A story about Canada Post.
I have two parcels shipping from Vancouver to Toronto express – 2 day delivery. Unfortunately, the shipper accidentally sent one of the parcels via Canada Post and the other via UPS. The second I saw Canada Post I rang them and tried to stop them – but it was too late. Both had left the building.
In my mind, I just knew that the UPS parcel would get there just fine and the Canada Post “Express Post” parcel would have a problem. Sure enough, the UPS parcel was on time. 9AM at the doorstep. Where is the Canada Post parcel?
A quick check of the tracking website:
So I call. This is the condensed version of the conversation:
Me: “Why is my parcel at the post office, when I paid extra to have it delivered to my door?”
Her: “Because the shipper does not require a signature for delivery”
Me: “Pardon?”
Her: “Because the shipper did not click the box and require a signature for delivery, we do not deliver it to your door”
Me: “So, because they did not require a signature which means you can just drop it off because you do not have to make multiple trips to get that signature, you will not deliver it?”
Her: “Correct. Plus, it will not fit in your mailbox” (It is a 13lbs package).
Me: “Ok, but there is someone there. Right now. All day. And you guaranteed delivery so please deliver it to my front door just like UPS and FedEx. That is why I paid extra.”
Her: “I can’t without my supervisors permission”
Me: “You can’t make that decision”
Her: “No”
I feel bad for Canada Post employees – that they are not trusted to make the right decisions, for the benefit of the customer, at that moment. Certainly not the Four Seasons model.
They wonder why they lost $193M last year? It is pretty obvious to me.
Michael Weening: a few pictures 
I feel sorry for you, sadly this seems to be the same the world over. Mail delivery has declined significantly due to e-mails and job cuts are massive, here in Australia anyway. It’s always the poor old end user who suffers whilst they fail to mention that there parcel delivery services divisions are making mega $$$ due to the on-line shopping boom! Good old fashion customer service is a thing of the past, but that’s another story!
Anthony, you are 100% correct – it is about the customer. But in the end, that attitude comes from leadership. The employees are handcuffed by leadership that does not empower them to make the right choices, unions that surround every action with stacks of rules and a government “get my pension” mentality which does not reward initiative.
The post office is an institution that needs to change radically, or the free market will usher in the end.
The old CBC and Canada Post need to be ushered to the scrape heap of history…union strongholds that just won’t get better with age.