How to keep your parcels safe and timely this Christmas
We love Christmas! But unfortunately so do thieves. We had over $10,000 worth of parcels stolen in our suburb in one week alone last year - and it's devastating.
And some retailers will replace them for you. Some won't. Almost all contain terms and conditions that DO NOT make them liable for loss or damage during transit. And almost all courier companies and Australia Post limit their own liability as well.
Most of those companies are now photographing where they leave parcels if signature on delivery is not requested and paid for to prove that they left it in a safe location because the instances of theft are significantly on the rise.
This leaves you, the customer, high and dry if you're not dealing with a great retailer. But to be honest - the great ones can't afford to keep carrying this burden either!
Last year, lost parcels cost us over $7,000. This is not sustainable for a small business.
So this year we are helping you keep your parcels safe!
Postal services also get VERY congested around the festive season so from now, we recommend choosing express post wherever you can. Regular postage services are de-prioritised meaning if there is too much express post to leave that day, your regular parcels will be put on the back b toner to make way for the express parcels. Just last week we saw delays of 3 business days on regular parcels vs express.
So here are our top tips for the festive season!
1. Use a secure parcel locker
This is the easiest way to try to protect your parcels! If you know you are not able to be home to receive your parcels, do not have them delivered to your home unless you have paid for signature on delivery (and insurance if it's a really valuable item and you'd like to be compensated if it's lost during transit or stolen from your letter box or other location where parcels can be left). It's just not safe any more.
Australia Post offers a fantastic, FREE, parcel locker service that you can access 24/7. Yes, you can pick up your parcels ANY TIME YOU LIKE! How great is that?
We can't recommend this service highly enough and not just at Christmas time - any time.
Sign up for a parcel locker here and enjoy the convenience and safety this festive season. You receive your own personal parcel locker address to send to and when received at the facility they pop it in a locker and send you collection details so you can access your locker and receive your parcel quickly and safely.
Not all retailers will deliver to parcel lockers because they use cheaper courier services who are not able to deliver to parcel lockers. This is a risk so make sure you know who your retailer delivers with and that all secure options are available to you!
2. Purchase additional services for greater protection
Some retailers will offer you additional services to keep your parcels safe - like signature on delivery or additional insurance.
For a few extra dollars, it is well worth the peace of mind!
3. Keep an eye on your parcel's tracking and be home to receive your parcel or swoop it up quickly
This is another great way to ensure your parcel isn't left outside for the world to steal.
Keep an eye on your parcel's tracking. That way you know the day it's scheduled to arrive (you will usually see it arrive at your local depot the day before or the morning of delivery) and you can arrange to be home to receive it.
In our experience most deliveries happen between the hours of 7am and 3pm (with the vast majority in the morning) so you don't even have to stay in all day most of the time.
But we understand it's a busy time of year and most people work every week day so if you can't be home to receive your delivery we highly recommend the parcel locker system or paying for signature on delivery and insurance to protect your parcel.
Also, if you don’t see your parcel moving every day, report it as lost. That usually gets them moving! Here is where you report missing Aus Post parcels.
Some hot tips:
- Most courier companies are extra cautious with parcels that have signature on delivery and insurance on them - they don't want to have to compensate you for lost or damaged parcels!
- Lots of additional drivers are taken on over the Christmas period to deal with the increase in postage that occurs around that time - these drivers are not always given an adequate amount of training and some of them are just bad eggs to be honest. This is a constant source of frustration for those of us who use the postal systems a lot and we have provided this feedback to them year after year but not a lot seems to happen so we need to take it upon ourselves, as consumers, to protect ourselves and our parcels. We shouldn't have to, but we do.
- Thieves target delivery vans during the festive period in particular. Australia Post is the easiest to target because their delivery schedules are so regular due to the sheer volume of post they deliver within Australia. Last year, in my neighbourhood, thieves were following the Australia Post vans around the neighbourhood and stealing parcels left outside your front door within LITERALLY minutes of the tracking advice saying the items had been delivered - you didn't even have time to get to your front door! If signature on delivery had been on these parcels, the delivery driver would not have been allowed to leave those parcels by the door and they would have been safe.
So we urge you to consider parcel lockers or the additional services available such as signature on delivery and insurance to keep your parcels safe this Christmas (and beyond).
It's not worth the risk, expense and inconvenience at this time of year when the fix is so easy and simple (and arguably more convenient with 24/7 parcel locker access and there's probably one right near your home or work!).
In addition to all of this information on the increased risks of parcel theft these days, and what you can do to protect your parcels, we are offering ALL customers FREE signature on delivery services within Australia from 14 December to 6 January on all orders over $200 to try to help you keep your parcels as safe as we possibly can. No code required!
We are also offering free upgrade to express post on Australian orders over $250 from 14 December to 6 January. Select free express upgrade at check out!
Be aware, be alert, and do what you can to keep your parcels safe this Christmas, and we will be doing the same for you as well! Because we're just a bunch of women, who genuinely care about you.
Have a safe, enjoyable festive season our beautiful friends and we look forward to you receiving your fabulous Miko + Mollie orders safely this festive season!
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