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?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 









































 

mike4597

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.