so i've been tracking USPS postal service and apparently they can't locate my package which was scheduled to be delivered more than a week ago......i called the local Post Office and they said it's stuck somewhere in their sorting facility and to give them a few days and they may receive it and deliver it to me

but i'm losing out on all hope now........what recourse do i have.......who is responsible? will USPS pay me for the value of the package?

1/26/2012 2:21:54 AM

As long as the tracking doesn't say "delivered," they should be held responsible and pay for the item's value. If they will do this or not and how much they will cover if they do pay is another story... I'm assuming this is a non-insurance case, otherwise this is a silly thread.

[Edited on January 26, 2012 at 2:39 AM. Reason : .]

1/26/2012 2:38:31 AM

https://www.usps.com/manage/file-insurance-claims.htm
http://faq.usps.com/eCustomer/iq/usps/request.do?create=kb:USPSFAQ

1/26/2012 2:40:49 AM

That's what you get for trusting Government Mail.
</conservatroll>

1/26/2012 3:44:44 AM

What was in the package?

1/26/2012 4:16:03 AM

I am adding this to my topics. First time I've ever done that.

[Edited on January 26, 2012 at 4:23 AM. Reason : apparently not. it automatically puts threads you make.]

1/26/2012 4:18:39 AM

I ship a lot of stuff at work and I don't trust USPS to ship anything unless it's just a normal letter sized envelope. Ups rates tend to be cheaper for packages too.

1/26/2012 7:45:53 AM

I guess I assumed someone would have needed to insure the package when it was sent for a claim to be made. Was the package insured at all?

If you don't need insurance to file a claim I have to wonder what the extra fee to insure packages is for - might as well never insure a package if they are going to pay out regardless.

[Edited on January 26, 2012 at 7:49 AM. Reason : -]

1/26/2012 7:47:43 AM

^ most shippers have a standard minimum value where insurance is not needed. It does seem to make it more likely that you'll get paid though if something happens. UPS is $100 or less if I remember correctly.

1/26/2012 8:06:53 AM

I am the receiver of the package. The sender did not insurance the package.
Tracking says it's still stuck at some USPS sorting facility for over a week. I called the local USPS and they confirmed that they haven't received it yet, and have no way of contacting the sorting facility to check on the package.

1/26/2012 8:28:58 AM

After some casual searching it looks like "express mail" automatically includes $100 worth of insurance with the service. There may be other services that automatically include insurance, I'm not going to spend a lot of time checking, but it looks like you would need to explicitly add insurance for most of the services they provide. The insurance fee scales with the value of the package contents and the smallest range is for things valued between $0.01 - $50.00.

Since they start with a penny it makes me think that there isn't an implied or automatic insurance policy for the majority of the services that usps provides. I don't know how successful filing a claim against something that is uninsured would be.

Edit: Was this shipped from a business? The seller would be on the hook for resending/refunding once you show them proof that the item wasn't delivered.


[Edited on January 26, 2012 at 8:39 AM. Reason : -]

1/26/2012 8:29:27 AM

I can vouch for the fact that the default insurance on express mail (and I think priority mail) is $100. That's how much I got back when USPS completely destroyed a netbook I had sent out for warranty service. Stupid me for thinking that the default insurance was any more than that.

1/26/2012 9:05:36 AM

Your recourse if the package doesn't arrive is from the shipper, not the shipping company. USPS does not automatically include insurance on their normal ground shipping (Priority Mail/Parcel Post) like FedEx or UPS. Even if he had insurance you wouldn't be able to file a claim. Only the shipper can file the claim.

If this is an eBay/Paypal item they will refund your money after a period of time as long as it was never delivered, even if the seller can prove he shipped the item. Good reason to always insure your packages and always get package tracking.

I had one get lost last year in the USPS black hole. 40 days later the recipient got it. Who knows where it was for those 40 days though.

[Edited on January 26, 2012 at 9:23 AM. Reason : s]

1/26/2012 9:19:32 AM

update?

2/4/2012 3:49:20 AM

USPS sucks, and their handling of insurance matters is a national embarrassment. From now on, go FedEx or UPS.

[Edited on February 4, 2012 at 10:47 AM. Reason : ]

2/4/2012 10:46:29 AM

heh... every now and then you hear about a magazine or piece of mail that got stuck in some chute somewhere, and it's delivered years later

2/4/2012 6:27:19 PM

I use UPS for most things, but you can't beat postal service rates for media mail. Cheap as all hell and not nearly as slow as advertised.

2/4/2012 6:45:03 PM

Express Mail has $100 insurance automatic. No insurance on any other service unless its added. If the package was not insured there is absolutely nothing you can do. If it was, you have to wait 30 days before they will allow you to file a claim.

2/5/2012 7:28:23 PM

pwnt

2/5/2012 8:12:13 PM

Back in college I mailed my step sister my graphing calculator when I was about to graduate and wouldn't need it anymore. I insured it & she never got it. When I showed up to claim on my insurance they suddenly found it & delivered it to her. I waited a reasonable about of time before notifying them but found it odd that the second I tried to claim my money they found the package.

Anything of remote importance I insure or send through another carrier. Lessons learned in this thread

2/5/2012 11:58:42 PM