This is slowly but surely becoming a nightmare of a relationship, to be honest. I am really quite fed up with the postal service in general…. even though I rely so heavily on it what with all my letter writing. My patience with them has shrunk down to a minimum, though.
Last year in March (I know, you must be going “What? Over 12 months ago?”) I sent a package to my Dad. The package got held up by the German Customs people and they informed my Dad that they had a package for him that they couldn’t deliver, because it contained items that were not supposed to get shipped to Germany.
Ok. I get it. I screwed up. I wasn’t aware that I wasn’t allowed to send what was in the package. My mistake. So the Customs people told my Dad they would simply return it. Great.
Well, you can already guess. I’ve never received the package back. As it happened, we moved in April, so I was patient at first because I was expecting delays of the return due to our mail forwarding from our old address. On the other hand, I knew that my old roommate would have let me know, if there had been any mail for me.
Nothing.
Fortunately, I was smart enough to have the package registered and insured when I sent it. I was confident that I would either get it back eventually or get reimbursed for the insured value.
Months went by and I stopped at the local post office a couple of times, asking for my package and what I should do about it. I was put off several times and asked to wait “just a little longer, the package will get to you”
Well, it DIDN’T.
Eventually I was given a “form” to fill out to try and locate the package in one of the USPS Mail Recovery Centers – a center that collects mail that was undeliverable, sent back, misrouted, lost, etc.
I’ve never heard back from them.
After a year of being put off and not helped at all, I decided to submit a claim for the insured value of the package – after all $200 – just to receive a letter back this week saying that there was “no record of an inquiry and that the claim can only be processed after an official inquiry about the package was made. Please call number 1-800-…”.
Alright, so what the hell, me thinks “Ok, I am going to file an inquiry then” (even though this is getting really annoying already). I call the number and – NOW GET THIS – was told that I would have had to file the inquiry within 180 days of sending the package.
WTF, USPS???
Did the postal workers at the post office deliberately put me off for so long, so that they don’t have to deal with my claim and pay me my money back? Nobody ever told me about this filing deadline… even when I asked about this package last September, when the deadline was clearly being approached. Even then I was told to be more patient.
Patient?
You know, I am actually “something-starting-with-the-letter-P”… and that is PISSED!
I am pissed off by the unbelievable experiences that I’ve had with USPS in the last couple of years… experiences of lost letters, delayed letters, returned letters (even though I had mail forwarding) and ripped-open packages with missing items. I so had enough of this.
If there were any alternative postal carriers out there, they would have to kiss my feet to keep me as a customer. But since the have the monopoly on private mail delivery, they just treat you like sh*t… even if you pay for extra services like registered mail/insurance/etc.
This is SO NOT OVER!
kaylen
April 8, 2009 at 9:04 pmomg-this is horrible!! So you have to determine that your package is indeed lost within 180 days, regardless of the fact that they tell you to wait for it??
I really do NOT get government agencies. It’s not just the USPS. It seems like EVERY gov’t agency has little spin-cycles like this.
Irritating!!!
Tanja
April 8, 2009 at 9:24 pmGuess what? I’m waiting for my birthday package since 1 (in words – one) year. My birthday is comming up again and the package is still in New Jersey by the American Customs. My family don’t want to tell me what is in the package – they still have hope that I will get it (maybe this year)…. to be continued! ;(
steffisn
April 9, 2009 at 1:01 pmwow, that is pretty ridiculous!!!
Maribeth
April 9, 2009 at 1:28 pmOh that pisses me off too! I hope you get it taken care of.
Carolina
April 9, 2009 at 2:36 pmThat’s the Spirit!! I like your “feisty-ness”! I wouldn’t let that one go either! Ughhhhhh….so annoying that they can just treat people shitty and not even so much as an “oops, we made a mistake”!
Keep us posted…on the postals…hahaha! I know, I’m really not funny…but it was funny to me!
ute
April 9, 2009 at 3:10 pmoh my gosh you poor thing. that is horrible!!! oh i totally understand your pain. i cannot believe it really. it is time to write a letter to the ceo of the postal service. and you better hand deliver it :) love ya sweets
Susanne
April 9, 2009 at 6:34 pmuh, that sucks. Keep on fighting girl!
Kristi
April 10, 2009 at 8:43 pmThat is such BS! Actually, with the way the USPS has been run completely into the ground over the last decade, I’m a bit surprised that any of us get our mail! Whenever I have a choice, I always choose a private carrier (UPS, FedEx, etc) because I’ve been screwed too many times.
Did you get to talk to an actual LIVE person?! You want I should rough ’em up for ya?
Irene
April 13, 2009 at 4:18 amAhh, sucks big time! But you know, waiting a year is nothing, I am still waiting for a package I send home from my Au Pair year in 1999, which will make it 10 years this summer!
Like most APs I spend my hard earned money on clothes and stuff so I couldn’t fit everything in my suitcase. Not knowing about the wonderful USPS I put ALL my pictures, the letters I got during that year (mostly love letters from my ex-BF), plus a few books and CD’s in a box and send it to my parents. I wasn’t smart enough to insure it or register it or better send it with UPS…the lady at the counter told me it will take about 6 weeks. After not receiving it for about 4 months I went to the German Postal Service to file a search request…nothing! I called the USPS Store I had send it from and my host mom went there to ask them…nothing. The Germans refused to search again and as I was back here with no chance to go to the USPS Store myself I gave up after a while. Which means I have NO pictures and NO letters from my year and lost a few of my favourite books and CD’s. And there wasn’t even food or anything in it that could be held up by customs. And it wasn’t delivered back to my host mom either.
If you or anyone has an idea how to get a package back that was lost 10 years ago I would love to know!!