Would you qualify for thousands in compensation from Australia Post?
It’s common enough, we wait all day for a parcel and all that’s delivered is a note in the letter box saying it’s at the post office. It’s frustrating and annoying and a colossal time waster.
Well, a couple in the outer Melbourne suburb of Eltham have had enough.
They took Australia Post to the Victoria Civil and Administrative Tribunal and received $3100 in compensation from Australia Post after their mail was repeatedly not delivered.
The couple was told the stairs to their property were unsafe, even after they had them fixed and they estimated they spent at least half an hour a week sorting the issue out and collecting parcels from the local post office.
According to a legal expert, it sets a precedent for other claims.
University of Melbourne Law School Professor Jeannie Paterson told 7News.com the ruling could be useful for other consumers.
“If couriers are contracted to provide a service they have to try and use reasonable efforts to make the delivery, even if there’s another place to drop it off,” she said.
“Failing to deliver could be a breach. This case was a pattern of behaviour by Australia Post – repeatedly failing to deliver.”
These are small cases in the overall scheme of things, but most consumer claims are small cases, they’re still people’s lives,” she said.
What’s the post service like in your area? Could you be bothered to try to claim compensation?
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