Hamilton business owner frustrated over delayed, lost packages at Canada Post warehouses

A niche paint shop in Hamilton is bracing for a hit to its bottom line after dozens of its parcels bound for outside Ontario have for weeks been delayed or unaccounted for at several Canada Post warehouses.

Melanie Anderson, owner of The Painted Bench, says she is out more than $4,000 dollars in products that have not been shipped to customers.

“When you’re talking about thousands of dollars worth of products, and I can’t claim the insurance I paid on it, it really gets frustrating,” says Anderson.

Anderson ships up to 40 parcels a week out of her Ottawa Street North locale, which has relied heavily on e-commerce due to the stay-at-home order.

The lengthy delays with the national post office began around mid-January.

Over the holiday season, Anderson says shipping was moving at a better clip — roughly one to two days for parcels headed to the U.S. and even shorter for those headed to provinces outside Ontario.

“Now, they’re not leaving at all,” she says, adding about half of the parcels she has shipped since Jan. 15 continue to sit idle at Canada Post’s processing facility in Stoney Creek.

When Anderson recently asked Canada Post to return the parcels, she says they either refused or could not find them.

“Because they’re in transit, I can’t get my money back — even though I’m insured,” she says. “And I can’t get the parcels back because they can’t find them.”

Anderson says Canada Post has attributed the delays to a massive COVID-19 outbreak at its Gateway facility in Mississauga where more than 273 workers have tested positive and one has reportedly died.

The depot, which was temporarily closed Jan. 23, is largely responsible for all parcels shipped to markets outside Ontario.

Canada Post would not confirm the delays are linked to the Gateway facility’s closure, but said part of its contingency plans include “moving and redirecting some products to other processing plants in our international network.”

“We are doing everything possible to deliver items as quickly possible,” said spokesperson Valérie Chartrand.

Those comments ring hollow for Anderson, who has paid hundreds in extra fees for expedited shipping.

“If you can’t give the service that you’re collecting money for, then you shouldn’t be taking any more money,” she says. “You should be shutting down.”