Canada Post Guarantees Delivery... Unless It's Late
- jim Young
“Think outside the box to get the box there on time.”During this Christmas Holiday Season* shoppers everywhere are looking for great deals. And great deals they will find whether they are shopping online or in brick and mortar outlets. The philosophy seems to be, if more people are spending their money, prices go down.
Banks follow that philosophy too. When people are borrowing more money, interest rates tend to go down.
You know who doesn’t do this? Canada Post.
Canada Post increases shipping surcharges during the Christmas Holiday Season claiming it’s
Don’t businesses hire additional staff during the Christmas Holiday Season?
Don’t businesses extend their hours during the Christmas Holiday Season?
How do they do it?
I think the concept is that profits increase when sales increase and while a share of those extra profits may be applied to those extra costs, overall there is a financial gain for the businesses. It's a win-win for everyone.
Why doesn’t that work for Canada Post?
Canada Post may have an extra added cost with their vehicles, but aren’t those vehicle costs currently calculated into their already ridiculously high shipping costs?
Are all Canada Post vehicles traveling to full capacity every day? Living beside a Canada Post outlet, I see a very large cube van arrive and leave mostly empty each day, so at least some of those extra vehicle costs in the surcharges are already paid for.
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Screenshot from a 2022 Canada Post Handout. |
At least Canada Post assures the public that they “are committed to delivering a service you can count on”.
Or Are They?
While Canada Post proudly advertises their “delivery standard between most major centres in Canada” for the Christmas Holiday Season, they are also quick to note that “During peak season, on-time delivery guarantees will be paid when delivery occurs two or more business days after the published delivery standards.”
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| Screenshot from a 2022 Canada Post Handout. |
Isn’t that kind of like saying, “We guarantee you the delivery you are paying for unless we don’t make it in time?”
And Just When You Think You’ve Heard It All
Even if you accept the “published delivery standards PLUS 2 days” as the guaranteed delivery date, don’t expect the “free shipping if not delivered on time” guarantee that Pizza companies offer will hold.
Canada Post has another little surprise for you in the small print.
Aside from the usual “Delivery standards… are subject to change without notice” rider, Canada Post has another little clause hidden in its back pocket and it’s not a Santa Claus.
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| Screenshot from a 2022 Canada Post Handout. |
“The on-time delivery guarantee may be modified during a peak period… or suspended due to causes beyond Canada Post’s reasonable control, but not limited to, acts of God, epidemics, labour disruptions, delays in customs, equipment failures or unanticipated surges in volume.”
Hmm. What if the driver has to stop for a bathroom break? Does that count too?
The Post Office creed of “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” seems to have been replaced with, “Increased surcharges during peak seasons will be consistent with diminished delivery guarantees.”
In fairness to Canada Post, it’s not just them. Apparently this is an “industry standard” among parcel delivery services, however that is neither an explanation nor a justification for such an outrageous practice.
As Canada Post is a Crown Corporation this should be their opportunity to outshine the competition by providing Canadians with service above and beyond.
In a world where “Shopping Local” is a focus of many Canadians, Canada Post seems intent on discouraging the practice.
When the cost to ship a locally purchased Christmas Gift to a family member residing in another province far exceeds the original cost of the gift, it’s hard not to opt to have Amazon ship it on their behalf for free even if it is coming from China.
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