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Reporter - Hannah Wallis
We've had a few complaints about couriers lately. Several of you
told us you had breakable items delivered by courier, you signed
the delivery invoice, and then afterwards found the items
broken.
Under The Carriage of Goods Act there is cover for up to $1500 per
unit - but - in all three cases the delivery companies said -
there's no cover. And they were right. The Act states that
the
courier/carrier's liability ends the moment the item is delivered.
By signing for it - you have agreed that it's been delivered - end
of cover.
$1500 may not cover the cost of damage when it's something big.
Also, it's the sender who gets re-imbursed by the courier company.
So if your package is a trademe or ebay deal, or internet sales -
it can be a lot tougher for you to get the money.
Once you've signed for a courier delivery - that's it. Under The
Carriage of Goods Act, the courier or carrier stops being liable
for your stuff as soon as it's delivered, and you've signed for
it.
So first, especially if you've been sent fragile stuff, ask the
courier to wait while you check the goods. Yes it's annoying but
it's the only way to avoid a fight later, over who's
responsible.
If you do need to make a claim - first check out the courier
company's terms and conditions - all courier companies are
different in terms of how long you've got to make a claim. If for
example it's DHL - you've got 30 days. With Fastway - it's 14 days
but with Courier Post - you've got just 7 days.
