Utterly Scum-Tastic! Australia Post spruiks MyPost Digital Mailbox as it pushes for $1 postage

The bait and switch games for a bullshit service.

Great Article. Helpful comments.

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/gadgets-on-the-go/australia-post-spruiks-mypost-digital-mailbox-as-it-pushes-for-1-postage-20150831-gjbhut.html

Adam Turner

August 31 2015

Buy anything at the post office and they'll ask for your email address as Australia Post struggles to make the shift to digital.


There's a disturbing trend among retailers to ask for more personal information than they really need when you're buying something over the counter, hoping to grab your phone number and email address to add to their marketing database.

Even Australia Post is in on the act, seemingly asking every customer for their email address even if you've just popped in to buy a few stamps.

If you politely ask why the post office needs your email address for such a simple transaction, you're cheerfully told it's just so they can email you a receipt for the purchase – even though they'll also hand you a paper receipt over the counter.

If you politely tell them to piss off – due to privacy considerations or simply the fact that you don't want to end up on yet another marketing list – they'll still sell you your stamps.

Hand over your email address and you're not actually sent a receipt. Instead you're invited to register for Australia Post's MyPost Digital Mailbox service – the post office's attempt to stay relevant in the digital age. You can receive your bills electronically and store documents online, plus Australia Post plans to offer parcel tracking via MyPost Digital Mailbox.

According to the Subject line "Your Australia Post receipt has arrived", but it's not attached to the email. Instead you're told;

The receipt for this transaction is now securely stored in a MyPost Digital Mailbox with your name on it. Pretty nifty, eh?

We can securely store this receipt for 30 days, but if you want to store it for longer you'll need to activate your MyPost Digital Mailbox.

MyPost Digital Mailbox has been around for a few years, but now Australia Post has started pushing it over the counter to every customer. It's not surprising considering the service is struggling to make headway against competing online services like BPAY View.

Australia Post would seem to be cutting its own throat by encouraging people not to receive bills via the post, but the fact is that people are abandoning the post anyway. Rather than receiving their bills via snail mail they opt to receive them directly via email or via an online portal like BPAY View. Australia Post survived a digital challenge from Digital Post Australia but others will come, so the post office would rather you use its digital service than someone else's.

For people who would rather send and receive correspondence the old-fashioned way, Australia Post is pushing to bump up the price of sending a letter from 70 cents to $1. Last week it asked the consumer watchdog to approve the 30 cent price increase for standard letters – yet offer slower delivery times as of next year.

How do you receive your bills in the digital age? Is it time to sign up for a MyPost Digital Mailbox?


Comments: 

** It would appear that this conduct constitutes a breach of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), specifically Australian Privacy Principle 2 by not allowing individuals to interact with AusPost anonymously. you need not identify yourself to purchase postage stamps or most other items from a Post Shop.
In addition, sending the customer an email promoting the Digital Mailbox would not meet the threshold test for either express or inferred consent under the Spam Act 2007 (Cth) - you cannot infer consent from a one off transaction.

Both the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner and the Australian Communications & Media Authority should commence an own motion investigation against Australia Post in respect of the legislation for which they have oversight. This is an egregious breach of both data privacy and spam law and should be dealt with immediately!

Australian Privacy Foundation: The ball has been passed to you. Now its time to run with it! *They ask for your email address but, like I said, it's not mandatory to give it to them. You can say no and they will still sell you stamps. That said, there is no "opt out from further communications" link at the bottom of the email, which may be a problem if they continue to send emails. *The point is: They are drift netting for personal data and using very deceptive means to do so, namely offering a receipt emailed to the customer. The deceptive part is that the receipt is locked away in a Digital Mailbox for which registration, and more collection of personal data, is required.


** The email itself also promotes the Digital Mail Box. AusPost do not have your express consent to send you a Commercial Electronic Message (as defined by the Spam Act) nor can they infer your consent to receive a Commercial Electronic Message based on a one off interaction.


** Given AusPost prides itself as being one of Australia's most trusted brands (see their annual report for the past 10 years), this drift netting of personal data is misleading, deceptive and on the whole ,slimy, and not worthy of our trust. *Truth is, Australians have been ripped off for years by the PMG era inefficiencies of AustraliaPost. Remarkable that a parcel that cost $14 from the US to here, costs $56 to return it via post.


** Now they want a cost increase for less work and poorer service.


** Bring on competition. Hopefully that will induce a corporate rethink and clean out the dead wood and the expensive surplus of middle management. *They charge more for a track and trace from Sydney to a suburb than it cost me for a US track and trace from Washington state and I could track it all the way on USPS but not on the Aus Post site. *Australia Post is in need of strong and natonal competition. I posted some cloths home from a recent holist in an Aust Post purchased satchel. The package arrived opened and it had been gone through. I paid $26.00 to post it.


** They often loose items. Their costs are exorbitant.

** As for getting bills I now have most of them emailed directly from the compaies I deal with. *I don't think you will find anyone will want to compete with them for sending letters, its a shrinking market, that is aus posts problem.


** As for sending parcels there are plenty of options, you don't need to use aus post of you dont want to. *Don't sign up if you intend to just check it out. Closing an account is more complex than trying to rollover Super Acoounts!

I've been advised they couldn't close my account as they couldn't verify my (only) Postal Address..sheesh,

At best it's a fledgling and kludgy system in need of a lot more development and Providers. A lot like early MyGov. In reality it's only a bridge between you and other providers.

Be prepared for their Spam as well.

Wait till they get it right.


** "Is it time to sign up for a MyPost Digital Mailbox?" No, I'll wait for a better alternative.

** I signed up a few months ago and it forced me to enter a code TXT'd to my phone every time I logged in, and now, since I no longer have the registered phone number, I can't access my account anymore. Yes, I can ring them up for help, but that's simply not digital, that's analogue at best. I think with the way that Australia Post do business, I'll be seeking an alternative for everything they offer.


** Agree that the MyPost hurdle jumping is far more onerous than beneficial. I have multiple rental properties that all receive snail mail rates, taxes etc. Thought I would give Australia Post the opportunity to step up when offered MyPost with Brisbane City Council. The process required multiple steps and warnings that it will take a while to verify with the Biller - when the next set of rates arrived the steps to actually get to the rate notice - pay and download a receipt for my tax purposes was terrible. Much quicker to receive in the letterbox, pay on line and scan in the paper to create my own PDF storage. *I send letters online via services like l-mail.com and docsaway.com. They ultimately use traditional post services without the hassle of going to a post office to buy or post stamps. Maybe Australia Post should offer something similar? *Sell it and let it be swamped by competition, absolutely hopeless, price gouging parcel senders sometimes mail is cheaper from Germany than Queensland. Highly paid Bosses don't seem to help their cause...... RIP Post Office


** I never provide any personal details for any reason regardless of what they are for. I do not even provide details to allow registration authorities to cross reference Drivers Licence and Rego Details

This information is collected collated then on sold

This is also why I have no personnel internet connection, loans toll tags, Key Cards, Credit Cards, Mobile Telephones Face Book and the likes etc
Any and all electronic footprints are treated as above; collected collated and on sold, without he owners knowledge or consent!


** While I admire your stance , there may be a little "cutting off your nose to spite your face "happening here. The trick is to pick and choose the technology that works for you. There are various ways you can use technology without giving away your personal details, or at least only giving the details you want to give. You are completely right about social media/Facebook etc. . !! Haha!!


** it's interesting how people always compare Post on major routes. This is where competitors have an advantage. Try comparing Hoboken new jersey to upper cumbucta west. Oh you can't because they don't do that route :)


** I fix computers. This week I have had two serious virus attacks to attempt repair. Both were cyber attacks that stuffed the HDD and suggested a repair centre to call for paid help. Both machined had just received email from post box accounts. I am very concerned at their security on servers!! Both machine HDDs were a write off.


** Australia Post (and postal services in general) have had a good run. The modern postage system has had monopoly status for some 150 years. Now it should be allowed to gradually diminish to whatever it should naturally be. Unless of course the government wants to offload this dying dud business onto naive mum and dad investors...


** If AusPost want to push their MyPost services so much, why are they so determined to hide it on their website? The link to log in or sign up to MyPost is an inconspicuous red link in the far corner of the AusPost landing page, and is extremely easy to miss even when you are looking for it. At least it is bigger and more eye catching than their 'Locations & hours' link, which is the most common reason I visit the site. Sometimes I think AusPost don't want you to use them.