I shipped a Priority Box with almost 300 123 AMAX to @wolfeel last week and this morning I wake up to a PM that all he received was an empty box. He's going to check with the Post Office on his end, but i'm pretty certain this is going to end with me filing a claim against USPS. Has anyone successfully filed s claim and won? If so, any tips you can share?
- Thread starter canezach
- Start date
Had the same issue earlier this year when I sold an ADM scope mount and shipped via Priority Mail. The buyer received a box with only the packing material inside and it appeared someone carefully opened the small flat rate box from the side, removed the mount, closed it up, and sent it along. The buyer provided pictures which I used to file a claim along with the invoice/receipt showing the amount paid. I filed the claim with USPS and had a check in the mail in 2 weeks no questions asked.
Forgot to mention that I included a copy of the original receipt when I bought the mount to show original price paid / value.
The USPS is the only government organization taht actually does a good job beside the military, go talk to them, bring receipts. They have always been great in my experience.
You don't really have to fight them. They will give you hoops to jump through.
. Good reminder that important stuff should be shipped registered. I had them lose a Flir t70 for a week at a sorting facility before I knew about shipping registered.
Here's a good horror story
https://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=6&f=23&t=407978&page=1
Here's a good horror story
https://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=6&f=23&t=407978&page=1
I could be fast or take a long time I filed a claim 2 weeks before the sniper hide cup and got a check last week
Glad to hear about some success stories, unfortunately it doesn't end so well for everyone. I would suggest being polite but firm and very persistent.
Sometimes delivering the box is all they take responsibility for. And you are sol on the contents inside.
Sometimes delivering the box is all they take responsibility for. And you are sol on the contents inside.
Have had good experiences with the post office. I always ship with tracking and insurance.
i returned some stuff to brownells a while back, via usps priority box with a tracking number. never had any issues, so tossed the receipt. few weeks later never got a credit from them so i contacted brownells and they said they never got the stuff back (and they have credited me for other returns before and after this). went to post office and somehow in this computer age, despite me having credit card statement, trans # and date, they couldn't look up the tracking # (either at the location i mailed it from and also their main offices). and then my request to refund the shipping cost since they couldn't prove they delivered it fell on deaf ears.
For those that got checks, did you have insurance? If so I would expect no issues. If you didn't then I am very surprised.
-Stooxie
-Stooxie
Pics of delivered empty/damaged Priority box in this thread:
https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/wtb-6-5-amax-123grn.6916501/#post-7418238
https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/wtb-6-5-amax-123grn.6916501/#post-7418238
Usps has Ins for $50 included with priority mail ( not sure about standard)
In my experience insurance only applies if they completely lose your package.
It your box shows up empty or damaged, cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Imho usps priority is still better than FedEx or ups
Air mail gets handled by far less people and has less opportunity to be damaged, stolen or lost.
In my experience insurance only applies if they completely lose your package.
It your box shows up empty or damaged, cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Imho usps priority is still better than FedEx or ups
Air mail gets handled by far less people and has less opportunity to be damaged, stolen or lost.
Agreed. Quickest way to not get paid for their mistake is not covering an item for the declared value. At minimum it gives them the ability to only cover the base coverage of $50. I won't do a sell if the purchaser will not cover insured shipping. And if I list an item as to your door, it will be insured for the purchase price. I have Been burnt by this before.
Cue laughter here.
"Insurance" just means that they might pay you if they can't figure out a way to deny your claim.
Ha, ok, well I won't say no issues, I was just wondering if the folks above were somehow getting money reimbursed with no insurance paid.
-Stooxie
Glad your back man!
In my case, I had insurance. Never heard of USPS paying out without insurance with the exception of the $50 included with Priority Mail.
The insurance isn't that much and it's worth it. I just traded KAC sights with a fellow. I mailed 'em out in the original small box with bubble wrap inside a priority envelope, Dec. 17th I think. He mailed his the next day. I got his over a week ago, and he's STILL waiting. After it went around the country, I called USPS and they immediately started an investigation to determine if they could find and deliver the package or start the claim. Well, that worked and now it's in his neighborhood and hopefully he'll get it today or tomorrow. If it gets there tomorrow, it'll have been ten days for a priority package. But after all this, the envelope could arrive empty or smashed enough to damage the sights.
Glad I got insurance on those. Those sights aren't cheap. Neither is 300 AMAX bullets. Unless you have insurance or you get someone that's willing to help and knows how to override the computer and you have other evidence, all you may be eligible for is the $50. I'd go in and talk to them vs. calling fist. Just from past experience, I think you'll get better help.
On the other hand, you do have the weight it was on the receipt I'm guessing and that empty box doesn't weigh that. But again, you may need someone cool to help you out. I have a PO box and been going there for a decade. When I have a problem the guys can't fix here, I go up the street to the main one for this area and talk to the boss. She usually squares it away for me if she can.
Good luck, I know that sucks. It'd be my luck the one time I didn't get insurance that something like this happened. But I think the insurance for $500 on that priority envelope (the big one) was $6.xx, six and some change.
Glad I got insurance on those. Those sights aren't cheap. Neither is 300 AMAX bullets. Unless you have insurance or you get someone that's willing to help and knows how to override the computer and you have other evidence, all you may be eligible for is the $50. I'd go in and talk to them vs. calling fist. Just from past experience, I think you'll get better help.
On the other hand, you do have the weight it was on the receipt I'm guessing and that empty box doesn't weigh that. But again, you may need someone cool to help you out. I have a PO box and been going there for a decade. When I have a problem the guys can't fix here, I go up the street to the main one for this area and talk to the boss. She usually squares it away for me if she can.
Good luck, I know that sucks. It'd be my luck the one time I didn't get insurance that something like this happened. But I think the insurance for $500 on that priority envelope (the big one) was $6.xx, six and some change.
I had the same thing happen with a Tikka rail. The box showed up empty. I filed a claim, had it denied 3 times, kept on them and finall got a check in the mail from the USPS. I refunded the buyer long before the refund. It was a small flat rate box that came with $50 insurance.
Well, this will be a lesson learned. I was under the impression the flat rate boxes were insured for $100. I sold the bullets for $105, plus $10 for shipping, so I skipped the insurance. If the buyer doesn't find them at his local post office, I'll refund him and wait on the claim. I've had USPS take much longer than expected, but never deliver an empty box.
We've shipped at least 12,000 orders since 2010 using USPS Priority Mail. One of them to the U.S. address got lost, but insurance paid for it within a month after claim was filed. Never had anything stolen from the packages. USPS may sometimes screw up, but amazingly, packages were always found one way or the other. Overall, I have nothing to bitch about USPS. Except when something is shipped by USPS to Italy, it is always an issue. Do not ship by USPS Priority Mail to Italy.
I’m pretty certain there is a ring of thieves at the USPS or they are our enemy and taking our stuff for their own personal war against gun owners or something. I mean how do we know this isn’t a movement purposely led by someone with an anti gun agenda?
A few years ago, I sold a rifle here on the HIDE to someone in Utah, I believe it was. I separated the action from the stock, took apart the stock, took the bolt out, etc. and packaged it all up real nice, took it down the the post office, insured it and mailed it off to his FFL. One of the ladies at the post office kept trying to get me to tell her the contents. I just told her it was machine parts or some crap. I definitely had a weird feeling but just shook it off. A few days go by and I check the tracking and notice it’s moving very slowly, then makes it to some sorting facility somewhere and stops. I’ve had this happen before and the item actually was delivered without the tracking being updated. So, I didn’t think that much about it until the buyer contacted me asking about his stuff. He was super nice about it and I told him I would check on it. Needless to say, I contacted the post office and they told me there wasn’t much they could do and that there System wasn’t as good as something like the UPS. I explained that it was insured and that I’d bring my stuff down there and let them figure it out. She again says it doesn’t tell them much st which point I asked the point of having tracking then if it can’t really be tracked. Anyway I go down there and they tell me there isn’t much more they can do then see where it was last checked in. I was like, you could call that sorting facility and have them look for it, among other things. I told her there was a slough or crap you could do if you’d use your brain and get off your lazy ass. She didn’t like that too much, but it seemed clear she wasn’t interested in helping. So, I decided to wait a couple more days just to see if it turns up. Nothing. Next I contacted the postmaster. I get kind of the same response from them as I did at the post office, at first.
A few more days goes by and at this point it’s been like weeks. It was close to the holidays so I again gave them the benefit of the doubt and waited to see if it would turn up. Nothing. I contacted the postmaster again, by phone this time and demanded my insurance money be paid and then they claimed they would have to investigate it and it could take up to a year to get my money or some long length of time. I explained that this simply wasn’t going to work and that I’d have to come out of pocket to give this guy his money back and I would be doubly out of money for a lost rifle (machine parts) and of course giving the dude his money back. I was livid by this point. Then I pulled out my cards and explained that this was actually a rifle, which is not illegal to ship and that I had disassembled it before mailing. I said if you guys don’t find this thing I will let my high seated peeps I know at the ATF know what happened and that they wouldn’t investigate it. It was like a switch flipped and he was a totally different person. All of a sudden he was helpful and wanting to make time to make this right. Two days goes by and the gentleman that bought the rifle received it at his FFL. I get no explanation from the post office and the gent said that the box looked pretty beat up and I asked him about how it was packed, what the box looked like and so on. Needless to say, the bolt had been put back into the action and shipped that way and had some damage to it which was not how I shipped it at all and the box was completely different. It had clearly been opened and repacked. Turns out the unofficial word was that the postmaster launched an investigation once he found out how serious I was. Supposedly, they turned up a group working out of a certain facility that was stealing firearms and parts. How in the hell they knew what was in them short of opening them all and not getting caught doing so is beyond me. I figure the entire facility was in on it and that they were just opening and checking all high dollar insured packages.
At any rate, I have lost a lot of faith in the post office due to this. I’m glad the guy got his stuff even if he did have to take it to an armorer to get it working again. But having this experience and the experience of my mail being opened, specificallly letters from Congress, on more than one occasion has left me with a feeling that the USPS cannot he trusted at any level. Imo, this was a serious crime and people should be in jail and yet I never got any updates as to what happened to this case or those involved. It’s ridiculous that it’s getting to the point that you can’t trust hardly anyone.
A few years ago, I sold a rifle here on the HIDE to someone in Utah, I believe it was. I separated the action from the stock, took apart the stock, took the bolt out, etc. and packaged it all up real nice, took it down the the post office, insured it and mailed it off to his FFL. One of the ladies at the post office kept trying to get me to tell her the contents. I just told her it was machine parts or some crap. I definitely had a weird feeling but just shook it off. A few days go by and I check the tracking and notice it’s moving very slowly, then makes it to some sorting facility somewhere and stops. I’ve had this happen before and the item actually was delivered without the tracking being updated. So, I didn’t think that much about it until the buyer contacted me asking about his stuff. He was super nice about it and I told him I would check on it. Needless to say, I contacted the post office and they told me there wasn’t much they could do and that there System wasn’t as good as something like the UPS. I explained that it was insured and that I’d bring my stuff down there and let them figure it out. She again says it doesn’t tell them much st which point I asked the point of having tracking then if it can’t really be tracked. Anyway I go down there and they tell me there isn’t much more they can do then see where it was last checked in. I was like, you could call that sorting facility and have them look for it, among other things. I told her there was a slough or crap you could do if you’d use your brain and get off your lazy ass. She didn’t like that too much, but it seemed clear she wasn’t interested in helping. So, I decided to wait a couple more days just to see if it turns up. Nothing. Next I contacted the postmaster. I get kind of the same response from them as I did at the post office, at first.
A few more days goes by and at this point it’s been like weeks. It was close to the holidays so I again gave them the benefit of the doubt and waited to see if it would turn up. Nothing. I contacted the postmaster again, by phone this time and demanded my insurance money be paid and then they claimed they would have to investigate it and it could take up to a year to get my money or some long length of time. I explained that this simply wasn’t going to work and that I’d have to come out of pocket to give this guy his money back and I would be doubly out of money for a lost rifle (machine parts) and of course giving the dude his money back. I was livid by this point. Then I pulled out my cards and explained that this was actually a rifle, which is not illegal to ship and that I had disassembled it before mailing. I said if you guys don’t find this thing I will let my high seated peeps I know at the ATF know what happened and that they wouldn’t investigate it. It was like a switch flipped and he was a totally different person. All of a sudden he was helpful and wanting to make time to make this right. Two days goes by and the gentleman that bought the rifle received it at his FFL. I get no explanation from the post office and the gent said that the box looked pretty beat up and I asked him about how it was packed, what the box looked like and so on. Needless to say, the bolt had been put back into the action and shipped that way and had some damage to it which was not how I shipped it at all and the box was completely different. It had clearly been opened and repacked. Turns out the unofficial word was that the postmaster launched an investigation once he found out how serious I was. Supposedly, they turned up a group working out of a certain facility that was stealing firearms and parts. How in the hell they knew what was in them short of opening them all and not getting caught doing so is beyond me. I figure the entire facility was in on it and that they were just opening and checking all high dollar insured packages.
At any rate, I have lost a lot of faith in the post office due to this. I’m glad the guy got his stuff even if he did have to take it to an armorer to get it working again. But having this experience and the experience of my mail being opened, specificallly letters from Congress, on more than one occasion has left me with a feeling that the USPS cannot he trusted at any level. Imo, this was a serious crime and people should be in jail and yet I never got any updates as to what happened to this case or those involved. It’s ridiculous that it’s getting to the point that you can’t trust hardly anyone.
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Is this Gunfighter14e under a new name?
I’ve had two close calls the same day at the beginning of this month. First one was my fault. I was tracking a 224 Valkyrie upper in pieces that was in the post office. I’m rural so if it won’t fit in my box I have to go to the p.o. after 3. I’m there a little early and they hand me a box that’s as light as a feather. I’m already getting that uneasy feeling and asked the lady to wait right there while I opened it. As soon as I opened it I found my rifle +3 gas tube I ordered and realized it was a different package.. then I enquirer about the package I was tracking. They said it’s on route, I will have to wait till they get back at 3. I show up after 3 and when the box comes out there are holes as big as a fist all over it and again I’m having them stick around while I opened it.. luckily everything was there, even the multiple little bags of small parts and my 6.8/Valkyrie bcg. Another big group of thieves up here is the tsa. They especially love stealing moose, caribou, and salmon from coolers. They often leave coolers unsecured after gang raping them.. (wanten waste is illegal here in Alaska, but so is stealing though..) what’s worse, at least one Oregon airport wouldn’t release video footage to aid in finding the perpetrators.. this has to stop.
Sorry man...different Gunfighter
Saw the pics in the other thread..Wheres the tape on that box? Did you tape the box up to prevent the bullets from coming out?
I've had pretty good luck with USPS, shipped everything from hundreds of pounds of bacon to rifles and pistols. The only time I ever had a problem was when I shipped a barrel in a round tube. I knew that would be a stupid idea and I did it anyway. Had to chase down the local hub manager but he eventually got it moving. Barrel had fallen out, though, and was damaged. Their screw up but my gut told me that the barrel would peen itself of out of the tube despite my gorilla taping the ends, or that the round profile wouldn't do well with the automated machines.
They aren't the best with the tracking, that's for sure.
-Stooxie
They aren't the best with the tracking, that's for sure.
-Stooxie
In the future, plug the tube with glued wooden dowel sections. Trust me, it works. Then tape the hell out of it. This is how my M2HB barrels get shipped and they come fine. I know what you're talking about though, BTDT, but the wood dowels seem to work.
Yeah, USPS has been pretty good but right now I'm STILL waiting on this fellow here who has been really patient... He came through on his end of a trade, I wish I could on mine! Sent it out the 17th Priority. Been sitting in DC for two days. He's in MD. He better fucking get it today. This is getting old.
No one properly ships barrels. I had a ai and dt barrel from different sellers arrive sticking out of the box. One was usable one was not
When I asked the lady behind the counter about taping the box, she said they have the Priority Mail tape she'd use. I realize I should've taped it myself or at least made sure she did it.
Yea...that's why the bullets fell out. I ship bullets and barrels and lots of other stuff daily. I use heavy duty reinforced tape in the entire box and nothing comes out.
Ordered a Bighorn action wrench from PVA earlier this month. It was shipped on 12/10, reached their distribution facility in Delaware on 12/12 and the Denver facility on 12/13. Then, for some reason, it went back to Delaware on 12/16 then Pennsylvania, then back to Denver, then Colorado Springs, and finally to my mailbox on 12/26.
As soon as I saw the pics, I realized she hadn't taped the box. She did it for the customer ahead of me, so I made an ass of myself (you know that saying about assuming) and said, "Oh, surely she'll do it for mine, since she said she would and she did it for the lady ahead of me."
It's an inconvenience for the buyer, but I sent him his money back as soon as he told me the bullets weren't at his local post office, and it's a relatively inexpensive lesson for me.
I was home one day and was expecting a USPS package. Waited all afternoon and then saw the delivery update saying it was delivered to my front door. Ummm no. I was home and my Ring doorbell camera didn't pick anyone up as well. I notified USPS and a local person called me back. She admitted to me that lately packages were being scanned to meet the delivery deadline but actually never off the truck. They were aware of the issue. She did her "investigating" and low and behold my package was quickly dropped off.
This is a common theme these days as well. I forgot to add that in my post. My stuff has been scanned delivered on more than one occasion in which case it wasn’t. In some instances I drove all the way home, an houraway from work, just because I didn’t want stuff sitting out all day only to find out it wasn’t actually there. Often times they’d be there the next morning. At any rate this is not good practice either because I’ve also learned that once they mark it delivered supposedly their responsibility for it ends. Yes, that means they trust their workers more than you because in their minds if their drivers say it’s delivered then it’s delivered and good luck proving otherwise. Got cameras? No problem they’ve figured out how to get around that as well simply by dropping at different locations around your house. Sometimes mine are on the covered porch area, sometimes in the mailbox, sometimes in the driveway, sometimes in the bed of my truck in the drive. All over. So, they could argue around your ring doorbell and even other cameras unless you have every angle covered at your house. Even then it’s still hard to prove it never left the truck.
^ Yup. Or "left in mailbox". Your word against theirs which sucks donkey dick. I'm going through a claim right now with Reamerrentals. USPS put the reamers in an unknown mailbox. Luckily RR has been really accommodating. They filed the claim and sent me a replacement set of headspace gauges to use.
I sent a USPS money order to a company and they said they never received it. I saved both the money order receipt, and the receipt from the postal clerk, as well as the receipt for the priority mail envelope in which the money order was sent. I had to file a letter and report with the post office saying that I never cashed the money order, and request a tracking of the money order.
I had to wait 30 days after the company said they never received the MO to file the claim. After the 30 days, the post office found that the money order had been cashed, and I filed the formal notice from both myself, and a letter from the company saying that they hadn't received or cashed the money order. After the letter from the company saying they didn't cash it, and my letter went to the post office saying that I didn't cash it went in with another report, the post office said they would do an investigation.
I don't remember the time frame, but I eventually got my money order replaced. It was a pain in the butt, but I can understand why the post office has those waiting times. Once the letter from the company saying they hadn't cashed it, and my letter saying I didn't cash it was received, the post office seemed genuinely interested in wanting to find whoever stole it. I never heard what happened with their investigation, but I got my money back. Keep all your receipts until AFTER the transaction is completed.
I had to wait 30 days after the company said they never received the MO to file the claim. After the 30 days, the post office found that the money order had been cashed, and I filed the formal notice from both myself, and a letter from the company saying that they hadn't received or cashed the money order. After the letter from the company saying they didn't cash it, and my letter went to the post office saying that I didn't cash it went in with another report, the post office said they would do an investigation.
I don't remember the time frame, but I eventually got my money order replaced. It was a pain in the butt, but I can understand why the post office has those waiting times. Once the letter from the company saying they hadn't cashed it, and my letter saying I didn't cash it was received, the post office seemed genuinely interested in wanting to find whoever stole it. I never heard what happened with their investigation, but I got my money back. Keep all your receipts until AFTER the transaction is completed.
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