Video emerges which purportedly shows postman not attempting to deliver parcel

IT’S the number one frustration — posties not even attempting to deliver parcels. More footage has emerged that seems to prove it.

IN A week of bad headlines for Australia Post, this is just what the organisation didn’t need.

Footage has emerged which purports to shows a postman making no attempt to deliver a parcel to a customer’s home and instead placing a collection card on the door and bailing.

He might have got away with it as well but the homeowner caught the whole episode on the CCTV system he’d installed.

It’s not the first time delivery staff have been caught out not delivering, with multiple stories of parcels not even making it out of the van, let alone to people’s homes.

It’s not clear in the video whether the postman is a Australia Post employee, or a contractor, as the van isn’t visible and the uniform is hidden beneath a jacket.

However, Australia Post insists that it has put in place a new process that sees staff knock once and call out three times.

The video, from Thursday, shows what appears to be a postman approaching the house. In his hand is what looks like the device customers electronically sign when they take delivery of a parcel. But there is no parcel.

The man reaches the door but does not knock or call three times. Instead, he puts a collection card on the front door and goes on his way.

The non-delivery takes all of 10 seconds at a sedate pace.

Billy Tang, who was at home the time, said he was livid. In a Facebook post he said the organisation should be renamed “Australia Never Post”.

“I heard some noise outside and I looked outside the window and two guys inside the van,” he wrote.

“I thought he will come and deliver my parcel but they took off!

“Is it that hard to knock on the door or pressing the door bell?”

A spokeswoman for Australia Post said if the postie was proved to be one of their employees disciplinary action could be taken.

After not delivering the parcel, the man then walks away. Picture: Facebook

REVENUE RAISING

Australia Post has come under fire this week for a new proposal to charge some customers to pick up parcels from post offices if they can’t be delivered to their home.

Currently, undelivered parcels are held for ten days at no cost. But from August, parcels not picked up within five days will attract a $3 holding fee rising to $9 if they are still uncollected after three weeks under a new process called Hold at Post.

Australia Post said 92 per cent of parcels were collected within five days and would continue to be fee-free under the new proposals. It also confirmed it could drop the plan altogether if customer outrage continued from now until August.

Many customers have got in touch with news.com.au saying if Australia Post made more of an effort to deliver parcels they wouldn’t have to make the journey to the post office, many of which are only open during the working day.

“Should I take a sickie so I can go to my local post office to pick up the parcel?” Mr Tang said.

“I wonder if the local post office will get some sort of payment for holding undelivered parcels … If so, that explains why they don’t attempt the delivery.”

He said he suspected it was “all part of Australia Post’s tactics to generate more revenue.”

The new Hold at Post plan has come under fire. Picture: Monique Nevison

‘NO KNOCK, NO DOORBELL, NO NOTHING’

According to Australia Post, individual post offices will receive the “vast majority” of the Hold at Post fee. However, a number of post office licensees, who are independent small business owners, have said they don’t agree with the charge as they are the ones who will receive the wrath of customers.

A licensee from Queensland, who wished to remain anonymous, told news.com.au recent hikes in stamp prices has already riled the public and the new fees would keep the anger bubbling.

“We have copped copious amounts of abuse about stamps. We will continue to be talked about, looked down on, abused over the counter where we are only just keeping afloat as it is,” the licensee said.

Another licensee said: “We are just as unimpressed as customers are. I am not too happy for the decision that has been made from the boardroom of Australia Post.”

In November, Sydney mum Julie Salama also caught a courier out with her security cameras.

Ms Salama was fuming when she discovered a note slipped under her door as she waited quietly at home for an urgent business delivery via Australia Post.

Upon checking her home CCTV recording, she saw a delivery driver park his van on the street and approach her home. The driver appears to be holding only a slip of paper, which he places under the door and quickly returns to the car.

“I was just so frustrated, he didn’t even have a parcel under his arm,” she told news.com.au.

“No knock, no doorbell, nothing.

“I don’t even understand why he put it under the door if he was never going to deliver the parcel — the letterbox is closer.”

The footage has striking similarities to the incident recorded by Mr Tang.

An Australia Post spokeswoman said: “We are trying to make further contact with the customer so that we can investigate and confirm if this is an Australia Post driver. If this is an Australia Post driver, their actions are in breach of our delivery policy.

“If the driver has not followed the correct procedure, appropriate action will be taken,” she said.

She encouraged any customer who had concerns about their mail delivery to contact the organisation.

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