So, you might think as I have thought that having a tracking number for a parcel would help you. Check out the screen shot attached. This parcel has now been to Richmond B.C. eight times. It is suppose to be going to London, Ontario. What does Canada Post say? I have a 50 / 50 chance of ever getting the parcel back. I can just watch forever the parcel going back and forth between Ontario and B.C. Why is this happening? The postal code was miss read by someone and entered in a V instead of a N. You would think that Canada Post would be able to recognize that a package had been acrooss the country eight times and you think that if they had a track number that could actually find a package.

I am tired of Canada Post’s use/misuse of local courier companies to deliver parcels doing THEIR work for them and doing it poorly.

This is about the 6th time this happens this year. This time I ordered a product within Canada (Ontario) by Expedited Parcel and to be received today at the latest (7 days). I spoke to a Customer Service Rep at Canada Post who told me a contracted courier service is supposed to deliver it today. After waiting around all day and nothing was delivered I called again to find out until what time they deliver until. They were not sure, but when Canada Post delivers, they stop at 5:00 pm but contract couriers can deliver later. They gave me the name of the courier company, Intelcom Courier Canada Inc. in Calgary. I called them to find out when they were delivering until. They looked up my parcel and told me it would be delivered tonight by 8:00 pm. Someone named Peter had it on his truck and he usually does all the business deliveries first then the residential. Well 8:00 came and Peter never showed up. Not surprised.

Last year at Christimas time (2005), the local Postal Outlet which is privatized as well, had parcels from the floor to the ceiling in an unsecured area, within the same space that is used as a waiting area since there is another business utilizing the same common space. This went on for over a month. I asked the clerk at the postal counter what was going on. Very frustrated, she told me that the contracted courier company was not making the first attempt to deliver the parcels to the receiving customers, but dropping them off right away at the postal outlet and Canada Post is waiting for their contract to run out (I guess it is too much trouble for Canada Post to cancel such a contract). This type of “service” delays even receiving your notification card that a parcel is waiting for you at the postal outlet by 3-5 days since the postal outlet has to mail the notification card to you after they receive the dropped off non-delivered parcels.

I think it is about time all Canadians are made aware that Canada Post no longer delivers most of the parcels and they use contract courier companies that really don’t care about delivering on time since it does not affect them financially – until they get enough complaints that Canada Post finally cancels their contract OR in most cases, lets it run out and don’t renew their contract. So…. If you find it takes awhile for your parcels to either get anywhere or if you get a notification card in the mail several days after you should have received anything saying a delivery attempt was made but you weren’t home but in fact you were then you know what is going on. A lousy local courier service is not even attempting to deliver your much awaited items, but dropping them off at the postal outlet instead. All one can do is complain, complain, complain to Canada Post and maybe, MAYBE they will do something about it. Probably Not.