Carriers Defaulting to Authority to Leave | Alternative Signature Delivery Options

Friday, 08 Jan 2021 - Contactless Delivery Continues.

As the cases of COVID-19 have spiked again throughout several states, to limit contact when delivering orders, carriers will be maintaining their default contactless delivery methods.

This means all deliveries (unless deemed unsafe to do so) will automatically default to authority to leave (ATL) where possible and drivers will not be requesting a physical signature from the customer/receiver. See more on what is considered safe or not, below.

TNT will not be defaulting to ATL delivery so this is a service to consider if you require a signature delivery.

We also suggest using a Sameday carrier such as Bonds and Allied Sameday where the customer can choose a timeslot they'll be home to accept the delivery. This will still be a contactless delivery but only left if the customer is home.

If you require further clarification or have an issue with a delivery, please reach out to our support team.

Monday, 21 December 2020 - Default Authority To Leave.

Due to the recent outbreak across the Northern Beaches and Greater Sydney area, our partnered carriers will be defaulting all deliveries to contactless (authority to leave).

This means a signature will not be obtained if the customer is home and instead, a name will be noted as proof of delivery instead. If the customer is not home then the driver will note their name.

If it is not safe to leave the package it will be returned to the depot or dropped to a local collection point.

What is considered a safe place?

• out of wet weather, avoiding damage
• out of direct sight from the public or passers-by, avoiding theft
• somewhere visible pets cannot access

What is not considered a safe place?

• corridors and front doors in apartment buildings and units (unless a private area is present or doorman)
• front door if easily accessed by the public or passers-by
• out in wet weather 
• where visible pets can access the package

Tuesday, 24 March 2020 - Alternative Signature Delivery Options.

TNT services will not be defaulting to Authority to Leave. 

• They will however, be practising delivery safety measures. This means a physical signature will no longer be required and the driver will instead note the receivers name on the PDA themselves as proof of delivery.
• If the customer is not home, goods will be returned to a local exchange for collection or held at the depot for redelivery (redelivery costs will apply).
• We urge customers who require signature deliveries or are sending high-value goods, to ship using a signature service like TNT or TNT overnight for express deliveries.

We can also suggest using a Sameday carrier such as Bonds and Allied Sameday where the customer can choose a timeslot they'll be home to accept the delivery. This will still be a contactless delivery but only left if the customer is home.

Monday, 23 March 2020 - Default ATL on All Deliveries.

The safety of our partners, retailers and customers is our priority. As the cases of COVID-19 increase, to limit contact when delivering orders, all carriers are now defaulting deliveries to authority to leave (ATL) where possible and will not be requesting a physical signature from the customer/receiver.

 How will delivery work?

• The driver will knock or ring the bell, place the goods on the ground and step away.
• If your customer is at the delivery address, the driver will only note the full name of the customer instead of obtaining a physical signature.
• If the delivery address is unattended and the driver considers there to be a safe area to leave the goods, ATL will be followed and no name obtained.
• Once the goods are left in a safe area, delivery drivers will do their best to make a note of the location or take a picture as proof of delivery.
• If the delivery address is unattended and the driver considers it not safe to leave goods unattended, they should return back to the depot where redelivery can be booked on a day the customer is home. The customer can choose to have it dropped to a collection point and collect it themselves or, the driver may also do this by default if one is nearby.

Which carriers are affected?

• Domestic Carriers include Allied Express, CouriersPlease, Fastway, Australia Post, and StarTrack.
• International carriers include Seko, NZ Post, Aramex SG, and NinjaVan SG.

What if the goods are of high value or ATL is not an option?

• We suggest liaising with your customer to agree on a day they will be home to receive the package so it's not left outside and use a carrier that can facilitate this (i.e a sameday carrier if available).
• Discuss alternative delivery options with your customer and choose a carrier who can deliver to this type of location i.e Fastway Parcel Connect or CouriersPlease POPshop.
• Ensure you have this option turned ON within Shippit>Carrier Settings to avoid the package being returned to the depot for re-delivery, or returned to sender.

 NOTE: this is a decision made and enforced directly from the carrier/s, not Shippit itself as the aggregator. Each carriers standard terms of carriage will still apply to these deliveries.