What do you do when....USPS?

LAG3

LAG3

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Hey, I sent a package by Priority Mail to a fella in Washington State from here in NY on 1/28/02. It still hasn't arrived. I insured it for the value of the knife. I want to believe it hasn't been stolen, but even if it was I can't file a claim until After 30 days. Justifiably so, the buyer is not happy and is looking for his knife. I am beside myself. I can live without the knife or the money, but I need this guy to believe I didn't f**k things up, the post office did. Any suggestions would be welcome. BTW, I already called the postmaster (useless) and his supervisor (friendly but less than helpful). He also called the post office on his end. Thanks, Leo G.
 
Send the buyer his money back. Include photocopies of the paperwork from the USPS. If he is still uhappy, tell him to kiss your arse. He is paid in full, no longer suffered any loss and is OUT OF THE EQUATION

Good luck trying to collect. That is another thread for GB&U:eek: :eek: :eek: :(
 
It hasn't escalated to the "kissing" stage yet. He's being very reasonable. I'm trying to nail the USPS to the tree of woe, not the buyer. I'll gladly give him his money back once I collect the insurance on the knife, but I'll still be minus knife and minus cash. Thanks for the input. Any other suggestions? Leo G.:)
 
Actually, if you got the money from the buyer and you get the money from insurance, you will not be out the money and the knife. When you give the money back you will still have the insurance money.

Things like this suck, because the person waiting for the knife does not want to have to wait for you to get the insurance money before he gets his cash back. He wants the knife, or his money returned. It is my view that this person should not have to wait to get his money back. The two of you should agree on a reasonable time for the package to be delivered. If it does not get there by that time the money should be refunded. At that point it will up to you and the Postal Service to work out what will be done about the lost knife. The person you sold the knife to followed through on his part of the deal. Through no fault of yours, you have not done the same. What happens if for some reason the USPS does not want to give you the money for your knife? Are you then going to keep this other persons money? If not, then send it back after that agreed upon date. If the person wants their money back right away, then send it back right away. That, in my humble opinion, is the only stand up way to handle this.
 
Leo, I'm sorry to hear of your USPS woes....I've just went through one myself :) This is precisely one of the reasons why I never will ship anything through USPS. I'd rather spend a bit more to ship UPS or FedEx and get the peace of mind.
 
I would not give up yet,generally 3-4 days normal priority mail time sometimes as quick as 2 days but no guarentee.I had recently a priority package take about 13 days to deliver and it wasnt as far as the west coast like in your case.I think the formite should be patient and allow the Post Office just a few more days.I would say if it doesn't show up by Monday send the money back to the formite and then file a claim after the 30 days.good luck
 
Leo,

Don't panic yet. I once had a $500 MO that I sent out Priority take 13 DAYS to get where it was going. The kicker was that I had lost my receipt. :( Glad that one turned up. :rolleyes: I always get the Delivery Confirmation for an extra $.40. Saves little problems like this from cropping up to some degree. Hope it works out for you.

Jamie
 
I would like to add to my earlier post that I do think that the person waiting for the knife should be patient and give it another week or so before asking for his money back. People on both sides of this deal need to be reasonable.
 
Originally posted by LAG3
...but I need this guy to believe I didn't f**k things up, the post office did.
Click to expand...
Like blademan said, get delivery confirmation-always. It won't help you track the package, but the other guy knows when you sent it, you know when he got it.
The last two people I've traded and sold knives to, respectively, never bothered to let me know that they had gotten their stuff. It was worth 40 cents for the confirmation.
 
UPS. ONLY. I lost a TOPS anaconda in the mail. It damn near broke my heart too. Nicest knife I had ever owned. So I bought a sebenza to replace the loss :D ! NW
 
Thanks for the replies that I should give it a little more time. I will clarify that the buyer is being very rational and reasonable. There is NO conflict between he and I. My reason for posting this was to find out if anyone has had any success in cases like this with the PO. As for my "stand up" status, that was never in question. If he doesn't get his knife, he'll get his money. I'll still be out the knife AND the money. He'll get his $, I won't get my knife back. As for the "confirmation" number, the post office wanted to play word games the day it was mailed. I asked for a "tracking" number and they wanted me to pay for delivery confirmation. I didn't want him to have to sign for it because, like me, he works for a living and would need to make arrangements to pick it up.
Leo G.
 
it costs an addition .50 cents or something in that range. When crap like this happens it's the best insurance. The way mail has been as of 09-11, you should ship with every protection for the "if's". Just like auto insurance, you pay for it 'if" you crash, not "when". In this case, it would have really helped you to resolve this.
As far as the USPS paying off a claim, some here report 100% success, I cannot. I know of a couple where no claim shall be paid until the USPS concludes their intensive "audit" by their Enforcement branch. In 2002, that could take a very long time....Good luck
 
If unsure or for the lack of experience, read the thread that remains at the top of these forums. It gives some sound advice for problems such as this one. And for other shipping and packing procedures in general.

*Confirmation # service allows for the packages' status to be monitored via their web site while en route. For the additional .40 it provides a bit more comfort for both partys involved while the package is in transit. There are however, always glitches in their computer sysytem. And incorrect or the lack of proper updates can occur.

*Priority mail is NO guarantee that the package will arrive in the 2/3 day expectancy. Additionally, since the events of 9/11, it seems that several, if not many or all of the Postal branches are emphasizing this as their reply to their customers inquiries. Seems to me like they are over "using" this to justify late or inefficient service.

*Keep ALL receipts and paperwork. On several occassions, I have requested the branch supervisor in my area to examine the track of inefficient shipping service that I had experienced. Presented with many receipts of past transactions, I clearly stated that I would file a complaint to the Postmaster General. I received FULL REFUNDS in CASH on the spot after signing a few papers. I believe branch supervisors may have this discretion. But all cases may be differ.

*As for WA. state, I have experienced delays on a somewhat regular basis. Although priority serviced was used, it occurs often that the package(s) arrived at a smaller branch/ receiving station(?) and is then rerouted to another larger branch. Then it is sent on its way to its appropriate address. This would explain the delay.

*Lastly, partys should all agree to all shipping terms prior to sending any package out. I.E.: Any assumptions that a package would be insured on the mailers part could lead to complications. "I did not state the package would be insured", "You did not request insurance nor a confiramtion # service", etc. When in doubt, spell it out.

Nakano
 
Thanks for the info. The "lack of experience" was definitely there when the package was sent out. I feel it was just semantics on the part of the postal clerk, trying to tell me there's no such thing as a tracking number. They are playing games with words; I told her I understand that the package can't be "tracked" in real time, etc. etc. I'm very glad to hear that this may be a problem with the Postal Service in Washington. I've gotten (and sent) packages to Maryland, Florida, CA, Indiana and Australia!! without a problem. So I guess it's just a waiting game from here. I want to stress again, the buyer is being VERY reasonable. This is NO reflection on him. In fact, I can see myself being right off the handle if my package did not arrive as promised. I will post the results of this transaction for everyone once it is resolved. WHEN the buyer gets his knife (and he will, I hope), I will have many good things to say about his patience and tolerance. Thanks all, Leo G.
 
The postal service does screw up on a regular basis that's for sure. Here's a tip to keep in mind...since sept 11, any mail that has more postage than necessary will be viewed as suspicious and may get delayed. Avoid the tendency to stick an extra stamp on the package.
 
Don't even mention the USPS to me!!! I sent a money order via global priority mail to a canadian dealer on 1/5/02 and he still has not received it yet! I spoke to the post office and they stated that I have to wait 60 days to file a claim for refund of my money order for $350.00. Like it's not out of the ordinary for global priority mail to take 60 days - they should return to pony express it could have gotten there quicker! Pay extra--- for what service? Unfortunately, there is no tracking number available for global priority mail either.
 
Wellllll....the Postal Service finally got around to trying to deliver the package on Saturday (2/9/02). Unfortunately, the buyer was not home to sign for it (which is why I didn't want that service in the first place). The good news is, he is going by the post office today (2/11/02) to hopefully pick up his knife that he has waited so patiently for. Thanks everyone for the information. It was 13 days exactly when they tried to deliver the package on Saturday. Must be lucky number 13 for the PO. Bastids! Sincerely, Leo Gilbert:)
 
All appears to be okay for now. But do keep records of all your transactions. If this is a common pattern at your branch, you may want to show CS or branch Supervisor such occurences. If complaints are not aired or inquiries not made, then for sure the P.O. will never improve.

Nakano
 
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