Australia post Tracking 'Service' What a con

I had a look online but it is not clear how to make a formal complaint, can you point me in the right direction please?

@Davest Their current online “complaint” system seems farcical for the purpose.

Ring 13 POST (13 7678) and tell them you want to lodge a formal complaint. Get the CSOs name and record that and the time. Ask for a “ticket” number that identifies your complaint report and a copy of their complaint as entered into their system (possibly not). Tell them you require followup regarding their investigation of your complaint and the outcome; ask how long that might be and who you should contact if you do not hear back timely.

You can also post a detailed complaint asking for the contact items I noted above to (use tracking or registered return receipt):
Australia Post
Customer Contact Centre
GPO Box 9911
Melbourne VIC 3001

If the above fails to get a response you think reasonable, send a registered return receipted real mail complaint to Ahmed Fahour’s (CEO) office as well as to Minister Mitch Fifield and see how that goes.

Good luck with it.

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I am the original poster of this thread. Several days ago I received this ‘englightening’ email in response to my query.

Update for Investigation - 09361468
Dear Jan,

Thank you for your International Post Express enquiry regarding item EJ208232709AU posted to Netherlands.

Scans indicate this article arrived in Netherlands on 23 January 2017, although there is nothing to indicate that it has cleared Customs at yet.

If the parcel contains restricted items it will require the payment of duties/taxes, and if the contents are prohibited (such as weapons, medications or certain food items) the goods may be confiscated or require the presentation of an import permit before being released. In most cases, if any of the above occurs, the addressee should receive a letter notifying them of any required action.

This clearance process can take up to 15 business days; a timeframe which is outside the control of Australia Post. We have contacted the Netherlands and asked for any reference numbers or contact numbers to provide you so you can forward them onto your addressee. We will contact you within 5 business days with a result.

I hope that this information has helped and that you enjoy the rest of your day. If there is anything else that we can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Need help or have an enquiry? emphasized text

Well, fascinating to note that Australia Post have access to 'scan’s which are kind of tracking the parcel and that me, as the mug who paid to have a tracked parcel, cannot access these scans and this tracking. I was assured by an online check that the parcel would take 7 to 10 days. I needed it to get there within that timeframe so that a friend could take delivery of it before returning to Africa. Well that deadline has well and truly passed. He has had to go back to Africa without his parcel. I am VERY disappointed by this. And to rub salt into the wound today, I got one of these useless emails from Australia Post. We’d love your feedback to Australia Post for 09361468 Well they got my feedback. Not happy Jan.

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You can also get a complaints form from an AusPost outlet. It is best to copy it before you send it back and it generally takes a while for them to respond and the response is generally useless. But if you got a receipt when you hand your complaint in you can then provide the copy of your complaint to the Commonwealth Ombudsman when you receive the official AusPost response (make sure to ask for a letter if you receive your response by phone).

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Very interesting @grahroll. My outlet claimed they could not take a complaint a few months ago, but then I did not ask if they had a complaints form. I asked them how to make a complaint and they gave me the 1300 number and the advice I provided above. Perhaps they were not as helpful as they seemed, or something may have changed in the interim?

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Have a look at

https://choice.community/t/mail-delivery-time-and-cost/12404/2

for similar information.

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Hello TheBBG

They still exist, my wife had a parcel go missing from UK to here and we completed the form and have just recently had a phone response (which was a useless PR exercise by AusPost). They have a serial number and a tear off with the number on it and room for a post office date stamp.

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I’ve had issues the other way around. I’ve had parcels from the US, Germany, and UK that are sent through International couriers that are part of the AusPost network. I could place the tracking number into the AusPost website too due to this connection. The AusPost website had all the updates possible for every single movement of the parcel. Then it hit Australia…
The AusPost website just says “Arrived in Destination Country” and the courier’s site says “Transferred to local courier”. There NO entries whatsoever for weeks and weeks until it arrives. And the whole time it’s in Australia - in some cases, it’s taken 4 week once arriving in Australia to actually appear! Or lost completely with AusPost unable to find it, even though it was under their responsibility.
As soon as it hits Australia, that’s it. No more tracking. The international couriers communication is perfect, they pass the information onto AusPost consistently, and then black out in Australia… AusPost seems only capable of tracking domestic. It’s useless for international - whether or not your the sender or recipient.
I prefer international couriers now that have nothing to do with AusPost.

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I have the exact problem as finlayso with Australia Post and would like to see an investigation also.

Thank you! Great ideas in your post.

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It is a con, in 2006 we had to send signed documents back to the UK as we were in the process of selling our property over there. The lawyers requested we mailed the documents back by registered mail, which we did. The documents went missing and when we tried to investigate the matter through Australia Post they could track the documents until they left Australia and then they hadn’t a clue what had happened to them!! What’s the point of paying for international registered mail if they can’t find out what happened to the documents after they leave Australia?

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I’ve never had need to purchase tracking but have always had trouble tracking parcels on their way to me. Thanks for broaching this topic newcole99 :slight_smile:

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You could be right about the postal service in the receiving country. The system might work but only if all the employees in the chain see it as to their benefit to scan the parcel. If they still get paid regardless then why would they perform the extra task? Scanning parcels needs to be part of their Key Performance indicators.

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On the whole my experience of AP tracking is positive - far better than my courier experiences. It has occasionally been inconsistent. There are issues sometimes with retailers. The Victoria Hill/Innovations group, for example send a despatch email that says you can track the parcel, but only include their own order number. To get the tracking number you have to email them and ask for it. It is sometimes hard to know if the delay in picking up the tracking information lies with the retailer or AP.

I’ve found AusPost tracking to be absolutely shocking. My best friend lives in the US and I’ve resorted to downloading the USPS app and using their tracking because it’s so much better. At times their tracking has been more up to date than AusPosts, even when the parcel is still in Australia. Other deliveries I’ve had land in Melbourne, then takes a week to get from there to Adelaide - often with no tracking between when it passes customs to delivery. Ive also had it take a week or 2 to even leave the country. I will always use another postal service’s/courier company’s tracking where possible, simply because AusPosts is pretty much useless.

I have found the best way to contact AusPost is thru twitter - tho they can take days to answer, even tho their social medial team works until approx 10pm. I have received replies from them that late as too. I tend to find them more helpful then other AusPost staff, and even made a complaint about a worker at a PO thru their twitter (where they asked for details via a DM). Royal Mail on the other hand is extremely fast to respond - often within an hour. Ive never recieved a twitter reply from USPS Helps.

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I had a similarly disappointing experience with Australia posts tracking service. I sent a parcel from Bendigo to Chiltern. It took more than a month to get there but the system was saying that it had been delivered after one week.

I have also just received a parcel from America. Their tracking service showed that it took 7 days to get to Melbourne. It took another 7 days to get from Melbourne to Axedale. They could have very easily walked here with it in that time. This is the second delivery I’ve had from that supplier and the delivery time was very similar.

The government is obviously running the service down so people will opt to use private delivery companies. Then they will use that as justification for selling off Australia Post at a hugely devalued price.

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Jan, the original poster here. Yesterday I got this email from Australia Post. They have CLOSED MY CASE without delivering my parcel to the address or providing me with the tracking I paid for. I paid nearly $200 to send this parcel and they can’t or won’t deliver it. This is appalling. I’m VERY angry about this.

Australia Post

Reference 09361468
Update for Investigation - 09361468
Dear Jan,

Thank you for your response. I can understand how frustrating it can be waiting on the delivery of your article.

As mentioned in the previous email, your item is being held by customs. If further information is required, please contact Tel: 0900-0990 or 0900-0570.

_As this item is held by customs for collection by the addressee, I will close this investigation. _

I hope this information has been of assistance.
_ _
Regards,
Robyn Nicholls
Australia Post
_ref:_00D301GGce.500901X2L1C:ref
_ _
_ _
This email was sent by Australia Post. Australia Post does not represent, warrant or guarantee that the integrity of this email communication has been maintained nor that the communication is free of errors, viruses or interference.

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Jan, the original poster here. AND the Australia Post phone number they supplied in the ‘we can’t be bothered to deliver your parcel, it is out of hands’ email doesn’t work. Right. Yeah.

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And the addressee has not been notified of the whereabouts of the parcel. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

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Hullo, Jan the original poster, yet again. Yesterday’s missive from Australia Post. UNBELIEVABLE. I have replied, asking what did I pay for if not DELIVERY of my parcel and what did the money I paid for 'TRACKING; actually buy??

According to this email my parcel apparently is sitting at the Netherlands Customs. The addressee and the person who lives at the address have not been informed that there is duty to be paid. I have not been informed? I am appalled. So my parcel is in some kind of Kafka-ish limbo and Australia Post has seemingly washed its hands of the whole matter. $200 down the drain. NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Update for Investigation - 09361468
Hi Jan,

Thank you for your reply and shedding more light on the situation, it is greatly appreciated.

I understand that this experience has been frustrating for you, from the item taking double the amount of time to be scanned into the Netherlands to the item now being held in Customs and your friend leaving for Mali.

Unfortunately as stated, the item is being held by Customs in the Netherlands. Customs is out of any postal authorities control as it is government run. The only thing we could try is asking the Netherlands if they will request the item be returned back to you as the addressee is no longer in the country. The only way the item will be delivered is if Customs duties are paid by your friends father in law. Please let us know if you would like the item to be returned back to you and please note this is not a guarantee due to Customs having their own rules and regulations.

Again, please accept my apologises for the obvious frustration and disappointment that this situation has caused you. Please let us know if you would like us to at least request the item to be returned. Looking forward to your reply.
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