Another USPS Potential Horror Story

joltinjoe

I bought an expensive vintage set for $800. Seller insured item but unfortunately did not provide tracking. I went away over the weekend, and wouldn't you know the USPS deleivered the set and put it near the garage. It rained over the weekend and when I came home I found the box in a large puddle. Luckily it was packed extremely well and the cards were in one of those padded binders with pocket sleeves. Can you believe the USPS would be so careless even though it was insured for $800?

yawie99

Doesn't somebody have to sign for packages insured for more than $50, regardless of whether there's tracking or not? My mail lady never leaves me items insured for that amount if nobody's home. A few weeks ago, I even filled out the the little orangish "We Missed You" card and asked her just to leave the package - since I knew it wasn't anything that irreplaceable - in the mailbox if I wasn't at home and she said she couldn't. Maybe you just have a slothful and indolent letter carrier.

RangerRob

Insured $1200... For that amount it has to be signed for!!! No matter what... I would be calling the Post Master on this one.

UPS is just as bad at leaving items at the door... And then they will post a note on the door stating that your $1200.00 item is under the trash can in the back yarn...

joltinjoe

Sorry, I made a mistake...it was $800, I received the $1,200 package a few days before. Still, my impression is that it would have to be picked up at the Post Office for such a high dollar amount. In the past carriers left pickup notices in mailbox for other high dollar insured items.

bowdowntome

Yes, I can. I had nearly the same situation happen to me. My package wasn't insured for that much, only about $500, but still.
I came home from work at about midnight and found my package, in a plastic Wal-Mart shopping bag, hanging on the fence post next to my gate. Just inches away from the mouths of my 2 dogs. I could just see them getting ahold of it. Besides that, it was in plain view of just anybody driving by. It would have been very easy for anybody to just pull up, grab it and take off, with not a neighbor in sight.

I have since had a "chat" with our local mail carrier, and asked that any packages too large for the mail box be delivered to my parents down the road. Or I just use my parents address as a mailing address. No incidents since then.

RangerRob

Anything over $50.00 does have to be signed for... Unless you sign the slip to waive your signture... Which was not done, if you were out of town...

Have you told your Postal Person to leave past item there?

joltinjoe

Isn't there some kind of rule that if a package is insured over a certain amount and it doesn't fit in the mailbox then a notice is left and it must be picked up at the Post Office?

joltinjoe

Sorry RangerRob, our posts crossed.

Have you told your Postal Person to leave past item there

NO

Lodi

Did it have the blue insured sticker with the scanner bar on it? If not your item wasn't insured for over $50. If it had the sticker your item can be tracked, and you can find out who signed the 3849 (beige paper thing).

RangerRob

We had the same problem with our Postal Person and UPS person leaving items at our door. We had to call and talk to our Post Master and she put a stop to it. Then we contacted UPS and they did the same.

I do know in the past if you tell them to leave one item... chances are they will do it all the time. Most of the time they do it in good faith... And to save both you and them time.

joltinjoe

yes, it had the blue insured sticker with a bar code. the number started with VF.....

joltinjoe

RangerRob I never gave them permission. they might think they are doing me a favor but if the seller hadn't packed well I would have gotten one helluva big headache.

Lodi

<< <i>yes, it had the blue insured sticker with a bar code. the number started with VF..... >>




Do you have a signature on file at the P.O, so that your carrier can sign for your packages/letters that need signatures? If not I'd make your Postmaster aware of the situation. A package that requires a sig should never be left without obtaining a sig. Packages that don't need a sig can be left without one.

joltinjoe

Thanks lodi. It must have been a fluke because in the past for high value items they always left a notice in my mailbox and I had to pickup at the PO.

RangerRob

One last thing... PLEASE remember... Your normal Postal Person could had been off the day it was delivered... And a newbee could had left it there.

All newbees have to work on Sat... Well, most of them do!

Lodi

<< <i>One last thing... PLEASE remember... Your normal Postal Person could had been off the day it was delivered... And a newbee could had left it there.

All newbees have to work on Sat... Well, most of them do! >>




All carriers work on Saturday, your day off rotates. Still doesn't matter, when you scan the barcode you also have to scan the 3849 (beige slip). The slip is turned in to the receiving clerk then photo copied for storage. The slip is thrown away. So if he wants to find out who signed, it should be available to him (never had to do this myself). Unless the carrier didn't scan it at all, then you could file a claim. But of course since you received the item you shouldn't do that.

joltinjoe

I forgot to mention that he sent it Media Mail. Is that why the PO left it outside my house in the rain even though it was insured?