I understand your complaint, but my PO makes sure to point out that priority mail is not a guarantee of delivery. Heck they can totally lose the package and owe you nothing unless you bought the insurance. That said, I've used the express next day a few times (which is guaranteed) and almost always get a refund because it never gets there on time.

Yeah, I'm going to have to chime in here and say never, never, never, never, never send -anything- of sentimental or irreplaceable value unless you use Registered Mail. The registered mail service is about $4 extra but it's money well spent as it adds a chain of signatures so that it's possible to find out who is responsible if the package gets lost.

I am not the first to jump in on these "blame the victim" pile-ons, but it is the poster's fault for not opting for registered mail, or at least certified return receipt.

(bump to make my post appear)

@ Timmus: Hey leave the lady alone she is right in expecting reasonable service. It's clearly USPS fault not the poster. They should not give her the run around like that. They have got a broken system they need to fix it. Oh and lady don't cheap out. Use next day or registered mail. Yeah you saved yourself a few bucks on shipping your irreplacable crapola but geez was it worth it. Hell no.

How would registered mail have solved the OP's problem? The issue wasn't losing the package at delivery. It was lost in transit.

USPS has lost a box of 50 book that weighed in at 50lbs. Never contacted even though the box was clearly marked and invoices were included in the box with the books. Had one priority shippment vanish, another come back because it looks like someone drove over it and could onlt read the return address. Tryed to contact the posmaster 5 times and everytime I was told I would be contacted back and never have been. Ordered supplies, never showed. So basically nobody is accountable at USPS at least in my area. Buyer Beware.

Yeah, I was surprised that anyone offered you a refund on the ordeal b/c Priority Mail has never been guaranteed (in recent memory) if it goes beyond the 2-3 days. Also, USPS packages carry no minimum insurance as opposed to UPS and Fedex which I think is $100 per package and you buy insurance from there.

Also, the scanning machine most like CAN read barcodes that are blacked out, if you look at it, the barcode is usually still shiny after it's been blacked out.

Seems like all of this could have been avoided by using a new box or completely removing old stickers.

So this wasn't a refund, it was a "get-the-customer-to-shut-up"/goodwill gesture. Besides, postage stamps = like cash for face value.

If the package was lost and you bought insurance, then you would have had a cash/check refund.

@r0ck: Oops. I confused signature confirmation with registered mail.

I'm waiting on a package now that was posted 10 days ago in rochester coming to n.c.!! tracking says it was mailed,but still in rochester..wtf..They've got some real dumb fucks working at USPS anyway..UPS seems better.

@headon: Hey! Leave the poor consumerist reader alone. He was neither beligerent or caustic. In fact, he provided some possibly useful information to the "poor lady."

@timmus mine was registered,no help there

stamps are like money in prison..

I also had a bad experience with the USPS recently. I ordered a Christmas gift for through Amazon - a golf calendar. I had it shipped to my work since the mail man that delivery's to my house will never drop anything off large than a standard envelope even though I have very large mail box and a mail slot on my front door. The shipping and tracking said it arrived at my company on 26th but my receptionist never received it. The station manger of the post office that claims to have delivered the package avoided my calls. My complaint kept getting bounced bath and forth between the Consumer Service department and the Postal Inspector. Every time I called either department, I was issued a new confirmation number to track my complaint. But each new number references the previous confirmation number. In the end, my package was never found, two mail thief complaints were filed, and I learned the different departments in the USPS don't know how to communicate with each other. Also, the Postal Inspector is like the CIA apparently they don't report to anyone and only it if make an arrest will you know your complaint has been investigated. Thankfully Amazon refunded my purchase

Ha, refund in stamps, that sounds familiar to me. About a year ago or so, I was shipping something at the post office, and the clerk fat-fingered the transaction on the card machine to be like $90 instead of $9. I noticed it and refused to sign the slip and asked for the transaction to be canceled and run again correctly. The clerk said he couldn't do that and I'd have to take the difference in merchandise or stamps. When I told him I didn't want/need roughly $81 in stamps, envelopes, or tape and asked for the supervisor he said that he'd give me stamps then he could refund me in cash for the stamps. What? Just refund the money, but he insisted that I needed to get the stamps.

Twenty minutes later after he had physically sorted out exactly how many stamps (a whole other story) I needed to make up for the change, and handed them to me, he took them back and credited me the money. Not to mention I was in a bit of a hurry, and he took his time figuring out and physically counting out the stamps to hand to me so I could just hand them back to him. And I got the money back as cash, not a credit to my card. That prettymuch ate up most of my lunch break that day. So much for the midday to-do list when mailing something at the Post Office is on it.

I'm pretty sure this was an issue with the clerk not knowing how to do a void/refund on the card machine, not a policy with the USPS, but still about on par for the local Post Office service.

I have had excellent service with the USPS. For $8.95 flat rate boxes, Priority mail, you can't beat it. They even give you the boxes, and you can use the automated machines to ship at the post office. You never have to wait in lines again. I feel for the victim, but the USPS does make mistakes. UPS Ground is more expensive, and takes about a week. Not sure how Fedex's prices are. Out of all the stuff I sent from E-Bay sales, all the items made it within 3 days except for 2 items that took a week.

"If you really want any accountability, guaranteed delivery times, or solid tracking, don't use USPS." Well, yes. Their tracking is beyond useless.

The fact of the matter is that using one of the private companies to ship parcels often results in equally or more frustrating ordeals. Thats the nature of the shipping business, with millions of pieces being taken to every stretch of the country, you have to expect some errors will get made along the way. If you don't then you're setting yourself up for big disappointments like this one. And consequently, insurance exists for that very reason - use it! Regardless, USPS has a flawless record in my book, and Priority Mail is far cheaper AND faster than anything the private companies offer.

I will say this: By and large the USPS does a fine job of handling all of my mail and getting it where it needs to be when I need it there. UPS and Fedex have much higher f*up rates in my book.

The USPS does a spectacular job and has one of the finest delivery records of an postal service on the planet. Nobody will ever be 100% and the only reason people get so annoyed at these rare mistakes is because the USPS' record is so close to perfect. Talk to anyone who lives outside of the US before you get overly frustrated with what we have.

I'm not so sure now that Newman was a caricature of postal employees after reading this. He was the real deal!

The USPS "tracking system" is a joke. Mostly I see that the package info was received electronically at some far-off point, then magically it arrives at my door. Nothing in between that would allow you to figure out where it is or when it's going to arrive. I'm amazed at the amount of info that the OP got out of their system.

I'm not sure what the complaint is. As the poster said, Priority Mail is not guaranteed. The tone of it is a bit on the hysterical side, as if there were a conspiracy against the package.
USPS is an extremely inexpensive, efficient way to move mail and packages across the country. UPS and Fedex are not significantly more reliable, nor do they have a significantly higher customer satisfaction rate.
Throw a rock and you'll hit someone with a horror story with each carrier. I certainly have many for each. While I'm happy that UPS pays my insurance claims, I would rather they not destroy my packages. While USPS offers home pickup when I'm not home (and they can let themselves into my lobby), I wish their large, heavy box rates weren't so high. Etc. You chose the most appropriate carrier and they screwed up. And they were kind enough to give you something for your trouble EVEN THOUGH THEY WEREN'T OBLIGATED TO.

well, TECHNICALLY, stamps ARE supposed to be currency, so they should work everywhere

...and i rephrase TECHNICALLY

Although this story sounds like a frustrating experience it's obviously an isolated incident and no reason to never use USPS again. The fact that the employees were helpful and as far as the OP said weren't rude and eventually fixed it by finding a needle in a haystack speaks to USPS being a good choice.

@scoosdad:

The reason the USPS "tracking system" doesn't provide accurate tracking is because it's not a tracking system. It's called "delivery confirmation", and all it promises to do is confirm that an item is delivered, not tell you where it is at any time - sometimes it will have that info if it's scanned, but not always.

As people have stated, Priority Mail will "usually" take 2 days, but there is no promise, unlike express mail. I'm also puzzled why the OP used a used box, when Priority Mail gives free boxes if you are shipping priority, unless his package was too big to fit in their boxes.

I sell on eBay sometimes, and use Priority for smaller packages. I've generally had good luck with them, although I have occasionally had packages that took way too long. But I also buy a lot of computer equipment as part of my day job, and I've had UPS and FedEX both drop the ball and lose or misdeliver expensive equipment. Lets face it, when you are processing millions of packages, screwups will happen.

Sounds like the mob"
"Of course you can pay for *protection insurance* to ensure your package arrives safely...for a small fee. Otherwise we might have to auction off your "lost" property for a profit."

I wish I could start a government-funded monopoly that told paying customers that it would "try" to do the job, but couldn't make any promises. Wait, doesn't Congress do that already?

Question for the class: What exactly does "priority mail" mean? Perhaps "We load it on the plane before everybody else's stuff, but no rush?

Hey, at least the post office doesn't have to care about whether or not they deliver your package or lose a customer - they're the government - they get their money around April 15.

I usually have good service with the USPS, at least with regular first class letters - but when there is a problem... Talk about bogged down with disinterested employees! They transfer calls just to get rid of them, no one ever calls back, and very often people say, "I don't know about that. I can't help you. I don't know who could."

It seems that there are no escalation procedures - if there are, nobody knows about them, including the USPS employees.

I use UPS or FEDEX whenever possible.

USPS played hide 'n seek with my husband's car registration tabs. He was on an extended business trip to Florida (from NY) Wouldn't you know, his car registration renewal was due a couple days before he was due to drive home.

Like a good little wife, I ordered the new tabs in plenty of time, and then priority mailed them to him, they should have been there 10 days before his departure.

Naturally, they never arrived. In the 7 days leading up to his departure I made dozens of calls and ended up being told to file a "theft report" with the FBI/USPS or some such thing. I filed it..and he drove home with expired tabs.

Got new ones at the DMV locally...and lo and behold, 4 weeks after he arrived home? The priority mail envelope arrived at my door.

USPS helped get my husband home safely! He had to drive a bit more carefully so as not to get stopped by the cops. Wayyy to Go USPS!

If you need guaranteed delivery, Priority Mail is not the answer. The USPS does a good job for a government agency. Certainly better than UPS or Fedex, and at a lower cost. If you need your package to be delivered by a certain time, pay a few dollars more for a service with a guarantee, and stop complaining.

@Magicube: 100% agreed. As stated earlier, it's pretty clear that if you want guaranteed delivery, you have to chump up for express mail.

The other thing that isn't clear to me is if she was going there, why didn't she just take the things with her if they were heirloom and irreplaceable? She rolled the dice and lost. There is always a small chance that when you send anything that it will get lost or damaged. She rolled snake eyes this time around. I mean, she has cause to be upset, but temper it with a bit of reasonability and common sense.

@ClayS: "for a government agency"? How about their operations dwarf UPS, FedEx, and DHL? There is not another company or organization in the world that can do what they do. Deliver mail and packages to every know address in the entire United States 6 days of the week. I'd say that's pretty good for any package handling service, private or public.

@madanthony: "The reason the USPS "tracking system" doesn't provide accurate tracking is because it's not a tracking system. It's called "delivery confirmation"

I see, I guess I just get confused when the web page for said numbers is called "Track & Confirm".

@kc-guy: Actually, yup.

NEVER ship anything irreplacable with a national postal service. (I've heard good things about the UK system, though).

I will say this, however - part of the problem may be due to the whole "ordering postage online" thing. We (ebay sellers) have NEVER had good luck with "pick up at the door" services. If you actually go in there, they'll put a cancel on the delivery confirmation signs, and tend to make sure it ends up well-coated with priority stickers, etc.

At the USPS, postage counts as currency (it still does to some businesses, too, which is kinda neat.) They will happily offer refunds in postage, and you can take *old postage in* and get cash for it in some places, or at least you could the last time I needed change 2 years ago.

(This only applies to the USPS. Canada Post won't do this at ALL.)

The fact that the parcel received so many intermediate scans indicates that the parcel did not get priority mail service. Priority mail will usually only get 2 scans 1 at acceptance and one at delivery.

The customer should file the following form at their local post office for a full refund.

[www.usps.com]

Consider the postage stamps a free gift from the postmaster.

I send a lot of priority mail for ebay purchases, and in my experience, there are a great number of things that can happen - I recently saw a package come up with "missent - we are trying to correct the error" under the tracking page.

Whatever the problems, I have found that you can greatly reduce them by using the priority mail packaging (it stands out when they are sorting) and if not, put those little blue stickers all over your box - at least 2 on every side. Priority mail uses different bins, different lines at the sort centers, and many times gets airmail treatment. If it looks like regular mail, it might get treated like regular mail. Don't trust a computer to tell the difference.

When working in a warehouse in the early 90s, I remenber flipping through the USPS Domestic Mail Manual now & then, when I was bored.

The DMM stated that Priority Mail 2 day delivery was an internal benchmark, and was in no way a guarantee to the customer.

I've had so many packages lost by the USPS that I've stopped using them for anything. I don't even like to send letters via USPS anymore.

@Elvisisdead:

Yes, for a government agency they are surprisingly effective. Compare them to many other government operations; they get the job done quite well and their services are priced very reasonably. I think they are better than most private carriers like UPS, Fedex, etc. Very much out of character relative to motor vehicles, the TSA, the passport people.

Someone here called the writer "hysterical" in her complaint. Well, if you sent a Christmas package 4 weeks ahead of time priority mail and it bounced between Denver and where you live till a week after Christmas, I think you would be hysterical, too. How can anyone call this "inexpensive, efficient" service if it doesn't get there? That makes it pretty much worthless.

@madanthony: Really now? Then why is it called TRACK and confirm? Their inability to actually do what they advertise they offer is why I no longer ship with them.

@fredmertz: USPS service varies *wildly* throughout the country. Maybe your service is good - and if it is, I'm happy for you. But service in Chicago, where I live, is beyond horrendous, both at individual post offices (they have 20 windows, but 2 employees working) and for home delivery (My carrier decided not to deliver on Saturdays for awhile. When enough people reported him, he started again - but guess what, he's still my carrier, not an ex-employee).

The original poster did the right thing by initiating a chargeback. This is the only way to get anyone's attention, evidently.

I live in the area with the WORST post office in the state. THey've been the focus of numerous newspaper articles about their ineptness. Front page (it's a small regional paper). I've had a lot of mishaps since my mom lives in Texas and I'm 1400 miles away. So I don't expect reasonable service. Our post office posts that the Priority service is estimated only and they aren't guaranteeing any delivery within a certain time.
These days I'm thinking they are taking lessons from DHL - or maybe DHL is learning from the USPS since the USPS frequently delivers DHL@Home packages.

I've had several situations where I need help from the post office, and they have rocked both times.

The first time they intercepted a package I sent at the RECEIVING post office more than 1000 miles away when I realized I sent money to a fraudulent ebay seller.

The second time, they gave me $300 for an insurance claim that they probably shouldn't have honored, because the package arrived broken in California and the guy sent it back to me without making the claim, and I claimed it over here in NY over a month later and any sleazy scumbag could have easily done the same and stolen that money. I, of course, did it in honesty, the package got to California broken. They still sent me the check (even though it took like 3 months)

The post office is mostly helpful. Those guys are a lot more motivated than UPS and FEDEX (and definitely DHL) workers. At least those I have met up here in upstate NY.

we all have at least one story about 'lost' mail, but really, of the millions of items shipped each day the USPS does a good job getting them where they are going. the little snowflake out in utah thinks her package was special, it wasn't. they are all special. overall the USPS does good work.

Interesting... I had a package lost by the JERSEY CITY, NJ USPS processing center aroud the same time. I sent back an item to an online retailer with a distribution center in New Jersey. They say they never received my package. My Click-N-Ship record indicated that he made it to processing center but did not show and record of delivery.

This doesn't surprise me - last August, I sent a package from British Columbia (Canada) to New Hampshire. It finally arrived in December, by way of Australia (according to the "opened by Australia Customs" sticker on the package.)