Help? - Having Issues With Post Office that Refuses to Listen


789lol's avatar
Alright then, where do I start?

I've never had issues with having something delivered  to my house, let alone by USPS (the United States Postal Service) and yet here I am today.

I made an order from eBay as a gift for my brother. The seller is from China. I paid and then they shipped. So, along the way I was frequently checking my order's progress towards its delivery on eBay and even on USPS.com. Although, there were some discrepancies (things that didn't match up) along the way.

I noticed that the times of each transaction were from 2-3 hours apart and that when te time for the delivery approached, USPS claimed to have had delivered my package an hour or two before I checked the mailbox to find no package whatsoever. Not at my doorstep or even "the larger box." (I use a *cluster box - like this www.yosemitewest.org/cluster.j… ). I was outraged that they would provide such false information.

What confused me even further was when I checked eBay and it told me that no delivery had been made yet. After a few more hours eBay told me that my package had been delivered,  so I just imagined that it arrived very late. (Just to let you know, this happened on last Saturday evening, so the post office is closed on Sunday.) I even went on Sunday morning to the box to check yet again: no package. I was infuriated to the point that I was saying horrible words that I didn't actually mean. I then decided to call them on Monday so that the post office can sort it all out.

I called, right on my college campus before a class to have this sorted out quickly. I was answered with "Hello, this is *City Name,* (her name I forget). How may I help you?" First of all, I found her tone distasteful and a bit rude, not to mention that she didn't even say if it was a USPS location or not. I told her that I was calling for a lost package to which she quickly responded with an inappropriate laugh, "Well if its lost-then it wasn't us!" I just shrugged and assured her that I was calling  the correct location. We then proceeded with actual business:

"First time calling or a returning call?"
-"First time."
"Alright... Let me just get your address-Do you have some sort of tracking number or...?"
-"Yes I have a tracking number."
"Okay. Just tell me the number."
-"(There are two letters that begin the tracking number) L. K."
"Wait-wait... I'm sorry I can't hear you properly."
-"It's alright. L. K-"
"Wait a second, are those letters or numbers?"
-"They are letters, my tracking number begins and ends with two letters."
"Oh, okay. So how many letters?"
-"There are two, then the numbers, and two more letters."
"Okay, let's try this again."
-"L. K."
"So... L as in lion and K as in king."
-"Yes."
"Uhuh... Now the numbers."
-"##... ##... ##... ##... #.. and the last two letters: C. N."
"Got it: LK#########CN?"
-"Yes."
"I'll just need to put this into the system, so I'm going to have to put you on hold."
-"Sure."
*I was put on hold somewhere between 3-5 minutes.*
"Hello? Hello?"
-"Yes?"
"Alright, so I tracked the package. Now I need your name."
-"It's Tania, Ta-ni-a, ******, ****-**."
"Is it ******************?" *She just BUTCHERED my name, I don't even know how when I just told her how to say it.*
-"Nonono. TA-NI-A ****-**."
"Okay so Tania ******."
-"Yes."
"Well Tania, it says here that your package has been delivered to your mailbox."
*sigh* -"I know that but it hasn't arrived to my house."
"Have you checked your door step, sometimes  our carriers leave it at the door."
-"Yes I have checked and no it was not there."
"That's strange."
-"I know. Something else I find strange is that on the USPS app the tracker says that the package was delivered to the zipcode ####8 when my zipcode is ####7."
"Huh... It says 8 instead of 7... Well this sort of thing happens with the tracker,  but it was delivered to your mailbox."
-"And yet I have no package and I'm not sure what to do about this."
"Umm... Well... I can go get my supervisor to come and talk to you. So I will put you on hold again."
-"...Oka-"
*I was put on hold for 5+ minutes, I was so tempted to hang up.*
-Before I knew it I was rudely broken from the seemingly never-ending spell of listening to a recording of how WONDERFUL USPS and its services are by a gruff and grizzly voice of a man.-
"HELLO? HELLO!"
-"He-hello?"
"YEAH MISS, YOUR PACKAGE WAS DELIVERED ON SATURDAY TO YOUR MAILBOX."
-*I groaned internally since I couldn't believe how many times I've heard that by then.*
-"Well I haven't received it at all, so I'd have to disagree." (Even though this guy was pretty intimidating, I wasn't going to let him rattle me.)
"NOW I'VE CHECKED THE RECORDS AND YOUR PACKAGE WAS SENT TO THE CORRECT ADDRESS. NOW DO YOU LIVE IN AN APARTMENT OR A TOWN HOUSE, 'CUZ IT'S DIFFERENT IF YOU HAVE A PLAIN MAILBOX OR A *CLUSTER BOX..."
*That's how I found out what a cluster box is.*
-"Uhh...Yeah a cluster box. I have one of those that are attached to many small boxes."
"YEAH, USUALLY WHEN WE HAVE BIG PACKAGES WE-"
-"...put them in the big-"
"-PUT THEM IN THE BIG BOXES."
-"I know. I know. I checked the big box, someone had already left the key in their and placed their junkmail inside."
"WAIT, SO YOU DO HAVE THE KEY?"
-"No.Someone else HAD it and used it."
"WELL I'M NOT SURE WHAT ELSE TO TELL YOU THEN. I COULD GO AND CONTACT THE CARRIER HIMSELF AND SEE WHAT MAY OF HAPPENED. I'LL JUST NEED YOUR NUMBER IF YOU WANT TO BE CALLED."
-"Fine. I don't mind. It's the same number I'm using now. ###-###-####."
"OKAY: ###-###-####. I'LL CALL IF THERE ARE ANY UPDATES."

Before I knew it, I was left alone to go to class late after such an aggravating conversation. I just spent the rest of the day wondering where on earth my package was.

Much later at about 5pm, (that USPS' office closes at 6pm so 5pm would be the latest time they deliver.), I went to the mailbox yet again. I was dumbstruck to discover that there was STILL no package in sight... For me that is. I received a package alright, addressed  to someone in my neighborhood who shares the same house number as me, but nothing else. I live on a Rd/Road address and she lives on an Ter/Terrace address. Clearly their work is impeccable if this sort of work is what shows for it. (I even walked down to that address to see if I could speak with that fellow "USPS screwed up my package" buddy. There was no response at the door so I walked back. - On a side note, I looked up the tracking number on the package and USPS says that her package is "IN TRANSIT" and shall not be arriving anytime soon. They're telling me. Yeesh.)

I still have the other package and will call USPS in the morning when they open again, (when I called yesterday it was right when they opened). I will surely give them a piece of my mind because this is just unacceptable I have no idea what is going on with my city's branch, but even if this man or woman is new, this sort of neglect can't go unresolved. I'm worried for my other neighbors who may have lost mail. I have five more packages arriving this month and I'm not going to tolerate this nonsense for those packages either.

This has never really happened to me before so I'm not so sure if I'm just making a big deal out of this, but I am outraged. Does anyone have a suggestion for what I should do or even have some of their own experience with something like this?  Thanks for taking the time to read this and I do hope I can get  some feedback on this.

(I never received any call-back from them at all yesterday and I started typing this at almost 12AM and am finishing it at 2AM. I really feel like I need some other views on this.)

~Tania 789lol
Comments7
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Comment Flagged as Spam
789lol's avatar
For what exactly?
Nashiil's avatar
Im sorry to hear that this happened. I work for an ASO (authorized shipping outlet) for UPS, USPS, and FedEx, and i will tell you right now that we have the most problems with USPS. 1) Their tracking numbers are not always scanned at each facility, some postal carriers will only scan at pick up and then again at delivery. It just depends on the facility and the individual carrier. 2) They have terrible customer service. Most postal workers will redirect you to another representative if they dont feel like handling your inquiries. (I have been working with these people for almost six years.), and 3) Getting your money back is nearly impossible. They have all kinds of red tape for filing claims and it can take 1 to 3 months for them to complete a claim.

It sounds like your package was delivered, but stolen by another resident. This is a major issue with cluster boxes and apartment complexes. Whenever possible have your carrier deliver directly to your residence. Other options for delivery are having you items deilvered to the postal facility to your attention. You will need to speak to your local post office for additional information. You can also have your package delivered to your work location, or parents' work locations.

Whenever possible select a carrier with a true tracking number, like UPS and FedEx. They will only deliver to a physical address though. In addition to a tracking number, they are also insured and will investigate damaged and stolen packages. Their claims usually take 7 to 10 days to complete, and a check will be mailed to you.

I realize that some ebay sellers will only ship with USPS because the rates are cheaper, but these are some options to consider.

I hope this helps you some. Let me know if you have any other questions.
AJGlass's avatar
Unfortunately, packages are being stolen all the time these days.

Next time you should pay for delivery signature confirmation if it's available - which requires that you sign for the package. If you're not home, the post office leaves a note for you and then you go to the post office and sign for it there. At least, that's how it works where I live.

As for your package, sad to say but it may be lost forever unless it was delivered to the wrong address and whomever has it returns it to you (like you're going to do with the package you received).
789lol's avatar
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and sending me a reply!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That is true, but I do live in a pretty well off neighborhood so I wouldn't see it really happening. I've passed by other houses multiple times to find large packages that UPS (not USPS) had left at the doorsteps. I've even seen at most ten boxes on my street that remained there for a couple other days. But that doesn't mean that thieves aren't a possibility.

Sigh. I suppose that that's true, but I'm not one to lose faith just yet though. ;)
AJGlass's avatar
Out of curiosity, what is it exactly that you bought and does the seller have a refund policy for lost or stolen shipments?

Also, you can sometimes buy insurance if what you're having shipped is expensive or fragile. Then if it's lost or if it arrives broken, the insurance will cover the cost of the item once you file a claim. Just something else to consider for next time.
789lol's avatar
Eh, plush from China. They were hard to find and cost me over $20. I highly doubt it, but I can check into that.

Hmm sounds like something I'd like to sign up for. C: Thanks again.

(I'm going off to bed now so don't expect any replies for a while.)