Thread: Fastways Couriers WTF!

Outrage after Fastway courier leaves rifle at wrong address - no signature required

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The intended recipient lived 50 kilometres away and was "outraged".



A Christchurch woman was "mad and scared" when she came home to find a courier had wrongly dropped a rifle at her back door – no signature required.
A Fastway courier delivered the gun-shaped parcel – labelled as a rifle – to her Avonside home on Tuesday having confused it with a property 50 kilometres away.
The package was left near a pile of children's shoes and a bike, as no-one was home to sign for it.

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The label reads "rifle", but that did not stop a courier leaving it on a doorstep of the wrong house.



The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, phoned police after finding the parcel propped against the back door, near where her children played.
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"I'm confused and I don't know how this has happened, obviously no-one was hurt, but the courier didn't know what type of person I was. Anything could have happened," she said.

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Fastway Couriers came under fire last year when an absent-minded courier dropped a package containing a gun on a Wellington doorstep.



"I am so mad and scared. Our neighbourhood isn't the greatest, and what if a neighbour found it. Or my children.
"I'm not a gun person. I've never touched a gun and I don't like having a gun in my house, I really didn't even know how to hold it to pick it up."
Police collected the firearm.
She phoned Fastway about 1pm to complain and was told a manager would return her call. By 4.30pm she had not heard back, so called again.

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"I was transferred to a manager who sounded angry to be interrupted. He explained he was waiting for the driver to get back and would 'rake him over the coals'."
There was no apology and no recognition of how the rifle could have fallen into the wrong hands, she said.
The intended recipient, hunter Christopher Doig, was outraged.
He has a firearms licence and expected the gun to be dropped at his home in Darfield. The two street names are similar. The post code on the package was for the wrong area.
"I'm pretty angry about this. I'll have to take a time off work to go and pick it up, which I just shouldn't have to do.
"This is serious, it's a firearm – it should only be left when it's signed for by you," Doig said.
Fastway came under fire last year when an absent-minded courier dropped a package containing a gun on a Wellington doorstep.
The couple ordered the gun from Trade Me, but were shocked to find it unattended and in clear sight of potential thieves.
Fastway's terms and conditions state a delivery is deemed successful when the courier obtains a receipt, captures an electronic signature, or signed delivery sheet from any person at the address.
Franchisee Scott Mitchell said an internal inquiry into the latest incident and a review of procedures was under way.
"Any changes to procedures or staff disciplinary action will be based on the outcome of the internal inquiry," Mitchell said.
"Fastway Couriers have a procedures policy for transporting firearms and unfortunately this was not fully adhered to in this instance."
A police spokeswoman said an officer would contact the courier company to "discuss the matter".
"The firearm is currently secured at the Christchurch Central police station, and its rightful owner has been contacted and will be coming into the station to pick it up."