Australia Post’s Safe Drop for parcels

Have you ever been at home and found a postcard from the Australia Post courier saying they came by but you were out so that to get the parcel you need to take the card to the Post Office?

Over the years I’ve spoken to the couriers and arranged that if I don’t answer the door or am not home they can leave any parcel at an agreed location.  When couriers change I have to remake that arrangement.

Now Australia Post has put in place a formal arrangement for this called, Safe Drop.

Just sign a card with the arrangements and you’ll not have to walk from Chippo up to Redfern Mail Exchange – much further away than Broadway Post office but no amount of phone calls will persuade Australia Post to leave our parcels there.

The Australia Post web site says about the arrangement we can make:

Safe Drop

Where there is no delivery instruction and a signature is not required, the delivery driver will look for a safe location, such as inside your car port, to leave your parcel. A notification card will then be dropped in your letter box letting you know where you can find your parcel.

Check it out here: auspost.com…

M

Comments
8 Responses to “Australia Post’s Safe Drop for parcels”
  1. Anonymous says:

    Safe drop is RIDICULOUS! My cousins had a gift from England come and the mailwoman left it in their backyard on a table, when they have puppies that love to CHEW?! Also, we have had several parcels just left in the open at our front door. Please, auspost LEAVE A NOTE AND TAKE IT TO THE POST OFFICE!!
    This is the reason I am thinking twice about getting things delivered online.
    Auspost JUST STOP!

  2. Aussie Chick says:

    I have had my safe drop parcel stolen this week, even though I was in the house and the postie didnt even ring on the bell. It was a $200 bottle of perfume that I bought online. Can anyone tell me how and who I complain too, I havehad the same response from aus post, saying they ‘safe dropped it’ and they deemed it safe, even though it was in full view of the street.
    I think it was a door sales lad that stole it, as he was only person to ring the bell that morning.
    So gutted, I feel violated!
    Any advice?

  3. Hi Michael
    This is a quick note to thank you for your very informative blog page and for providing this forum. I did find it a little difficult though to initially work out how to make a comment–thanks for talking me through this.
    Krysten

  4. Hi Michael

    A colleague of mine recently attended a tour of your house and informed me that she spoke to you regarding your nonconnection to water and sewerage.

    I am not connected to sewerage as I have an onsite treatment system. I am being charged by the local supplier for a non-connection fee. Four years ago i ceased paying for the service that i do not have and was threatened with legal action so i reluctantly paid. Following my beliefs in taking personal responsibility for sustainability, i have refused to pay again for the past twelve months and have now received a notice for court action. Through your experiences in sustainability, do you know of a legal way of not having to pay these bills?

    Any guidance or information you can provide will be greatly appreciated not only by myself–I also deliver sustainability-themed workshops and courses witihn community and this question is often asked.

    Thank you and regards, Andrew.

  5. sam says:

    hi michael,

    it seems that safedrop has effectively been replaced by australia post’s ‘my deliveries’ service, which enables multiple delivery addresses to be specified to increase the chance of the parcel being delivered to a person. see http://auspost.com.au/personal/my-deliveries.html for deets.

    i’ve just returned to the inner city after a stint in bundeena, where i knew the postie and parcel courier by name and we were able to negotiate a safedrop system for deliveries when i wasn’t home. not so in the big smoke, but i’m hoping to work something out because strawberry hills is a bit of a hike. at least the parcel pick up facility there is open extended hours…

  6. Kylie says:

    Safedrop SUCKS! I’ve had 2 parcels disappear since this system has been implemented, and I found 1 parcel left on my BBQ for god knows how many days with no notification in my letter box. I would prefer a slip left in my letter box to direct me to pick up the parcel from the post office than to have parcels stolen by neighbours or passerby’s!!
    The only way to stop this is to write ‘NO SAFE DROP’ on the parcel being sent, or spend the few extra dollars and send Registered Post

  7. Postal Contractor says:

    I have worked as a Postal Contractor for the past twelve years, previous to the ‘safe drop’ arrangement we were required to deliver parcels to a person at the address or place them in thed letterbox if they would fit.

    Now there seem to be very few drivers in our area who consider the value of items they are leaving on doorsteps or sticking out of letterboxes. My daughter had books left outside the screen door at her blocks of flats, actually left in the driveway, she then had a book go missing in the mail, presumably ‘safe dropped’ again, when she complained to customer service she was told that they would send her a complaint form which never arrived.

    It seems that the only way to beat it is have your parcels registered, costs more, more profit for Australia Post, get a PO Box, again money for AP, or use another courier. The other option is to try to meet your contractor and ask them not to safe drop, leave a note at the door asking them not to safe drop or you will report them to their manager. Find out the phone number of your local Delivery Centre and ring the manager every time it happens, tell him you will take your business elsewhere. Unfortunately though the phone numbers are not listed any more, perhaps ringing Customer Service and complaining may help. A complaint through them usually gets our manager listening. Also remind your contractor that he or she may be liable for the cost of items that are left in an unsafe place and are stolen or damaged.
    Some people actually appreciate the ‘safe drop’ system when it is carried out thoughtfully, ie the item cannot be seen and you leave them a note telling them where it is. I usually try to safe drop plants or small packages when I know they are not valuable, we do get an idea of what is in some packages. When I know a customer has a new baby for instance I try to leave their items if possible, sometimes though it is quicker for me to write out a card and take a package to the PO than it is to safe drop it properly.
    Postie

  8. G. Alda says:

    Michael, this is not a ‘formal arrangement’, it has been ‘forced’ on everyone ! You do not ‘sign a card’ to start it happening, you get NO say in it.
    There is no formal way to ‘OPT OUT’, we have had many ongoing problems with this new ‘system’, mostly because Aust Post staff and Contractors DON’T follow THEIR OWN RULES/GUIDELINES.
    We keep getting packages left on our front door mat in full view of the street (against guidelines),
    no ‘card’ is left, so if someone takes your package you will not even know if it was ever there in the first place.
    The rules/guidelines USED to be on the Aust Post website, THEY HAVE NOW BEEN REMOVED ! WHY ????
    Now if you ring up to complain you are told “THEY ARE ALLOWED TO DO THAT, IT IS CALLED SAFEDROP”.
    They do not mention that there are ‘conditions’ that must be met, and you can no longer ‘FIND’ these conditions because they have been conveniently removed from the web site, probably because too many people were pointing out that Aust Post were not meeting their own rules/guidelines.
    I often work away from home for 2, 3, or 4 days at a time and return home to find a package that has been ‘left’ on my doorstep (in full view) and advertising the fact that I am not home for 2, 3, or 4 days, THERE IS NO FORMAL WAY TO STOP THIS !!!!
    Aust Post complaints staff say they will let the ‘Distribution Centre’ know that you don’t want this to occurr, but this is an adhock informal measure and it continues to happen again and again !!
    NOT A HAPPY ‘SAFE DROP’ CUSTOMER.

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  • Michael Mobbs

    Michael is a former Environmental Lawyer who is uniquely placed to consult in four main areas:

    • Sustainability Coach and Speaker,
    • Sustainable Urban Farm Design greening, watering and cooling the cityscape, roads, parks, suburbs,
    • Major Projects Consultant Commercial and Industrial,
    • Residential Sustainability Consultant.
    For permission to re-print any articles or to book Michael for a speaking engagement go to Contacts. Please ensure all quotes from Michael's blog include a reference to sustainablehouse.com....au.