Canada Post Shipping Delays: What You Should Know

As Canadians, we have to rely on our postal service. Whether it be for shipping packages overseas or sending a parcel across the country, Canada Post is supposed to be there for us. The convenience of shipping with Canada Post comes with a price: late packages and missed deadlines. Many businesses and individuals have been negatively impacted by Canada Post’s delays. This article will explore some of the reasons why things seem to be so bad and what you can do about it, if anything.

Why are packages being delayed?

Canada Post says the main reason for the delays is the Covid-19 pandemic. While this has played a part in the delivery delays it is a poor excuse as they have had 2 years to make changes and adapt to these circumstances, as other large businesses have, yet Canada Post’s service has deteriorated.
The large couriers have also had their share of problems but have managed to sort them out, to a large extent. Not that there aren’t delays, just that they are not as severe.

The bad service has been going on for years and years and there is always an excuse:

• The workers are striking
• Not enough staff
• Not enough money
• The weather is bad
• Covid-19 etc. etc.

The workers are not to blame, they do a great job with what resources they are given.

Price increases: Canada Post has raised its shipping rates by 4-6 percent every year, this is much more than the rate of inflation. Yet their service has become worse and worse every year. We have kept our shipping charges the same for years and we have absorbed the increases, but we can’t continue doing this. As it is we subsidize our shipping rate and charge a low flat rate to our customers, the difference comes out of our pockets.

How have delays affected Canadian business?

One of the most significant impacts of Canada Post’s delays is that it has negatively affected businesses. Businesses rely on getting their packages out on time to meet customer expectations and deadlines. Many Canadian companies use Canada Post for shipping, so when things happen, they can easily fall behind on orders and miss important deadlines.
For example, if a package is late because of weather or transit delays, it may mean that the business will have to reschedule a shipment or send out a replacement order. This increases the cost for the company as well as the customer. Additionally, some larger companies that rely on Canada Post for shipping, have had their shipments delayed by up to two months! These late shipments affect profitability and create major issues for customer service.

So why don’t you ship with another company?

There are a variety of other shipping companies that offer a more reliable service. These companies include UPS, FedEx, DHL, Canpar and Purolator to name a few. HOWEVER, there is a significant price difference for their services. Courier companies are mainly used for business-to-business shipments as they all charge an additional fee on top of the shipping charge for delivery to residential addresses, and this fee is about C$4.50. They also do not ship to P. O. Boxes.

What steps you can take to counteract Canada Post’s delays?

Unfortunately, herein lies the problem in Canada; We do not have any alternatives as customers don’t want to pay higher shipping rates, in fact, most want free shipping.

Rules for the customer

• If you don’t have anything urgent, then it may be better to use Canada Post because it will be cheaper in the long run.
• Make sure you give the correct address when you order online. One small mistake will take forever to sort out, if ever.
• Pack fragile items really well.
• If you need the item delivered quickly, pay for faster shipping.
• For International parcels, you don’t have to use Canada Post. There are now many shipping companies that will ship to the USA, Europe, etc. at vastly reduced rates and they offer tracking and similar delivery times to Canada Post.

Our Gift Shop uses NLPost (Netherlands Post) for our international parcels and USPS Priority for our US deliveries.

It may be time for the Federal government to take over Canada Post again as it is quite obvious it cannot be run as a private company. Shipping and delivery of goods have become such a vital part of business that if not handled correctly it can seriously affect the whole economy.

How have delays affected your local deliveries or your business?

Please post your suggestions or experiences below.