USPS Insurance Policy/Bad

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Big Tex

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Ncblades recently posted on the "for sale forum" regarding that he needed a "proof of purchase" receipt for a knife that he insured that had been lost. I called USPS (1-800 askusps) and they verified this was true. Besides the proof of purchase receipt, they will accept an "appraisal source" , catalog support, and possibly a statement from the original seller (this was not real clear). I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I seldom have this documentation and getting it would be difficult. I guess the "bottom line" is that we may be wasting our $ when we insure most of the personal knives we ship. What's your thoughts about this?
 
I try to ALWAYS ship via UPS. The first $300 of value is insured for free. They give you a receipt with a tracking number. The package can be tracked online 24/7. You always know exactly where your package is every minute of the day. Once I did file a claim and they resolved the problem very fast and made sure I was satisfied. I never use the USPS. My .02
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Heat-Fuel-Oxygen = Fire

Mike
 
ENGINE3C-but what is their policy in regard to packages lost? Do you need some documentation or what? If not, I may switch over to UPS. Thanx
 
Big Tex, UPS has never, I say again, never, lost a package of mine. In the event one does get lost in transit, it could be tracked to the last UPS terminal it was scanned in at. All packages are scanned in and out of all terminals. You can follow this online. If one gets lost, it could be pin pointed to the last known location. As long as you have the shipping receipt you should be OK. BTW, I dont work for UPS. Just had good luck using them. I used to use the USPS, but after they lost my first and last package {Benchmade 975}, I found a better way! Maybe if more people did this the USPS would get the hint and shape up. I am not saying all USPS workers are bad, not at all, just odd that alot of packages get lost on a regular basis. I find it odd that you need to pay extra {insurance} to the USPS to make sure they don't lose your package. Sounds fishy to me...My .02
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Heat-Fuel-Oxygen = Fire

Mike
 
There is no reason to buy USPS insurance. It is nearly impossible to make a claim. We ship 10 packages per day via USPS (that's all the local post office will handle in one trip) and we always use delivery confirmation. That has ended virtually all the theft we encountered before.

We ship over 100 packages per day via UPS. Believe me, that's the way to go. We make about 3 claims per week and get reimbursed in a couple of weeks.

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Fred
Knife Outlet
http://www.knifeoutlet.com
 
Steve, you are correct! I just checked the UPS web site and is states that the first $100 is free and there is a .35 charge per $100 value. Good catch Steve, my mistake.
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UPS is still my choice.
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Heat-Fuel-Oxygen = Fire

Mike
 
Why on earth should USPS (or any other service) make payment on an insurance claim without proof of its worth? It may sound harsh, but that’s the real world. Without it, ALL of these delivery services would be getting jacked to the max.

Much as UPS fans would like to believe otherwise, Big Tex (or NCBlades, or whoever) would be no better off seeking reimbursement from them. UPS requires the same claim-filing procedure as USPS. See:

www.ups.com/using/custserv/genfaq/faq.html

How do I file a claim with UPS?
After you've spoken to UPS Customer Service, you will be given a claim number, also known as an LDI number. Then you will need to send us the following:

1.A bill including your signature for the damaged goods.
2.A copy of original invoice or statement to show value of the merchandise.
3.A copy of the original shipping receipt.

To obtain the mailing address of your local UPS Claims Office, call UPS Customer Service at 1-800-PICK-UPS (1-800-742-5877).


... So the moral of this story: KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS!

.02
Glen
 
When you buy insurance they ask you for how much and that should be the end of it. You should get what you pay for. You pay for $100 of insurance if they loose it you should get $100. You pay for $200 insurance that's what you should get if they loose it. I know if doesn't work that way but it should. USPS once lost an overnight package of mine containing a weeks worth of service work sheets signed by customers. To replace them I would have to drive to 30 different locations, fill out new paperwork and have the customers sign them. USPS would only pay for the cost to copy them. $.05 per page.
 
Big Al,

Your situation, and others mentioned here, are lousy and unfortunate. (Yours sounds esp. hard, because the insurable value of the work sheets cannot include the cost of the work it took to gather them.)

Sure, a paid insurance slip "should be the end of it" in an ideal world, but can you imagine that sort of policy in this world? It’s clear that members of our own BF "family" here would take advantage of it. Just think: I send you a Gerber EZ-Out insured for $1 million; you claim it never arrived; USPS pays up, no questions asked, and we are laughing all the way to the bank, planning our next "sale"...

Lacking a receipt, a link to the original For Sale listing here may serve as proof of value. Keep your e-mails until a transaction is complete, and they should serve as proof of agreement to the publicly offered price.

We live in a consumer society in which we interact with people with various motives and interests, not many of which are compatible or honorable. Trust alone, unfortunately, will not "insure" that we all play by the same rules. (The routinely posted "B" threads here in "GBU" are proof enough of that.)

My additional .02,
Glen
 
I ship via USPS priority Mail, with Delivery Confirmation quite often, and I have NEVER had a problem! (Knock on wood). I like the idea of only paying $3.55, and having the package arrive in only 2-3 days! (I'm SURE the rates for UPS 2-3 day delivery is a little bit more than $3.55.).

Also USPS delivers on Saturday, and doesn't require a signature, so my package will be delivered even if I'm not home at the moment to accept it!

Insurance? I have bought the USPS insurance a couple of times, but it's not all THAT expensive, and I'm not sure it's all that necessary.

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Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
glockman99@hotmail.com
ICQ# 53675663
 
The only USPS claim I have ever had was for a shipment of china to a buyer that was damaged. All I did was mail the insurance receipt and a copy of the ebay bid page. He filled out the form, attached the print out and got his claim.

Brad
 
I still can't find my receipt for the knife that was lost so I guess the USPS got me on this one. I will probably be moving on to UPS to send knives in the mail from now on. It just gets me that I hired the USPS to deliver a knife and now it is lost. I had insurance on the package which I paid extra for and now I have nothing to show for it. By the way, I did send the guy his money back for the lost knife because after all, it wasn't his fault that the knife got lost. I am going to be sure to get a receipt with any more knives that I get.
michael


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"For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword."
Heb. 4:12

"Lets meet at My house before the game on Sunday" God.

"If Al Gore Wins I am leaving the country"
Said by Me
 
I've shipped a LOT of items via USPS Priority Mail, and I've never had a problem. No lost packages, and that includes shipments to Singapore, South Africa, Germany, and Canada.

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"They sicken of the calm, who know the storm."
RFrost5746@excite.com

My Knives
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Too bad Mike. But have you exhausted all attempts? The postal system has an electronic copy of those transaction receipts. Perhaps you can produce several forms of i.d. to the branch supervisor and tell him of this experience. This is providing you have all other necessary paper work that is required for filing a claim.

L8r,
Nakano
 
Again, you would be in the same situation if UPS lost your shipment. See my prior posting for an excerpt from the USP webpage (or better, check it out yourself). They will want prrof of value before issuing the insurance payment.

gmm
 
Michael(NC Blades), when our home was burglarized a couple of years ago they took a stag handled JW Smith folder that was on my dresser. I didn't have a receipt for it but I gave my insurance company a printout of the same knife from JW's web page with price and also printed out a pic from some dealers websites of similar knives from JW with prices. No problem, they paid. I think if you can give the USPS something similar, it might take a while but they'll pay.My postal clerk here says it'll probably take 3-6 months but they should pay.
Hope this helps.

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Dave (Phil.4:13)
I Can Do All Things Through Him Who Strengthens Me
Lifter at work: www.profitness.com/Profiles/profileDaveAbramson
 
I think everyone made some good points on this subject. Personally, USPS has never lost any of my packages, but in the future, if I don't have receipts/documentation, I'm not insuring the package. I'll just get the delivery confirmation. I'll just say we all learned somthing from Michael's misfortune.
 
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