Despite reports that mail service in Canada is experiencing delays, Canada Post reportedly says it is up to date on its mail delivery in St. John’s.
Patients have reportedly claimed that they received notification for medical appointments through the mail after the appointment date has already passed.
Canada Post says that mail sent from local health authorities is processed and sent with other mail. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada Post says the volume of mail has declined across Canada and continues at a lower-than-normal rate.
Callers to the VOCM Open Line are complaining that they are experiencing extremely slow mail delivery in the region. One caller said that it took about three weeks for a letter mailed from Cowan Heights to arrive at a Cornwall Avenue address. Another caller said she received notification for a medical appointment three days after the date had passed.
According to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, the problem is reportedly because of mismanagement.
On July 29, Canada Post published a news release noting that it was entering the next phase in serving Canadians’ needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. As businesses reopen and fewer individuals are home during the workday, Canada Post says it is “entering a new phase in our efforts to ensure the safety of our people and our customers while providing an essential service.”
Canada Post insists its service levels are improving, even as it maintains social distancing during its operations.
“As fewer Canadians are at home during the day, we are making some modifications to our existing Knock, Drop and Go procedure for the delivery of parcels,” Canada Post stated in the release. “As a result, when the sender has selected ‘Do Not Safe Drop’ a parcel will not be left at the door if no one is home.”
As of Aug. 4, Canada Post says that the delivery person will knock on the door or ring the doorbell and wait for a response. If someone responds, they will leave the item a safe distance from the recipient. If no one responds, the delivery person will leave a card directing the customer to pick up the item at the post office.
In addition, free hold mail and mail forwarding services were reportedly closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Those services reportedly ended on Aug. 1, 2020.
The postal operator also indicates that it will return to a 15-day limit for holding parcels at the post office.
“In March, we provided customers additional time to retrieve their parcels from the post office,” Canada Post says on its website. “With restrictions easing, we will return to a 15-day limit for customers to retrieve their parcels after receiving a card with instructions. Items held beyond 15 days will be returned to the sender.”
Canada Post Class Action Lawsuit
Earlier this summer, a Canada class action lawsuit was filed against Canada Post over allegations it failed to deliver on its “accelerated delivery service” to consumers.
The Canada Post class action lawsuit alleges that Canada Post touted its accelerated delivery service even though it knew that it would be unable to meet delivery times due to delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada Post allegedly continued to offer these services and charged customers full price even though it knew that COVID-19 precautions would preclude it from meeting the accelerated delivery schedule.
According to plaintiff Natalia Milewska, Canada Post’s accelerated delivery services are integral to her online cosmetic business. She says that customers need to be able to track packages and she needs the ability to send packages by specific delivery dates.
Natalia says that eight of 12 packages she has sent since March 12 have arrived after the guaranteed arrival date. Even though they arrived after the guaranteed arrival date, she says she has not been reimbursed for the late packages.
Natalia alleges that she has spent dozens of hours tracking late or lost packages and contacting customers about the delays due to Canada Post’s delays. Not only has she lost time, Natalia has also taken a financial hit to her business because of the unforeseen delays, according to the Canada Post class action lawsuit.
According to the Canada Post class action lawsuit, customers who pay extra for an expedited delivery service are able to claim reimbursement if their package is not delivered on time. However, Canada Post said on March 19 that it would suspend the on-time delivery guarantee.
This change to the expedited delivery service was made “abruptly and without warning or consent,” Natalia alleges in the Canada Post class action lawsuit. She alleges that Canada Post has enough employees to deliver the express packages on time, but that it refuses to let its employees work overtime.
Natalia alleges that Canada Post is unjustly enriched by the failing accelerated delivery programs because it is not reimbursing customers for late packages. She says that she would not have paid for accelerated delivery services if she had known that the delivery date was not guaranteed and that she would not be reimbursed for late packages.
Has your mail been arriving on time? Have you paid for an accelerated delivery service from Canada Post recently? Was it delivered in a timely manner? Tell us your story in the comment section below!
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defiantly sign me up