'Lightning struck twice': Hastings pensioner's cautionary tale of the need for parcel insurance

NZ Post apologises to Hastings man for losing his parcel which left him out of pocket by a couple of thousand dollars. Photo / Warren Buckland

A Hastings pensioner has given a warning to others about the need to consider parcel insurance after two lost parcels left him thousands of dollars out of pocket.

The man, a self-proclaimed radio enthusiast who did not want to be named, sent two parcels with NZ Post recently - both of them Icom radio transmitters.

To his amazement "lightning struck twice" and both were lost in the post.

The first parcel, worth about $4000, was delivered to the wrong address and subsequently stolen, leading to a successful prosecution against the thief.

"I made a claim with my insurance company, I had to pay excess on the insurance. Police recovered it and someone was prosecuted for it," he told Hawke's Bay Today.

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The man then decided to send another parcel a few months ago thinking it couldn't happen again.

"I went into the post office to send an Icom 706g to Auckland to get repaired.

"I rang up the bloke in Auckland and asked if it had reached him. He never received it. That's when the monkeyness started."

The man made a complaint with NZ Post, but much to his annoyance and frustration the company kept directing him to its website.

NZ Post told him that he would not be covered for more than $250 for the lost or stolen parcels, and he realised he was out of pocket as a result.

To have the option of insurance the man would've had to courier the item at extra cost, but this was not explained to him at the counter either of the two times he sent the parcel, the man said.

An NZ Post spokesperson said the company worked hard to deliver all parcels quickly, safely, and correctly.

"While in the overwhelming majority of instances we do achieve this, from time to time, due to the nature of logistics, loss can occur," the spokesperson said.

"NZ Post has carried out investigations into the whereabouts of his parcel and disappointingly, it does appear this item has been incorrectly delivered.

"NZ Post has made efforts to recover the parcel and deliver it correctly and unfortunately, these efforts were not successful.

"Unfortunately, no compensation is payable when the item sent exceeds the cover amount for the service purchased (in this instance $250)."

The spokesperson acknowledged it was a disappointing outcome for him, and as a goodwill gesture NZ Post arranged for an ex-gratia compensation payment of $250.

"There is no option to purchase extra insurance, however there are other services such as courier which provide cover up to $2000 when the item value exceeds $250," they said.

"We wish to express our apologies to him for the loss of his parcel and we encourage people who are sending items to check our terms and conditions on our website, and make sure they are selecting the right service for their item."