Dear Australia Post,
Just a quick note to say thanks for sending my letter from one part of this lovely state to another, via Monaco. And Portugal. And possibly a quick stop off at Paris while it's at it.
While I don't know if those locations are 100% accurate, I can only guess that my humble little envelope with a single sheet of paper within will get to travel that far given how much you charged me to pop it into the mail chute to begin it's surprisingly mammoth journey.
At a hefty $3.40 to post a letter, I'm really hoping it finally arrives with many stamps on it's little passport!
Look, I know it's been a while since I've had to post a letter. Once upon a time I did have a pen pal but I eventually ceased communication with her when she revealed she enjoyed an occasional toot or two on the old crystal pipe (I have since tracked her down on Facebook and she seems to be doing just fine for herself nowadays). By that time I think you charged me a buck and change to send a letter from Australia to Canada, complete with a nice fancy little Air Mail sticker to match. Not too shabby for overseas letter chit chat.
So walking in today, I fully expected with inflation in 2026 that to keep my lowly communication within the same state, I'd probably have to shell out a couple of dollars at most. Maybe a sniff over if you must. But when the bored bloke behind the counter muttered the words 'That'll be three dollars forty thanks' I almost had to whip out the phone and book myself a hearing test.
$3.40?? Mate I'm not asking for you to hand deliver this thing, just to pop it in the mail with the rest of whatever people are sending these guys (at that price I'm guessing really not as much as they used to!) and for it to wing it's way to it's intended destination eventually. That's a $3.40 slug for you to chuck it on the scale (look you didn't break any fingers lifting it up so you know it's not carrying excess baggage, also it's a letter and you can see that plain as day) and then pop it in a sac where for most of the rest of it's journey automated machines will do the heavy lifting and a given it's a P.O Box it's headed for, there's zero chance of any feral dogs waiting to eat the postie on the other end.
For $3.40 to send an envelope I expect to have insurance, tracking, surveillance and my own government agency keeping tabs on the thing twenty-four-seven. For that price I expect my little official letter to see the county and then two more of it's choosing before finally coming home and being delivered as it should. If it somehow arrives where I intended it to and it doesn't have Oscar Piastri's autograph on it then I'd expect a partial refund.
 |
| Did you get him to sign it? |
But no, that's the no frills cattle/economy class service right here. Nothing special, no bells, no whistles. And after sending a few presents interstate with your delivery service previously Australia Post, I also know you won't be in any hurry to get it there because I didn't opt in for express. I mean I could have but I figured the last remnants of this fortnight's pay packet was probably better spent on some food and paying the heating bill. So $3.40 is all you're going to get out of me this time around.
But before you add that to whatever luxury cruise liner build you seem to be financing with the ludicrous price of sending just a plain letter in 2026, perhaps you could explain how I can buy something from China and have it shipped to my door here in Australia for less than it costs me to post a simple letter from one part of this state to another? And hilariously I've found the Chinese postal system can often get things faster to here than I can getting something from here to somewhere else in the same country. Go figure!
Australia Post you've systematically killed of the joy of receiving a letter given the price you're asking when you know it's cost the sender big time just to say hello.* It's no wonder no one sends Christmas Cards through the post anymore (well aside from the real estate agency which I feel is as sincere as a kick to the testicles usually - and they probably have a much cheaper business account?) Also I guess gone are the days where you could make a quick easy few bucks selling things on eBay when shipping gets to the point where you're paying more to get it delivered than it's actually worth.
I know the move is to make everything digital but if we keep doing that, you'll all be out a job unless you're going to charge to send emails too? Actually forget I mentioned that, I don't want to give you anymore idiotic ideas on how to charge like a wounded bull for such a simple service.
Do better. (On the price and so much more it seems!)
Regards
-Me and anyone else who wondered if they misheard the person behind the counter when they explained how much it costs to send a simple letter nowadays here in Australia.
 |
| Raj is also clearly unimpressed! |
*I mean letters you want to receive and not the ones asking for money. I'm looking at you 99% of my current mailbox.
Comments
Post a Comment