USPS Claims Delivery That Never Happened
normmalin
Posts: 89 ✭✭✭
Hi All,
I am looking for some guidance with a coin order issue that just occurred. I placed orders from three different vendors a few days ago on Ebay. By happenstance, all three deliveries were scheduled to occur on the same day by USPS and none required a signature. I was notified at 1:57 pm on Friday that all three items had been left in my mailbox. I did not see the message until about 2:30 pm and I went out to the box and there was only junk mail -- no packages. I checked with the neighbors -- nobody had them.
I called the post office and I was told they would talk to the delivery person for my neighborhood and get back to me. They did call later that day and I was told that the driver claimed the packages were delivered. To emphasize their knowledge, the person said that 2 packages had been delivered (although there should have been three).
I learned online that I can call the USPS on Monday and ask them to perform a GPS scan that correlates with the delivery scans with the hope that it reveals where the packages may have been delivered. They could also say they performed a pre-scan prior to delivery or simply claim it was delivered to my home -- since it is an internal operation, they do not need to present any evidence.
The area where I live is very far from crime ridden -- and it was mid-day with cars in the driveway. I am very skeptical that this was a theft. This happened on Friday and so today (Saturday) I was hopeful that maybe the driver pre-scanned the items and they were in fact, still on the truck and would show today, but they did not.
So my question for all of you out there with lots of experience ordering and selling coins is how best to handle this while minimizing any negative impact to the ebay sellers that I purchased from. It's not their fault that the USPS has messed this up, but at the same time, we are talking about a total of $900 in coins that have vaporized and I would like to recover the charges. All purchases were made on credit card via paypal.
My first thought is to file a report with the local police on Monday to have it on record. In other words treat it like a theft for the moment.
Has this happened to you and if so, how did you handle it? Is there an established solution I should follow? Any guidance is appreciated!
Thanks!
Norm
Comments
start with the postmaster and mention first that the driver said 2 packages were delivered but there were 3 (i assume all 3 were marked delivered online?) then give them all 3 of the tracking numbers. get them to search the truck and premises plus do the gps thing for each of the three. tell the you are worried a claim (they were insured right?) for each would be denied. you're
i'm interested if anyone suggests filing a find package request first. seems a little heavy handed if you plan on talking and have already talked with the local po. on the other hand it creates a record in the larger po system
Delivery confirmation without a signature being required is problematic for the very reason you experienced. It will show as delivered even if stolen or delivered elsewhere.
My approach is to have a post office box at a small town post office where I can get to know the people who work there.
i also use one
Obviously I don't know your address, but in my experience one of the most common reasons for incorrect delivery is transposition. I've shipped thousands of USPS packages this year and all of the missing deliveries (there have only been 4) have been due to mixing up the street address, ie delivering to 320 instead of 230. In these cases checking with immediate neighbors wouldn't help, but may provide another possible avenue of investigation if your address might be misread.
if they have gps, it should take care of 320/230
I no longer do any coin business with USPS for this very reason.
I do have certified mail that is wrongly marked as delivered, on a regular basis.
My PO mailman signs my name for signature confirmation (always butchering the name) and then leaves the packages in my mailbox 300 feet away from the house.
I go mentally ill on these guys, but they keep fraudulently signing my name. They are too lazy to drive up the driveway and get my signature.
Based on my experience with this same situation, if the USPS tracking shows that it was delivered, the seller and his insurer will not accept responsibility, and you'll be out of luck getting a refund.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
This has been my experience also.
I have had coin boxes/other packages show being delivered and they end up showing up a day or two later. Hopefully that is the case with yours…..
I too have had several times where the package is listed as delivered but the delivery was made to a house with MY numbers but one block above or below us. Many drivers take a picture now when making a delivery. That is how I tracked down my last lost package. Had driver check his pics. and then we knew house he had gone to. Hope things work out for you. James
I have had coins go missing on several occasions.
The post office has an online missing package for that you need to locate and fill out.
They take it very serious. All three occasions that I had coins "up in the air" that did finally make it to me.
On that form they ask you what your missing. Just be honest with them. Tell them the value also.
Not sure if they are expensive coins but I had a $2000 coin scanned as delivered and did not have it in my hand for 5 days after that.
I felt like I was going to have an insurance claim coming up.
I hope you insured your coin if they are valuable.
Student of numismatics and collector of Morgan dollars
Successful BST transactions with: Namvet Justindan Mattniss RWW olah_in_MA
Dantheman984 Toyz4geo SurfinxHI greencopper RWW bigjpst bretsan MWallace logger7
From the opening post: “…but at the same time, we are talking about a total of $900 in coins…”
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I have had this happen three or four times in the past. Each time I went to the PO and spoke with the local postmaster. They did the GPS search right in front of me and each time it showed where the package had been misdelivered to. On one occasion it was on the same day (it was an expensive coin that I had cherry picked, so it wasn't insured to the full value) and the postmaster called the carrier and had him go back to where it was misdelivered and retrieve it, then make another trip to me. The GPS tells all. Of course, if it shows delivered to your address, you're probably SOL...
mbogoman
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/classic-issues-colonials-through-1964/zambezi-collection-trade-dollars/7345Asesabi Lutho
Sometimes it can be a fill-in driver who delivered to the wrong address. If you have parallel street with the same numbers, I'd start knocking on doors, or even just the adjacent neighbors.
This exact thing happened to me a few years ago and if I hadn't had an honest neighbor, I would have absolutely been out of luck. The post office considered it "delivered" and couldn't have cared less about it and since it was "delivered", no one else cared either. Reason #537 to hate the Post Office.
I see no problem yet. Several times I got a message the package was out for delivery and never showed up till the following day. Same thing In your case saying it got scanned and delivered - which it was not - and then it shows up a day later. Even if it was a mistaken drop off and the hopefully honest person reports it - it takes a day or so to get it to you. I would at least wait and see what Monday brings - hopefully your coins. Please keep us posted.
WS
Thanks so much to everyone for your input! I appreciate all the advice that has been given! I will wait to see if the coins show up tomorrow and if they do not, go to the PO and request the GPS scan on the three tracking numbers and go from there.
Thanks Again!
Norm
If I were in your shoes, I’d go to the PO first thing tomorrow morning, rather than waiting to see if the packages show up sometime during the day.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
@MFeld missed that, sorry. I thought it was $900. The whole time I read it and afterwards I was still thinking about my experience, missing $2000 and how I could offer advice.
I do hope you get your package @normmalin.
I do think it is imperative that you fill out that form I mentioned. It will help you.
Student of numismatics and collector of Morgan dollars
Successful BST transactions with: Namvet Justindan Mattniss RWW olah_in_MA
Dantheman984 Toyz4geo SurfinxHI greencopper RWW bigjpst bretsan MWallace logger7
I have everything delivered to a P.O. Box. One time I contacted a seller to say that I had not received something and they started a claim which came back as “Delivered.” The seller told me this.
So, I went to my P.O. at a slow time and asked someone on the counter to go check the boxes above, below, right and left of my box and it was in the box above. Apparently the box holder had not been in for a few weeks.
All my coin deliveries routed to my POB. It may say delivered day po receives but not in pob until few hours later or next day. I have gone to counter at times and person went to pob dept and found it.
I monitor incoming and may not go to po until likely in pob,
I'm sorry to hear about this snafu and hope it gets straightened out without loss. Fortunately I have a safe area and know the postal delivery person.
Unfortunately, this is something the sender would need to fill out. I have been in communication with all three senders and they all have expressed interest in resolving this. After I go to the PO tomorrow AM and request the GPS scan data, I will reach out to each sender and ask them to submit the missing mail form if we don't resolve the problem. Thanks!
i have filed the missing mail as a recipient. got the call back from my local po, too. (luckily it was just clothes)
This has been my experience for the past few year also and it started with a new mail carrier. GL
USAF veteran 1984-2005
Hi All,
I went to the post office this morning and they ran the GPS check on the delivery and have confirmed that the packages were delivered to the wrong address (which they would not share). I believe the term they used was "inaccurately delivered."
Thanks again to all of you for your recommendations and helping to resolve this issue -- I don't have the coins yet, but I am optimistic they will eventually arrive.
Thanks!
Norm
Hoping for a favorable andditional update and result.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Hopefully the address contains honest people! Good luck and hoping for an update.
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