USPS issue - advice needed

nibanny

Long story short.
I purchased some coins on eBay. Tracking says delivered on 1/5 but I have never picked up the package at my PO Box.
Went 3 times to the PO and every time I was told they were going to investigate and to wait for a call.
The fourth time the Postmaster told me he was going to investigate and would have called me back later. He didn't and ten days have passed.

It's a $100 deal but, mostly, I am frustrated by the lack of responsibility of the postal employees.
(one even told me to call the seller and have the item re-shipped because, you know, these big companies care about their customers! :smack

How can I escalate above the Postmaster? Do I have any other recourse against a mis-delivered package?

CoinZip

Ask the postmaster in another town how to handle it.....

PerryHall

<< <i>Long story short.
I purchased some coins on eBay. Tracking says delivered on 1/5 but I have never picked up the package at my PO Box.
Went 3 times to the PO and every time I was told they were going to investigate and to wait for a call.
The fourth time the Postmaster told me he was going to investigate and would have called me back later. He didn't and ten days have passed.

It's a $100 deal but, mostly, I am frustrated by the lack of responsibility of the postal employees.
(one even told me to call the seller and have the item re-shipped because, you know, these big companies care about their customers! :smack

How can I escalate above the Postmaster? Do I have any other recourse against a mis-delivered package? >>



Tell your Postmaster that you want to speak to the Postal Inspector's office and that you'll be writing a letter to the Postmaster General's office and your Congressman.

koynekwest

Sounds like it may have been sorted to the wrong PO box. That happened to me a number of years back-I eventually got my coin 3 weeks later but only due to the honesty of the box holder where the coin was mis-sorted to. Contact the main office that serves your town and explain the situation to them.

LindeDad

Postal Inspectors....Link

mrearlygold

the usps left a 1794 dollar in an express mail box on a SNOW BANK in NY next to the house it was being delivered to.

What I was told is that if fedex did that an insurance claim would be denied and I'd have to fight for it. That was 160K man. New York. Ha!

If you plan on doing this often it's a good idea to know your postal people. We give them an envelope ( everybody in the building ) with money in it ranging from $5.00 to $50.00 AND we pass out platters of home baked cookies around the holidays. We never had issues here

drwstr123

Contact the Office of the Inspector general.
Just about all others will blow you off without hard copy.
Here is the USPS OIG offical complaint form: LINK

coindeuce

Carefully document all of the occasions upon which you directly contacted employees of that branch, and their response or lack thereof. Then follow the directions given here for contacting the USPIO and make certain you speak directly to an inspector. Anytime there is indication of malfeasance by a Postal employee, regardless of whatever may have happened to the article that is missing, they will investigate. I once had to threaten a Post Office branch manager with initiating an investigation when they sloppily lost a $1,200 package that had been misdelivered to a branch box other than mine. You can believe that they jumped immediately and retrieved my package within 1 hour of that conversation.

MsMorrisine

Call the 1800# and push whatever buttons necessary for a warm body. (It's a challenge. Any necessary buttons have my authorization)

Ask warm body to open a Consumer Affairs complaint and Get a Case Number. Wait a couple of business days for a return call. Mention the USPIO/UsOIG options.

puffer

I have found their online report form very useful with quick response via email or phone calls.

BackroadJunkie

<< <i>I have found their online report form very useful with quick response via email or phone calls. >>

This.

I have had much success using the on-line form, if only to start a paper trail and get a case number.

coindeuce

<< <i>I have found their online report form very useful with quick response via email or phone calls. >>



+1. I forgot about this. I had to resort to the online form a couple months ago. I got a call back within 1/2 hour, and the Consumer Affairs rep. gave me an explicit report of what happened to my parcel, as well as assuring me that the problem had been resolved. The C/A Division of the USPS is actually USPS employees, not some clones in a contracted call center (think Sutherland Global) reading from a script. The Consumer Affairs reps. know their stuff, and they won't BS you.

nibanny

Thanks everybody for all the advices so far!
I will try with the inspector and see if I can at least have an explanation.

TwoSides2aCoin

Here is a shortcut to the Lost & Found department at the post office online.

I would try to find my way starting there Maybe bookmark it.

MsMorrisine

if you plan to continue to use that PO, don't throw the employees under the bus.

just file an inquiry/complaint on the package, and leave personnel issues out.

ms70

<< <i>if you plan to continue to use that PO, don't throw the employees under the bus.

just file an inquiry/complaint on the package, and leave personnel issues out. >>



LOL.. I'll let everyone know what happens since I reached this point yesterday and went "postal" in the local P.O. My street is the last one they deliver to in the development and when
it's quitting time they just quit delivering and leave. It doesn't matter if you have priority mail that tracking says is "Out for Delivery". The tracking later updates to say something like,
"No secure place to leave package, note left", but no note is left because the carrier NEVER CAME down the street for anyone. This happens 1 - 2 times a week. So long story short, I got
the usual amount of cooperation from the staff and it occurred to me that nice hasn't worked so there's nothing to lose and I unleashed.

Manorcourtman

Don't expect any responses once a complaint reaches the Postal Inspectors. I had two packages go missing last year and filed complaints. The Inspectors called me and took a detailed report but I never heard from them again. I hope they caught the dirty thieves but I doubt it. Here's the tracking on a $400 coin that went missing Sept. 11th last year: USPS Tracking I hate Thieves!!

ms70

<< <i>Don't expect any responses once a complaint reaches the Postal Inspectors. I had two packages go missing last year and filed complaints. The Inspectors called me and took a detailed report but I never heard from them again. I hope they caught the dirty thieves but I doubt it. Here's the tracking on a $400 coin that went missing Sept. 11th last year: USPS Tracking I hate Thieves!! >>



The bizarre part is that in most cases we're paying insurance fees to protect our items from the people we're actually trusting to deliver them.

lcoopie

How about a claim with your credit card company

ebaytrader

Just call feepay and scream, moan, and complain about it. They'll give you your money back.

MsMorrisine

<< <i>

<< <i>Don't expect any responses once a complaint reaches the Postal Inspectors. I had two packages go missing last year and filed complaints. The Inspectors called me and took a detailed report but I never heard from them again. I hope they caught the dirty thieves but I doubt it. Here's the tracking on a $400 coin that went missing Sept. 11th last year: USPS Tracking I hate Thieves!! >>



The bizarre part is that in most cases we're paying insurance fees to protect our items from the people we're actually trusting to deliver them. >>




I've made the joke a couple of times that it is like a protection racket and found that not everyone shares my sense of humor.


But if it is repetitive personnel issues, I might find a way to handle it internally with them first. I'd hate to have mail intentionally delayed by embittered staff. Though there would come a point ....

ricko

In many cases, insurance IS a racket..... not all cases. In this case, I would move to the Inspector level, informing the P.O. that you are doing it, and IMMEDIATELY start the move to the next level up....stating that the amount of time and lack of response FORCES you to escalate. Demand daily updates when they try to prevent the escalation and tell them lack of reporting will initiate action. Cheers, RickO

drwstr123

I will assure you that there is at least one person who is working at the PO that knows they have a job beyond what they deserve.
When an inquiry comes from the USPS OIG office a follow up will ensue.
On the contrary, future behavior will be to keep a person who knows the complaint form from filing again.