Tracking problems with International parcel service.

Over August and September  I was happy to receive several sales from buyers in European countries.... Finland, Norway, UK, and Ireland...

 

One week ago  a buyer in Finland said.. there appears to be a problem..

 

Tracking from Winnipeg... got as far as Montreal... and then no more.

 

Out of 9 parcels only three parcels  went further  showing that the parcel went to Ville  St. Laurent and  indicating that the International item has left Canada.... one of these parcels is about to be delivered....

 

Tracking for this parcel stopped at Montreal.....It was not possible to prove the parcel left Canada...

 

Then day before yesterday... buyer files a non-receipt case... immediately refunded..... 

 

The case already meant... defect... and then buyer left a Neutral feedback... I haven't got the item, but seller refund it. It is ok for me.

 

I paid for tracking  ... However, inadequate tracking by Canada Post  caused me problems....

 

No defect yet... but not unexpected..

 

-----------------------------------------

 

Out of nine parcel mailed over August-September...  three had that reference... International item has left Canada.

 

Of the remaining six.....  

 

--- two have already left feedback..... with no tracking beyond Montreal...  

 

----one has been refunded....

 

---and three are in limbo....  with the last tracking indicated as Montreal.... could be a problem....  However... the time period is beyond 45 days for two of these parcels...

 

 

 

Small packet was used for years..... insured but with no tracking.

 

International parcel Surface  with no tracking is the same without tracking beyond Montreal .

 

In today's eBay  tracking is important.....  and with no more guaranteed tracking... The solution is no more international sales..

 

Sales to Canada and US only.....

 

 

I paid for a shipping option with tracking.....Canada Post did not do its job... Inadequate tracking....   between Montreal and Ville St Laurent...  end result was one problem so far..... 

 

Canada Post will be getting a letter from me....  Nine parcels... six problems

 

Good-bye international sales...

 

 

 

 

 

Message 1 of 35
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34 REPLIES 34

Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

I have never sent anything of significant value further then the US but I noticed you mentioned you sent items by small packet with insurance. 

 

If you send an item anywhere with small packet no tracking with insurance and buyer opens INR, are you then able to bring these claims to Canada Post for reimbursement or does it not work like that?

Message 2 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

Well, Canada Post does not track outside of Canada. They do not deliver outside of Canada. They only operate inside Canada. Your complaint is with the postal systems that took control of the parcel in the other countries.

Message 3 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

The shipping option  was

 

International Parcel Surface.....with tracking and insurance 

 

Tracking for a parcel leaving Canada should show the date a parcel leaves Canada......

 

and... If this is not shown it is Canada Post's problem.... This is done in Ville St Laurent Quebec...

 

 

 

If tracking shows the parcel leaves Canada... then a buyer  can see that the parcel is on the way to the buyer's country.

 

 

 

If tracking does not state... International item has left Canada... then tracking is useless.

 

The remaining International options, outside of North America,  were to a small number of European countries....and now that will end

 

 

I put my trust in Canada Post...  and  without that last statement...  no more international sales...

 

I do not need defects  because Canada Post did not do that last scan...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Message 4 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

I used Small Packet... in the good old days

 

With insurance  and without tracking.

 

Canada Post did insure for international parcels...  and paid out insurance several times for international "lost" parcels

 

 

Then in January 2013... Canada Post provided Small Packet  without insurance.....  and that is when I started using International Parcel Surface,  with the understanding  that is a buyer wanted it they would pay for the cost of shipping with tracking and insurance...

 

If Canada Post does not do that last scan  to indicate the parcel has left Canada... and before the parcel leaves Canada... then paying for tracking is useless.

 

 

 

I have three parcels to Norway.....

 

(1) The first has full tracking and is about to be delivered.

 

(2) A second parcel has tracking stop at Montreal  and with nothing indicating the parcel has left Canada.  buyer left feedback

 

(3) A third parcel  has the     International item has left Canada .....on the tracking record...

 

 

 

The countries  I have shipped to have local tracking  of international parcels....  everything has been checked on the internet....

 

 

 

Message 5 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

One thing I have found helpful, for tracked/expresspost packages is to watch the item from the destination country's postal service. In my experience, the overseas post office more quickly and accurately shows what is happening - I've used this for China and Russia and other wee countries like Albania. All you need is to be able to figure out where and what format to put the tracking number in..... CP usually does eventually show it, but when in doubt check via the destination country's PO (even if it says never left the country etc).

Message 6 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

The problem is with Canada Post  

 

Tracking stops at Montreal 

 

with nothing indicating the parcel has left Canada.... That Ville St Laurent entry...

 

Two tracking situations.... Look at the date.... and then ask... Which parcel has left Canada?

 

 

http://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/track/personal/findByTrackNumber?trackingNumber=CC206390684CA

 

and then

 

http://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/track/personal/findByTrackNumber?trackingNumber=CC206390667CA

 

 

 

and ... What will the buyer say to each tracking report?

Message 7 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

A little bit below:

 

USA & International Shipping
 

If your item is being shipped to the U.S.A. or internationally, check the destination country's postal tracking site for more information.

Message 8 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

There was no indication that two of the parcels left Canada...

 

There was no tracking available on the destination country's postal website... and yet the buyers left feedback

 

and those buyers were in the UK  and Norway....  and these countries do provide tracking

 

Tracking has been checked and checked again

 

 

The problem is that last scan by Canada Post.....which says he parcel is in Montreal and has not left Canada.

 

 

 

Message 9 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

In order to access tracking for a specific country  I do the search for the country's postal service 

 

such as 

 

Norway Postal service tracking  .....on Google

 

and end up  on a website in English... such as the following for Norway

 

http://www.packagetrackr.com/track/posten-norway

 

and then ... Finland Postal Service tracking... on Google

 

http://www.posti.fi/english/postisservices/tools/itemtracking/

 

 

quick... easy to do ... and in English

 

 

Message 10 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

Hi inuk... No sure about your comment here

When you paid CP to delivered a package in Finland they are responsible from A to Z... Your contract is with CP and not with any other carrier. CP might use other carriers to transport their packages outside of Canada, but the contractual relation is between CP and the other carriers.

 

... and cumo55 you might need to file a refund with CP, it will take few weeks, but you will get something. If I recall correctly the standar amount is 100$. If you have tracking number you should be fine.

Message 11 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

I'm sorry but I'm not sure whether you checked the local postal sites for those packages and if the packages showed as being delivered?

Message 12 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.


@rockp5233 wrote:

Hi inuk... No sure about your comment here

When you paid CP to delivered a package in Finland they are responsible from A to Z... Your contract is with CP and not with any other carrier. CP might use other carriers to transport their packages outside of Canada, but the contractual relation is between CP and the other carriers.

 

... and cumo55 you might need to file a refund with CP, it will take few weeks, but you will get something. If I recall correctly the standar amount is 100$. If you have tracking number you should be fine.


I totally understand that and I do know what Cumos is saying. Others  may not. CP does not deliver outside of Canada. They deliver to the export point, as far as I know.

 

The original sales agreement is with CP, but, to say they failed when the other country does not update? That is not possible.

 

Just a thought, but, interesting how people want to take CP to task for another postal system's failure, but, will not accept a defect for a postal system failure, aka: "Not my fault".

 

 

Message 13 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Strange.  If your parcels are included tracking number like Tracked Packet, they are insured.

 

I send many packages/parcels to France, Japan, Australia, UK, Germany, all showed tracking even when they stopped at the custom department and were sitting there for some days before finally arrived as "delivered successfully".  Only one of them in Australia claimed that they never received even the tracking information showed they have received them, that they wrote the wrote Unit Number which they informed me AFTER 3 days AFTER I shipped them which was too late.

 

I had to call PayPal asking if it was the right address which they replied yes and that was 2 months after they claimed not received it.  They never make the corrections to PayPal the whole time, that showed me they are scammers.   Apparently they were trying to scam us but eBay closed their fraud claim in my favor.

 

Otherwise all my packets by Tracked Packet or XpressPost do showed from Step A to Step B, Step B to Step C, etc.

 

I suggest you filed for claims to get refunds, you better do them ASAP, too often online they said it was too late to file claims but I refused to let them stopped me from filing the claims which I had to use the toll-free phone number to call when some of my packages arrived pass the on-time guarantee. 

 

Also you should complain to Ombudsman about that.

 

A few years before they invented the insane hefty mail service which is Tracket Packet, I used to call Canada Post to complain, why the heck are we paying the hefty postage rates for Expedited or XpressPost or both and that we don't see the tracking information and they eventually refunded me each time.  That should put them on their toes.  I suggest you to call Canada Post about that, they need to "educate" all employees at Canada Post to scan, scan, scan EACH & EVERY item, period!!

 

Message 14 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

I can file an insurance claim with Canada Post after 8 weeks... two months....  on about October 25 

 

Tracking for that parcel to Finland says it reached Montreal on August 25.....No indication this the parcel  left Canada....

 

I paid for tracking..... Yet for two parcels  there was no tracking beyond Montreal... no tracking in the destination country....and buyers left feedback....

 

The critical tracking entry occurs at Ville St. Laurent.... ..... International item has left Canada.....  and without that entry  a claim for item not received is very easy...   refund is automatic....  and that is what happened with this parcel to Finland....

 

 

 

Message 15 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

Calling Canada Post does not work..... as the information does not go to far... I tried that.... That person is at the lowest end of the ladder...

 

 

This has to go directly to someone that can wake up the right people.... and make the appropriate adjustment....

 

 

Message 16 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

No sign of either of the two shipments above on the Norway site.

 

I haven't specifically checked their info on this point of late, however have always gone by the theory that the only +/-sure scan is the delivery. Otherwise, the item may or may not be scanned at any given point.

 

Lately I've even been getting inconsistency on the initial scans ~ occasionally the Accepted/Delivered "bar" on the CP tracking stays grey, even well after the item has been scanned at the PO counter. I have often thought how hit and miss the tracking would be if someone just dropped a package in a mailbox.

 

Another change is how the tracking number in eBay redirects over to USPS for U.S. shipments in most cases.

 

Another issue I have is two shipments I was sweet-talked by the customer against my better judgment into shipping by Fed-ex ground are not showing up in my eBay sales records as having been "validated by the carrier". Again, more than one call to eBay customer service has failed to clear this up.

 

It boggles the mind how eBay finds it is perfectly acceptable to penalize its sellers for failures of eBay's own technology - or their failure to properly assess the technology of 3rd parties on whom their sellers rely.

Message 17 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

US seller are finding missing scans with their USPS parcels...  and then losing cases because of the missed scan.

 

 

 

 

Message 18 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

Well, when any of us goes to the store, orders via the mail, and something goes wrong, who do we go after? We go after the seller. Do we go after the delivery agent? Nope. Do we go after the wholesaler? Nope. Do we go after the manufacturer? Nope. We go to the seller.

Message 19 of 35
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Re: Tracking problems with International parcel service.

The critical tracking entry occurs at Ville St. Laurent.... ..... International item has left Canada.....  and without that entry  a claim for item not received is very easy...   refund is automatic....  and that is what happened with this parcel to Finland....

 

 

However, IF ( I realize that it wasn't) the package was showing as having been delivered on the Finland site, the refund should not be automatic?

Message 20 of 35
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