Australia Post

Customer service is top of the list for the happy folk who work under the guise of Australia Post.

Seemingly incapable of using initiative for any task other than work avoidance, this leads to non existant customer service.

Some time ago, my mail was being kept in a post restante service by Australia Post, daily, I would stop by the collection office ~15mins before closing time. On a regular basis the front door would be locked, but the lights would be on, I assumed there was a plausible reason for this, and gave the benefit of the doubt. 
However, one day I arrived ~30mins before closing time as I was expecting an important package, when I tried to open the door, it was locked, and at the very same time, I watched (through) the glass window of the door, as three work shy Australia Post staff hid for cover behind the counter, in a similar fashion to meerkats. Quite what they were doing remains a mystery to this day. 
Shortly after, I found a park bench to live on with a mail box, and post restante was history in my mind.


I enjoy receiving parcels from overseas, particularly when I'm avoiding lining the pockets of Gerry Harvey . Australia post have proved to me on many occasions a total lack of understanding when linking the addressee of parcel with the parcel, which you would think was their core business.
My last parcel which disappeared into the Australia Post void, was apparently signed for by a "John Smith"*, at my home address, at a time when I was at home, needless to say my name is not John Smith. 
To my amazement, Australia Post's call center, had no record of this delivery, despite the fact that I could see this on Australia Post's on line tracking website. When I explained to the unhelpful operator on the telephone, she claimed that an internet check on her computer also showed that the parcel had not been delivered.
With this I visited my friendly local Post Office, and explained the situation, I was told that John Smith was the delivery driver, and had probably signed for it himself. No explanation was given to the likely whereabouts of the said parcel. 
I gave John Smith the benefit of the doubt, and assumed he had delivered the parcel, and it had been stolen. A week later the parcel appeared on my doorstep, I can only assume that my studded leather g-string was too small for John Smith.
*Name of Australia Post employee changed to protect identity.

The staff at my local post office are a happy bunch, seemingly happy to work as slow as possible when the highest volume of traffic comes through their doors (4-5pm - as GST dodging folk come to collect their parcels from overseas). Of late, the consequence of this go-slow by the three staff (well, 2 and a half if I'm honest) at my local Post Office results in a queue out of the door from about 4.15pm. If by 4.30pm you haven't secured your place in the queue, you can look forward to playing Russian roulette in the queue, as at 4.55pm, the counter closes and all those folk in the queue are ungracefully asked to leave the store empty handed, presumably so the staff can consult with John Smith on the days cache.

I understand that Australia Post needs to bring new blood into the organisation from time to time, though recently I was amazed to see in busiest post office in town, a trainee working the only open counter (out of six) during the busiest time of the day (lunchtime - desk jockeys need to stretch their legs at least once a day). I always try to give trainees an additional time allowance, as I understand this is a stressful period of a new job and, its probably not their choosing to be dropped in the deep end. 
However, this trainee was clearly green on this given task (posting a letter overseas) , her supervisor was less than helpful seemingly waiting for her to almost have a breakdown before offering advice on every step of the process. 15 minutes later when I expected that the transaction was complete, (normally a 2 minute task), and after my letter had been taken behind the counter and placed into a void through a letter box type portal (by the supervisor), I was asked by the trainee, what postcode the letter was going to. This was after I had paid for the transaction, and the letter had been taken from my possession and my sight. When I told her that I had no idea what the postcode was, and it was on the letter, I was told that the 'computer needed the postcode, otherwise the letter would not be delivered'. I expected that a human might read the postcode on the letter and help it to its destination (without a computer), with this I left the store, past a queue of 20 or so shaking desk jockeys.



I like postie bikes, they are uniquely Australian. What i don't understand is why there are able to ride on footpaths, when push bikes are not allowed to. What infuriates me more though is that they take a short cut through my circular drive, even when I have no mail.



On line tracking of mail is a great use of t'internet , I like the way is exposes Australia posts dragging of heels when it comes to international postage. How does a parcel from the other side of the world, take 2 days to travel to Australia, take 1 day to clear customs, then take 2 weeks to travel the last 300kms? Perhaps Gerry Harvey is screening all the parcels.

Mail forwarding is a service which has saved me a lot of hassle over the years, and I'm grateful that Australia Post offer this service, my nomadic state appreciates it. Though some time after parting with 50+ bucks for 6 months of mail forwarding, I started to get suspicious when I was getting no forwarded mail. 
I contacted Australia post, and was told that the postie, was probably 'forgetting' to stick the labels on the post which indicate the forwarding of mail. I asked Australia post to explain the process... it turns out that the postie is expected to carry around a heap of labels for each mail direction on his round, and when he gets to a house with a letter that requires a label, he is expected to stick a label on, and take it back to the sorting office. I explained to Australia post how this might be a flawed system - in that the postie has to remember every name and address of forwarded letters, and apply a label to each of these, and that this was just not practical. His reply was 'well that's why they don't do it!', so rather than change a system that doesn't work so it works, Australia post prefer to just ignore it, but expect that customers carry on paying for it. 
To add insult to injury, towards the end of my 6 months forwarding, I was sent a letter from Australia Post offering to extend my forwarding, free of charge due to this very problem, Australia post obviously don't realise, that after 6 months you've normally got your house in order and have updated your addresses with all the folk you need to. Or maybe Australia Post think that we should all pay for forwarding for ever - how convenient.