US Postal Service nightmare

question for the mail carriers, with all due respect for what is a difficult, underpaid and under-appreciated job......grouchyolddude mentioned an insured package.

I used to insure packages. Had two damaged. Both times the same scenario played out: Recipient contacted me, I went to my post office. They told me recipient had to file claim. I told recipient. Recipient went to their post office, was told to contact shipper, shipper had to file claim. I went back, recipient went back, on and on, nothing. Gabork. Never even got a claim to file! My two shipments were from different post offices, shipping to two different locations. So that's four post offices with the same run-around.

so here's the question: Is it just me? Have you ever heard of anyone ever collecting anything on a USPS insurance claim?

Thanks for the tips but I couldn't even get to the page with the labels to copy or print them out. When I created them, there was simply a button to click to print labels and postage but didn't how the labels themselves. The next day, I couldn't even get a "history page" to get at the labels on my computer nor the Postmaster's. No, it's not my computer/printer as I've paid/printed postage before fairly recently when I shipped a package to Missouri. My MAIN beef is that I paid for a service, everyone involved agreed that I'd paid for it and not received the service. Then was told there is nothing they can do about it. ANY reputable (even semi-reputable) business would have a method in place to deal with something like this. (Remember - the Post Office IS a business as they sell goods and services to generate income and is "self-sustaining", meaning it receives no government funding).

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Originally Posted by volvoscrapper

question for the mail carriers, with all due respect for what is a difficult, underpaid and under-appreciated job......grouchyolddude mentioned an insured package.

I used to insure packages. Had two damaged. Both times the same scenario played out: Recipient contacted me, I went to my post office. They told me recipient had to file claim. I told recipient. Recipient went to their post office, was told to contact shipper, shipper had to file claim. I went back, recipient went back, on and on, nothing. Gabork. Never even got a claim to file! My two shipments were from different post offices, shipping to two different locations. So that's four post offices with the same run-around.

so here's the question: Is it just me? Have you ever heard of anyone ever collecting anything on a USPS insurance claim?

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No, it's not you. My wife had exactly that happen as the shipper. No, I've never known anyone to collect insurance from the PO. And I WAS a Mail Carrier in the 80s in Omaha, Ne for seven years. I'll agree that the problems are from Management - vast majority of Carriers care deeply for those on their route. But they're stymied by inept management.

I'd be calling USPS B$#%$ing and wanting my money back, then just take the regular flat rate box into the post office and demand the same discount you would get online because of the mishap.

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Originally Posted by Kochy

I'd be calling USPS B$#%$ing and wanting my money back, then just take the regular flat rate box into the post office and demand the same discount you would get online because of the mishap.

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I did and I tried that. "Nothing I can do." Called "Customer Service". "You'll have to put in a claim with PayPal" even though I'd gone through the USPS website. 2nd time had to pay $1.50 more than I did online. Then come back home and deal with the refund of online payment hassle.

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Originally Posted by volvoscrapper

question for the mail carriers, with all due respect for what is a difficult, underpaid and under-appreciated job......grouchyolddude mentioned an insured package.

I used to insure packages. Had two damaged. Both times the same scenario played out: Recipient contacted me, I went to my post office. They told me recipient had to file claim. I told recipient. Recipient went to their post office, was told to contact shipper, shipper had to file claim. I went back, recipient went back, on and on, nothing. Gabork. Never even got a claim to file! My two shipments were from different post offices, shipping to two different locations. So that's four post offices with the same run-around.

so here's the question: Is it just me? Have you ever heard of anyone ever collecting anything on a USPS insurance claim?

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Go to the post office, tell them you were the recipient. When they tell you the shipper has to file, tell them, good... cuz I was really the shipper! Now get me my form!

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Remember - the Post Office IS a business as they sell goods and services to generate income and is "self-sustaining", meaning it receives no government funding)

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That ain't right either cause the Gov't is always bailing them out. Nothing official tho,,,

i use a 3rd party insurer called inkfrog, if the item is valuable or critical it gets double insured

another tip i have is to always put clear tape over printed labels, alot of times labels get ripped off of packages in transit, this prevents that from happening, 90% of my shipping problems disappeared after i started taping over labels

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Originally Posted by jghilino

another tip i have is to always put clear tape over printed labels

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^^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^^^

You are instructed to NOT put tape over labels.

We just had another incident. We bought a barracuda pool cleaner. It had 2 rebates. 1 from the manufacturer and another from the retailer. We filled out the paperwork and sent it off. We got one rebate back and then we got the remains of the other one in a post office envelope. It got torn up in their equipment.

Now it is too late to put the stuff back together and send it back. We sent it out, but will probably be denied. They cost us $100 and there is no recourse. Of course we could have sent it registered and insured. But who the heck is going to do that on a rebate?

I am just more and more fed up with them.

I am now shipping packages fedex cheaper and quicker.

Switched over and won't look back.

I can tell you for certain i was having about 20 items a year getting returned to me or lost due to shipping label damage, all of that stopped after i started taping over labels. I dont care what they say to do if it gets in my pocket. Rules are made to be broken.

Also what you said right there happens also, alot of stuff goes thru electronic sorting that shouldnt. Ive had alot of ram sticks and cpus destroyed because they are too lazy to hand scan packages and want to machine sort everything.

fedex is cheaper on large items but higher under 10 pounds

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

That ain't right either cause the Gov't is always bailing them out. Nothing official tho,,,

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Bailed out GM, Chrysler and AIG. They're still "businesses".

I'm a cheap a$$ when it comes to labels...plain paper, cut the label off and keep other half for my records. Tape over except for the bar code.

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Originally Posted by KzScrapper

I'm a cheap a$$ when it comes to labels...plain paper, cut the label off and keep other half for my records. Tape over except for the bar code.

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Open a FedEx and UPS account
Then you can get the self stick labels for FREE
UPS has 2 labels a page with a small logo >> These labels work fine on USPS and FedEx packages
FedEx labels have one label, so be sure you load them in your printer the correct direction. No logos >> These labels work fine on USPS and UPS packages

I also tape over the labels
As mentioned, cheap extra protection
and the scanners have no problem reading thru the tape >> Just don't use duct tape

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Originally Posted by jghilino

i use a 3rd party insurer called inkfrog, if the item is valuable or critical it gets double insured

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How much money have you spent on shipping Insurance in the past 12 months?
How much have you received in payouts?
I ship items valued up to 1K and put that Insurance money into my RISKY fund
On the rare occasion of a lost or damaged item, I can just do an instant payout to the Buyer
No muss, No Fuss >> No paper work
And several times a year RISKY takes me out for Dinner & Drinks

Has Inkfrog ever taken you out for Dinner & Drinks?

Over 1K items I will get the Insurance because the way Murphy follows my every move that would be the package to get lost

self insurance works great till your 1k package gets lost, id rather double insure

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Originally Posted by jghilino

self insurance works great till your 1k package gets lost, id rather double insure

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So you never answered>>

How much money have you spent on shipping Insurance in the past 12 months?
How much have you received in payouts?

Twice as much as other people because you are double Insuring?

If you are making more money that way
I would like to know.
I want to make as much money as possible


Using USPS and FedEx , I haven't had a lost package in 5 years and about 1 damaged a year
Most of what I ship is hard to break auto parts and I double box everything
USPS did manage to CRUSH a dash cluster 6 months ago
Looked like they ran over the box with a fork lift

I've only had one damaged and sent back as the USPS managed to crush a steel switchbox for a computer system.
It was similar to this one, I have to assume it got caught in the conveyer system. It was as flat as a fritter.

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Data-Transfer...3t!~~60_14.JPG

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Originally Posted by grouchyolddude

I had recent nitemares with the USPS as well. A med. flat rate box shipped insured (which includes tracking) "4-5 days" expected delivery. 21 days later it arrived at its final destination and the tracking info STILL showed it had not left my mailing facility.
Talking to anyone at the post office was just exactly like talking to any other gubbiment agency... nobody could tell me a **** thing about

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Since I dissed the usps above, I thought it only fair to include my latest experience. Sold 50# of lead on ebay, to go to CT. Mailed it in a medium flat rate on Monday, and it arrived, undamaged and delivered to the house by a 95 lb female carrier yesterday afternoon. Guess there are still a few 'worker bees' around the postal service...

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Originally Posted by Mick

I'm shipping a Large Flat Rate box of HDDs to PartTimeScrapper. Got them ready yesterday, USPS Flat Rate was best as 32 discs weigh 41 pounds and fit neatly in the box. Created label and paid postage by PayPal online. Hit "PRINT" and got "UNKNOWN ERROR" message -- three times. Everything else prints out, including notices from USPS and PayPal regarding the transaction. Took the package and printouts to local post office today. Nothing he can do, so he calls his supervisor. Postmaster says he thinks the problem is my printer since the notices printed out. I say I think the problem isn't my printer for that reason - everything else printed out. USPS website is down, so I go home and wait for him to call when it's back up. He calls, but still nothing he can do. The online postage needs to print out but now there is no way to get it to print. Without that, there's nothing to stick on the package to show the postage has been paid. Everyone - the local Postmaster and his Supervisor - agree that postage has been paid online but without the printout... I purchase postage at the post office to get the box on its way to PartTimeScrapper, which is $1.50 more than it was online. Come back home and call USPS CUSTOMER SERVICE about a refund of the online postage and get told I'll have to file a claim with PayPal.

Can you imagine a business being run like that? And people wonder why I hated being a USPS Letter Carrier. You get the same ignorant attitude as an employee.

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You are correct. Government does not run like a business and they want to know why it is going broke.
50 years ago the people we put in office had some real life experience to bring to the table. Now all you get are people who have made a career out of getting elected.