You have been more than reasonable. It's time to get tough. Demand a replacement or refund immediately.
Package Has Disappeared in USPS System
I recently purchased a modestly expensive audio product over the Internet, paid for by credit card, to be shipped to me via the USPS Priority Mail system, with tracking and insurance. The vendor, who will go unnamed at the moment out of respect for past good service, emailed me that the package shipped on 20 December, although the package did not show up in the USPS system until about 27 December. Being a patient guy, I figured that the USPS is slow in keeping up with demand over Christmas. On about 28 December, the USPS tracking system said the package had been received, had been sent to a regional distribution center, and had been shipped on from there. However, and now it gets "interesting," on 31 December, the USPS tracking system said that the label had been created but that the package was not in the system. In other words, the package had "disappeared" from the USPS system. At several points in this saga, I contacted the vendor to express my concern, especially after the package disappeared from the USPS system; their response was that I should be patient and await further developments..
On 2 January,I contact the vendor, suggesting they initiate a missing package complaint, file an insurance claim, and requested that they send me a replacement product, assuring them that I would promptly return the first item if it ever showed up. (Coincidentally, on the same date I read a reputably-sourced news item about rampant theft by employees in the USPS system--hardly reassuring.)
The vendor's response again was that I should be patient--in spite of my pointing out that the USPS had obviously lost the package--and await further developments.
However, in spite of normally being a very patient guy, I think, with two weeks having passed and the USPS tracking system now saying they haven't received the package that they previously acknowledged having, it is time for the vendor to send me a replacement item.
I will never use the USPS system for product shipment if there is any other viable alternative.
Several questions come to mind:
1) How long is reasonable to wait for a package that should have been delivered in one to three days?
2) At what point should a vendor realize that good customer service means providing the customer with a product they shipped with tracking and insurance?
3) Would it unreasonable for me to tell the vendor that if they cannot provide a replacement product within a few days, I would like my money refunded? (I am prepared to contest the charge on my credit card for non-performance.
4) Am I being unreasonable?
79 responses Add your response
I’ve had Priority packages mishandled. I had a package go to Guam. I live in Oregon. They have always shown up. If it was insured, you don’t have anything to worry about, be patient, especially with the vendor, who has no more control over the situation than you do. Bear in mind that the seller is not the insurer, the USPS is. |
The USPS can be awful. I had a firearm spend 3 to 4 weeks in their system. It was not something that I could replace for the price that I paid. If given the option, I'll use UPS or FedEx and they are far from perfect. It sounds like your seller created a label, but didn't take it to the post office for several days. I've had really late packages, but they eventually showed up. I think sellers see that often, so they are reluctant to give refunds or replacements without waiting an unreasonable amount of time. |
This shipping journey seems squirrley, and both the vendor and USPS are suspect at this point. As a seller I'd never be like "oh yeah, that's fine" at this point. If I were you I'd go ahead and name them right now - nothing ever gets better if we keep giving them free passes. USPS is my LAST choice for anything valuable. FedEx has never done me wrong, yet. UPS has lost one package, but overall OK. |
call your credit card company now. This isn't going to get better. USPS is useless in finding packages. I could write a book of horror stories I had with them. The vendor is being unfair to you. Their response should have been: the package is insured, we'll send you a replacement ASAP, and we'll track down the UPS stuff. You are in the paying for stuff and receiving business, they are in the receiving money and shipping stuff business. Leave it to them. |
Well, I cannot say what will happen in your case, but USPS was horrible for me this holiday season. I ordered custom interconnects from Audio Art, Rob had them built quickly, placed in the mail quickly and immediately sent me a tracking number. Then the problems started, USPS tracking listed the package moving from CA to IL, then to the distribution center near my hometown and indicated delivery on Saturday (total of 5 days transit -- not bad). Nothing arrived Saturday, nothing changed in USPS for a week. I called the post office, they claimed "holiday delays". USPS tracking then stated that my package was back in IL on its way to the distribution center near my town. A week later, I received the package. The custom ICs were fantastic. All was well, but USPS took three weeks from CA to me in NY -- a distance that usually takes them 3-4 days. It all worked out in my case but was truly frustrating. |
1) 30 days 2) 30 days 3) Yes 4) Yes I had a number of packages that I recently sent vis USPS from the West coast to the East coast, with pre printed labels. My local post office did not do a scan on receipt and the first scans were a week later, already on the East coast. Everything got there. If you look on Pirate Ship they even explain that this is becoming more prevalent. IMHO, time to take a step back. |
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@builder3 this is a futile back and forth. No serious seller ships expensive items with USPS. After 3 lost shipments with them and 50+ hours on the phone with their claim department, and all claims denied despite the insurance, I will never use them. |
UPDATE: I have come to realize the fallibility of the USPS tracking system. Minutes after a check at the USPS tracking website revealed that the USPS had not yet received the package--after a check several days ago stated that the USPS had shipped on from a distribution center, I received an email stating that the package had arrived at the distribution center roughly 20 miles from my home. Hopefully it will arrive no later than Monday. For a package that was shipped by a transport system advertising delivery for insured Priority Mail in one to three days, 15 days--assuming it will arrive tomorrow--does seem to me to be a bit excessive for it to travel roughly 1500 miles in this age of motor vehicles. The most important lesson learned here is to not have important or valuable items shipped by the USPS if there is ANY other alternative. Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. |
Shipping, that’s usually what I dread the most. I don’t usually fret packages getting lost, but mostly not packed well enough by the seller/shipper or just mishandling by the carrier that causes damage. I have noticed if there is a wild range of prices for shipping between say….between USPS, UPS, FedEx or Freight…buyers will opt for the cheaper price. That complicates the process. I have never heard of anyone successfully getting insurance money from ANY carrier, if a package was lost or damaged??? |
I ordered coffee from a local store 10 days before Christmas. It made it to my local depot, disappeared and showed up about 1000 miles away in MO 2 days later.
USPS very seldom loses a package, but they do let them wander around, |
For Carlsbad2: I come from serving nearly 41 years in a culture, the US Army, in which when you say you will do something, you do it. Plain and simple. I was not upset when the package did not get here in the advertised one to three days; I was not even upset when over a week had passed and still no package. I became concerned when the USPS, after acknowledging it had received the package, said it did NOT have the package. My concern was further heightened when I read the article on the serious problem with employee theft in the USPS system. I also had had a previous experience when a sensitive package disappeared from the system, the vendor saying they had turned it over to the USPS and the USPS denying they had received it. Several calls to the USPS resulted in my being told to have the vendor send another package; due to the sensitive nature of the contents, in my final call to the USPS--after about ten days-- I stated that I wanted to initiate a Postal Inspection Service investigation. The reactions was "Oh, you don't want to do that, do you?" I stated that I did want to and that I surely would if the package did not show up in 48 hours. The package showed up the next day. One thing of which I was not aware was the frequency of problems with the USPS shipping packages, even tracked and insured packages. That would explain to me the vendor's "wait and see" attitude--they've had plenty of experience with these problems, while I had only a single incident upon which to base my judgment. As I stated previously, from now on it will be either UPS or FEDEX. Finally and again, thanks to all for your comments and recommendations. |
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@mike4597 you'll use UPS or Fedex until the same thing happens with them. They all handle millions of packages daily and track via automated systesm. Your vision of little old ladies and handsome gentlemen manually moving the packages and entering the data is no longer true. One scan gets screwed up, the package gets on the wrong conveyor, or any of a number of glitches and the package can take a few days to get back on track. But you will keep sounding the alarm and assuming there is an army of people whose only job is to get you your package. Best of luck. Jerry |
Go to your local post office see if they can help.after covid it seems like people care less and I could give a lecture on covid and the effects on the human body and have.fed ex put a fork lift through my wilson speakers.who knows maybe thier in a state where pot is legal.we have decades of medical literature simply stating anxiety and loss of intelligence through chronic use.it is a big inconvenience but if it's worth it ,the package I go pick it up.now I have met some very passionate audiophile and got to listen to some great systems.i did not have this time in the past and enjoying this time in my life after decades of 100 hour weeks of work.enjoy the music and they journey. A funny story we smelled suffer at the maveric gas station and thought it was thier septic system.when stopping in a small town in Nebraska it was still there.turns out the Ford batteries lasted only 1.5 years.there was not a dealer near to warranty them .thank heaven to walmart.the roof flew off my trailer on another visit for speaker search.got to love the covid era.stay happy enjoy the journey in life and be healthy. |
Christmas season is problematic. Seasonal employees, overworked staff, taxed equipment...you name it. I've shipped and received hundreds of items through USPS with nary an issue. And based on your last post it has appeared on the tracking platform and the package is merrily on its way after some sort of misadventure. So thanks for teaching us all a lesson in patience. |
You need to call the number on the back of the credit card you used for the purchase. Explain the situation, and give exact dates along the timeline. Offer to email receipts. Be sure to tell them that the vendor has refused to offer a refund. They will open up a file and their own investigation. They will also contact the vendor. If a vendor receives too many complaints they risk losing access to the credit card processing services. You will NOT be charged for something you didn't receive.
In this regard, I have always used American Express for large purchases. In the few times I’ve had issues, they treated ME like their customer. |
A couple of times, when I've gotten notice that my package was delivered, I found it in someone else's mailbox around the corner and down the street. Complaining to the Post Office is less than useless. Turns out they hire totally untrained people, who don't know the area, and send them out unaccompanied with a load of packages. I spoke to my regular mail carrier and she told me to bring it up with her supervisor. Frequently, on my regular carrier's day off, I receive mail addressed to other people, and I'm sure others are getting my mail as well, due to untrained substitute carries. There's a funny video of an Amazon person gently laying a package down and photographing it, a UPS driver throwing the package onto the front patio, and FedEx driver throwing the package at the house from his truck, and the USPS driver not delivering at all. I get nervous when I see that my package is being delivered by the post office. |
+1, AS POSTED ABOVE, PLEASE DO THIS ASAP! ”You need to call the number on the back of the credit card you used for the purchase. Explain the situation, and give exact dates along the timeline. Offer to email receipts. Be sure to tell them that the vendor has refused to offer a refund. They will open up a file and their own investigation. They will also contact the vendor. If a vendor receives too many complaints they risk losing access to the credit card processing services. You will NOT be charged for something you didn’t receive” |
@mike4597, AS I POSTED ABOVE, PLEASE DO THIS TODAY Steps to Dispute a Charge with Your Credit Card Company 1. Locate the Customer Service Number 3. Look for the customer service phone number on the back of your credit card. This is the direct line to the credit card issuer. 2. Prepare Your Information Before calling, gather all relevant details, including: • The date of purchase. • The amount charged. • A timeline of events (e.g., when you made the purchase, contacted the vendor, and were denied a refund). • Receipts or proof of purchase (digital or physical copies). • Any communication with the vendor (emails, messages, or notes from phone calls). 3. Make the Call When you call: • Explain the situation clearly: Mention that you did not receive the goods/services and that the vendor has refused to issue a refund. • Provide exact dates: Be specific about when the purchase occurred and when you contacted the vendor. • Offer evidence: Let them know you can email or upload receipts and any correspondence with the vendor. 4. Highlight Vendor Refusal Emphasize that you attempted to resolve the issue directly with the vendor but were denied a refund. 5. Request an Investigation Ask them to open a dispute file and begin their investigation. Credit card companies typically contact the vendor directly as part of this process. 6. Understand Your Protection Credit card companies have policies to protect consumers from being charged for goods or services they did not receive. They may issue a temporary credit while investigating. 7. Follow Up After filing your dispute, keep an eye on your account for updates or requests for additional information. Why This Works Credit card companies take disputes seriously because vendors risk losing access to their payment processing services if they receive too many complaints. By following this process, you’re leveraging consumer protections and ensuring you’re not charged for something you didn’t receive. |
FYI: The investigation by a credit card company typically takes 30 to 90 days. They must acknowledge your report within 30 days and can take up to 90 days to complete the investigation, especially if further information is needed from the vendor or if the case is complex. In some cases, such as disputes involving chargebacks, the process may extend up to six months if the merchant contests the claim. |
@hgeifman it does not take 90 days. It usually takes 7 to 14 days. and if I would rate those 3, for big, expensive packages: USPS -1, UPS - 2, FedEx -4 on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the best. UPS is better at tracking and delivering, but their customer service is the worst. My last 10 UPS packages were all late, 7 to 10 days instead of 3. With USPS I could only pray that they would arrive, they would lose 1 out of my 3 packages. Fedex has been on time, 1 day late maybe, about 20% of the time. Therefore I have no knowledge of their customer service, never had to contact them. I could add Amazon to the list, they have deteriorated lately, especially the customer service, but still somewhere between UPS and FedEx |
Anything sent via USPS should be done with the expectation that a 2-3 day package may take up to 30 days. This is entirely due to poor performance by USPS in recent years and has nothing to do with the sender. Taking the sender to task is barking up the wrong tree unless the package is declared lost, which requires a minimum of 30 days. The sender cannot make an insurance claim prior to that time. A simple call to USPS with the tracking number almost always reveals more detailed information than available from the online tracking system, and they can put a tracer on the package if woefully delinquent. I recently sent a USPS package two states away that stopped mysteriously at a hub for almost two weeks, requiring a full three weeks for delivery. |
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The USPS is a joke. I ordered two things on or around Black Friday/Cyber Monday from different resellers, and when I saw they used the USPS, I knew it would be an adventure in waiting. I followed the tracking number on one item, which shipped on 12/3 from out-of-state and arrived in Dallas on 12/6 (I live in Dallas County). After that, there were no updates in the USPS system until it was out for delivery on 12/20 and ultimately received. The story on the other item is less worthy of note, but delivery was still a week beyond what anyone would have expected because once it was in the system and transit, there were 5 days when there were no updates. I sell a lot of gear (if only because I buy it and have my wife looking over my shoulder), and I would never ship anything via USPS. |
Mike, I am so sorry man. Agree with hgeifman about getting your CC company involved and it is essential for high risk purchases to use a CC instead of Zelle or a bank debit as a purchase even if it means paying more. In my south Florida neighborhood, the USPS has been a disaster with rife incompetence and disregard for packages. I had made a high value vinyl purchase from abroad that was stolen a few years ago. It was supposedly “delivered” during a mail hold period but my trustworthy doorbell cam registered no delivery on that day. I did everything—drove across town to the south equivalent of my address, ransacked my neighbors, complained to USPS staff and the postmaster (who just covered for her incompetent employees), filled out forms etc etc. Because it had originated from abroad the seller was unable to initiate a claim. Amazon uses USPS for “last mile” deliveries and every time it ends up in the USPS system it is delayed without fail. USPS media mail has been great for me as a record collector. It has been a stalwart American institution in the past. I realize there may have been some purposeful sabotage of the institution as well but it is not to be trusted these days. Because I still make many online purchases and porch piracy in my neighborhood, I ended up getting a PO box. That helped. But for high value purchases, DHL (I think the best), UPS and FedEx only. |
For those that are the shipper & shipping USPS: The shipping label can be created at home or in the office then taken to your local post office and sat on the counter near the workers helping the public. Always ask an employee to scan the package you are dropping and you hear the scanner beep . That way it will always show up that USPS has received the package. The USPS office near me may have scores of packages sitting on the counter. When the employee has time he/she scans them and puts behind the counter in a canvas cart. It is crazy easy for them to miss one or two during the scanning process. This doesn't ensure that your package will arrive of course, only that USPS is now in possession. If it never shows up & it's insured they will be the responsible party to cough up the money. I would do the same for a UPS or FedX drop off location. We did this for aerospace items. -John |
About a decade ago I purchased a Revox B261 tuner from a seller in Switzerland. He shipped it through some Swiss version of USPS and a week later it was lost in the system that is USPS. No information at all in the system aside from the Swiss side which said that it had arrived in the USA. The Revox was insured for the value I purchased it at. But the seller did not speak a word of English so I had to use a language translator to describe that the package was lost. All he could say was wait and the package will get to you. Having all but given up on my $500 purchase I chalked it up to a loss. About six weeks later the mailman shows up.with this large box with Swiss postage all over the top of it. The mailman just smiled and said it can take quite awhile for packages to get through US Customs. I had the same thing happen with a Eufonika headphone amplifier that I purchased from Poland during the Christmas holidays a few years ago. After about seven weeks the amplifier finally showed up. Most of my audio purchases have arrived within a reasonable amount of time, but the aforementioned were just two anomalies that occurred. So the audio gear you are waiting for may eventually show up.
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