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[Haranguer]

When I was ion college I learned a useful mnemonic to remember the layers of the OSI model.

The mnemonic: Australia Post S*cks. They Never Deliver Packages.

Not only a good mnemonic - a warning that should never be ignored.

Earlier this year, I ordered a Turbo Chameleon 64 fromn AmigaKit. After a few weeks, it turned up. I was at work, so the postman took it back to the post office, and I had to pick it up the next day - a Saturday. The clerk couldn't find it at first because he didn't know that his post office delivered mail to my suburb, despite the fact that I live about a 5 minute walk away from the post office.

He finally found it, and I took it to my friend's place to show it off. Unwrapping it, I was disappointed to find it had a broken button, so I had to send it back.

I had to wait till lthe next weekend to send it back, because I was at work all week. I took it to the post office, and requested tracking so I could we notified of the location of the package at every step.

The clerk (a girl this time) sold me Registered Mail. For the following 2 weeks, every time I entered the number into Australia Post's online tracking tool, I got the result "No reports found".

After 2 weeks, I got tired of this and sent a query to Australia Post. Within an hour the message I got when I entered the number changed: now it said "Not a Valid Tracking Number"!!

So I made several more complaints to Australia Post. Finally, today, I got an email in which they finally admitted the truth - Registered Mail is not trackable for an overseas package.

Tomorrow, I'm going to the post office to demand a full refund.

Currently, I have no idea whatsoever where the Chameleon is, and I am furiously angry.

[gertsy]

My experience with Australia post is that they are suitably transparent in the whole delivery process. Having said that I have had 2 situations of non delivered stuff going to depots that make no sense location wise but never a pickup problem from those locations. And only one instance of damaged goods..
The girl/clerk sold you registered mail because its the only way they track in Australia and as a "low cost" employee would have had the minimnum of training and idea.

Postage is an enigma globally and if you think Australia post has any control of the end to end delivery process you are kidding yourself.
Have you contacted Amiga Kit and let them know of the problem? In your opinion was the wrapping adequate? If not let Amiga Kit know. They will look after their customers.
The unfortunate reality is that the issue is with yourself and Amiga kit and the postal services in between just the messenger, regardless of whether they caused the damage.
That's why online shops offer postal insurance. Not because they thought it might be an upsell opportunity but because in a small % of transactions it's a needed reality.

Not sure how you can get a refund. Unless you were specifically told registered post would give you global tracking. In which case get a refund of the difference for normal international post for sure.

[Kesa]

Originally Posted by Haranguer

When I was ion college I learned a useful mnemonic to remember the layers of the OSI model.

The mnemonic: Australia Post S*cks. They Never Deliver Packages.

Not only a good mnemonic - a warning that should never be ignored.

Earlier this year, I ordered a Turbo Chameleon 64 fromn AmigaKit. After a few weeks, it turned up. I was at work, so the postman took it back to the post office, and I had to pick it up the next day - a Saturday. The clerk couldn't find it at first because he didn't know that his post office delivered mail to my suburb, despite the fact that I live about a 5 minute walk away from the post office.

He finally found it, and I took it to my friend's place to show it off. Unwrapping it, I was disappointed to find it had a broken button, so I had to send it back.

I had to wait till lthe next weekend to send it back, because I was at work all week. I took it to the post office, and requested tracking so I could we notified of the location of the package at every step.

The clerk (a girl this time) sold me Registered Mail. For the following 2 weeks, every time I entered the number into Australia Post's online tracking tool, I got the result "No reports found".

After 2 weeks, I got tired of this and sent a query to Australia Post. Within an hour the message I got when I entered the number changed: now it said "Not a Valid Tracking Number"!!

So I made several more complaints to Australia Post. Finally, today, I got an email in which they finally admitted the truth - Registered Mail is not trackable for an overseas package.

Tomorrow, I'm going to the post office to demand a full refund.

Currently, I have no idea whatsoever where the Chameleon is, and I am furiously angry.

I think it actually says that on the website. I had the same problem when trying to track an item from Hong Kong but luckily it came through OK.

BTW how do you know it was Australia Post that did the damage? I think compared to FedFX Australia Post is pretty good.

[Haranguer]

Originally Posted by Kesa

BTW how do you know it was Australia Post that did the damage? I think compared to FedFX Australia Post is pretty good.

I didn't say they caused the damage. My problem with them is that I asked for tracking on an overseas package, and the product they sold me doesn't allow tracking on an overseas product.

They sold me the wrong product.

It doesn't matter what it says on their website either - I wasn't at my computer when I mailed it. I was in the post office, and I asked for tracking, and I was charged extra but didn't get it.

By the way, good news. I just got an email from AmigaKit - the Chameleon has arrived.

I'm so looking forward to getting it back with a working button. I'll have to get some SD cards and a copy of Amiga OS 3.9 ...

[Haranguer]

In reply to my complaint to Australia Post they (eventually) admitted that the product they should have sold me is Express Courier International.

[Haranguer]

Originally Posted by gertsy

Not sure how you can get a refund. Unless you were specifically told registered post would give you global tracking. In which case get a refund of the difference for normal international post for sure.

The clerk did not say that Registered Mail provided tracking on an overseas pruduct, but ...

...I was sending a package overseas, and requested tracking, and paid extra for it.

She wasn't explicit about it, but I certainly was.

They should give me a refund. And an apology. If they don't, I'll be contacting the Ombudsman.

BTW this isn't the first time they've fouled up. A couple of years ago I bought an electric bike kit, and had to get replacement parts. The vendor sent the package by Australia Post - I had him address it to a friend's house.

Australia Post put it aside for an address check. For 2 months.

The address was correct.

The delay caused a lot of friction between myself and the vendor, to the point where the vendor stated that he would not honour his warranty.

The only other things I've had delivered by Australia Post are bills and advertising (despite the sing on my letterbox refusing advertising material). They never seem to lose those.

[gertsy]

Originally Posted by Haranguer

The clerk did not say that Registered Mail provided tracking on an overseas pruduct, but ...

...I was sending a package overseas, and requested tracking, and paid extra for it.

She wasn't explicit about it, but I certainly was.

They should give me a refund. And an apology. If they don't, I'll be contacting the Ombudsman.

BTW this isn't the first time they've fouled up. A couple of years ago I bought an electric bike kit, and had to get replacement parts. The vendor sent the package by Australia Post - I had him address it to a friend's house.

Australia Post put it aside for an address check. For 2 months.

The address was correct.

The delay caused a lot of friction between myself and the vendor, to the point where the vendor stated that he would not honour his warranty.

The only other things I've had delivered by Australia Post are bills and advertising (despite the sing on my letterbox refusing advertising material). They never seem to lose those.

A case of once bitten. My experience in online and mailorder purchases (29 years, yeah I'm an old fart) is that they are generally reliable. And in this case the package got back to Amiga Kit. Which is a great result.
The upsell deserves a difference refund definately. Apology..goodluck. Obudsman? Is there one for a monopoly like Aust post ?
As for the inconvenience can it be any worse than Kesa's Sig? BTW, Ya gotta stop living up to your id...! (a joke)

[Kesa]

Originally Posted by gertsy

A case of once bitten. My experience in online and mailorder purchases (29 years, yeah I'm an old fart) is that they are generally reliable. And in this case the package got back to Amiga Kit. Which is a great result.
The upsell deserves a difference refund definately. Apology..goodluck. Obudsman? Is there one for a monopoly like Aust post ?
As for the inconvenience can it be any worse than Kesa's Sig? BTW, Ya gotta stop living up to your id...! (a joke)

[persia]

Ah for the simpler days when the postie would blow their whistle twice when you had mail and they would come twice a day on weekdays.

[Tripitaka]

I've posted to Australia a few times and I've not had any issues, guess I was lucky. One of them was to you Persia if I'm not mistaken.

[Darrin]

The US post office is the same. I sent a computer to my brother in England and they told me that their tracking system only worked in the USA and that the moment it left US shores then they wouldn't know where it was.

I used FedEx instead who could track it all the way, but it cost 4 times as much.

You get what you pay for.

[motrucker]

Originally Posted by Darrin

The US post office is the same. I sent a computer to my brother in England and they told me that their tracking system only worked in the USA and that the moment it left US shores then they wouldn't know where it was.

I used FedEx instead who could track it all the way, but it cost 4 times as much.

You get what you pay for.

From the U.S. you can get tracking if you use Express Mail International, but it's almost twice Priority Mail International. Most U.S. mail just saw a rate hike, to top it all off.
Between Oz, US, and most of Europe things seem pretty even (as far as getting things - price is another story). I tend to like DHL a bit over the rest, all things considered.
I, too, have been using the mail for buying and selling for about 25 years - I qualify as another old fart .

[runequester]

Originally Posted by Darrin

The US post office is the same. I sent a computer to my brother in England and they told me that their tracking system only worked in the USA and that the moment it left US shores then they wouldn't know where it was.

I used FedEx instead who could track it all the way, but it cost 4 times as much.

You get what you pay for.

Well, soon there wont be much postal service anymore, anyways. Too bad.. their flat rate shipping is pretty excellent for stuff inside the US.

[Darrin]

Originally Posted by motrucker

From the U.S. you can get tracking if you use Express Mail International, but it's almost twice Priority Mail International. Most U.S. mail just saw a rate hike, to top it all off.
Between Oz, US, and most of Europe things seem pretty even (as far as getting things - price is another story). I tend to like DHL a bit over the rest, all things considered.
I, too, have been using the mail for buying and selling for about 25 years - I qualify as another old fart .

Thanks, I'll remember that.

I did get a nice letter from the USPS when they managed to destroy the mk5 ROMS for my FastATA4000 and lost my Radeon card from Elbox. They did manage to deliver the Elbox packing note though, but god knows what they did with the contents. Elbox simply sent a replacement and the second one made it intact.

[Darrin]

Originally Posted by runequester

Well, soon there wont be much postal service anymore, anyways. Too bad.. their flat rate shipping is pretty excellent for stuff inside the US.

Yep, internal stuff seems to work well. The Royal Mail seems to find me OK from the UK.