Letter travelling less than 2km within Wodonga takes nine days to get to Australia Post customer

Mail was delivered to Peter White’s home more than a week after it was posted by his insurance company, streets away in West Wodonga.

“It was posted on July 20, then stamped by 6 o’clock the next night in Seymour, and I got it on Monday,” he said.

“It’s really annoyed me – by the time it’s sent to Seymour, sorted and put back in a truck it’s handled eight times before it gets to me in Wodonga.

“Business people I’ve spoken to, who rely on the post to run their business, are all saying the same thing.”

Australia Post scrapped next-day delivery in regional Victoria in 2014.

Mr White said he believed delivery time had become progressively more delayed in recent years, made worse by stamp prices jumping 40 per cent in January.

“They say it’s all to do with costs, but you can’t tell me it’s going to cost more to have someone sorting it in Wodonga like they used to, than trucking it to Seymour,” Mr White said.

“Common sense prevails here – if someone is posting from one place in Wodonga to the other, why does it have to leave the town?

“I have started putting notes on my bills, stating when I posted it.

“I was straight to Cathy McGowan’s office and they said they were aware of the problem.”

An Australia Post spokesman apologised for any inconvenience caused to Mr White.

“While we recognise there may be isolated incidents of delayed mail, this is rare,” he said.

“When you consider that we deliver more than three billion items every year, we are proud that the vast majority arrive safely and on time.

“In July, we delivered 98 per cent of all letters on time or early, above our required community service obligation of 94 per cent.

“If customers have any concerns about their delivery, we encourage them to call our customer contact centre on 13 13 18.”