ANA123

Just replied to another thread and I wondered how many people have problems receiving and sending post Oz/UK.
We are now missing about 10 letters/parcels since we arrived, and 3 that we've sent havnt got to the uk. So:

Whats the average postal time for letters and parcels?
Is there a safer way to do it?
Is there any way of reporting/tracing lost parcels in Oz?

Thanks,
Michaela

pete n lisa

Hi Michaela

We lived in NZ for 14 years and averaged about 1 parcel in 6 getting through this was both ways NZ to UK and vice versa, in the end cheques were sent for birthdays and christmas, unfortunately it can take up to three weeks for parcels to get through but we did find a lot of our mail went missing

Hope you have better luck!

Lisa

JayDeee

I send post both parcels and letters to and from oz wuite a lot and have never lost anything. not that I want to up royal mail as I do think they are pretty cack but I have always used them to send post to OZ and never lost a thing, I do always use the sign for facility so maybe this is why.
All post sent from family in Oz has also been on the sign for service aswell.


Cheers
Kala

JayDeee

I send post both parcels and letters to and from oz wuite a lot and have never lost anything. not that I want to up royal mail as I do think they are pretty cack but I have always used them to send post to OZ and never lost a thing, I do always use the sign for facility so maybe this is why.
All post sent from family in Oz has also been on the sign for service aswell.


Cheers
Kala

Pollyana

Hiya mate,
Same as you, quite a bit seems to vanish; most of mine is official stuff - all my pension transfer stuff went down a blackhole (until I had to abandon the transfer cos I'd been here more than 6 months and the lost the tax advantage); lots of stuff to do with paying off my UK loan, and almost all my birthday cards vanished without trace.
Having worked for Post, I have to say that the amount of mail lying inside the machines, having fallen off the belts, was quite scary - until the machines break they don't empty out all the abandoned stuff inside. I was there the week before Christmas when one machine was taken apart - one of the cards in it had been sent by ME - from the UK on OCTOBER 15th - it had been in the machine ever since.

mlbonner

Hi

Sorry to hear about your bad luck - I got a card today in the post from Darwin dated June 3rd on the front, so that'd be a week I guess.

I've always been okay with Aus/Royal Mail though a package that was sent spec. delivery via air mail did take well over a week to get here from Aus.

leejo

Hi,
I am not impressed with the postal system in Oz, letters from home take a full 2 weeks to arrive. They don't deliver post here on a Saturday so I don't know if this makes a difference.
I posted a parcel in Cairns to my aunt in Ireland for her birthday (with a card and photos inside) on the 14th May and it hasn't been seen or heard of since!! Maybe she'll get it in time for her next birthday!
Joanne

MrsDagboy

Havent had any problems in the 4 years we've been sending stuff, nothing gone missing or been delayed. We regularly get stuff from the UK, quite a few parcels/postcards etc for the boys & also quite a bit of official stuff - bank statements, share stuff, insurance, pensions etc etc. We would probably average 3 or 4 items a week, at least. Most stuff gets through in under a week, I think the quickest ever was 4 days .

Not saying that nothing ever gets lost (I know it does, I used to work for TNT finding lost freight, what a nightmare that job was, let me tell you! :lecture: ), but it seems very strange that so many have gone missing in such a short time Michaela (& Polly). Have you been keeping an eye on your neighbours? :scared:

Although of course, parcels etc shouldn't ever go missing from your house anyway, as the mailman will almost always leave a card & you would have to go pick it up. Have you asked at the local post office?

Only other thing I can think of is theres a big black hole out there with your name on it :scared: .

gedge

We've had hit and miss expereinces with Oz post.
Sent a poster tube in Feb to the UK that didn't arrive till April (reckon it must have gone on a slow boat despite paying for airmail!)
We complained to the post office in March and they said wait a bit longer, then sure enough it did turn up.
Other times we've sent and received letters within about 5 working days.

ANA123

Thanks everyone.

I was actually a bit suspicious of my neighbours in the rental house as they seemed to hover for the postman and were a funny bunch( Mrs D, our parcels were always left on the doorstep, never a card to collect, we had loads the first 2 weeks then no more at all....suspicious or paranoid????)Things seem to be getting to our new house a bit better.
Theiving neighbours wouldnt account for the missing christening present that I sent for my best friends daughter on the 13th May though!!!

I've asked at the local post office but they said theres nothing they can do about the stuff sent from the uk and its too early to worry about my package not arriving (4 weeks seems ample to me????) I'm getting really fed up now.....chocolate, cd's and photos are amongst the missing items

Polly,
out of interest, when the sorting machines break and they retrieve the lost stuff, do they then send it on or is it disposed of????? (I'm hatching a plan to sabotage the machine )

kiwikwis

I used to send a package to NZ every fortnight. It seemed the bigger the package the quicker it got through. All packages were received within one week and likewise when sent from NZ to here. Letters, however, tended to take at least a fortnight or not arrive at all. My advice is to send a bigger box (filled with bubble wrap) as they tend to deal with them first as it probably clogs up the mail boxes. If anyone is sending stuff in a box from Uk to NZ or Oz remember to mark it as "Small Packet" written across the left-hand top corner (it is much cheaper than normal standard post and arrives the same time!!)

Pollyana

The stuff that got fished out was put in with the days post! Just as if nothing had happened!!!
You could try contacting the Dead Letter Office at Brisbane Aus Post - thats where stuff that they can't deliver cos its badly addressed, torn, etc goes. They might have something there?

ANA123

Thanks Polly,
I'll try that just in case,
Hope you're feeling better,
Michaela

TrickyTree

My partner has been sending post for two years now and receiving post from Oz and has not lost one item.

Perhaps she is lucky or the service isnt really that bad.

TT

ANA123

...or perhaps she doesnt knowthat the missing ones were ever sent....thats part of the problem that you dont always know whats been sent to know what hasnt arrived.
We do seem to be missing a large amount though, my suspicions remain with the last neighbours.