pixiamom
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posted on January 20, 2006 04:51:31 PM new
I picked up a registered letter from Italy, opened it- no money. I noticed one of the ends had been tampered with. It wasn't a huge amount and it was from a repeat customer so I don't suspect fraud from the buyer. Should I have inspected the letter before I signed for it and refused it? The guy at the post office made me sign before he handed the letter to me.
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tOMWiii
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posted on January 20, 2006 04:52:55 PM new
"Doh!"
As David Steinberg used to say to his dog:
"Booga, booga, booga..."
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roadsmith
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posted on January 20, 2006 05:44:53 PM new
Yikes. Italy again?!! I wonder if their postal service is an indicator of the condition of their government.
______________________________
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dejapooh
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posted on January 20, 2006 05:47:54 PM new
I was going to Ebay a bunch of stuff from Italy... now my plan is to Ebay it from there (during the Olympics) and mail it once I get home...
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RPM757
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posted on January 20, 2006 05:57:24 PM new
The mail to and from Italy is a disaster. I will refuse any sales there for over $100. I rather fight with pay pal than have it stolen from the postal service there.
The really just don't care. when this happens you just have to let it go even if it is a negative on your record.
The US postal service will ask you to fill out a form then they throw it out since you will never hear from them again.
The report will follow your letter back to the source and guess what, they did not care the first time, so do you think they will care AFTER YOU REPORT THEM.
to Any other country you will get your mail to and from, safely!
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dacreson
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posted on January 20, 2006 06:29:47 PM new
"Doh!"
You Always have to sign first BUT look and inspect in front of employee. You can always request reciet back (Good luck there as well)
I have had no problem with Italy but stuff does happen all over.
David
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april19
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posted on January 20, 2006 06:41:11 PM new
Yes, mail going to Italy is a problem for me as well.
Several missing packages and envelopes.
I now ask that Italy buyers pay to ship it registered mail now and undestand that if they don't, they have the risk of loss/theft. That may help some.
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tOMWiii
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posted on January 20, 2006 06:44:49 PM new
Last time I shipped to Italy, the package sat in CUSTOMS for TWO WEEKS before being cleared..."Mama Mia! That's a spicey meatball!"
 "And then that little jerk Ralphie convinced all the sheep-herders to build a roller-skating rink!"
[ edited by tOMWiii on Jan 20, 2006 06:45 PM ]
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hwahwa
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posted on January 20, 2006 07:20:29 PM new
When I lived in New Orleans,one day my post man delivered a registered letter from Singapore,it was slitted open by a sharp razor and then sealed by our local post office ,the postman said the guy in the office said I am not going to let you deliver this letter open.
The piece of paper they used said it was sealed at the local post office on such a such a date.
THere was supposed to be 80 dollars cash inside,of course it is missing.
Then the postman told me that everyone knows registered mail is valuable mail else people wont register it,so there must be something worthwhile to steal!!
It is more likely the theft takes place in this country,not Singapore or Italy !!
/ lets all stop whining !! /
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pixiamom
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posted on January 20, 2006 08:49:34 PM new
It was sent registered which I think set a red flag MONEY INSIDE!
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sparkz
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posted on January 20, 2006 09:32:26 PM new
I can just visualize it now. Three Italian postal employees living it up and having a party at Burger King in Naples, complements of Pixiamom and her customer.
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
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agitprop
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posted on January 21, 2006 12:35:15 AM new
pixiamom, wrote,
I picked up a registered letter from Italy, opened it - no money. I noticed one of the ends had been tampered with. It wasn't a huge amount and it was from a repeat customer so I don't suspect fraud from the buyer. Should I have inspected the letter before I signed for it and refused it?
From your recent experience you'll now understand why I'm oft to reiterate, Register Mail = STEAL ME!!! (I'm valuable). Mail to/from Italy is always chancy at best (as you'll recall from many similar Vendio/AW threads in the past). I have however been known to send large quantities of cash and other negotiable instruments around the world in the past twenty years without loss. How you ask? Well, you need to follow some basic guidelines:
Send valuables in an unmarked, plain envelope with no special marking to indicate their value. Rather, make it appear it's simply a generic letter or correspondence of some kind. Do include a return address covered in waterproof tape so in event of non-delivery you'll get your envelope back unopened (rather than making an underpaid employee in some Dead Letter office very happy). Conceal cash and other paper negotiable instruments in a reader-proof inner envelope of the type banks use for mailings. (Do NOT enclose cash inside a birthday card - these are occasionally rifled by postal staff looking for Grandma's cash gifts.) Seal all edges and joins with clear tape so any tampering will be apparent. Optionally obtain certificate of posting - since by design, payment is being sent anonymously mixed in with all the millions of other letters and packages in the international postal system.
De Beers and the international diamond exchanges have used similar methods for over a century and it seems to work for them. Their loss rate is substantially less than with registered articles. On a side note, interestingly both the Al Qaeda & CIA trade craft manuals recommend such methods too... probably a leftover of innocent times when Osama Bin Laden & his Taliban freedom fighters were Reagan/Bush's closest ally in Afghanistan (late 80s).
Home of the best eBay auction fee & PayPal calculators: http://auctionfeecalculator.com
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hwahwa
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posted on January 21, 2006 06:00:17 AM new
My New Orleans postman also told me that theft is so common that the postal carrier is automatically fired after 2 complaints from anyone on his route.
That was before Paypal and I was getting checks daily in the mail,it may not be a bad idea to tip your postman for delivering your mail,I know we dont have to,but ??.
There was a CNN documentary show years ago of postal employee theft.hidden camera shows employees feeling for cash and small hard objects inside the envelopes and lo and behold ,found diamond ring,gold coins,grandma cash .shrunk skull etc,bear claw etc
/ lets all stop whining !! /
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deur1
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posted on January 21, 2006 03:52:40 PM new
It is my firm belief that 95% of the mail that enters Italy is either kidnapped, lost or molested!
The postal system must be manned by mafia Sicilians.
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mikes4x4andtruckrepair
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posted on January 21, 2006 07:55:46 PM new
Those damn mail molesters. I thought they had to register with the local police department when they moved into town 
Just another white mouse in the ebay maze looking for some cheese. --- Mike
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