It's in your best interest, if you would like as expedient a service as you can get.
Let me explain. So you're expecting a parcel. Your parcel has made it through the system and arrives that morning at the depot for someone like me to load into our van and deliver today. TODAY.
Where is that damn house?
We get to your parcel and we are looking for the address. Google Maps says it's here, but we can't find it. There is no contact number to call. We ask around. We call our supervisor. With regret we scan the item as FAIL DELIVERY - no such address / incorrect address. It comes back to the depot the next day.
Sometimes though, a delivery gets failed too because of some issues, which YOU as a customer can help fix. Here's what I suggest based on what I have encountered as a deliverer of 1 year's experience.
- Make sure your house number is easily visible from the street.
- Make sure the numbers are NOT the same colour as the background.
- Make sure the numbers are not obscured by foliage.
- Make sure the numbers are L A R G E enough to be easily visible.
- Make sure the fonts are not confusing (eg. is that '1b' or '16') or missing digits.
Anybody home?
Sometimes, we are delivering your parcel and we require a signature. It means if no one is there to sign for it, you will get a SORRY-WE-MISSED-YOU card and you can collect it at the post office. You could have had your parcel TODAY.
A lot of people complain that they were home and that the delivery driver was just too lazy. Although I cannot vouch for anyone but myself, I will say that I have been earnest in all my deliveries. I will be announcing myself as I approach your gate or front door.
"Good morning. Australia Post parcel delivery. Anybody home?"
I will ring your bell or knock and repeat my announcement.
I will listen for 10 seconds. This is crucial. To save time, I'm pulling out a card and my pen. I start writing the date and time of pickup at the post office. If the resident answers at this point, I can still reuse the card. I write down the name and barcode digits. If the resident answers now, the card is trash. I fold and stick the card in the door gap, take a photo and take the parcel back to the van.
If you hear us knocking, do let us know you are home. A simple "Yes" or "please wait" is sufficient. We will wait for you. We won't start writing a card that would have been wasted. If you received a card from me, it's because you weren't home or you ignored me. Yes, there have been a couple of occasions people have been home and couldn't be bothered to answer the door. I wrote those two cards with a vengeance for wasting my time, because I still had a loaded van idling.
Nice Doggy
Sometimes just the sound of my diesel engines is enough to set off a barkfest in the neighbourhood. Although mostly, dogs wait until I announce myself at the gate or the door, and then start their vigorous declarations of "Don't you dare come into my territory!". Not a problem if the parcel fits in your letter box or a reasonably safe and secure place to leave it like a crate, shelf, garage or alcove. Otherwise you get a card and I record "unsecured dog" as the reason.
There are a few addresses I like to deliver because of a particularly friendly dog. One of them demands payment in belly rubs for entering, delivering, and leaving the premises. Most other friendly dogs are merely susceptible to my secret stash of dog treats in my cargo pants.
Obstacle Course
Because the mountains are still semi-rural, there is quite a number of relatively remote properties we deliver to. These "roads" give me the same thrill as any 4wd enthusiast, except I'm driving a high centre of balance loaded van with two-wheel drive, thank goodness for diesel torque. But not much YOU as the customer can do as this is something for the local government and roads authority to sort out.
What you can do is make it easier for us to get to your front door once we found your address.
Is the path overgrown? You can give it a trim, especially when you're expecting a package.
Are the steps slippery? Dangerous? We can leave a card with "Safety issue" as the reason.
Is your front door not actually at the front? Leave us plenty of clues, we enjoy playing stupid detective. A note would be your best bet, our detecting abilities get weaker as we get tired from all those 30kg packages of pet products we had to lug that day.
Oh god, you all just turned me into delivery Karen. Aaaaaghhh!
