BOLO: Stolen/Missing SHMS::UPDATE 9/23/15 Insurance Claim DENIED Again

Update 7/3/2015

Appeal has been denied with no reason given. I'm assuming it is because they think it is delivered. Looks like I'm eating a knife/money. Really great since I'm now unemployed and I sold that knife to pay bills.
After the holiday I'm going to try to contact the IG of the postal service and see if I can get them to do something. This really sucks.



Have a great 4th, everybody. Let's see some Busse 4th picnic pics :thumbup:
 
You should submit a claim for mail fraud. The USPS probably is not reimbursing you because their records indicate that the knife was delivered. If you claim that the package wasn't delivered, and can validate it by the recipient claiming that they never received it, then the mistake must have been made intentionally (and fraudulently) by a USPS employee, and your insurance claim should be honored. But if you're just requesting insurance for a package that (as far as they're concerned) was delivered, then there's really no reason they'd reimburse you, because their obligation was fulfilled. Also, there's always the possibility that the buyer is not telling the truth about receiving the package. Either way, this is really lousy news, and I hope you'll be able to find some resolution.
 
I'm not sure if this suggestion was given... But call and ask for the postal inspectors phone number, they have more power than the FBI. If they can, they will help you.
Dam this sucks!! Hope they help u out
Al
 
Good luck dude. Both the postal inspector and mail fraud ideas are the way I'd go at this point. Good ideas fellas.
 
"How safe is Registered Insured Mail?

Many people are not aware that their local post office provides a safe method to ship high-value parcels – USPS Registered Insured Mail. . Registered mail is secure because it is what is called accountable mail. Registered mail packages are always the personal responsibility of a USPS employee, with signatures required at every step.

This strict accountability system makes shipment by Registered Mail as secure as via any bonded armored courier company in the US – and it’s backed by the USPS with an ironclad guarantee of signed receipt delivery.

USPS insures Registered Mail for up to $25,000, and we have supplemental insurance under our business policy for an additional $75,000 available at no cost to you.
A Registered Mail package containing five ounces of gold can be sent anywhere in the US for less than $40. Of course, larger shipments cost more, but if you are selling us ten ounces or more, we will refund all your costs of postage and insurance shipping via Registered Mail.
NOTE – Alternate carriers such as Federal Express and UPS do NOT provide the guaranteed security of US Registered Mail. Their insurance does not cover coins or bullion.

Also, if you are selling material that is worth more than $250,000, call us to discuss alternate methods of insured shipping. On larger transactions, we can arrange armored car pickup at your ban

Here are a few tips to make your Registered Mail shipping go smoothly:
If you have coins in plastic tubes, pack each tube so that it doesn't rattle, and tape the top securely shut. Put your material in a sturdy box, preferably a corrugated-wall cardboard box.

Once the material is in the shipping box, pack the box tightly with wrapping material such as wadded paper, bubble wrap, or 'packing peanuts.'
Ideally, you have the box packed tightly so that the load can't shift inside the box. Remember to pack securely, because while in transit, your package may be turned upside down, have heavy parcels put on top of it, or even be dropped off a loading dock.

To make your package tamper-proof, the Post Office will apply ink cancellation marks to various areas of your package. Therefore, the outside of your box, including all seams, must be entirely of a porous paper or cardboard surface. If any part of the outside of your package has a slick or glossy surface, the Post Office may not accept it.

To comply, we recommend using a paper packing tape to cover any slick surfaces, or even the whole box. We use a 2-inch wide manila reinforced paper tape that requires moistening to adhere. It is available at most office supply stores and wrap-and-ship locations. If you can't find it, give us a call -we buy it by the case and would be glad to send you some!

At the Post Office, send your package via Registered Insured Mail, insured for its true value. Each package can be insured for up to $25,000, and you will receive a serial numbered receipt stating the declared value of each parcel.

Do not use "Certified" mail. Your valuables need the protection and accountability of Registered Mail. Registered Mail is also a Priority service, and delivery is usually in two to five business days."


This is most of the sticky about Registered Insured Mail recommended by Esav Benyamin. I'm going to try it myself next time I ship. Recently had a close call or two and am waiting on a rehabbed AK that appears to have disappeared into the Postal facility in San Francisco. I was supposed to have received it by Wed 01 July '15. No apparent movement, no joy.
Pete
 
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Bummer Forager...I appreciate you sharing this painful lesson with us tho.
Never been thru the process of loss/theft but post has brought up some great info.
 
I'm trying to figure out how Registered Mail could improve this situation. If a postal carrier did indeed falsify a signature and claim a package was delivered (and not deliver it) as suggested, I would think the exact same thing could happen whether it was Registered or not. PO still wouldn't pay a claim as package was 'signed for' and delivered.
Also a carrier would have some balls, falsifying a signature for and stealing a package, knowing the heat it could generate. This isn't like a package 'disappearing' in transit, the theft can be directly traced to the carrier and the carrier only.
Personally I'd take this to "Fox on your side" or the local TV 'investigative report' deals if I was the package recipient, knowing the signature was forged (that's something you could probably prove in court if need be). Small claims court is another option, I think there are some restrictions for suing the PO, but if you could prove the signature was falsified I think that would be a different story. Not to mention a great piece for a TV segment.
 
The forgery and theft you describe are probably felony theft and possibly a federal crime for the forgery and/or mail fraud by the hypothetical postal worker and/or accomplice. Heavy penalties for either or both. If you read the rest of the recommended sticky in the GBU forum, the company that wrote the precis on Registered Mail claims " Since 1986, we have shipped and received over $750 million worth of US Registered Insured Mail without a single package being lost or tampered with. " If true, very impressive and worth trying, IMHO.
Pete
 
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forager said:
Update 6/29/15

The claim has been denied. Reason: records indicate delivery of article

Now I have to file an appeal. What total and complete BS this is.

I'll update as I find things out.
Click to expand...

Yep, Not uncommon. If the tracking says "delivered" then it must be there in their world. I lost nearly 600.00 in sheaths a while back and never got approved, always denied. They, and some of the guys here, ended up making me feel like it was my fault.

I hope your experience is better than mine. Be persistent, and get the postal inspectors involved if you have to.
 
Postal Inspectors. Maybe they can, maybe they can't, but it won't cost you to try.

https://www.usps.com/ for USPS services and information generally.
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/ for US Postal Inspection Service.

I worked with them in NYC on a couple of projects. But the best I ever saw was when a customer called me about mail he knew had been sent, and delivered, but wasn't in his locked mailbox when he got home.

I contacted the local office and they put me through to the chief. He listened to the story and laughed. He asked for the customer's phone number and told me they had his mail, and had arrested the ring of thieves who took it.

They don't just wait for trouble. They get out there and trap these guys.
 
Update 9/23/15

Final Update. I filed a claim with the postal inspectors who passed it off to customer service at the recipients PO. They interviewed the carrier who stated they delivered the package.
Because there is a squiggly line in the signature area with no printed name and the carrier says they delivered the package I am SOL and there is nothing more I can do. The package never arrived at the proper destination and was not returned to me. I hope the thief has an accident with the knife and buries it in his cold heart falling down 30 or 40 flights of stairs.

USPS has stolen my knife/$450+ and they don't give a damn. I can not afford this but there is nothing more I can do. Thank you, USPS, for stealing from me after I have spent thousands of dollars with you for insurance you will not pay off. I really appreciate it :thumbdn: (I'd use the jerkit smiley but I'd probably be repremanded)

That is all
 
Hey why don't we all lend a hand here? Forager, I'll give you 20 bucks by Paypal if you pm me your paypal address... If enough people chip in we can partially set it to rights...
 
I'm sorry forager.
I agree with your sentiment.
30-40 flights of stairs, maybe inside a postal building somewhere.

Headline reads " Body of Postal worker found at bottom of emergency stairwell, stolen Busse found impaled through sternum, cause of death seems to be a slow bleed over a course of a few hours."

Then they see it was your stolen knife that killed him and you get it back, plus $450.

The only way I see it being made right.
 
therealmrjones said:
Hey why don't we all lend a hand here? Forager, I'll give you 20 bucks by Paypal if you pm me your paypal address... If enough people chip in we can partially set it to rights...
Click to expand...

Thank you for the generous gesture but that is not why I posted this. The only one who owes me money is USPS.

Just be aware of what you are paying for and what might happen. I did everything right and still got screwed. Would adding more services and paying for them have helped? I don't know. Seller beware!
 
sorry forager, you deserve better...PM me anytime you need to vent...

BTW, do you suspect the mail carrier was in on the fix?

Couldn't the Inspector speak with your buyer to verify who exactly signed for it...when I've had to sign for insured mail I also had to PRINT my name...was this not protocol for all USPS carriers?

Makes me mad as H-E-hockeystick-hockeystick also! :mad: Despise cowardly thieves....arrrrgggghhhh :mad: :mad: :mad: :thumbdn:
 
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