I Have A Bone To Pick With Australia Post, Again

A short while ago I wished to purchase another battery for my digital camera. When you go somewhere interesting, as I expect Melbourne to be next week, the camera always dies just when you don't want it to.

I rang the company where I purchased the camera from initially as they should be the first point of contact. The guy told me that it would cost $55 but they didn't have any stock. If I rang their sister company they would be able to tell me. Duly rang the sister company but was informed that as she didn't have any stock on hand she was unable to scan a unit to find out how much it cost. WTF? Obviously didn't have the item on her stock database. I mean, I did have the part no. required.

Went online and the third result in the Google results that I was presented with was from an Australia company. They had my item on special for only $18.55 plus $10 for postage. So, I purchased one.

Within a day or so they emailed me a receipt and then another emailed followed with a tracking number for an Australia Post Registered Post package. Alarmingly they told me to expect nine days for delivery, i.e. it should arrive on the last day of my employment and the last day before I leave for a holiday. The package had my company's name as well as mine.

I waited a reasonable amount of time for this item to arrive. Yesterday I called Australia Post with the tracking number provided to find out just where this item was. Christy told me that it should have been delivered on the 22nd of September. For some reason it wasn't delivered and no card was left. I told her that there was somebody at our office from a quarter to eight in the morning until seven at night so the office was always open during the period that a delivery could be expected. Christy rang West Leederville PO to see if the item had been left there. No was the answer but it might be at the Osborne Park Mail Centre. Anyway, she was unable to tell me where the package was and that I should contact the sender to get them to locate it! WTF?!

I rang West Leederville PO myself, the guy told me that he had already spoken to Australia Post, and that I should call Wembley PO. Well, Wembley PO didn't answer the phone but they were only a 10 minute walk away. Headed down there and they could find no record of the package under my name. I suggested that it might be at the Osborne Park Mail Centre and they lent me their phone but said to tell them who I was because they wouldn't answer their questions if they were coming directly from the post office. After five engaged signals I finally got through. The lady was very helpful and after five minutes she informed me that the package was at Wembley LPO. "But I'm at Wembley and they tell me they don't have it," I said. The lady at Wembley LPO then took the phone and discussed the package.

She went out the back and found the package in our company's post box. She expected that somebody would come within a few days to collect this mail. Pity they filed it under the company name and not mine. Interestingly, our company post box is at West Leederville. I asked if there was any other post waiting. After being told that there was I asked to take it but was informed that a key was required to get that mail. Ooh, our company has a private post box at another post office. Even our receptionist, who collects the mail, was unaware of this. How intriguing.

I voiced my disatisfaction at having to track down my own mail when it is supposed to be delivered with all the safeguards of being registered and having a tracking number. Why pay for the service if it doesn't work? In Australia Post's defence I could say that our office does not have a letter slot in the front door, even though it is the old Jolimont Post Office building, but they should have opened the door and at least attempted to deliver it. Not good enough I'm afraid.

Australia Post should change their slogan from "We Deliver" to "It's coming but you need to find it yourself".