Aramex “Return to sender”: what it means

Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from Aramex?

If you bought online from a business, that business chose Aramex and is its customer, so a late or missing order is in most cases for the seller to put right, wherever you live. In Australia, the Australian Consumer Law (section 36) says a business that has taken your money must supply the goods within the time it promised, or within a reasonable time if it promised none. The exception is where someone else or something outside its control caused the failure and it took reasonable care to avoid it, and a seller can try to rely on that when the courier is at fault. The law does not spell out who bears the risk of a parcel lost on the way, but government guidance in Western Australia says the seller has to resolve problems with the courier it used. In New Zealand, the Consumer Guarantees Act (section 5A) makes a seller who arranges delivery responsible for the goods reaching you at the agreed time, or within a reasonable time if none was agreed, and government guidance there says the shop stays responsible until the goods reach you.

If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is with the Aramex franchisee that carried it, under its conditions of carriage, and those conditions say you have no claim against the rest of the Aramex network. In Australia they limit cover for loss or damage to the cost price of the goods, freight included, up to $1,500 excluding GST, for standard labels only, with a list of excluded goods, and they do not limit your consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law. New Zealand's conditions set a maximum of $2,000 including GST for each unit of goods, and say the Consumer Guarantees Act prevails where it applies.