USPS Woes

[Ctitus25]

USPS screwed me... I mailed an item to a fellow member here on RS and they lost the item. I opened an online inquiry and they closed it without resolving, then I tried to call their customer service line and it just tells you to go online. So I went the my local post office and talked to them. They gave me the number to the last Post Office to handle it and they don't pick up. So being the outstanding citizen I am I refunded the other member their money and am now attempting to collect the insurance on the package. But OMG is it like pulling teeth from them to get an insurance claim. Rant complete.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Just wait until they deny your insurance claim, then you'll be good and pissed.

 

[Jbehredt]

Keep after them. All it takes is finally getting the right person on the other end of the phone. My wife had a similar experience a few months back and it was eventually resolved to her satisfaction. One guy finally took charge and ran with it. What dragged on for weeks was settled in hours after contact with him.

 

[Ctitus25]

Keep after them. All it takes is finally getting the right person on the other end of the phone. My wife had a similar experience a few months back and it was eventually resolved to her satisfaction. One guy finally took charge and ran with it. What dragged on for weeks was settled in hours after contact with him.

It's a sh*t show for sure.

 

[wind gypsy]

Makes a guy nervous..

I shipped a muzzleloader to a Rokslide member yesterday and Insured it for $800. The guy at the PO made sure to point out that its not worth it to insure unless I could prove the Item was worth $800. What "proving" it entails i'm not sure but it seemed like he was hinting at people trying to defraud the PO with insurance claims.

I used to live in a rough part of town and I sure wouldn't feel good about the folks in that local PO being very helpful. The small town PO by my work where I usually ship things has an entirely different vibe. You get the feeling the 2 guys that work there would take care of you.

 

[ODB]

Makes a guy nervous..

I shipped a muzzleloader to a Rokslide member yesterday and Insured it for $800. The guy at the PO made sure to point out that its not worth it to insure unless I could prove the Item was worth $800. What "proving" it entails i'm not sure but it seemed like he was hinting at people trying to defraud the PO with insurance claims.

I used to live in a rough part of town and I sure wouldn't feel good about the folks in that local PO being very helpful. The small town PO by my work where I usually ship things has an entirely different vibe. You get the feeling the 2 guys that work there would take care of you.

this is correct on all accounts.

 

[robtattoo]

this is correct on all accounts.

Yeah, and just wait until they do a depreciation on you. I shipped a rifle stock to a guy a couple of years ago, insured for $600
It got smashed to splinters in transit. Put the claim in, filled out all the paperwork, made the calls, got offered a total refund value of $14 because the stock was manufactured in 1955 & that was their 'depreciated from new' value.

 

[hibernation]

Keep after them. All it takes is finally getting the right person on the other end of the phone. My wife had a similar experience a few months back and it was eventually resolved to her satisfaction. One guy finally took charge and ran with it. What dragged on for weeks was settled in hours after contact with him.

This is my experience as well. I shipped an insulated box of frozen meat with a guaranteed delivery date, and it arrived a day late (still frozen solid btw), so I looked for the refund they said I was owed. Got the absolute run-around from the local 1-employee branch where I dropped it off - not possible, documentation wasn't correct, etc. Called all the numbers, looked all over the website, then finally went to the large regional branch in the next town and it was resolved in minutes. Filled out a short form and handed me cash for the full amount.

Pays to be polite, but also persistent. All it took was finding the right person. There's some great USPS employees who really want to help, but not everyone knows how to do everything. Doesn't help that December is going to be even more nuts for them than usual with everyone stuck at home.

 

[Squincher]

Pays to be polite, but also persistent. All it took was finding the right person. There's some great USPS employees who really want to help, but not everyone knows how to do everything. Doesn't help that December is going to be even more nuts for them than usual with everyone stuck at home.

Absolutely this. Be someone they want to help, because they don't see it often.

 

[MuleyFever]

Getting ready to ship a rifle. This makes me want to just refund the buyer and say sorry, not worth the risk to ship it. I may use UPS. Postal Service just doesn’t give me any confidence.

 

[Fatcamp]

Getting ready to ship a rifle. This makes me want to just refund the buyer and say sorry, not worth the risk to ship it. I may use UPS. Postal Service just doesn’t give me any confidence.

I think FedEx is the answer to this one. Used them to ship pistols back and forth from the manufacturer. No problems, whatsoever.

 

[Ace531]

I think FedEx is the answer to this one. Used them to ship pistols back and forth from the manufacturer. No problems, whatsoever.

Same. Never had an issue with Fedex when shipping firearms.

 

[gbflyer]

In rural AK we use USPS for everything we can. We patronize merchants who don’t argue with us about our choice of shipper and avoid those that do at all costs. Sometimes we are left with no choice but to use UPS or FedEx. And guess what...FedEx comes in the mail, (PO Box we have no delivery) some UPS as well or we pick it up at the local airline. People rant and rave about US Postal stealing their shit, cracks me up. Guess which of the 3 I mentioned has Inspectors who carry sidearms with the same basic authority as a US Marshall? It ain’t Brown or FedEx. Also, guess how the gold concentrate gets shipped from the large mines here? Yep, the Post Office. Millions of dollars a year.

All of them make the occasional mistake. If you live where I do you get a PhD in shipping. Never discount the mail man.

 

[robby denning]

USPS screwed me... I mailed an item to a fellow member here on RS and they lost the item. I opened an online inquiry and they closed it without resolving, then I tried to call their customer service line and it just tells you to go online. So I went the my local post office and talked to them. They gave me the number to the last Post Office to handle it and they don't pick up. So being the outstanding citizen I am I refunded the other member their money and am now attempting to collect the insurance on the package. But OMG is it like pulling teeth from them to get an insurance claim. Rant complete.

I am so Sorry to hear this. I had this happen with a pair of Zeiss binoculars back in the late 90s, and we eventually got a refund. But it was a big fight just like you’re going through. Sorry man


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Winnie]

I have a package that I am tracking. It said it would be delivered by 9:00 pm on Monday, 11/30. Monday came and went and there was no package. I checked again Tuesday. The "Expected Delivery on: date" part of the tracking page was completely missing. Then on Wednesday it was back up: Dec 3 by 6:00 pm. It arrived at the USPS origin facility on Nov 25. It has now said for the second time that it is in transit to the destination.

 

[ODB]

Yeah, and just wait until they do a depreciation on you. I shipped a rifle stock to a guy a couple of years ago, insured for $600
It got smashed to splinters in transit. Put the claim in, filled out all the paperwork, made the calls, got offered a total refund value of $14 because the stock was manufactured in 1955 & that was their 'depreciated from new' value.

ha! If that stock was from a Holland and Holland Royal there is not depreciation!
But try telling them that...

 

[tntrker]

The USPS lost 2 Certified letters, months apart, with money orders to a guide in Newfoundland. Once it crosses the border the US can't track, it's anyone's guess. Never have heard or seen about it since. For 2 months I called every number I could get my hands on, and was polite. Now I send via UPS where it stays trackable.

 

[Laramie]

I ship items daily to customers. Both UPS and FedEx are pretty reliable. Insurance claims are difficult through all shippers but better with UPS and FedEx. It's worth the extra few dollars to know your package will arrive and if not, you will be covered by decent insurance.

 

[Ctitus25]

What really bugs me is that I was given a number to the last Post Office to handle it, which I verified (both number and facility) and they don't pick up the phone.

 

[Evol]

It's kind of astonishing how bad the post office is at delivering on time. I ordered a brake controller that was supposed to be delivered Monday, still in transit. NH -> SE PA.

Good thing I scheduled the install for next Wed. Hopefully I get it by then.