apalling NZ Post attitudes

A couple of weeks ago we received a 2012 wall calendar from one of our trade partners in America.  But the NZ Post delivery person who delivered it to us folded it, rammed it into and left it sticking out of the mailbox letter slot to get soaked and ruined in the rain; instead of putting in the space designed for parcels around the other side of it where it would have been dry.  This would have taken this person all of 2 seconds to do.

We filed a complaint with the NZ Post "Customer Service" department ("Non-Service" would be a better term) and asked compensation for its value, a quite small amount but it's the principle, and this is by no means the first time such has happened (see earlier post).

We got a letter back from a Shannon Caldwell asking us to call him about it.  From the ensuing conversation it was obvious that these Customer Non-Service people have a check-list to use to get out of paying compensation claims:- 

First up, "Was it delivered by NZ Post?" 
Of course it was, you deliver US Post Office mail in NZ just as they deliver yours. 

Next, "Because it was sent from overseas, the enquiry should be initiated overseas." 
Don't be absurd. 

Next, "Because it was a gift we can't compensate you anything." 
Just because we didn't pay for it doesn't mean it didn't have a value which your slap-dash delivery employee destroyed!
"I can send this back to to you."
It's only good for the bin!
"But you can't provide an invoice to show that you paid for it."
But we can show what its equivalent local value is! 
"I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do." 

At that point we informed Mr Caldwell what we thought of him and his organisation and terminated the conversation. 

This is just the latest in what has been a series of bad experiences with NZ Post in recent times.  It seems all this miserable, badly managed organisation offers people now is expensive prices, no care and no responsibility.  Accordingly our advice to everyone in NZ is - if you can use an alternative to NZ Post, then do so.  We have used Fastway Couriers for most parcels sent to addresses within NZ for the last 12 years and have been happy with them - and we have not had a parcel go missing, unlike with NZ Post.