Fuck the Australia Post National Crawl Center
Awwww Australia Post.... Terrific.
People are so impressed with the service given by so many people in Australia Post....
The universal "Attempted Delivery" card being placed in the mail box, when the driver not only didn't bring the parcel, they never even came and knocked on the door....
Outrageous prices........
Parcels and letters going missing.....
Registered mail never arriving, or getting signed for by the contractor and disappearing....
The tracking system that doesn't.....
Mail taking 3 weeks to be sent from one suburb to the next......
What could be politely described as the "Go fuck yourself" policies and customer service when things are damaged or stolen.....
Packages "that could not be delivered", that end up in some Post Office, far away, and the staff there,don't give a shit, can't find it and stuff goes missing and the customers get the run around etc...
And REALLY BAD customer service.....
The National Call Centre's prescribed policy of "Do everything - except what the customer has asked for," and if they do not like it, hang up on them or send them around in circles, with bullshit policies, games, indifference and a failure to take action, never make the promised calls back, don't respond to emails etc., etc., etc., - until they give up and go away.
Their Facebook pages and many others sites, have thousands and thousands and thousands of these complaints.... and never mind all the people who didn't complain or the details that got lost in time and or the daily details....
Their service could be summed up in this first complaint, followed by the comment. .
https://www.facebook.com/australiapost/
Lee Mullenposted toAustralia Post
Yesterday near Perth, Western Australia
AUSTRALIA POST: Do you ever consider the high volume of complaints on here as a way to measure your poor service? Do not your managers consider finding ways to improve the service???
Tammi Sladdin Munro
I'm tipping they don't. If any other company behaved the way Australia Post does, they'd be shut down, but these incompetent idiots know they have a monopoly on the postal market and don't care.
Here are more of them:
Nicole Watts-Brooksposted toAustralia Post
Is there any particular reason I am paying full price for postage, yet can't have the item delivered to my mailbox?!?
Again, I now have to pack the kids in the car and drive 20mins each way to pick up the item, because the lazy contractor refuses to drop it in at the nearest post office which is a 10 min drive away-which you've informed he can do, when I've rung up to complain about this 5 times already!
I've been informed by the post office, parcels are dropped off before he even starts his rounds. Totally unacceptable.
Your charging full price for a service that you claim you can provide, but don't!
I wonder what the ACCC has to say about this?
Again, I now have to pack the kids in the car and drive 20mins each way to pick up the item, because the lazy contractor refuses to drop it in at the nearest post office which is a 10 min drive away-which you've informed he can do, when I've rung up to complain about this 5 times already!
I've been informed by the post office, parcels are dropped off before he even starts his rounds. Totally unacceptable.
Your charging full price for a service that you claim you can provide, but don't!
I wonder what the ACCC has to say about this?
Please tell me why something that was posted to me on the 1st in the same state as me is still sitting at the post office it was mailed at.... 6 days later... This is totally unacceptable.your service gets worse every year as the prices get higher...do you charge more as some kind of incompetence tax?
Greetings Possums
Time for another well-deserved complaining. Since last month, I have for the first time relied on international mail, and my unfortunate discovery is that Australia Post is a blithering mess. The dysfunction of this organisation is embarrassing. Why would I come along and write such a thing?
Last month I attempted to have mail sent to me from the UK. Four (4) separate pieces of mail sent via Royal Mail International signed-for trackable consignments from 4 different senders.
Royal Mail tracking shows that they are well-able to hold up their end of the ordeal. All articles arrived on our soil within 2-3 days.
After that, they all disappeared. Australia Post you have failed me 100%. It's just pathetic !!! Having trouble owning your disgraceful reality ? Here, you can see for yourself...
SHIPPED 12-2-203
Royal Mail - Tracking: LY796023490GB
SHIPPED 22-2-2013
Tracking Number: RU062942477GB
SHIPPED 26-2-2013
Tracking Number: RJ739868414GB
SHIPPED 26-2-2013
Tracking Number: RU062942993GB
Now please be sure that I do not value whatever reassurances you may come with here...spare us this embarrassment please.
These items of mail are the equivalent of a 3 page letter inside an envelope. That's it.
All AP is needing to do, is to simply behave like other Postal services.
It is shameful that you are incapable of delivering mail within a few days.
Sure sometimes it takes longer...blah blah blah...this garbage will not work on me.
You fail to deliver ANYTHING within a reasonable time-frame.
Telling me to be patient is insulting.
AP is a either a shameful fraud or a grossly incompetent organisation whose leaders should be dismissed straight away. You lost all my mail.
When I search it out, your message is basically you haven't a clue where it is. PATHETIC !!
Cam Perryposted toAustralia Post
Hi just letting you know that Auspost is the biggest disgrace in australia, they say they my parcel has been delivered... sorry to say it hasn't.
I've been home all day and not even a delivery van in my street all day, and now you say you can't ring the driver because its against policies - pretty sure the dumb ass has delivered it to someone completely different or even kept it for themselves .
YOU ARE ALL A JOKE
Miles Tudor Tillyposted toAustralia Post
Australia Post you have failed yet again. Once more a delivery person has failed to knock on my door and has left a collection note in my letterbox when I was home the whole time.
This is a constant problem and is quite obviously affecting lots of people around Australia. I pay for delivery to my door. Now I have to go to the Post Office in my own time to compensate for the delivery persons laziness. When are you going to address this problem?
Kylie James posted toAustralia Post
I want the name of the person who manages parcel deliveries etc in melb metro area, 131318 is not giving me a direct answer
And the usual bullshit replies - many people are getting quite cynical about.....
Australia Post Hi Ken,
I'm very sorry to hear ....that a parcel you posted has not yet been received by the addressee
- Australia Post Hi Brittany,
I'm terribly sorry you .....are disappointed and frustrated with the eParcel service;
- Australia Post Hi Lina Salem,
I certainly understand...... your concern about the tracking of your missing eParcel
- Australia Post Hi Nicole,
I'm very sorry to hear...... that the postie/contractor has not been delivered to your letterbox
Most of the incredibly bad service that goes on in Australia post, should NOT be happening, and people are fed up with the meaningless apologies -
All people want to know is when are the packages that have been stolen / lost / never delivered etc., going to arrive and what are you going to do to make sure this situation stays this way?
By the time it's got to this point though, this festival of ineptitude effectively means that people don't care about your registered mail system, the worthless tracking system, or the people in this company who lost, misdirected or stole their property.
People don't want to know about driver who says he delivered it when he or she has either bullshitted his way out of delivering it, by carding their letter box saying they attempted delivery - when they didn't even bring it with them; and
And by the time it's gotten this far, peoples appreciation for bullshit has worn so thin, that they don't care to deal with the staff in the national call centre, who bullshit, buck pass, refuse to escalate the call, don't return calls, or repeat what they have just been told them or even ask if the customer actually ever sent the parcel in the first place etc., or worse - they don't even know how to do their own job.
I grew up with a pilled out drunken idiot for a mother - who lived in a vivid fantasy world; and given that my tolerance for space cadets, is at best minimal, thy would I want to be ringing the people in the National Call Centre, to get people who for the most part, respond with the same kind of "airy fairy" interactions....
There is such a thing as "stupid people" - it's a given fact.
Then there are people who just don't know some things through circumstance and need, then there are people who occassionally do stupid to fatal things.
Then there is a whole slice of the Australian population who wake up in the morning, and have a slab of Valium and go floating off to work for the day - so totally out of it, and wondering why half the customers are yelling at them....
Then they complain that the customers are "so awful", and then they have to be covered up for, instead of getting 3 weeks in a detox, and an undertaking that they can keep their job, if they pass a piss test, attend a daily self help group and get their act together.
But the people composing the unions, the management, the government and civil liberties etc., and the people doing all the "legal" drugs, in all of these organisations, don't want to have to deal with this issue either.
So we get more and more irate customers, who get more and more fed up with this phoney apologist bullshit...
"click - I am so sorry - click - I am so sorry - click - etc"To the people in Australia Post - People only want TWO things...
To get their package, and to get you our of their lives.
Paying $25 to get a package delivered, does not include tying up an extra 3 hours of their time, trying to find it and then having to drive significant distances, to go pick it up.
People do not want any more answering machine speak, on policies, terms and conditions, or bullshit appologies.
In fact the inebriates of ineptitude that describes my experiences with some of the people in Australia Post, comes down to this.
Australia Post is like the crystal meth shooting ex girl friend who comes knocking on the front door with a carving knife in one hand, and a bottle of scotch in the other, "wantin to larve yew" - simply because it's your pay day.
In short - Australia Post - The people paying you to deliver their packages, outside of the contract - they don't even want to see you.
So by screwing up everything they touch, some 730,000 packages that are lost or stolen or delivered wayyyyyy too late, every day, means that people have to get tangled up in the bureauocracy and bullshit to get their gear, that they paid to be delivered, replaced, returned, or compensated for.
And this is PAINFUL... Painfully long, Painfully drawn out, Painfully a HUGE waste of time and money... and like sticking your finger tips into a pencil sharpener for enlightenment - people just want to get anything to do with Australia Post, out of their lives.
One of the absolutely WORST departments I have ever run across, is the Australia Post National Call Centre.
Where 9 out of 10 phone calls are just totally destroyed up by fundamentally incompetent people...
9 out of 10 of them really do have this kind of blinding lack of logic, the inability to liase with the customer, to meet the customers needs.
Think of it like this...
If I went to a tyre shop and asked for 4 new tyres to be put on my car, and that was settled... so I drive off in it, but there are some bad noises and about a block or so down the street, 3 out of 4 wheels fall off... and when I get out to look, there are not even any nuts holding on the fourth wheel...
So I back, absolutely pissed off, and say, "You didn't screw the wheels back on - Not only were they never tightened, You guys never even put the nuts back on - what the fuck is your problem?"
And they answer, "Oh if you had of wanted the wheels screwed on, you should have asked for it - you drove it, it's your problem."
This is the level of "totally bereft of fundamental level of intelligence and logic" that prevails in the 9 out of 10 people who work there.....
These are the people you have to deal with when you call them....
They are a great asset business wise, if you can get your competitor to hire them, so they, with their clueless bullshit and their "bad" attitude towards customers, put the competitor out of business.
The corporate culture is anti-customer and they have a syncrhonised WHOLE "Great Wall of China" stone wall, to keep you locked into the first level disaster area, of the National Call Centre.
They only have ONE disaster area level of the national call centre because after they have screwed you around so badly, they all refuse to escalate any of the calls to anyone... and anyone outside of the first level, refuses to take calls, and they refuse to return them.
The people who run Australia Post, do everything they can, to HIDE all their departmental and agency numbers, and they do everything they can to make you use their national call centre AND only their national call centre.
The people in Australia Post are EXPERT stone wallers....
But I am better.
I have a policy, that IF the call centres are staffed by script monkeys, and they know nothing, do nothing, and nothing gets resolved, well I only give them ONE call, and about 30 seconds on a simple issue, and up to 5 minutes if it's complex and they are sincerely trying to help and a little slow to catch on, to come to a defined outcome, other wise I start moving the matter out of their hands and or up the line.
Call the managers of Australia Post? Just jump the stone wallers and bullshit artists and the buck passers in the middle management entirely in one simple, easy step?
It's all right.
They understand.
After all they made the policies of you being unable to call the local post office, and they made the policy of staffing the national call centre with incompetent people.
They made the policies designed to give you the run around when your stuff gets stolen and lost, and to make you lose your refunds and not pay out on the insurance, and to nullify your guaranteed delivery times.
They are the ones responsible for hiring drivers who don't deliver to the place of destination as per the written contract, that you paid for.
They are also responsible for jacking up the prices and the worthless tracking system.
Call them. They understand.
They would appreciate the feed back directly from YOU. Sure they do, as it's all about customer service.
They say so here:
http://auspost.com.au/about-us/vision-and-mission.html
Vision and mission
Australia Post has been keeping Australia connected for more than 200 years. We do this by delivering mail, helping businesses and consumers with parcels, and providing a national retail network that supports local communities and organisations.
As the needs of the community have evolved, so have we, with a range of services spanning our stores, online and the Australia Post Digital MailBox. We complement our national logistics and retail network with convenient digital products to help make everyday life a bit simpler.
Our enthusiastic and professional people are helping to build a modern Australia Post. They're dedicated to delivering products and services that Australians want, need and can afford, as well as ensuring that every experience with us is a positive one.
Our mission
We're here to help all Australians by providing:
innovative and easy-to-use products and services
friendly service from knowledgeable staff
consistent on-time delivery
value for money
modern and efficient networks
We'll strengthen our people's commitment to these goals by:
making job satisfaction a priority
encouraging participation in the success of our business
recognising excellent service to customers
rewarding excellent performance
We deliver an important social and economic dividend for all Australians. Australia Post continues to balance its commercial objectives with its community service obligations. We run an efficient organisation and make the best use of our assets. Our commercial success ensures we can reinvest in the communities we serve, and continue to improve the products and services we provide.
Why spend 10 hours and 50 calls to the departments in Australia Post who give nothing but BAD service, when you can spend 10 hours and 50 calls to the heads of the departments?
Head office
- Enquiries
- (03) 9204 7171
- Fax
- (03) 9206 4140
Hotlines
-
Managing Director & CEO
Mr Ahmed Fahour
- Location
- Australia Post, 111 Bourke St, Melbourne Vic 3000
- Postal Address
- GPO Box 1777, Melbourne Vic 3001
- Telephone
- (03) 9204 7171
- Fax
- (03) 9206 4152
- Comment
- Appointed 1 February 2010
-
Chief Operating Officer
Mr Ewen Stafford
- Location
- Australia Post, 111 Bourke St, Melbourne Vic 3000
- Postal Address
- GPO Box 1777, Melbourne Vic 3001
- Telephone
- (03) 9106 8966
- Fax
- (03) 9206 4119
-
Executive General Manager, Parcels & Express Services
Mr Richard Umbers
- Location
- Australia Post, 111 Bourke Street, Melbourne Vic 3000
- Postal Address
- GPO Box 1777, MELBOURNE VIC 3001
- Telephone
- (03) 9106 9724
- Fax
- (03) 9206 4119
-
Executive General Manager, Retail Services
Ms Christine Corbett
- Location
- Australia Post, 111 Bourke St, Melbourne Vic 3000
- Postal Address
- GPO Box 1777, MELBOURNE VIC 3001
- Telephone
- (03) 9106 9379
- Fax
- (03) 9206 4119
-
Executive General Manager, Post Operations Network
Mr Steve Ousley
- Location
- Australia Post, 111 Bourke St, Melbourne Vic 3000
- Postal Address
- GPO Box 1777, MELBOURNE VIC 3001
- Telephone
- (03) 9106 9581
- Fax
- (03) 9206 4119
-
Executive General Manager, Corporate Affairs & People
Mr Chris Blake
- Location
- Australia Post, 111 Bourke Street, Melbourne Vic 3000
- Postal Address
- GPO Box 1777, Melbourne Vic 3001
- Telephone
- (03) 9106 7411
- Fax
- (03) 9206 4119
-
Corporate Secretary & General Manager, Government Affairs
Mr Paul Burke
- Location
- Australia Post, 111 Bourke Street, Melbourne Vic 3000
- Postal Address
- GPO Box 1777, Melbourne Vic 3001
- Telephone
- (03) 9106 7114
- Fax
- (03) 9206 4139
Corporate Communications
Hotlines
General Manager, External Affairs
Ms Jane Mcmillan
- Location
- Australia Post, 111 Bourke St, Melbourne Vic 3000
- Postal Address
- GPO Box 1777, Melbourne Vic 3001
- Telephone
- (03) 9107 0218
- Fax
- (03) 9206 4139
Board of Directors
- Enquiries
- (03) 9106 7114
- Fax
- (03) 9206 4119
Hotlines
Why am I doing this blog on the disatisfactory service in Australia Post...
Or:
How was I transformed from being a relatively ignorant simple consumer, into a non complicit participant of other peoples bullshit - being the management and staff of Australia Post? Though to be fair, not everyone who works in Australia Post is bad or hard to deal with, but some are, and the bad service from the bad people in the bad departments, all reinforce each other...
Until grid lock is achieved and the only thing you have, is customers who say, "Bye Bye" and NEVER come back.
This is my own story.
I have a tale about them that can more or less, top the lot - in it's own unique way.
Yes really - it's THAT bad.
OK the Agency in Charlton is run by a husband and wife team - there are others that work there, and I don't mind them... but the owners...
When I moved up here about 12 years ago, every time I walked into the post office, the teenage daughter, used to do the come from out back and stare at me with the tounge dragging on the ground routine, to he point of habitual annoyance.
"Oooo he's gorgeous" drool - drool......
Occassionally the mother would join in....
It began to get really fucking annoying.
Anyway I think I nailed the school girl on her "besotted routine" by telling her, "Do you mind not staring at me?"
And anyway, I'd go to the post office, more or less daily and send letters etc.. and a year or two down the track there just happened to be me and daughter person in the place. She is there manning the till and I on the other side of the counter, with letters to post.
Since I figured that I really know nothing about her, and we have never talked properly, I made the effort and took the time to strike up a conversation with her - superficial issues, lasting about 3 or 4 minutes....
A few days later, "the old man" came up to me, leaned over the counter and said, "Oh so and so said that you were talking to her about the size of her tits" - hand balled up into a fist and waving it in my face....
I thought, "This is very interesting, we have made the effort to transcend the drooling dripping school girl bullshit, to actually treat her as a person and make small talk about school., hobbies, interests etc... and we now have a quantum leap to the size of her tits... courtesy of him.
So I asked said daughter person a couple of weeks later... "Remember the time we talked, well you old man came up to me afterwards, saying I had commented to you, on the size of your tits. Since I never said anything about the size of your tits to you, how did this come about?"
She replied, "Oh no I didn't say that, I said that I didn't like the way you were talking to me..."
So we go from small talk, to waving fist in the face, to an ingrate who fails to capitalise on the opportunity to communicate..
Good.
From that point on, I never talked to her ever again and if she was working there when I walked in, I turned around and I walked out - and I'd only go back when she is not there.
Anyway the mother has a well earned reputation for arguing and fighting with the customers.... She has had several goes at me.... and quite a few other people as well.
I think it's alright to confront people when they try on their crap, but it's been my personal experience that her default setting is surly, irritable and argumentative.
It's been my experience that she doesn't actually need a reason to start fighting with the customers, it just seems like a good idea - to her.
Of course many customers have invested in the internet or use couriers, and I occassionally see them in other post offices.
Her methods appear to be encouraging repeat business.
The guy who runs the joint, has come up and had a go at me, on four more occasions over the years - complete with leaning over the counter and waving the balled up fist in my face....
The last time, well the situation went like this.
There was a woman that worked there part time, and I kind of liked her... and then another got a job there as well. The new younger one tried to muscle in between the me and the older one.... and she never struck me as particularly good relationship material.... but I thought "Nooo give her the benefit of the doubt - she seems keen, and just because I don't fancy her, doesn't mean that she might not make a good friend / partner..." The gut feeling was "mmmmm no." but I wanted to cement the decison.
One day when I was in there, I was as sick as a dog with the flue... and she seemed very interested - at least superficially, so I said, "I am dying with the flue, how would you like to come over after work and tuck me into bed and make me some chicken soup - I'd really like that." (looking like death warmed up and sweat running off me)
Now this is a sample of crytic mind picking that I so love... The question wasn't about whether she would or could do it, it was to split the hairs as to where she lay in the "caring and considerate" end of the spectrum, or whether she dwelt in the "selfish and self centred" end of spectrum.
While I do not find her attractive, if they are a giving and caring kind of person, they may in fact be a good catch... Manners and brains count for more than good looks.
An ideal response would be, "Well I knock off at 5, how about tinned chicken soup, some chicken meat with a few vegies thrown in, and some toast around your place at 6?"
But when the response is "What would I want to do that for?"
The issue has been clarified, "What you actually see, is what you actually get."
Pass.
Anyway, the guy who runs the post office, came up to me a few days later, for the FIFTH time, and leaned over the counter, waving his fist in my face, "You said to so and so that she can come over to your place and make you chicken soup, - What do you mean by that? What do you mean by chicken soup?' Blah blah blah blah...........
( fuck :( for real? - yes he really did)
She is nearly the same age as me, and I can invite who I want to my place - and it's none of his business...
So I replied - "just that".....
Over the years his approval rating had slid lower from "[X] Strongly Disapprove" at the first wave his fist in my face session to "[X] Confirmed Liability", in the subsequent 4 wavings of his fist in my face.
I thought, "This is very interesting, we have made the effort to transcend the drooling dripping school girl bullshit, to actually treat her as a person and make small talk about school., hobbies, interests etc... and we now have a quantum leap to the size of her tits... courtesy of him.
So I asked said daughter person a couple of weeks later... "Remember the time we talked, well you old man came up to me afterwards, saying I had commented to you, on the size of your tits. Since I never said anything about the size of your tits to you, how did this come about?"
She replied, "Oh no I didn't say that, I said that I didn't like the way you were talking to me..."
So we go from small talk, to waving fist in the face, to an ingrate who fails to capitalise on the opportunity to communicate..
Good.
From that point on, I never talked to her ever again and if she was working there when I walked in, I turned around and I walked out - and I'd only go back when she is not there.
Anyway the mother has a well earned reputation for arguing and fighting with the customers.... She has had several goes at me.... and quite a few other people as well.
I think it's alright to confront people when they try on their crap, but it's been my personal experience that her default setting is surly, irritable and argumentative.
It's been my experience that she doesn't actually need a reason to start fighting with the customers, it just seems like a good idea - to her.
Of course many customers have invested in the internet or use couriers, and I occassionally see them in other post offices.
Her methods appear to be encouraging repeat business.
The guy who runs the joint, has come up and had a go at me, on four more occasions over the years - complete with leaning over the counter and waving the balled up fist in my face....
The last time, well the situation went like this.
There was a woman that worked there part time, and I kind of liked her... and then another got a job there as well. The new younger one tried to muscle in between the me and the older one.... and she never struck me as particularly good relationship material.... but I thought "Nooo give her the benefit of the doubt - she seems keen, and just because I don't fancy her, doesn't mean that she might not make a good friend / partner..." The gut feeling was "mmmmm no." but I wanted to cement the decison.
One day when I was in there, I was as sick as a dog with the flue... and she seemed very interested - at least superficially, so I said, "I am dying with the flue, how would you like to come over after work and tuck me into bed and make me some chicken soup - I'd really like that." (looking like death warmed up and sweat running off me)
Now this is a sample of crytic mind picking that I so love... The question wasn't about whether she would or could do it, it was to split the hairs as to where she lay in the "caring and considerate" end of the spectrum, or whether she dwelt in the "selfish and self centred" end of spectrum.
While I do not find her attractive, if they are a giving and caring kind of person, they may in fact be a good catch... Manners and brains count for more than good looks.
An ideal response would be, "Well I knock off at 5, how about tinned chicken soup, some chicken meat with a few vegies thrown in, and some toast around your place at 6?"
But when the response is "What would I want to do that for?"
The issue has been clarified, "What you actually see, is what you actually get."
Pass.
Anyway, the guy who runs the post office, came up to me a few days later, for the FIFTH time, and leaned over the counter, waving his fist in my face, "You said to so and so that she can come over to your place and make you chicken soup, - What do you mean by that? What do you mean by chicken soup?' Blah blah blah blah...........
( fuck :( for real? - yes he really did)
She is nearly the same age as me, and I can invite who I want to my place - and it's none of his business...
So I replied - "just that".....
Over the years his approval rating had slid lower from "[X] Strongly Disapprove" at the first wave his fist in my face session to "[X] Confirmed Liability", in the subsequent 4 wavings of his fist in my face.
So he had well and truly put himself in the, "Only to be employed as a last resort" category.
The use of the post office had also diminished from using it once a day most days, to only going in once a week if that, and then once every 10 days or so....
His charm and wit were working well in his favour.
Anyway, I had a heap of fairly mobile friends across the world that I wanted to catch up with and I had not been able to contact them for ages, and we had the floods and all, from Sept to Jan and I wanted to send them some christmas presents...
I had kind of lost contact with them and rather than send the presents at Australia Posts ripp off rates, and their phoney USA security tax of $10 per parcel, well it was wiser to send an "Are you still here?" aerogram to 30 something people at $1.20 a pop, than it was to send packages 30 something packages costing some $400 or so in total.
Mindful that by this stage, out of the 30 something people I had wanted to contact, we would have around a 30% to 70% "No longer at this address" rate.
That is a $40 something dollars of Aerogram letters, vs some $400 worth of postage.
There are probably better ways to ship them too.... but these people have now sort of vanished in the mists of time.
Since the advent of the internet and it's ubiquitous momentum, Aerograms are in the antique dept of goods for sale, and almost no one ever stocks them, lest they gather dust on the shelves for eternity.
So I asked them to order in some 30 something aerograms for me.
The owner gave me the "Are you sure you are going to buy them? Are you sure you are going to buy them? Cause if you don't we will be stuck with them and won't be able to sell them. Are you sure you are going to buy them" - routine from the guy who owned the post office.
Like how many times do you have to say "YES" before yes actually means yes, or is there some multiplicity of meanings that I am not yet aware of?
So anyway, over the next 6 or 8 months, I had to ask them about 8 separate occassions to get them in, because the story went, "Oh they haven't delivered it, it's on back order, oh they are still coming, Ohh the order has gone missing, Ohh the is no record of it. Or when did you ask about it?....."
And the day came when they finally arrived - well "Hooo - Rayyy, Three Cheers, Break out the Streamers!"
Out of the blue, after some 6 or 8 months and 8 separate requests.
After the floods and all - I had expenses to meet, and I had spent up my income the week previously, and I had budgeted pretty tightly for the next payday in another weeks time...
So the guy who runs the post office, demanded that I pay for them then and there, and I told him that as this has come out of the blue after some 6 or 8 months... and I told him he will just have to wait for about 2 to 3 weeks....
I will pay for them then. Given the fact that he didn't seem to be in such a hurry to get them in had nothing to do with it.
About another 10 days went by and he came out from the back and started hassling me big time, his line of reasoning running from the original "If we order them in and you don't pay for them, we will be stuck with them, because no one wants to buy them."
To: "If you don't pay for them now, then I won't sell them too you, and you can't have them."
And then he started the arguing with the imaginative accusations, "You told me that you would buy them in 2 or 3 MONTHS time...." Blah, blah, blah......
I told him to his face that he was lying and when he said the same thing back to me, I told him to stick his post office, and to enjoy his expensive toilet paper and I walked out - and I never went back.
Yes - really.
It was at that time I had some parcels in transit from a highly unethical company that has absolutely piss poor account security, bad customer service and they are one of the worst global scammers... Very much the American Imperialist Ethics co.
But the people who put their wares up for sale on the site, are the ones I want to deal with, and the overlording company and it's shitty cash transfer system get minimal credibility.
So to protect my ID, against ID theft, I slightly fudged details concerning my account, that would make deliveries to me deliverable, but with mistakes that could be passed off as typo's.
There were several packages in transit at the time and I chose to get them transferred to a different agency so I could pick them up when they arrived.
In lieu of the bullshit from the owner of the Charlton post office, I was not going back in there to pay for the transfer either.
So I got that organised.
As part of the redirection process, I gave my reasons why and I had to tell the person I was talking too, what had been going on with "Mr Knuckle Sandwiches"...
The outcome of that was a letter, where he had included this bit.."He is welcome to attend the Charlton post office, as long as it is only on Australia Post Business."
I saw that as onerous pedantry, and he still doesn't get it, that the threats and stand over merchant bullshit, complete with his directive to stand facing the wall and salute the queen when I walk into and out of the post office, while wearing a blue and white striped uniform to his liking, complete with a star of David armband, was not going to complied with either.
He is pulling these whacko land threats, and then he thinks he can dictate the terms of my attending to send mail - that he can earn an income from? No likely.
However around this time, there were a couple of unexpected parcels, and this guy came to my door twice, with the digital scanner / signature unit in hand....
When people like him, start inventing excuses to start waving their fist in your face, now only do I NOT want to go back to that post office ever, he certainly wasn't welcome to drop them off either.
The second time, as I stood there with the door open, the guy starts "casing the joint" in a way of looking into my home - having a good look while the gears are whirling around inside his head, that I could only define as "There is something not right in this situation."
There is something not right about him even turning up....
A while later when come christmas flyers were going around, his contribution was on there, and it said, "Come pay your bills at our place, help keep us in business."
What? Does it come with a free punch in the face with every book of stamps?
The whole "Me, Me, Me" issue makes suicide look like a step up in a depression.
I'm steering clear of that one too.
I can't speak for anyone else, while the wife had been progressively decreasing her appearances behind the counter, to becoming a rare encounter, his attitudes and actions, were more than enough incentive to NEVER EVER go to the Charlton post office again.
I then decided that any business to be done with Australia Post, would be done in another town......
Jump the bus across, hitch back.... "Got my bill paid, my parcel picked up, and it's a great day from some exercise as well".
In in plannning to use the Australia Post Agency in the next town, with the slight discrepancies in the postal details care of the American Theft Corp with it's lack of account security, if I had of just walked into the new agency, and said, "Ohhhh I have asked them 5 times so far to fix up my address... and they still haven't." - I could have just breezed over the issue with that....
But if you want to see what a bunch of pedants the WHOLE organisation becomes "when you fess up to the greatest scam in history" of dotting the T and crossing the I on the address...
Just so you can get the packages when they arrive....
It's a fairly trivial issue as far as I am concerned... but when I explained the situation to the people in the Wedderburn post office, they serve up the "Oh it has to go the the right address (care of the post office) or it gets sent back".
My response is, "No it's not - not because of the organisations petty adherence to the rules and regulations, I am not paying twice the postage and I am not waiting another 2 or 3 weeks, when they are about to arrive there - just because you think I ought too."
I had the receipts, and the address issues were almost identical.... Proof of purchase, and sales account = Duhhh...
So there in began the all in brawl with the Corporation Australia Post and it's National Call Centre and it's managers...
Courtesy of the manager of the Wedderburn Post Office......
Up until this point, I was completely ignorant as to just how bad it is to have to deal with Australia Post.
In terms of picking up my parcel from Wedderburn Post Office, I mean I had paid for the delivery... the data matches were nearly exact - I had the receipts, only I had fessed up to the cunning ruse... instead of pretending that some one else had made a couple of typos, and what I was wanting, was for these packages that were ever so obviously FOR me, to be released TO me.
Well as anyone who has had to put an issue before almost anyone at the national call centre beyond, "How much does a 60c stamp cost?" will know that the talent of Australia Posts Customer service, and their ability to send the whole thing sidewards, to get everything done except the issue, and to take hours doing it, with their baked bean perspective, was almost insurmountable.
Except to me.
I have had decades of fighting with people in Telstra... and all sorts of "don't give a shit - hand ball the customer around" bullshit artists / thieving bastards...
And I am really good at helping them to understand the error of their ways and negotiating the outcome I want, on my terms.
So when I saw just how bad the people in the national call centre were, with their:
Cluelessness, their buck passing, the bullshit they came out with,
The game playing, the managers who would not return calls,
The professional stone walling - where they all refused to escalate the call,
Where they refused to tell you who was responsible for what,
Who had the authority to do what, and to put you through to them, with all their bullshit and game playing,
And the clever use of policies that seemed to be as varied as the people spouting them..
Since I can and do negotiate hard and go through organisations of people who sit there picking their noses and warming the seats -
I started to penetrate the Australia Post, probing and finding the weak spots and the leads, and I rattled the cages until came through to the CEO's office, and when his admin proved to be a bit too slack for my liking.
So I rattled his cage too.
Cluelessness, their buck passing, the bullshit they came out with,
The game playing, the managers who would not return calls,
The professional stone walling - where they all refused to escalate the call,
Where they refused to tell you who was responsible for what,
Who had the authority to do what, and to put you through to them, with all their bullshit and game playing,
And the clever use of policies that seemed to be as varied as the people spouting them..
Since I can and do negotiate hard and go through organisations of people who sit there picking their noses and warming the seats -
I started to penetrate the Australia Post, probing and finding the weak spots and the leads, and I rattled the cages until came through to the CEO's office, and when his admin proved to be a bit too slack for my liking.
So I rattled his cage too.
Why? Because I refuse to buckle down to bullshit from anyone...
In terms of purely bad, customer service Australia Post is a total shit hole. It really is hard to top for people who reinforce each others bad customer service.
In terms of purely bad, customer service Australia Post is a total shit hole. It really is hard to top for people who reinforce each others bad customer service.
Anyway, I got it sorted out, and the packages were released to me from the Wedderburn post office.
It was a fairly simple issue that they should have handled at the agency in the first place. I mean I did "fess up" to them first....
"Oh yeah - give us a look, not a problem - here you go, here is your parcel."
But the guy running that joint, as soon as I walked in the door, did he say, "Good morning sir, how can I help you today?"
Nope he didn't.
He came out with this high IQ one liner,
"Oh I hear you have been causing a bit of trouble in Australia post. If you don't like it, then don't use it." - all the while smiling like he has just come top of the class in the school for the intellectually gifted.
I figured that -
a) Anything I do, or my reasons for doing it, if it does not involve him, it's none of his business, and he should keep his bullshit to himself.
b) He is not a party to the proceedings,
c) So he is not qualified to have an opinion on anything that is my business.
d) If you want to demonstrate your people skills, by going out of your way to serve your bullshit up to the customers and take a huge hit in the prospect of making future sales - he has just done it.
e) But while he lacks the "big picture" perspective on winning customers and keeping them, he can rest assured that doing a trickling trade in envelopes and scratchys from some of the remaining customers, will keep the business idling along at an ever diminishing rate of knots.
While he thinks he is clever, there are many people in Wedderburn who get deliveries by any one of 5 or 6 couriers that go through there daily..
And they never get anything delivered through the Licensed Post Office.
I think gambling is for the mathematically inept, who are grasping at emotional straws.
I don't share his passion for them either.
How this issue then grew and blossomed.
About the Australia Post delivery system:
Australia Post does not appear to be reliably delivering the packages within a reasonably consistent time frame...
Like if the package was lodged in Sydney on a Monday, would it consistently arrive that week, by say Thursday 95% of the time
Some of Australia posts delivery times, as far as I can recall, used to be kind of reasonably reliable, like letters most of the time used to come overnight from Melbourne, and packages about 3 days.
Some of Australia posts delivery times, as far as I can recall, used to be kind of reasonably reliable, like letters most of the time used to come overnight from Melbourne, and packages about 3 days.
But now? That same package from Sydney could be RELIABLY coming not on the Thursday or Friday, it could come early the following week, later that week, the next week or a week or two after that....
You just don't know any more.
Or never - as so many people have pointed out - something to do with being stolen, lost, delivered to the wrong address or it's left where thieves can see and grab it.
You just don't know any more.
Or never - as so many people have pointed out - something to do with being stolen, lost, delivered to the wrong address or it's left where thieves can see and grab it.
In terms of delivery times, within the town, depending upon how slack the delivery people may or may not be, or the size of the parcel etc., they may deliver it, or they may simply card your box and say come into the post office and say, come and pick it up....
If your out of their delivery run area, like more than 10K out of town etc., they don't deliver, and they make you pay for a PO box and then your expected to come in and check if the PO box has been carded.
But if your in the city, they CAN notify you by email (or texting?) as well as carding.... but not in Wedderburn or many other places. Running a list of email address's or mobile phone numbers, a scanner and a PC, seems to be beyond them - and they already have the scanners and the PC's. Go figure.
So rather than make a trip into town or from town to town, it's easier and faster just to ring the post office to see if the packages have arrived.
This usually takes about a minute or so.
"Ring Ring - is it here?" followed by "Yes or No,"- it's that simple.
But what has been happening, is that the management of Australia Post, has been getting the agencies to ONLY be contactable from the national call centre, by blocking all calls to the agencies number, except from Australia Post...
It's a physical limitation - a deal they have done with Telstra to restrict incoming calls to ONLY be from the National Call Centre. The plain land line numbers to the agency or post office no longer work for the average person. They have LOCKED the customer out of being able to contact the closest post office.
When you ring it, you get the message, "The number you have called is no longer available from this service" - this applies to every customer, trying to call almost every agency or post office.
Meaning that you can no longer ring the actual delivery point, the agency, the post office it's self - you can ONLY call the NATIONAL CALL CENTRE.
It's true - look up Australia Post in the White Pages, almost all of the post offices ALL sport the national call centre number. The ones that still display their own number, have usually locked people out of being able to call them.
As far as I am concerned, this is one of the dumbest ideas - ever.
"We are running out of time Gladis."
One of the things I have gotten as I have lived longer, is that awareness, that time is running out - and I am not longer entertained by the concept of annoying telemarketers by screwing with their minds and time in exchange for their unwelcome calls, or putting up with clueless and inept people who run business's with their bad ideas.
Because dead is forever, I have absolutely every intention of spending it, in joy, fun, excitement, love etc., doing only the productive and interesting things that I like doing.
Other people are no longer allowed to waste my my time - because I said so.
The reasoning of these clueless corporate types and their inept micromanagement fixations, are now using call blocking on all the customers so they can't call the agencies, is they say;
"People ringing up the actual people in the post office to be served, interrupts the person at the counter from serving other customers - and people coming into the post office were complaining about the counter staff serving customers on the phone, instead of customers at the counter."
That is it.
But you might not actually think "OH it's not THAT bad" - that is until you start to think about it, as a result of being forced to call the national call centre.
(There is a few sharp comments from the Whirlpool forums at the end of this blog, on the same subject)
So some people are complaining about the staff answering the phone while they are waiting in the cue? Ummmm what? So they are only going to serve the actual people who come into the post offices, and not the people who want to do business with that actual agency - via the phone?
To which I say, "So everyone should spend hours of their time, travelling to and from the post office, and making cues, that are 2 or 3 times as long, instead of calling on the phone - so these whining ingrates can complain about standing around in long cues, instead of customers coming to the agency via the phone."
OH OK.... Maybe the geniuses who manage Australia Post should read the fable that has been wrongly attributed to Aesop, about the Miller, his Son and the Donkey.
The basic situation in this fable is of a man and his son who are accompanied by their donkey and meet constant criticism from passers by of the way it is used or treated by them.
The story's purpose is to show that everyone has their own opinion and there is no way one can satisfy all.
There are four or five different elements to the story that are ordered differently according to version.
When both walk beside the donkey they are criticised for not riding it.
When the father rides, he is blamed for making his young son walk; when the son rides, he is blamed for leaving his elderly father on foot.
When both ride, they are berated for overburdening their beast.
In later versions the father then exclaims that the only option left is to carry the donkey on his back; in others he does so, or father and son tie the donkey to a pole which they carry on their shoulders.
This action causes general mirth and has an unhappy outcome, resulting in the donkey's death through one cause or another.
The real issue is that if the problem is at the front line, by not having enough staff at the actual post office, to handle phone calls AND to attend customers at the counter, OR that some people like to just winge, over a few extra minutes of waiting -
The solution is to add more staff, or divert the calls to a call centre, when it's busy.
But this system that they have now set up, is impossible.
OH OK.... Maybe the geniuses who manage Australia Post should read the fable that has been wrongly attributed to Aesop, about the Miller, his Son and the Donkey.
The fable
The basic situation in this fable is of a man and his son who are accompanied by their donkey and meet constant criticism from passers by of the way it is used or treated by them.
The story's purpose is to show that everyone has their own opinion and there is no way one can satisfy all.
There are four or five different elements to the story that are ordered differently according to version.
When both walk beside the donkey they are criticised for not riding it.
When the father rides, he is blamed for making his young son walk; when the son rides, he is blamed for leaving his elderly father on foot.
When both ride, they are berated for overburdening their beast.
In later versions the father then exclaims that the only option left is to carry the donkey on his back; in others he does so, or father and son tie the donkey to a pole which they carry on their shoulders.
This action causes general mirth and has an unhappy outcome, resulting in the donkey's death through one cause or another.
The real issue is that if the problem is at the front line, by not having enough staff at the actual post office, to handle phone calls AND to attend customers at the counter, OR that some people like to just winge, over a few extra minutes of waiting -
The solution is to add more staff, or divert the calls to a call centre, when it's busy.
But this system that they have now set up, is impossible.
See the phone is a great idea, second only to teleportation, because you can communicate almost instantly over incredible distances, thus allocating more of your time for being alive on things you want, instead of driving around, looking for parking spaces, just to stand in a cue while the other customers use the phone...
LOL
LOL
So the management of Australia Post are forcing people to ring their national call centre, who they generally don't want to be doing business with, and stopping people from phoning the actual "local post offices", who they do want to be doing business with - well the remaining customers who haven't fully migrated to couriers yet, still do.
This is where it grates.
The people who manage Australia Post have decided that when you ring them on 131318, that you cannot jump all of the bullshit messages about Australia Posts new Digital Mail Box service by pressing 3 and then 3 as soon as it answers....
Noooo you are forced to listen to the Aus Post Advertisements. That is brilliant - that is.
I hate being force fed adds, especially MULTIPLE TIMES, whenever I ring in.
And this is because the phone call waiting times are usually so long.
This is MY TIME these corporate nuff-nuffs are wasting.
So this is where we are at:
Stage 2 - Stimulation Plus:
If the mis-managers running Australia post want people to know about their service, stick it on TV or on their website, or print them on a complientary weekly toilet roll along with all the other snail mail spam they shove in your letter box.
But force feeding people bullshit adds as a captive audience, when they are FORCED to ring the National Call Centre, instead of the local agency - is rubbing salt into the wound.
Noooo you are forced to listen to the Aus Post Advertisements. That is brilliant - that is.
I hate being force fed adds, especially MULTIPLE TIMES, whenever I ring in.
And this is because the phone call waiting times are usually so long.
This is MY TIME these corporate nuff-nuffs are wasting.
So this is where we are at:
Stage 2 - Stimulation Plus:
If the mis-managers running Australia post want people to know about their service, stick it on TV or on their website, or print them on a complientary weekly toilet roll along with all the other snail mail spam they shove in your letter box.
But force feeding people bullshit adds as a captive audience, when they are FORCED to ring the National Call Centre, instead of the local agency - is rubbing salt into the wound.
Stage 3 - Australia Post's long telephone cues rock!!
So after a few minutes of being force fed an add... one can dial 3 and 3, and then one gets stuck on hold for like 15 minutes - usually at a minimum.
This is about 15 minutes each and every time you ring them - before you can get to speak to a real person. I am led to believe that this is now approaching half an hour.
This is 15 minutes of Australia Posts advertising, about all of their great products and services - also available on their website - which I am not interested in seeing either.
It's bullshit.
Stage 4 - Why allow the customer to do what they want, with who they want, in under a minute, when you can make the customer wait for half an hour, to talk with people they don't want to talk too, and who usually cannot do the job they are asked to do, to do the job they wanted to do themselves?
So we go from having been able to ring the local agency, and getting it sorted within a minute or less, AND then to not being able to call the local agency - because the numbers are now blocked to the general public, the people who are responsible for paying their wages - and we are having to call the national call centre - and the length of the call now having jumped up to about 15 minutes minimum, before you can actually talk to a real person - Mmmmm K?
Great? No it's not. It's bullshit.
The divine stratagy when calling badly managed companies with LONG phone cues, is to use a hand free mobile phone (Your not still with the scam artists in Telstra and their land line rip off rates are you?) and to have a heap of other things to do, like your university course on quantum mechanics or make a 3 course dinner for 6 people.
For me, when contacting Australia post, I have done things like put the mobile in speaker phone mode, pedal 3 blocks down the street with the phone in hand, drop some documents into someone's place, go do some photocopying, buy some stuff at the super market... and when pedalling home - and like 15 or 20 minutes later - "Ohhhh finally - the phone answers and we get through to someone...."
The secret to my success when on hold, stay busy - doing something else.
Stage 6. -This is where it gets really worse....
So I tell them that I want to find out if there are any parcels waiting for me to be picked up, at the Wedderburn post office...
Then we play the routine "72 questions".... because the nuff-nuffs answering the phone just can't do simple shit like call the post office in question, they have to go ply you with bullshit like this:
I shall break this up into individual sentences:
I say,
"Hi my name is Mr Such and Such - and I live out of the road side delivery area of the Wedderburn post office and we do not get mail deliveries where I live.
So rather than drive all the way into town, to check if there is a package for me, I would rather just call the local post office.
But since the idiot management of Australia Post have stopped people from calling their local post offices, I cannot call them any more to find out if there is a package waiting there for me to pick it up...
I shall break this up into individual sentences:
I say,
"Hi my name is Mr Such and Such - and I live out of the road side delivery area of the Wedderburn post office and we do not get mail deliveries where I live.
So rather than drive all the way into town, to check if there is a package for me, I would rather just call the local post office.
But since the idiot management of Australia Post have stopped people from calling their local post offices, I cannot call them any more to find out if there is a package waiting there for me to pick it up...
So I have to call you, to have you call the Wedderburn post office for me,
Can you ring them and find out, if there is a package there waiting for me to pick it up."
This is where it gets brilliant.
I have indicated that I am fairly familiar with the entire operation and I have ONE single request.
To illustrate that we are NOT looking for one particular lump of coal, down a coal mine, at midnight, without any lights - and the veritable simplicity of my request...
I know the post office, the counter is only 6 feet long and half of that is taken up with scratchy sales and scales... They know what is where and they have no problems answering the question.
And I have stated that "I used to be able to call them, but now I can't."
So the request is completely do-able....
I have shown that I am familiar with their worthless tracking system and the parcel usually does not have tracking, and since I am off the RMB route, there is no other way for me to find out if the package has arrived there - without driving all the way into town.
They only have to do ONE thing, "Call the Wedderburn Post Office and ask is there any package for Mr Such and Such awaiting collection."
9 out of 10 times the "nuff-nuffs" have answered my question with questions that side tracks the issue and they usually tack on a whole heap of off the topic responses, questions and actions and incorrect opinions - instead of just making the call for me.
It goes typically like this:
9 out of 10 of them will ask - "Have you been carded."
Well I have just said I am off the Roadside Mail Box Delivery Route - I don't get mail.
I can't get "carded" for an attempted delivery, when they don't deliver to areas that they don't deliver too.
And if I had of been carded, which means that I would know that there is a parcel waiting for me to come into town to pick it up, Why in the fuck would I be ringing them to find out if a package was waiting there for me to pick it up?
They don't connect the dots.....
This is the opening line.
It continues:
Then they will typically ask:
"Have you got a package waiting there for you to pick it up?"
No shit - 9 out of 10 of them will ask this question.
Because I have so little tolerance for really "the lights are on, no one is home kinds of people" I usually answer them with this: (said very, very, slowly so it hopefully sinks in)
No shit - 9 out of 10 of them will ask this question.
Because I have so little tolerance for really "the lights are on, no one is home kinds of people" I usually answer them with this: (said very, very, slowly so it hopefully sinks in)
"Nooooo I haven't actually - this is why:
I went and found the phone book,
looked up the number,
rang it,
waited in a cue on hold for 15 minutes,
until I finally get through to you,
just so I can ask you to call the post office in question,
to ask them if there is a parcel there waiting for me to pick it up at the post office -
when I actually don't have any parcels waiting there for me to pick them up."
I went and found the phone book,
looked up the number,
rang it,
waited in a cue on hold for 15 minutes,
until I finally get through to you,
just so I can ask you to call the post office in question,
to ask them if there is a parcel there waiting for me to pick it up at the post office -
when I actually don't have any parcels waiting there for me to pick them up."
(rolls eyes - face palm)
Instead of just making the call to the post office, because I no longer can, these nose picking seat warmer at the national call centre, 9 out of 10 of them ask the same idiot questions.
No shit. Like clock work. As - Tick follows Tock.
That profound lack of bottom of the barrel logic - "If I knew that the parcel was there, waiting for me to pick it up, why would I be going through all this bullshit, just to ring them, so they can ring the agency, to find out if the package was there?"
Like does it not dawn on them that If I KNEW the package was at that post office, would I not be there picking it up, instead of calling them and putting up with these morons and all their bullshit?
Like "Ohhhhhhhh - fucking - Duhhhh!"
It's that degree of stupidity that is just beyond comprehension...
No wonder people hate having to deal with them.
Comic relief time.
"Hi is this the brothel?"
"No."
"You mean this is not the number for dial a fuck?
"No"
"Well how come you answered then?"
If you actually engage with these people, and stay on the line and put up with their bullshit, the call will quickly go from bogged up to the axles to having sunk out of sight.
They will continue to throw ever more stupid shit at you, their intractable insights, go from "Oh we can't call the post office because it's against our policy OR It's up to you to call them, when I have told them I can't OR as they ONLY need my name, and NOT a delivery address, and I explain that that I get stuff sent to the post office.... because they do not deliver to my address...
Half of it is lazyness, half of it is corporate policy bullshit and the third half is just making up shit as they go along.
When 9 out of 10 calls lands in the lap of a nose picking seat warmer, I just hang up on them and dial back in. You can pick the people who can do the job pretty quickly, from the people who can't. It's all in the first response to the request.
When I say, "We don't get mail where I live." -
The smart ones say, "OK I will give them a ring for you."
The nuff-nuffs will ask - "Have you been carded?"
Hence the hands free phone....
It's important to cut the nuff-nuffs loose very early in the piece.
As soon as you get the 'nuff-nuff" response - hang up.
So what then happens, is that on the really ODD occasion, when I actually win the lottery, and actually GET a person who can do what I have asked with minimal bullshit, they then eventually get only the relevant details, and stick me on hold, and call the post office concerned, and then take me off hold and supply an answer.
This is an idiot system in it's self...
This is an idiot system in it's self...
And I am thinking "Back in the good old days, I could have just rung the post office, and have gotten the answer within 30 seconds to a minute."
But now, this is like taking 20 to 25 minutes each and every time I call the National call centre number, and aside from being stuck on hold, on the ONE out of TEN calls, that is not answered by a nose picking seat warmer, it takes 2 people doing the same job in twice the time as it takes one person - when I could have done it myself, the first time, in under a minute.
The new Aussie Post mantra goes - "We don't want to provide customer service, because it interferes with providing customer service - and having people on hold for 15 minutes is better for the customer, than having them in cues 2 or 3 times as long by personally attending the post office, instead of calling in and getting information within a minute or two - at the actual post office they want to do the actual business at."
Yeah - I will go along with that.
Stage 7. - Political Correctness for Shit Heads
The other issue is that the people in the national call center, are getting too arrogant and are being smart arses with the customers.
When I want to say "I want to complain about this whole process - I want you to forward my complaint to whoever is actually responsible for making this decision to create a national call centre, and forcing people to have to call the national call center, and your no longer able to call the agency directly - because it is bullshit - and I don't like being on the receiving end of it and I don't agree with it, and I want to talk about getting it changed, with the person who signed off on the decision."
This goes 3 ways:
1. They refuse to record the complaint; and
2. They refuse to forward the complaint they refused to take, to the person responsible for signing off on this "National Call Centre" bullshit; and
This goes 3 ways:
1. They refuse to record the complaint; and
2. They refuse to forward the complaint they refused to take, to the person responsible for signing off on this "National Call Centre" bullshit; and
3. They refuse to put you through to the person responsible for signing off on this "National Call Center" bullshit; and
4. They also refuse to tell you who made this decision to make everyone call the national call centre, instead of the local agency.
5. They refuse to escalate the call when you get fed up with their stone walling crap....
And when you tell them that their game playing and corporate stone walling being passed off as customer service, is in fact bullshit, the smarmy customer service call takers say, "Oh if you swear AT ME again, I will terminate the call."
Weak minded and dishonest game playing people use back doors like that....
Lying their way out of things to escape the loss of credibility that comes with lying to customers and pissing them off, is usually a good sign that the managers are picked from the same crop. They are the only sort that employ people like that to spew bullshit policies like that, at the customers, who are the people who pay their wages.
Click.
Sure there is bad customer service in all sorts of places, like that bastion of buck passing called Telstra for instance, but Australia Post has a more peculiar concentrated distilled form...
Institutionalised people work in institutions.
Having a monopoly gives you the room to employ buck passers and bullshit artists and shove your corporate crap in the customers faces.
The customers agree with being given the run around and being fed shit, so much, and so often, that this is why there are now so many courier companies.
Go Google. Australia. Search. Courier....
No shortage of choices... from the local folks in your suburb, to he global companies.
Stage 8. The only way this can be made worse...
The ONLY way this can be made worse, is for the geniuses who manage this corporation, is when it finally dawns on them that they are losing even more business by imposing even worse service on the people who pay their wages, is to engage in cost cutting, by "outsourcing" the National Call Centre to Bhum Phuk Nowhere - where not only is the service total bullshit but they can't understand or speak english either.
Stage 9. But does get worse....
Well how this actually does get worse, is that one day the cops turned up on my door step, with a relayed complaint, saying that the people in the Wedderburn post office, had complained "about you harrassing them".
An Australia Post security guy Dean Marshall, rather than get the call log from my mobile phone company to see if it's true about me calling the national call centre three times a day, every day, for months, to get them calling Sharon at the "Wedderburn Post Office", or easier yet -
To check the internal logs for requests to call the Wedderburn Post office, this bludger contacts the local cops, to have them come visit me, to save himself the drive - just like most of their non delivering posties, to tell me that a complaint has been lodged about this, and that I should go and get a post office box in Wedderburn.....
And he has asked them to talk with me about this, to save him the driving all the way up from Melbourne....
If you ever want to know why so much stuff gets stolen and nothing gets done about it - ring Dean Marshall up and ask him why the service is so slack there too.
I replied to the nice policeman standing on my door step -
"Oh so having to call the national call centre, to have them contact the agency, to see if a parcel is waiting for me to collect it, because I can't ring them my self, is some how a criminal offence."
And they are saying that calling them (indirectly) to find out if a parcel has arrived (because their bullshit tracking system is worthless), and aside from travelling all the way over there, to PERSONALLY go to the counter and ask, there is no other way to find out if the parcel has arrived - other than by ringing the national call centre, to ask them to call the Wedderburn post office.....
The people running the Wedderburn post office are calling this harrassment.
(You mean that the common practice of calling all sorts of places to see if the spares / books / parts / clothing / on back order / in stock etc., should not apply to a post office, with their worthless tracking - and if you do, that is harrassment)
So the history of how this came about:
Here we have me going into the Wedderburn Post Office at 9.20am March 13 2013, to pick up my last parcel from there ever.
This is very interesting.
The other woman there (nice) gave me my parcel, and then I asked to speak to SHARON, the Canadian Post Mistress......
This is where it gets really trippy.
I shall explain - with a slight recap.
Because of the completely unacceptable conduct of the guy running the Charlton Post Office – I sacked him, and routed my parcels through to Wedderburn instead.
It's only 34Km to the next town, I usually can sync it with seeing friends, shopping, and I usually get some exercise as well.
Generally the parcels are not tracked, so thanks to the idiots that manage Australia Post, people basically can no longer call the post offices any more, which used to take 30 seconds, and all calls have to go via the National Call Centre, the waiting times are typically 15 – 30 minutes, then the person there has to call the post office for you and ask them, what you asked the call centre person.
That is of the one person in ten, who will actually do it for you.
That is of the one person in ten, who will actually do it for you.
Most times it's a total prick to have to deal with most of the people in the national call centre, as soon as you give them the reason why you need them to call the Wedderburn Post Office, i.e. your off the roadside mail delivery run, and you get no mail delivered, and rather than waste a trip all the way into town, to check if a parcel is there, it's easier to ring, or have the post office rung for you, to find out...
9 out of 10 people at the national call centre will ask, “Have you been carded?” followed by “Do you know if there is a parcel waiting there for you to pick it up?” - and just endless stupid bullshit – and doing everything and anything except to actually call the post office for you.
But the 1 in 10 people will actually just make the call....
So anyway, back to the story.
I'd usually get one or two parcels, every 2 or 3 weeks... so given the rule of thumb that parcels tend to take say 4 days from Adelaide, or 5 days from Sydney, or 7 to 10 days from Bisbane (what ever), I'd ring the post office, care of the national call centre, around 4 or 5 or 8 – 9 days after the packages were sent.
Keep in mind that Australia Post does have a kind of suspect delivery time table up this way at best, if it turns up at all.
And if the parcels had of arrived, I would usually go over ASAP to pick them up.
But on ONE day, over about 4 or 5 months, I had two parcels in transit, ideally they would have arrived around the same time give or take a day or two, so I asked the guy in the national call centre, to call the Wedderburn Post Office, to see there were was a package waiting for me to pick it up. The relayed answer was affirmative. So he had ended that call to that post office, but then I remembered that I had the two parcels in transit, and I really should have asked “and how many of them are there as well?” but I forgot too, so rather than lose a decent person at the National Call Centre and go back into the 9 out of 10 dud lucky dip, and I asked the guy while he was still on the line, if he could call the Wedderburn post office back, to find out.
If both parcels were there I could go and pick them up, and if only one was there, I could resync my visit to Wedderburn to another day, later that week or early to mid next week, and to catch up with some friends, and to make alternative arrangements, along with spares, food and all that....
I am not sure if I did make a 3rd call, to the national call centre, that day, but I might have, that if today was Tuesday, would they open on Wednesday or Friday, as there are many odd public holidays popping up – and things get a little haywire.
There is the Melbourne Cup, the Bendigo Cup, some Australia Day things? The Wedderburn gold festival, like when “we” up this way are open, Melbourne shuts down, and vis versa, with the Bendigo Cup, and I don't know if the post office is synchronising it's closure / early closure, long weekend hours, etc., with anything else....
I have no idea.
So I think I may have called the national call centre, to have them call the Wedderburn post office, to see what days they were going to be open over the next few days / early next week etc..
Not a big deal you'd think - Calling the national call centre to call them, to ask them if they are having any closed days over the next week or so.
So this is the three calls I had made to the national call centre, probably in the one day, the first, last and only time ever.
So this is the three calls I had made to the national call centre, probably in the one day, the first, last and only time ever.
Well not according to Sharon – Post Mistress of the Wedderburn Post office.
Well the day that I went over there to pick up the two parcels, as soon as she had been told that I wanted to talk to her...
She came out from the back and immediately turned purple with rage.
So I stated, “I was recently contacted by someone claiming to be from Australia Post, saying that your not happy about me contacting you, via the national call centre”....
So what does she do? She interrupts with, “Your not allowed to call the national call centre. You have been banned from using it.”
I thought:
a) “This is news to me.” and
b) “Oh noesssss I have been banned from calling the very place, that has consistently provided some of the very worst customer service, I have ever come across, and it's so bad, that given the choice between calling the national call centre and not - I'd be on the phone to the couriers, without even considering calling the national call centre.
c) And as she claims, to have been banned from calling the Australia Post National Call Centre – “Ohhhhhhh that is just going to so hurt.”
As I go to speak, she puts it to me, “Didn't the police come and visit you?”
I continue, “And that you have complained”...
And she interrupts again with, “I have complained, because you were ringing us three times a day and you were ringing us every day”
So Sharon is LYING.... Big Time...
I replied, “That is not the case”.
And Sharon continues, “And you live in Charlton, and I have no idea why you have your parcels delivered to here.”
Yeah and ????.
I also drink coffee from Africa, orange juice from Brazil, wheat from Western Australia, my T shirts are made in China, and I shop in several towns, and my petrol comes from oil in Saudi Arabia – so exactly what is her point?
Our relationship begins and ends at the counter, and anything to do with any one beyond the transaction in the post office, is non of her business either.
Then I continue on, “Ah well if providing customer service is such a problem, then I shouldn't trouble you should I.”
“Probably not” - she retorts.
And I leave......
That is the last sale she and her husband EVER made....
That is the last sale she and her husband EVER made....
So on the basis of ringing the Wedderburn Post Office, on an occassional basis, like once a week some weeks, twice a week others, and missing a few weeks here and there along the way, she has concocted this story that I am ringing them, via the national call centre, to call them, and then saying I am doing it, 3 times a day, every day, apparently for months.....
She is lying to the people in the security centre in Australia Post. She has lied to the police.
She is sending these people on wild goose chases to hassle the customer by falsifying evidence against them..
In terms of customer service, if it had of been me at the post office answering the phone, I'd be going, “Yes we have 2 parcels here for him to pick up. You tell him that we are looking forward to seeing him, and if there is anything else we can do, just ring us up anytime he wants and to have a great day.”
But not her.
What she has been doing, is really, really insane, and it's really nasty.
“You want to earn the trust and respect of customers? You want to make repeat sales? - Not a fucking chance.”
This behaviour falls into the to fraction of a percent, of the nastiest and craziest customer service that I have EVER seen.
This is the customer service, from the person, who has the license, for the post office agency, in Wedderburn.
Unbelievable.
So here she is in all her glory.
Sharon Wedderburn Vic Post Office Manager - Bad Attitude and Bad Service.
This is the owner of the Wedderburn Vic Post Office - lying her arse off - about everything she says.
She lies about me being banned from calling the national call centre. She lies to the police about the amount of times I call them to see if my parcels have arrived - and the higher up's running Australia Post refuse to prosecute her for making a false statement to the police.
This is the owner of the Wedderburn Vic Post Office - lying her arse off - about everything she says.
She lies about me being banned from calling the national call centre. She lies to the police about the amount of times I call them to see if my parcels have arrived - and the higher up's running Australia Post refuse to prosecute her for making a false statement to the police.
As a result of what the manager of the Wedderburn Victoria Post Office has done, the geniuses in Australia Posts administration / security centre, deem that you should be "visited" and be "told to get a PO box."
This is where it goes from nasty, to nasty and stupider.
On their Facebook page they say this:
I were to join the ranks of their "Off the mail run" customers, and I were to get a PO box, getting carded into the PO box, still does not tell me whether I have a parcel waiting to be picked up or not.
Rephrased this means that I am expected to go all the way into town or across to that town, to examine the PO box, to see if they have carded me, or I phone them.
Which means nothing has changed.
And if I had of had my PO box carded, saying guess what? Go into the Post Office and pick your parcel up... And if they have not carded me - it's a waste of a trip.
And IF I were to get a PO box, that agency, along with many others, do not offer notification by email or a text message...... Nothing actually useful like that.
So this is the bright idea from the Australia Post security guy, which originated with the people who run the Wedderburn Post Office.
"Yeah so getting a PO box is a really useful idea - kind of like letting the car off the jack, while your still under it."
This like the anti-christ of customer service.
The guy at the Wedderburn post office bad mouths me with his bullshit on the first day...
And they keep on with their crap - which just goes on and on and on....
Do you know how likely they are now to:
a) Earn a customer; or
b) Retain a customer; or
c) Do any future business with that customer?
It's Fucking Zero.
These are the sorts of people and their attitudes, that you erase from your supply chain, because they are an impediment and a liability.
People excelling at unhelpfulness are not desirable team players.
People who really go out of their way to totally fuck your life up - never get rehired.
This is where their standards of service get them.
The peasants are revolting. Yes aren't they darling.
There are so many other people in so many forums, that are saying, "Australia Post is is so bad - that we do not use them any more".
This is one guy from their Facebook page.
"Well AP, I have almost completed one of my goals for the year - to not have anything delivered by you, I now use email and couriers... there are still a couple of things that get posted, but I am finding ways of changing that."
This chick says her 2c worth as well.
"Well done once again AP. Your lazy delivery people cant even get off their bikes and ring my door bell to deliver registered mail when I have been home ALL day. I am so sick and tired of this, I have made complaints to no avail. Shame we dont have any alternatives as we do with all other services (gas, elec, phone etc) cos you would have been dumped a long time ago."
.
This gets worse....
I went and did an FOI on the information that the Australia Post Security people had provided to the police, because what the cops were relaying, came across as a mish mashed pile of vindictive shit from the security people in Australia post....
It had a really dirty slant in it.... I know the police and these were not their own words.
I know exactly what has been going on and I have picked up on the discrepancies.
And this is what came back from the FOI application.
The Response to my Application:
"I refer to your email dated 8 January 2013 in which you have sought access to various documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (“Act”). You have requested the following documents from Australia Post:
The type of information you are seeking is exempt from release and Australia Post would not be able to release private and confidential correspondence between the Security Department of Australia Post and the Victorian Police Force involving a current investigation.
Disclosure of such documents would, pursuant to section 37(2)(b) of the FOI Act, disclose lawful methods or procedures used by Australia Post for the detection and investigation of any alleged abuses of the Australia Post network and staff."
The Review of the FOI:
Oliver Cousland
Corporate Lawyer
Australia Post
Finance and Assurance - Legal
Level 11, 111 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Because Dean Marshall of the Australia Post security centre, is too lazy to either first off - to inspect their own internal data base for calls from the national call centre to the Wedderburn post office - coupled with my number...
Which would blow her story out of the water.....
And he is too lazy to get my call logs from my phone company -
So they have placed me under surveillance, for calling the national call centre, to call the people running the Wedderburn post office, to see if my package/s have arrived, because their tracking system is bullshit and their Agency, then snivelled that providing customer service was harrassment....
This is what I have been told.
Ohhh having to provide customer service is harrasment....
30 seconds on the phone, once or twice a week at most - with many weeks where there is no calls, is harrassment.
You mean these are the kinds of people who get handed a license to run an Australia post agency?
"Serve the customer?
I am having my cup of tea.
Tell them I am busy. Tell them to come back later."
This is how you handle these kinds of people:
The agency in Charlton have totally lost the business. The guy who runs that will never ever be rehired again. To the day he either dies or the business gets sold, they will never get hired again.
The Agency in Wedderburn - they are only working as a parcel delivery point... nothing else. They will never make another sale, eftpos transaction, christmas card purchase etc... - and their status as a delivery point is being eliminated as we speak.
All business's that ship by courier will get first preference. The people who ship ONLY via Australia post will be on the last priority list - but they will be asked to consider using good courier companies when the opportunity question.
But where suppliers who use Australia Post exclusively and refuse to upgrade their delivery options, they will be, where ever possible, eliminated from the supply chain.
So that means that I can drop their Australia Posts handling my packages from say 70% of the total volume, to under 5% almost immediately.
And the national call center, they are such a great time wasting bullshit trip... that HAVING to call them again for any reason what so ever, is like the last thing I want to ever have to do....
In the 15 minutes to half an hour on hold, plus the time dealing with "The computer says NO" types, and then the endless diatribe of bullshit to try and get anything done and then having to dump the call and keep calling back until you actually get someone who can do what is needed.. And there are SO many people who complain about this too.....
Well given that this can take hours... of just frustration and time wasting - in one hour I can make say 6 bookings with 6 different courier companies over the phone - while Australia Post just goes no where.
This is how BAD Australia Post is.....
Australia post claim to have a 3.5% loss rate....
They have 3.5% of packages, parcels and other articles go missing.
This is 35 articles per 1000, go missing.
Is that the reported losses, or are things like only the undeliverables that turns up in the dead letter dept count? Does it include all the stuff that gets stolen?
Does this include the losses that are not reported? or are not known about? Or how much are the figures fudged with clever accounting? How many of them are just NOT recorded when people complain about it?
Many people get told "Well? what do you want me to do about it?" - the seemingly all pervasive attitude of agency staff and national call centre - who just bullshit and buck pass until you give up and go away....
I have been on the end of that myself.... Not impressed.
Mindful of the former, how much creative accounting actually goes into bullshitting the collected figures? For instance, could 1000 people complain and only 300 of the complaints actually get noted? Then through some clever interpretation of policies and figure fudging, that number gets reduced to 75 complaints? of which only 35 were "substantiated".
This is 2013, and the "alleged" REPORTED loss rate is 3.5%......
It should be 0.3%.
But it's not - it's way higher and I suspect that it's way higher than what the management of Australia Post let on - or even know about.
The organisation has more opportunities for theft than germs on a terd.
About the PO Boxes.
They also want to charge like $100 a year for a PO box the that would barely hold a small running shoe, instead of carrying the mail in a bag all around town on a motorbike or in a car for the RMB's - and hand delivering it.
There is no email and SMS notifications that comes with it - and they will piss and moan and whine when they are rung, but they will not try to do anything as imaginative as card you from the next town.
There is no obligation to use any agency, especially if the service is appalling at the local one, so I can see every reason for using any agency I so choose, AND also to expect to be carded from that agency as well....
But since that is such a hassle, and and it breaches the Australia Post "brain dead" policy - why should they get any business? Why should customers put up with getting stomped on as they try to make you conform to their bullshit?
We do not have too, and we are not going too.
As far as Australia Post goes, they can shove their PO box up their arse....
I am not paying for it. I am not putting up with their "stand over the customer" crap either. Every step of the way - that these people have handled this, it's bullshit and I am not wearing any of it.
Where ever possible, ALL business has gone either online or to OTHER service providers. In a whole year, I had ONE package delivered via Australia Post - and not through the two local agencies either.... I just happened to have a post pack laying around and needed to actually send something.
As far as the guy running the Wedderburn agency goes, he might think he is smart with his bad mouthing of me when he first met me, I can turn his attitude back on him. Serving up shit works both ways.
"You can always leave their crap with them."
"If you think providing customer service is such a hassle, then I won't trouble you to provide it."
To quote myself, - "I don't put up with their shit and they don't get my money. This is what I call a good deal."
I have also come to see that when traders try on this kind of crap, their competition appreciates their business acumen. I get better service, better prices, with nicer people from other suppliers, and the bad attitude traders get to keep their bullshit.
The Australia Post National Call Centre......
The national call centre is staffed by people who really could not tell the difference between an enema hose and a fire hose. It's staffed by people who do incredibly stupid shit to customers that never ever should happen, and they just keep right on doing it.....
While they are sticking me in cues that take like up too 25 minutes of my time, and 9 out of 10 of them do nothing except feed me bullshit and give me run around, or try to make their lack of mental acumen, my problem.
They have failed to catch on that they are the best thing that their competition could ever ask for.
Customers don't and won't put up with this shit, and - establishing an account with a courier and organising a delivery only takes 5 or 10 minutes and it only ever has to be done once.
While I have the couriers on speed dial, the management and staff of Australia Post are determined to do all they can to fuck me around, and do nothing but that, forever.
The quality of service overall, from stopping people from ringing the local agency, the lack of accountability and the long call waiting times, the total bullshit people have to put up with when things get stolen, lost, delivered to the wrong place, or they are all having to go to the post office to pick up parcels that should have been delivered to the delivery address - is the perfect recipe for driving people to sack them and hire the competition....
Lots of people have done it and lots of people say it on the assorted websites and forums.....
The security centre of Australia Post...
After seeing that the woman running the agency in Wedderburn has complained about me having to call them via the national call centre to see if my parcel has arrived, because their entire tracking / notification system is up shit creek, so they stick me under surveillance for that - I would not hire any of them.
It's just part and parcel of the shit service from Australia Post.
Lets go into how BAD Australia Post really is.
There are my experiences - which are just appalling.
There are tens of thousands of complaints... on their own Facebook pages... and other websites, Log into it and have a look...
For every 1 person who complains, you can be sure that there are about 10,000 pissed off people who have been burned, but haven't gone to the Facebook page.
This is typical...
"Ordered items off asos a week ago. Tracked package with no issues until today. At work I checked aus post's tracking and it said delivered, but when I got home it was nowhere to be seen and no card.
I called aus post and they said it had been left at the address and that I had to contact the sender to get them to contact aus post to begin an investigation. Is there anything else I can do? And if it is never found what will the outcome be?"
This is the idea:
You the consumer have to say this to yourself and to them. "Why should the responsibility for lodging the complaint, rest with the sender?
I am the person who's package it is, I am the person who paid for the sending and the product! I own it totally and you people have lost or stolen it."
I say NO to your policies - I say different.
Give me my property, the goods you lost or stole back.
If the people in Australia Post try this attitude on, the "Oh well tough shit for you.", get stuck into them.
Start to kick heads - ring the big knobs and make waves and get your stolen stuff returned. It's your stuff, they stole it / lost it / delivered it to the wrong address.
Make them hand it back.
Don't put up with the crap they serve you at the post office or the National Call Centre.
Make them hand it back.
There is enormous amounts of bad vibes about Australia Post on the internet...
It's an overall composite of shit service.
The grand daddy of them all
Google:
"Australia Post" - 12 million results
Look up the results when you search on these terms.
Fuck + "Australia Post" - 100,000 results. These ones are the best though. We are so pleased with the eternal bullshit from Australia post, we now use private couriers for everything - so many people are saying.
Fuck + Australia + Post - somewhere between 13 million and 5 million results.
"Australia Post" + bad - 700,000 results.
"Australia Post" complaints - 300,000 results
This is a good little site:
http://www.australiapostmonitor.me/
This is a picture from one of their articles...
RTS – WTF ?!
I posted a parcel via Australia Post’s Click and Send service a couple of weeks ago. It was addressed to
Recipient’s Name
Shop 6
1-3 Moore Road
FRESHWATER NSW 2096
In the delivery instructions, I chose the option ‘If premises unattended place a card in the post box and leave parcel at nearest AP outlet.’
10 days later, the parcel was returned to me because of ‘Insufficient Address’. Huh? What’s insufficient about the above address? According to ‘Alice’ who is one of the Australia Post social media team on Facebook, it’s because the name of the shop was not included in the address.
Now by this stage, I’m guessing that at least 50% of the people reading this have googled the above address and found out not only its name, but also the fact that it’s RIGHT NEXT DOOR to the nearest AP outlet!!
This is typical:
http://the-riotact.com/australia-post-getting-parcels-delivered/68387
In brief:
Issue:
In my case the deliverer doesn’t seem to even leave a card saying they’ve called, which means I have no way of knowing whether or not I’ve received something.
Response:
This happens all the time in Wanniassa. We’ve had this issue for four years now, and no amount of complaining to Australia Post or the local post office makes any difference. I sometimes have a whinge on Facebook and Twitter when it happens, and it seems to be a national phenomenon.
Followed by this:
There’s a loooong thread on whirlpool about this. Many of the Australia Post people especially the van drivers are contractors, so less accountable once they’ve got the contract. Many accounts of people sitting in their home/apartment watching the Aus Post guy put a red card in their letterbox, not even attempting to deliver the actual parcel. There’s a few anecdotes of people running out and catching the driver, only to discover that the parcel isn’t even IN the van!
And this:
You are not alone.
I dont live in Oracle or any apartment – I live in a house and I cant get a parcel delivered! If I am lucky, parcels addressed to my home address may result in a card in the letter box, but the parcel post delivery people never knock on the door.
I also have a PO box in Belconnen and have probelms even getting a card there, to tell me there is a parcel (that needs to be signature before delivery) for pick up.
I have had a couple of embarassing incidents with them over the last tfew months where, after not receiving a parcel for several weeks (and checking with the PO staff in the mornings continually over that period) I have complained to the sender of the parcels only to be told (by the person/company sending the parcel to me) that the parcel is in fact waiting for collection and of course they would have placed a card in the PO box to tell me……..
All complaints about the fact I have never received a card and had asked about the parcel multiple times (always being assured there was nothing for me) are met with silence from Australia Post.
Australia Post scamming the customers? These people think so.
Their facebook page, go through the archives... some absolute doozies in there.
https://www.facebook.com/australiapost?viewas=0&sk=wiki&rf=110779542283023&filter=2
Search the Whirlpool forums.
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/?action=threads_search&q=Australia+Post&f=&fg=-1
In the Australia Post General Discussion forums, the approval rating across some 4000 odd posts, is not good. That is about 240 web pages with about 20 posts to a page.
Many people are saying get rid of Australia Post, and use couriers.
Australia Post General Discussion 01
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1286809
Australia Post General Discussion 02
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1563330
Australia Post General Discussion 03
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1926374
Australia Post's Policy - Fragile Items
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=485591
Australia Post passing on information
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1671609
This has some good things in it:
Australia Post Phone Numbers
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1328493
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marcus:
I tried getting my local Post Office phone number just before, and have discovered that it's impossible.
Instead I call the 131318 number which is redirected straight into an Indian call center.
I press all the appropriate buttons. 1...3...3 etc for operator...
I ask for the Local post office phone number, because I wanted to find out if I needed to make an appointment for Passport renewal.
"Sorry Sir we don't give out the Phone numbers for our branches"
What? why not?
She said it's because we (call center) are the first point of call...
I hang up...
I find this is ridiculous. What if you wanted to find out if a parcel or something is there...or the latest stamp you ordered... and you lived out of town and was trying to save driving in there....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My point being I find in this day in age, outrageous that you are prevented from calling up your local...[whatever] where's the customer service to the local community gone...
Why do I need to press one to make another inquiry then press 3 to talk to an operator, only to be put on hold saying you are 10th in line and be forced to listen to a voice over guy telling me how great [insert company here] are, and how much they appreciate us and striving to build their customer service...[beep, you are now 5th in line...beep]...
I just want to call my local post office why is it so hard....?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Greg:
You call up the main call centre...
The local post offices don't have the time/expertise/systems to deal with most problems via the phone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marcus:
You call up the main call centre...Excuse me call center person...do you know If my local post office has the stapler I ordered last week in or not? just so I don't have waste petrol driving into town to check...
Please...
The local post offices don't have the time/expertise/systems to deal with most problems via the phone.
neither does the local bank or newsagent, or Hospital or Police station etc etc...but I can still call them...
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This is good:
The first few reviews look like they are written by Aus Post shills....
But the rest of them.....
http://www.productreview.com.au/p/australia-post.html
This is really good 2 people say the service is good, 21 people say it's totally awful and most of them say to use couriers.
http://www.productreview.com.au/p/australia-post-eparcel.html
Someone caught the management out scamming the people of Australia with the fake security surcharge - a $10 tax on postage to the USA....
Australia Post "Security Surcharge"
I think they got caught out on their scamming for a fake charge. See how the General Manager of Australia post spews some crap and how the other poster just brings him undone.
http://www.notgoodenough.org/viewtopic.php?p=327176
Post subject: Australia Post "Security Surcharge"
And a typical list of couriers....
Google. Australia. Search. Couriers + location = results.
Pretty Simple.
This is a good one too.
Google. Australia. Search. alternatives to Australia Post
It's also a good idea to sift through the forums and postings - there are some good references, recommendations and links in there.
Australia Post alternative for online store? - Small business ...
www.flyingsolo.com.au › ... › Today's hot topics › Starting a business4 posts - 4 authors - 28 Apr 2012Just wondering what everyone's opinions are about some alternatives to using Australia Post for our online orders? As pretty annoyed.TIVO's and alternatives - 7 posts - 23 Nov 2012
Ausralia Post alternative & shipping overseas - 7 posts - 13 Apr 2012
Domestic freight help requ'd for large parcels - 2 posts - 4 Apr 2011
Shipping Methods?? Cheap Boxes?? - 12 posts - 19 Jul 2009Australia Post Alternatives for Parcels Under 500g?: Trading on ...
community.ebay.com.au/topic/.../Australia-Post-Alternatives/500152...Australia Post Alternatives for Parcels Under 500g?: I know there are plenty of Australia Post alternatives for parcels over 500 grams, but does anyone know if ...Alternatives to Australia Post? - On the internet
forums.whirlpool.net.au › On the internet5 posts - 5 authors - 29 Sep 2009Not sure if this is the best place for this, but it seems to be a bit of mixed business :) Basically, I'm wondering if there are any alternatives to ...Outrageous Australia Post charges - Shopping - 18 posts - 24 Aug 2012
Australia Post: seamail delivery time? - 5 posts - 5 Nov 2011
Any cheaper alternative to Auspost? - Shopping - 3 posts - 10 Jun 2011
Int'l Parcels: Why AusPost so expensive? - Shopping - 49 posts - 12 Jan 2011Alternatives to AUSTRALIA POST for international shipping? - Yahoo ...
au.answers.yahoo.com › ... › Australia › General - Australia4 answers - 2 Feb 2009Top answer: Hi. Thanks for your answer to my question before.. ^^ I think AUSTPOST is the easiest and safest way to send your parcel to overseas. You can find ...Australia Post exploiting online shoppers | IR News | Inside Retail
www.insideretailing.com.au/.../Australia-Post-exploiting-online-shop...Oct 12, 2011 – Online retailers exasperated by Australia Post's paralysing monopoly ... Amazon is testing a similar concept in London, using alternative courier ...Core Economics | Deliver me from Australia Post
economics.com.au/?p=9364Sep 25, 2012 – I don't think it's fair to blame Australia Post or their posties. ... then it should say so, so the public can get over it and explore alternatives. Parcel Lockers - Australia Post
auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/parcel-lockers.htmlPlease note: Australia Post will accept domestic and international parcels from .... 24/7 Parcel Lockers are a convenient alternative to home delivery that allow ...Essential Baby > Alternative to Australia Post
www.essentialbaby.com.au › Essential Baby › General › Miscellaneous4 posts - 3 authors - 3 Dec 2004Is there an alternative for sending parcles/mail with Australia Post? Is it cost efficient or does it work out a lot dearer? Do they have a guarantee ...Need a quick reliable alternative to Australia Post - quicksales Forum
www.quicksales.com.au › Community › Help Forum17 posts - 11 authors - 3 Dec 2009Forum discussion - Need a quick reliable alternative to Australia Post - quicksales.com.au.Australia Post alternatives... - quicksales Forum
www.quicksales.com.au › Community › Help Forum5 posts - 3 authors - 18 Apr 2009Forum discussion - Australia Post alternatives... - quicksales.com.au.DX Member Products
www.tollpriority.com.au › ... › Services › Documents & Mail › DX MailSometimes, Members accidentally lodge mail with Australia Post that was meant for DX. ... The SameState satchel is a fantastic alternative to large envelopes, ...Online retailing: shipping costs higher in Australia too | Crikey
www.crikey.com.au/2011/.../are-we-being-gouged-on-delivery-as-w...Jun 8, 2011 – “We believe that Australia Post's parcel service is price competitive and best value for money for the average user, compared to alternative ...
Go on... have a look. ;)
Enter the brave new world of choice.
just found this article after doing an image search on "Australia Post give the finger" which is basically how I feel after a protracted battle to get some action on a service failure. I honestly did not know how bad their customer service was until I experienced it first hand - more than a month of me chasing them and not one outbound phone call from them to try to help solve it. I got my resolution letter from them yesterday and the only info that was accurate was my name and address. They might was well have sent me a photo of them all giving me the finger...
ReplyDeleteI am not the least bit surprised that they failed to include a complimentary cactus to shove up your arse as well, because that would have required effort.
ReplyDeleteI have a way of evaluating such situations, in that if everything I put out there, is being bounced back at me, then what I am facing is a wall.
So forget the fumes at the coal face, forget about stomping on the middle managers and all the buck passing bullshit - contact these people and get results.
Here you go:
Contact them:
CEO
Mr Ahmed Fahour
Location Australia Post, 111 Bourke St, Melbourne Vic 3000
Postal Address GPO Box 1777, Melbourne Vic 3001
Telephone (03) 9204 7171
Fax (03) 9206 4152
ahmed.fahour@auspost.com.au
Chief Operating Officer
Mr Ewen Stafford
Location Australia Post, 111 Bourke St, Melbourne Vic 3000
Postal Address GPO Box 1777, Melbourne Vic 3001
Telephone (03) 9106 8966
Fax (03) 9206 4119
ewan.stafford@auspost.com.au
Executive General Manager, Parcels & Express Services
Mr Richard Umbers
Location Australia Post, 111 Bourke Street, Melbourne Vic 3000
Postal Address GPO Box 1777, MELBOURNE VIC 3001
Telephone (03) 9106 9724
Fax (03) 9206 4119
christine.corbett@auspost.com.au
Executive General Manager, Post Operations Network
Mr Steve Ousley
Location Australia Post, 111 Bourke St, Melbourne Vic 3000
Postal Address GPO Box 1777, MELBOURNE VIC 3001
Telephone (03) 9106 9581
Fax (03) 9206 4119
steve.ousley@auspost.com.au
Executive General Manager, Corporate Affairs & People
Mr Chris Blake
Location Australia Post, 111 Bourke Street, Melbourne Vic 3000
Postal Address GPO Box 1777, Melbourne Vic 3001
Telephone (03) 9106 7411
Fax (03) 9206 4119
chris.blake@auspost.com.au
And then start to move all your business to respondents (other business's) that offer shipping by other service providers besides Australia Post - and put your favourite couriers on speed dial.
ReplyDeleteWorked in IT for them for a while, and the senior management all had a chuckle when the subject of 'not delivering but dropping a slip in the mailbox' arose. Made me feel sick.
ReplyDelete