Australia Post fail that could net you $3,000 in compensation

A Melbourne couple was paid $3,000 by Australia Post after being repeatedly ‘carded’ by postmen and spending half an hour each week collecting their items from the post office.

Wade Short and Veronica Lisbon’s stoush with their local postman began in early 2020, when Mr. Short would find that their packages would either be left at the door or a pick-up slip would be left in the mailbox without knocking to see if someone was home.

Their story was shared by attorneys Alison and Jillian Barrett – known as the ‘sisters-in-law’ – when they responded to Anna, from Victoria, who complained that her small business was being affected by a string of ‘lazy’ delivery drivers.

Anna said the drivers left her notes that they couldn’t deliver her package even though she was home all day. The letters read, “We tried to deliver, but you weren’t home.”

She asked the advice columnists why she is expected to travel up to 50 minutes to pick up her items from a post office, while paying for their delivery.

In response, the sisters took note of the Melbourne couple’s case from February this year and revealed the steps Aussies could take to get compensation for missed deliveries.

To get compensation, the lawyers prescribed: news.com.au all the steps you need to take, starting with contacting the company.

You must then tell the company all the dates you have been carded on, confirm you were home at the time, explain if the items were time sensitive and how long it took to retrieve each item.

You then need to tell them the cost of the delivery and what steps you expect them to take, be it an apology, a commitment to make sure it doesn’t happen again, or a refund of the shipping cost.

In their section the lawyers added that you should ensure that the complaint is in writing and that you keep a copy.

They also noted that it is worth providing a copy of the complaint to the company you ordered your package from so that they are aware of the situation.

If a letter doesn’t work, there are several other steps you can take to remedy the situation.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman’s office is free and impartial and can investigate complaints about four different postal companies, Australia Post, StarTrack, Check-Mates and D&D Mailing Services.

Also, the Australian Consumer Act provides guarantees to consumers that also apply to the delivery of parcels by Australia Post and private couriers.

These warranties require that the service be provided with due care and skill, including the delivery of packages to the location where they are addressed.

The only exception is supplies of goods for the purpose of a business, trade, profession or profession.

If there is no improvement after filing a complaint with the courier company, or if the company does not respond or threatens retaliation, a party may file a request with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for an injunction.

The order would stop the behavior or give you a compensation.

Carding is a controversial practice with many Australians dissatisfied with having to pick up their parcels after paying for delivery.

In a controversial post in February, a postman claimed he had left delivery notes even when a customer was there due to security concerns.

‘So please note, we leave a card if there is a gate or dogs in the yard. We are not going into the yard for security reasons,” he said.