Fair Go: Couple's overseas adventure marred by mail redirect error by NZ Post

Right now, collecting the post is no easy trip for Carol and Dennis Leckie.

No amble down the driveway for them. No, it's a case of getting in the car and driving for two hours to a letterbox, then another two hours back. So how did this happen? Well it's the result of a double blunder by NZ Post.

It began when the couple started planning for their 11-week trip around Europe. Being organised, they made lots of preparations.

Cassie the cat was off to the cattery, neighbours were calling in to flush toilets and air the house, the lawns were being looked after, and most importantly, they ordered a mail redirection from NZ Post.

This was vital as the couple don't have automatic payments for their bills. So they set their son up with their account details, and redirected their mail from their house near Feilding to their son's house in Upper Hutt. Only, the redirection never worked.

They'd paid the $15 fee, and received a letter to confirm it, but while on holiday, their son informed them he wasn't receiving any letters.

It turns out 61 items of mail had been delivered to their own home address. That is until they returned home. Once back in their house, they rang NZ Post to complain and ask for their fee back. NZ Post said they'd get back to them, but they didn't.

Instead, the call seemed to trigger their redirection into action. So now they were at home, wanting to receive their mail, but it was all being sent 160 kilometres away to their son. Carol says she's "a bit flabbergasted" and would like to know what went wrong.

It may seem an amusing and minor inconvenience, but during this time they were receiving bills, and second reminders for bills, their car had run out of insurance.

"It's serious as well," says Dennis, adding that NZ Post needs to realise there are consequences to someone not doing their job.

Worse still, the couple didn't trust NZ Post enough for their son to send their mail back in the post, as they feared it would just be redirected straight back down to him, so after weeks of complaining and nothing being done they had to make the two-hour journey to pick up their post.

That's when they asked Fair Go to help with a special delivery - a complaint to NZ Post. The response shows that when they put their mind to it, they can get it right.

Within a few days, the couple’s $15 had been refunded, and their post was finally ending up where they wanted it to be.

NZ Post apologised profusely, and said the problem was due to their regular rural contractor going on leave, and a brand new driver taking over deliveries in the area.

They added that the problem "has highlighted the importance of ensuring that our in-depth training schedules are followed for all new drivers". Let's hope that message gets to all the right places.