Why do they not deliver to PO Boxes?

Forums › Off topic › Why do they not deliver to PO Boxes?

1 | 2 | 3

11924 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9675

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2500257 8-Jun-2020 04:31

Gordy7:
I had trouble sending a bundle of legal docs by courier to my son's PO Box in Abu Dhabi.... from NZ.

My lawyer must have convinced his courier of the requirement to use a PO Box for Abu Dhabi.

Apparently Abu Dhabi (and maybe the rest of the UAE) does not have property numbers on streets.... but they are working on it!

Apparently the courier people know how to find a physical location based on a PO Box number.

The UAE (and most of the middle east) doesn't have street names like the rest of the world. There are areas, which may or may not have street numbers. Apartments will be in a building name/number but not have a street. It's is all very confusing.

If you have a private po Box your mobile is associated with it via Emirates post. Courier drivers will just call and ask for a WhatsApp pin.

Varkk

643 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 477

#2500490 8-Jun-2020 12:05

We live outside the normal postal service area and have a PO Box for this reason. Initially we had a PO Box in the middle of town, but since moved to a box lobby sited in a dairy near to us outside of town. Most courier companies have access agreements in place for delivering to a PO Box. However what we have found is when we were in the lobby in the centre of town none of the couriers would deliver to it except courier post. Now that we are away from the middle of town all couriers will deliver to it. We suspect it is a parking/access issue. The hard part is now convincing online retailers that yes, they can deliver to us.

Geektastic

18009 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8465

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2501256 9-Jun-2020 10:53

Varkk:

We live outside the normal postal service area and have a PO Box for this reason. Initially we had a PO Box in the middle of town, but since moved to a box lobby sited in a dairy near to us outside of town. Most courier companies have access agreements in place for delivering to a PO Box. However what we have found is when we were in the lobby in the centre of town none of the couriers would deliver to it except courier post. Now that we are away from the middle of town all couriers will deliver to it. We suspect it is a parking/access issue. The hard part is now convincing online retailers that yes, they can deliver to us.

We have a similar situation - the boxes were in a standalone situation and were recently moved into the lobby of the local Four Square, along with the Mini Post Shop.

However, in neither location has any courier ever delivered to the PO Box except Courier Post. I cannot see why - they can just drop the stuff at the Post Shop to put in the boxes.

zespri

424 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 94

Lifetime subscriber

#2501311 9-Jun-2020 11:55

I talked to a person manning a POBOX counter, and she confirmed that if a courier would show up and produce a package for one of the POBOXes she would refuse it, since they are not paid for this. Of course this does not include courierpost, which as stated above does have access.

Geektastic

18009 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8465

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2501456 9-Jun-2020 12:42

zespri:

I talked to a person manning a POBOX counter, and she confirmed that if a courier would show up and produce a package for one of the POBOXes she would refuse it, since they are not paid for this. Of course this does not include courierpost, which as stated above does have access.

This is what I don't get. Why should they be paid separately to receive a person's delivery just because the courier is not Courier Post? They are a Post Shop. They are paid to receive post for the box holders. Surely the delivery method ought not to be relevant?

Kyanar

4089 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1684

ID Verified

Trusted

#2501469 9-Jun-2020 13:01

Geektastic:

This is what I don't get. Why should they be paid separately to receive a person's delivery just because the courier is not Courier Post? They are a Post Shop. They are paid to receive post for the box holders. Surely the delivery method ought not to be relevant?

Because post shops are paid by NZ Post for each parcel they accept and process into a PO Box as part of their franchise agreement (for non-corporate centres). If a courier other than CourierPost delivers it, then doing that would mean the parcel cost NZ Post to deliver.

Mighty Ape

Shop now at Mighty Ape (affiliate link).

zespri

424 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 94

Lifetime subscriber

#2501488 9-Jun-2020 13:37

Geektastic:

This is what I don't get. Why should they be paid separately to receive a person's delivery just because the courier is not Courier Post? They are a Post Shop. They are paid to receive post for the box holders. Surely the delivery method ought not to be relevant?

And that's what prompted my OP. Apparently from their perspective they are paid for renting out the POBOX to you, delivery should be paid separately. If one sends via NZ Post they pay for the delivery, but if the delivery is performed by not affiliated courier, then NZ Post does not get paid for their part of the delivery. They probably have no way of working with tracking numbers of other couriers either (similarly, this is not likely to be a technical problem, it was just not setup this way, because no one paid for it).

When I posted initially I thought that couriers were being obtuse for not wanting to go to a post box shop during working hours, but it seems, that it's not couriers fault as such. It's simply no business entity thought that setting this up would bring any business benefit to anyone, and effect on customers probably was deemed not to be profound enough to be worth the trouble.

Kyanar

4089 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1684

ID Verified

Trusted

#2501545 9-Jun-2020 14:46

zespri:

And that's what prompted my OP. Apparently from their perspective they are paid for renting out the POBOX to you, delivery should be paid separately. If one sends via NZ Post they pay for the delivery, but if the delivery is performed by not affiliated courier, then NZ Post does not get paid for their part of the delivery. They probably have no way of working with tracking numbers of other couriers either (similarly, this is not likely to be a technical problem, it was just not setup this way, because no one paid for it).

It's not just that they don't get paid, it's also that it literally costs them money because the pay the post office franchise a package handling fee. You can see why they wouldn't be willing to essentially lose money on half the deliveries, it's bad enough they have to do that with AliExpress junk sent via China Post.

zespri

424 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 94

Lifetime subscriber

#2501593 9-Jun-2020 16:03

Kyanar:

It's not just that they don't get paid, it's also that it literally costs them money because the pay the post office franchise a package handling fee.

Isn't it same difference? So post office franchise does not get paid, so they won't do it.

Kyanar:

You can see why they wouldn't be willing to essentially lose money on half the deliveries, it's bad enough they have to do that with AliExpress junk sent via China Post.

Can you explain this more? Merchandise from AliExpress is being paid for delivery, so all NZ Post needs to do, is to deliver what they were paid for. I'm not sure how payments work when post systems of different countries are involved but I'm assuming most of the parcels are like that (as opposed to courier delivered) so that's something that must be well oiled by now.

Oblivian

7345 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2117

ID Verified

#2501596 9-Jun-2020 16:11

Not all PO Boxes are in PostShops

Some are standalone that remain after the Post Shops move out, or are in an area where they are co-located in other businesses or attached to the distribution centre with no customer facing staff. (IE your posties that come out on the bikes/electrics may fill them in the AM as part of their job before heading out in the cold)

What you may see at a local. Is not indicative of a national setup/feasible

Handle9

11924 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9675

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2501599 9-Jun-2020 16:16

zespri:

Kyanar:

You can see why they wouldn't be willing to essentially lose money on half the deliveries, it's bad enough they have to do that with AliExpress junk sent via China Post.

Can you explain this more? Merchandise from AliExpress is being paid for delivery, so all NZ Post needs to do, is to deliver what they were paid for. I'm not sure how payments work when post systems of different countries are involved but I'm assuming most of the parcels are like that (as opposed to courier delivered) so that's something that must be well oiled by now.

Google terminal dues and the international postal union.

Basically NZ Post get paid a percentage of Chinese postal fees, which are below NZ Posts cost.

HP

Shop now for HP laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

zespri

424 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 94

Lifetime subscriber

#2501601 9-Jun-2020 16:17

Oblivian:

Not all PO Boxes are in PostShops

...

Is not indicative of a national setup

Are you saying that most of PO Boxes are not in PostShops? Or event that large percentage of PO Boxes are not in PostShops?

Because if you do not, that's more or less what "a nation setup" (with a few exceptions) means.

richms

29098 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10209

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2501604 9-Jun-2020 16:35

zespri:
Are you saying that most of PO Boxes are not in PostShops? Or event that large percentage of PO Boxes are not in PostShops?

Because if you do not, that's more or less what "a nation setup" (with a few exceptions) means.

My box was. Then they closed the kiwibank and post office and conned a local stationary shop into doing that. Parcels are left in lockers now and I can only pick up bigger things in the morning when the door is staffed by 1 person to take the yellow card and give me the stuff.

It's the norm that post owned shops are closing and pointless stuff like bill payment and car rego is contracted out to gullible shops that think it will make them money.

Richard rich.ms

sleemanj

1514 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 315

#2501605 9-Jun-2020 16:35

Kyanar:

It's not just that they don't get paid, it's also that it literally costs them money because the pay the post office franchise a package handling fee.

It can easily be resolved, charge the courier company the handling fee. If the courier passes that cost onto the customer, so be it.

As per my photograph on page 1 of a Fastway delivery to a PO Box, that has an NZ Post "Counter Ticket" applied to it, Google does not turn up anything even indicating that such tickets exist let alone what they are in regard to, but my guess is it's a ticket which means "this package is both accepted at and delivered at the same place and doesn't need to be carried further than from the counter to the back room" it probably costs some small amount, if that amount was charged to the sender I don't know.

If there was actually an edict "we will not permit other couriers to deliver to PO Boxes, no matter what", then I imagine that could be a bit dicey legally, anti-competitive and all that.

---
James Sleeman
I sell lots of stuff for electronic enthusiasts...

zespri

424 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 94

Lifetime subscriber

#2501609 9-Jun-2020 16:43

Handle9:

Google terminal dues and the international postal union.

Basically NZ Post get paid a percentage of Chinese postal fees, which are below NZ Posts cost.

Makes sense. This article (googled on suggested terms) gives some more insight: https://www.joc.com/regulation-policy/new-era-dawns-universal-postal-union_20200108.html

1 | 2 | 3