Man suing Australia Post for 'carding' him finally sees justice
- Replies 20
Last year, Wade Short, an Eltham resident, filed a claim with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) against Australia Post for unsatisfactory delivery service to his address, after becoming increasingly disappointed with the company's performance.
Even though he and his wife were at home during Melbourne's lockdowns, the homeowner claims that no deliveries were sent to his location.
Instead, cards with instructions to pick up the items at the post office were left at their residence – a process known as 'carding'.
The couple also discovered that they had packages tossed up their outdoor stairs and left at their front door without their doorbell being rung. According to Mr Short, the driver even made up a story that their steps were too 'unsafe' to use.
VCAT found that the two spent half an hour every week going to their local post office just to pick up packages that Australia Post had failed to deliver.
While some of the packages contained items for their party rental business, others were medications for their daughter, who was awaiting a liver transplant.
Wade Short sued the national postal service last year for poor delivery to his home. Credit: A Current Affair.
'There was absolutely no reason why he couldn't deliver the parcels. We're there; in fact, my wife works at home, I work from home, my wife's desk was right next to the front door,' Mr Short said in an interview with A Current Affair.
Thankfully, they were successful in their civil lawsuit against the national postal service, which is good news for Mr Short and his family.
The $3,100 compensation amount was determined by calculating $80 per hour to go to the post office — assuming each trip took half an hour, once per week, for 78 weeks, plus VCAT filing fees.
However, the Melbourne resident said he couldn't care less about the money. 'What I really want, and I still haven't got, is an apology from Australia Post,' he said.
Gerard Brody, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Action Law Centre, expressed his shock and disappointment upon hearing of the work done by Australia Post in this particular matter.
'It's pretty appalling service from the postie. We would expect Australia Post and all their agents and contractors to treat customers with respect and to abide by consumer law, including providing services with due care and skill,' said Mr Brody.
He also expressed his agreement with the court's decision and added that he was pleased by Mr Short's legal triumph, which is a good thing for every Australian consumer.
'I was championing for the applicants themselves. I thought good on them for using their consumer rights, holding a business accountable and seeing the tribunal confirm that the Australian Consumer Law does apply to Australia Post.'
Australia Post must compensate a Melbourne couple more than $3000 after leaving goods at the post office during the pandemic. Credit: A Current Affair.
Australia Post issued the following statement in response to the entire situation:
'We regret the situation that occurred with our customer in Eltham. It is not reflective of the work we do every day to deliver to people all over Australia.'
'We know there are frustrations with carding and are working with our teams to reduce the need for it. We always strive to do better.'
'Over the course of the past two years, Australia Post has had some of its busiest days ever, and consistently delivered 2 million parcels every weekday in December. We will always work hard to serve our community.'
The postal worker's union has stated in the past that the practice of 'carding' is growing increasingly common as a result of Australia Post's use of subcontractors in its operations.
During the pandemic, Australia Post had to rely on a larger network of subcontractors to meet the skyrocketing demand for package delivery.
A representative from Australia Post stated that the company acknowledged the tribunal's ruling and would abide by it.
What do you think about this story, folks? Does Australia Post also handle the delivery of your packages? If so, have you had any similar experiences, or is everything smooth-sailing so far? Let us know in the comments!
Even though he and his wife were at home during Melbourne's lockdowns, the homeowner claims that no deliveries were sent to his location.
Instead, cards with instructions to pick up the items at the post office were left at their residence – a process known as 'carding'.
The couple also discovered that they had packages tossed up their outdoor stairs and left at their front door without their doorbell being rung. According to Mr Short, the driver even made up a story that their steps were too 'unsafe' to use.
VCAT found that the two spent half an hour every week going to their local post office just to pick up packages that Australia Post had failed to deliver.
While some of the packages contained items for their party rental business, others were medications for their daughter, who was awaiting a liver transplant.
Wade Short sued the national postal service last year for poor delivery to his home. Credit: A Current Affair.
'There was absolutely no reason why he couldn't deliver the parcels. We're there; in fact, my wife works at home, I work from home, my wife's desk was right next to the front door,' Mr Short said in an interview with A Current Affair.
Thankfully, they were successful in their civil lawsuit against the national postal service, which is good news for Mr Short and his family.
The $3,100 compensation amount was determined by calculating $80 per hour to go to the post office — assuming each trip took half an hour, once per week, for 78 weeks, plus VCAT filing fees.
However, the Melbourne resident said he couldn't care less about the money. 'What I really want, and I still haven't got, is an apology from Australia Post,' he said.
Gerard Brody, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Action Law Centre, expressed his shock and disappointment upon hearing of the work done by Australia Post in this particular matter.
'It's pretty appalling service from the postie. We would expect Australia Post and all their agents and contractors to treat customers with respect and to abide by consumer law, including providing services with due care and skill,' said Mr Brody.
He also expressed his agreement with the court's decision and added that he was pleased by Mr Short's legal triumph, which is a good thing for every Australian consumer.
'I was championing for the applicants themselves. I thought good on them for using their consumer rights, holding a business accountable and seeing the tribunal confirm that the Australian Consumer Law does apply to Australia Post.'
Australia Post must compensate a Melbourne couple more than $3000 after leaving goods at the post office during the pandemic. Credit: A Current Affair.
Australia Post issued the following statement in response to the entire situation:
'We regret the situation that occurred with our customer in Eltham. It is not reflective of the work we do every day to deliver to people all over Australia.'
'We know there are frustrations with carding and are working with our teams to reduce the need for it. We always strive to do better.'
'Over the course of the past two years, Australia Post has had some of its busiest days ever, and consistently delivered 2 million parcels every weekday in December. We will always work hard to serve our community.'
The postal worker's union has stated in the past that the practice of 'carding' is growing increasingly common as a result of Australia Post's use of subcontractors in its operations.
During the pandemic, Australia Post had to rely on a larger network of subcontractors to meet the skyrocketing demand for package delivery.
A representative from Australia Post stated that the company acknowledged the tribunal's ruling and would abide by it.
What do you think about this story, folks? Does Australia Post also handle the delivery of your packages? If so, have you had any similar experiences, or is everything smooth-sailing so far? Let us know in the comments!
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