Money Order Help

[308skinner]

Well i sent guy a USOS MO prioriy mail last saturday. The delvery confirmation said it went to town hes from on monday. Well he said he never got it. Well i guess im gonna have to file a claim on it.

If it has been cashed is that money that i just lost or can i still get it back? How long does it take to ge the money back if it hasnt been cash? Any advise will be helpful.

 

[ORD]

Re: Money Order Help

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 308skinner</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Well i sent guy a USOS MO prioriy mail last saturday. <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="text-decoration: underline">The delvery confirmation said it went to town hes from on monday.</span></span></span> Well he said he never got it. Well i guess im gonna have to file a claim on it.

If it has been cashed is that money that i just lost or can i still get it back? How long does it take to ge the money back if it hasnt been cash? Any advise will be helpful.

</div></div>

If it doesn't say "DELIVERED" under the "STATUS" section on the USPS tracking site, then he didn't get it. Just because it made it to his town doesn't mean anything.

Either way...here is a link to where you can get addt'l information on missing/stolen/etc. USPS MOs and where you can find out about filing the necessary paperwork:

http://www.usps.com/missingmoneyorders/welcome.htm

In short...it is an exercise in patience as there are wait-times, etc. for processing a missing/lost/stolen MO. I can't recall the wait-time before the PO will even take action, but it is a few weeks min. IIRC. That doesn't mean your money is gone, just that it might take a little while to get it refunded/squared away.

Good luck!!

 

[Kells81]

Re: Money Order Help

A member here sent me a MO a couple months ago that seemed to have gotten lost for about a month. No idea where it was hanging out but it took it almost exactly 1 month to the day to get from Alabama to Texas. I would say be patient for another week and go from there.

 

[PistonPete]

Re: Money Order Help

my experience in getting my money back takes about <span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-size: 17pt">THREE OR MORE MONTHS</span></span> for a USPS M.O., if it were lets say Western Union, it would take about 6 (SIX) weeks.

in most cases the USPS will waste more money investigating than what the M.O. is worth.

 

[former naval person]

Re: Money Order Help

USPS "delivery info" is a bit vague. If you want to really track your shipment/mail, send it Fedex or UPS. You'll get real time tracking. You can send it USPS with delivery signature request for a bit extra also...but I find either of the two commercial carriers a bit more informative. JMHO

 

[Guest]

Re: Money Order Help

It's a PITA, but I send large sums via registered mail.
Gotta sign for it.

 

[308skinner]

Re: Money Order Help

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tucker301</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It's a PITA, but I send large sums via registered mail.
Gotta sign for it. </div></div>

Im gonna start to do this. Yes it is a PITA but its good idea.

 

[Travis S]

Re: Money Order Help

Took me about a month to get a mo replaced that was eaten by the machine. Good thing is that the scope I was after was still available!

 

[unrepentant]

Re: Money Order Help

I used to work at the post office. Worst job I ever had, but I learned a lot about their practices and the knowledge has come in very handy for internet transactions.

I'd prefer to get paid with a USPS MO. I'd take it down to the post office near closing time to be sure they've got enough money on hand. They have a 'stolen' list they can check for fraudulent checks.

missing USPS money order list

Print it out and date it when you cash your MO. At least you can point the finger at them as the reason they got stiffed. I would never deposit a USPS MO into my bank account. If it is a fraud (counterfeit or stolen), they'll automatically debit your account and some banks won't even notify you. Years ago when I heard about this practice from a customer (across the post office counter) he said it had been a couple months he'd deposited the money.

I would NEVER use a USPS MO to pay for a transaction.

1) you can't stop a money order like you can personal and certified checks.
2) USPS requires 30 wait before it will acknowledge that a money order is missing.
3) the fee to investigate your claim is at least $5
4) read this for content: The post office never pays out for a money order twice.
Lemme state that last part as clearly as I can-- Assume you make a claim that your money order is lost, or cashed by a bogus seller. If it's lost (i. e., the USPS can find no record of anyone cashing it) after a mandated waiting period, they'll refund you. If it's been cashed, IF they look for the bogus seller AND they find him and recover the money, THEN they'll give you a refund.

Also, just in case it hasn't occurred to someone--NEVER send a personal check unless you don't care who's got your bank routing number and your account number...it's printed on the bottom of your check.

I pay by certified check mailed by USPS Registered Mail only--it ain't a one without the two. Slow as hell, but safer than a Brinks courier. ID and signature required for delivery; signature release for every employee who handles the package, and it's transported separately (and securely locked away) from all other mail. If my buyer won't agree to my payment terms, I don't play.

edited to include link

 

[308skinner]

Re: Money Order Help

Very good info unrepentant. So how can they tell and what do they need to find out if he is a bogus seller?

 

[bachelorjack]

Re: Money Order Help

Bah. I should charge for this info...

Follow carefully.
Ask for the form to trace a money order. I think it is yellow.
Leave the post office.
Call the number on the form. Be nice, yet dumb.
Tell them you already filed the form but haven't heard back yet.
Ask if they can help.
Give the nice lady the USPS mo serial number.

They can pull it up in the computer if the USPS MO has been cashed yet. In real time.

Done and done.

 

[unrepentant]

Re: Money Order Help

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 308skinner</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Very good info unrepentant. So how can they tell and what do they need to find out if he is a bogus seller? </div></div>

<span style="font-style: italic">They</span> aren't gonna check to see if you dealt with a bogus seller, that's on you. Personally, I ask for an address and phone number. From there, I see if I can confirm any of it on the 'net--zabasearch sometimes helps to at least confirm an address, and if I *really* want a high-dollar item, I check with a friend who's got a subscription to one of the internet background-checking services. I've paid the ~$29 fee on my own before, to check out a $4800 seller. Cheap insurance.

Never forget "Celtic"... I can't remember his real name, Jeff something, but he was well-thought of here by a lot of old-timers. This was back in 2002-04 as I recall. A bona fide gunsmith runnin' a bidness and had performed services for several guys. Once he got established, he disappeared with 10's of thousands of dollars in cash down payments, firearms, and scopes.

Do everything you *should* to indemnify your purchases. Someday you'll get burned; it's just a fact--the more transactions you have, the better the odds against you. Hopefully, you'll be able to sic the DA's, Postal Inspectors and ATF on a bogus seller with your payment evidence. Almost nobody wants to screw with a Registered Mail payment, though.

Lastly--if you ever again get stuck with a money order "in purgatory", imagine how irate the seller's gonna be if he's legit and your money's "lost" and he's gotta wait for you and the post office to sort it out AFTER 30 days missing have passed.... he could conceivably hurt your 'feedback' if he could post it somewhere--IF he's willing to wait to finish the transaction with you.

Good luck.