of text in plain English. You do know you get to read it before you sign it right?

        You seem to think I am doing this to waste people's time or to get a second lot of items for free - why is that?

        Anyone should and would kick up a fuss if they didn't get what they paid for. But again in your own words, there is a tracked replacement on its way to you. So why go through all this with Paypal, Aus Post, OzBargain, your local MP, The Pope, etc. Since you're not after the other package (which BTW doesn't even belong to you anymore), are you doing this to help Aus Post improve their logistics? Please, give me a break.

        • eve on 17/02/2013 - 00:04

          Re Paypal, as I have said, I was in full expectation that I would be receiving the item, so was expecting the case to be resolved easily. After 2 days, there hasnt been any location information on auspost and I thought it would be safest for me to open up a case before it was too late (which it was anyway).. I didnt open up the case to offend fnb. Although, from your reaction I'm now worried that I have in fact done so..

          Re the form,I have read it and would like to only sign something a little more official if possible.

          From my point of view, I want to know how cautious I should be in the future - whether it is with fnb, their courier, auspost or someone stealing from my letterbox (Ive just moved to a new place).

          I am interested to know how other people have dealt with missing parcels, and I have given my context and my approach so far.

          Bobjane, it sounds like you have had multiple personal bad experiences with missing parcels from kogan. What was your experience and what did you do about your missing parcels?

  • MATTDAMON on 16/02/2013 - 21:24
    +3

    Most likely sitting at the DLO in Sydney due to a partially missing address or incorrect address. I would wait to see if the 2nd parcel shows up, if it doesnt then contact Auspost via the 13 number and lodge a complaint via there, they can trace the number to a greater detail then whats shown on the website (ie find out exactly which centers its gone through, what truck/trailer its been on etc) then contact those centers. Feburary is Audit month so they are watching all parcel and mail logisitics very carefully currently as this effects managers bonuses at the EOFY so they will go that extra step for you.

    But as the above said continue dealing with FnB, sounds like they are doing the right thing are already rectified the issue.

    • eve on 17/02/2013 - 00:10
      +2

      Yup, a company shows it's true colours when dealing with customer complaints and I have been very happy with the way fnb have dealt with me. They've been very accommodating, answering my questions and giving me info like the courier reference number so I can try and work out at which point the parcel was lost.

      Lol thanks for the info about "audit month" =) very interesting!

  • robbyjones on 16/02/2013 - 21:27
    +1

    I would do no more until you receive your package. Then contact paypal and cancel your enquiry/claim and offer whatever assistance you can to FnB (I am sure you would do all this anyway). As to signing the form, I would never sign something I wasn't comfortable with. It sounds like signing this form doesn't protect you in any way just FnB and if you are not 100% with it then don't sign it. I hope it works out for all parties.

    • eve on 17/02/2013 - 00:18

      Thanks robbyjones. The paypal case has already been cancelled =)

      There's $50 worth of fnb undies out there in the wilderness…

  • louwin on 17/02/2013 - 09:36

    I ordered a flash drive from Kogan a few hours after a friend did.

    A week later my friend gets his and I don't. I wait a couple of days and report the fact to Kogan.

    3 or 4 days later Kogan emails that they have sent the item. I reply I didn't receive it.

    Again a couple of days later they email that I should have received it but wait another couple of days.

    I do and then email I still haven't recieved it.

    They say I should have or I should have got a "Missed Delivery" card from Aussie Post. I reply I haven't received it or a missed delivery card.

    They email that I check with my local Aussie Post. I reply that there is no MD card and ask why APO would hold back a delivery?

    I now start worrying about the 45 day claim period for Paypal….

    They ask me to confirm my delivery address. I do so.

    They say they will send a replacement.

    Then I get "despatched item email" for $0.00 payment.

    A week later I got my replacement :)

    I email my thanks but it took 3 weeks or so plus the original 10 days. Not 45 days but getting there….

    All's well that ends well :)

  • tonka on 17/02/2013 - 11:04
    +1

    My experiences are
    Aust Post can and do lose parcels.
    When something goes wrong they will spend 10x more effort on covering backsides then fixing problem.
    Parcels can get stolen, lost and delivered incorrectly, there have been many cases of contractors stockpiling parcels.
    A friend at Aust post has warned me never to send anything of value through post as sorters can 'smell' money.
    I had six months were my mail was returned to sender incorrectly. I escalated many times eventually to ombudsman. Nothing was done to correct this beyond Aust post denying the problem even when I could prove it easily by sending myself a letter. This cost me a small fortune late fees lost super etc.

  • JR63 on 17/02/2013 - 12:57

    I've had it happen to me before as well with something that was undelivered, and sent to the Collection Facility for collection. I picked up my awaiting collection card around 3pm the day I missed it (delivery was around 9am), and went in the next morning to collect it, and was told it had already been collected at 4pm the day before. It was signed for by someone I've never heard of before, and conveniently they couldn't ask the guy that gave it to the other person cause they went holiday.

    I chased it up with AusPost and they told me to contact the company I bought it from to deal with it. Since it was one of those free $10 or whatever coupons from Gray's Outlet I didn't bother.

  • May4th on 17/02/2013 - 13:00
    +1

    auspost has a terrible track record with lost and delayed parcels, and it's really not the delivery man's fault given how little they get paid for parcel in the rain/40 degree heat whatsoever but you should complain if anything happens because it won't get any better otherwise.

    the worst offence is not even knocking on the door and just shoving a card in your box. i've even had instances where the parcel went to the post office without a card being given! but that's sidetracking…

    • MATTDAMON on 17/02/2013 - 14:29
      +1

      Actually, the last audit/check put them at 97.3% of product delivery completion which is higher then TNT/Toll/AAE, what the issue is that contractors are paid pittance and expected to meet unrealistic deadlines especially around christmas time.

      As for stealing product etc, yes it does happen but its extremely rare, everything these days is either done with CCTV watching it or CSG placing high value tracers within the parcel stream, 9/10 what happens is the product is missorted into a WA or NT ULD, where its then placed on a linehaul truck then not touched until it reaches the destination, they then notice its in the incorrect ULD and resorted to head back. Being Sydney to Perth is around 1 week or so, thats 2 weeks gone for it to return back, this happens all the time, especially with machine sorting (which happens at all major metro centers)

      Its not a perfect system, but nothing is, even companies such as Fedex and UPS have this sort of things happen quite a bit as well.

      • PainToad on 18/02/2013 - 13:05
        +1

        So nearly 3 in 100 go missing. Hardly call that good.

        • MATTDAMON on 19/02/2013 - 00:26

          No. 97% meets service targets meaning that they are delivered ontime, the 3% is made up of service exceptions, missort, incorrect/missing address, dead articles, RTS and lost items.

          Got to bear in mind post moves close to 500 Million articles a year.

        • PainToad on 19/02/2013 - 08:50

          So 13.5 millions articles have "problems" every year. Once again, not something I'd be bragging about.

        • MATTDAMON on 19/02/2013 - 11:05
          -1

          Even still compared to various courier companies even FedEx/ups they are pretty spot on. Even the Royal Mail only just beats Auspost in terms of delivery standard. Also bear in mind that Auspost is one of the only mail companies still turning a profit and never required a bailout.

      • May4th on 18/02/2013 - 15:17
        +1

        yes that's what i meant about contractors being overworked.
        the issue isn't so much the delivery completion but rather the management. only with auspost is there no tracking provided as a basic service, their calling-card system is terrible and delivery time and efficiency is much inferior to other couriers like fastway/TNT etc

        • MATTDAMON on 19/02/2013 - 11:11
          -1

          Have you ever dealt with TNT before? they are a real PITA if you want something done. And they are crazy expensive.

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