posted on July 19, 2001 05:34:26 PM new
I can not believe the USPS! Today, I pulled up to get the mail out of the "central" neighborhood mailbox. There was a bag in the street about 20 feet in front of the car. My daughter got out to get the mail and went to look to see what the bag was. It was a package from Chadwick's address to someone about a mile and a half away from here. Certainly did not belong in these mail boxes.
We brought it home and I call 1-800-ASK USPS. They took the info, my name & name and said someone would call. That was about noon. Well, they did not call today.
So your lost package is probably sitting it the street somewhere! I will admit the thought of opening this package that has at least 3 items maybe more did cross my mind. Heck, I sell clothing on ebay anyway, would blend right in!
Tomorrow if they do not call before I go to the post office I will just take it with me. I did not even know where this street was until I looked on mapquest.com.
posted on July 19, 2001 06:17:55 PM new
About a year ago, my distributor sent me a box of digital cameras insured for over $2000. The mailman left it at a house two blocks away, on the porch. Same street number but the street name wasn't even close to mine. Fortunately they called me to let me know it was there. I was toying with the idea of claiming I never got it just to make them nervous for a while and teach them a lesson but didnt want to give even the appearance of mail fraud.
But I have had even worse problems with UPS. And one case where I am sure the driver stole the digital camera because the customer filled out two affidavits stating he never received it and the driver reported to UPS that the customer said it turned up. The customer had to fax me his affidavit so I could make a claim.
All in all, in two years of auction sales and hundreds of packages shipped via USPS, the only one that ever got lost was going overseas. Was I just lucky?
posted on July 19, 2001 06:52:17 PM new
I'll say you were lucky, yisgood. Here is my "record" for the last 3 weeks;
4 items lost by the USPS, none insured by the winning bidder.
1 UPS item destroyed upon arrival; they dropped a 32# package over an 8' high fence when they couldn't get through the gate (claim filed, item insured for $625.75, and they will pay it).
1 payment I sent for a winning bid "lost" (money order, but the seller is one I have had dealings with in the past). Only $13.45, but to pay it 2x gets annoying...
Lastly, an overseas payment arrived, slit open just enough to remove the crisp $20 that was inside a wrapper.
I am getting ready to hand deliver everything else and call it quits for the summer. With fees and other junk, how can we "small time" sellers make it? Canned, uncareing answers from the shipping companies, winning bidders complaining about insurance/tracking/shipping costs, items arriving battered and bruised. Where is the Pony Express when we need it?
Rick
In the begining, God created the heavens and the earth.
posted on July 19, 2001 07:03:58 PM new
Let's count our blessings. The Post Office has decided they will deliver mail on Saturday. They're still not committing to any of the other six days of the week.
Years ago, all you had was Pony Express. You paid a penny and your mail was sent out on horseback across the country. The rider had to go through the worst weather, face Indians and outlaws and if you were lucky, your tattered letter showed up a few months later. Much has changed since then. Today that service costs 34 cents.
posted on July 19, 2001 10:44:52 PM new
I once had a huge box of Columbia House videos delivered to me.
The adressee's name was not even similar to mine.
The street numbers were about 400 numbers apart
We didnt' even live on the same street.
I routinely get all kinds of mail for other people. Usually neighbors, but sometimes people on other streets with names not remotely related to mine. I complain each time I get something that doesn't belong to me, and usually the post office puts rubber bands around my mail to take more care with it. Doesn't solve the problem, but there is less mail I have to deliver back to the post office that way. I always circle the street number and say write "please deliver to this address" on it.
A couple weeks ago I got an envelope that felt like it had a wad of cash in it. (A neighbor was getting married).
But for the most part my mail delivery has improved since the advent of rubber bands on our mail!
posted on July 19, 2001 10:57:49 PM new
There was a time that we got mail delivery 2x a day 6 days a week with half the employees and no vehicles. With time comes the wonderment what will happen to the USPS. It can't get much worse...or can it!!!
posted on July 20, 2001 06:28:33 AM new
I have all packages delivered to my office because the USPS leaves the packages at the "Naked Guy house". This guy answers the door nude and it isn't a pretty site!
posted on July 21, 2001 01:05:44 PM new
I used to work in a temporary construction office, located inside a shopping mall.
We got a Fed-Ex package once, that was meant for one of the jewelry stores in the mall, but the driver thought it was ours because they used a box typical for construction drawings. (A little trick jewelry stores use when shipping valuable items, so they aren't stolen).
Anyway, I opened the box without noticing the delivery address was not ours (at least that's the story I stuck to), and there were three huge diamonds inside with the invoice, stating a total value of $18,000. That was the jewelry store's cost, so I imagine retail could have been at least double that amount.
Being the good samaritan that I am, I brought the box to the jewelry store, expecting some expression of gratitude (preferably a lovely ring or pendant) and they barely batted an eyelash. Said it was no big deal since it was covered by insurance.
And the Fed-Ex driver could have cared less.
Like it was something that happened every day.
posted on July 21, 2001 01:27:48 PM new
I never did get a call that day or the next from on USPS person. So I took the package to the post office on my post office trip. I spoke to the courier supervisor. He was like, yeah ok. Not ever a thank you.
I just don't know what to think ...except it's the government employees sydrome!
