Ever had something lost in the mail (truly)?

[BlsdMama]

Is it common?
 

Recently we moved out of state.  Our deposit, we were told would be out in a week or two.  It was going quickly.  Then we were told it should be here for Christmas.  Oh, it didn't go out after all.  Then right after Christmas but one of the gals took a fall and didn't make it in the office.   Now, I'm told it went out on the 30th, but it's not here yet.  I called yesterday and she told me that they've recently had a few things go lost.  To call her if it doesn't show up and they'd get another out.

 

We really enjoyed this company.  We enjoyed the women in the office.  We enjoyed the house.  It was a good experience.   But it seems.... odd.  Doesn't it?  Oregon gives property managers 31 days to return a deposit or they can be sued for double.  I don't see us doing that to them.  But I sure would like to get what we're due.  Sigh.  Is it really just a lost check?  Maybe I'm just being really impatient?  I got a letter from a friend that was mailed on the 3rd from Oregon on the 7th.  :p  Right now I feel like a jerk for being suspicious, but doesn't it sound a little... quirky?

[Heather in Neverland]

Yes, one of the most important things ever... Our daughter's permanent resident card from USCIS never arrived in our home though they swear they sent it. We checked with the mailman, the post office, our neighbors. We argued with USCIS. In the end nothing could be done except to start the entire process all over again complete with a year long wait and thousands in fees and travel expenses.

 

I hate bureaucracy.

[zoobie]

If there's a deadline, they should send it some kind of trackable method. Sounds like they're giving you the runaround.

[Um_2_4]

Actually Dh's green card was "lost" (actually misdelivered, big OOPS!) and was turned back in like 4-5 months later to the Immigration service anonymously. No clue how that happened. 

Dh wondered if it was more likely stolen and they tried to fake it, but it was one of the new ones they were issuing at the time with "extra" security. If so it happened at the PO level as we had locked mail boxes at the time.

You would think with something that important they would use a more trackable form of delivery.

But with that many stories going on, I would suspect delay tactics on their side versus lost mail.

[JustEm]

It happens pretty often actually.  But what you are saying sounds like these women are giving you the round about. I would ask them to cancel the check they sent you, have them mail you a new one certified mail.  If they don't agree to that and it doesn't arrive by the 31 day deadline I would certainly go after them for double.  It is unacceptable that they would lead you to believe you are getting it and then string you along.  I'd have a different reply if they honestly said that it may take a while to get the deposit to you.  

[Flowing Brook]

Years ago we sent a package of books to a guy in Canada.  Weeks went by he did not get them. So we sent him some replacements.  A year and a half later the package showed up in our mail box. Where they were for a year and a half is anyone's guess. 

 

Recently my sister ordered some horse blankets from mi. They were ordered from our ebay account so the sellers sent them to us even though we asked for them to be sent to her address.  Well they showed up here. We forwarded them to my sister. Usually she gets packages in two days. This package took ten days to arrive.

It took so long to get she went ahead and bought some horse blankets and decided to return the package to mi. The post office rather than send it back to mi sent it to us.  Even though it plainly states to send to mi.  Well it is now sitting at our local post office. We are trying to decide whether to chance sending it  to mi with the chance of it actually arriving there. Or trying to sell them locally.

 

So yeah it is very possible in my mind for the po to have messed up. 

[freeindeed]

I've had Paperback Swap books lost in the mail.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Yup, my last quarterly life insurance bill.  Then the late notice was returned to sender, even though we've lived at the same address since '96.  I got the cancellation notice though, no problem.  I can re-up though, same policy, same price, just like nothing happened.  I just have to include a medical form that will reveal that I now have terminal cancer.  I'm sure there will be no problem at all.   :banghead:

[Miss Tick]

I had an heirloom silver spoon show up 4 months later with a computer label saying "this was found in what was thought to be an empty bin" It was almost like a personal apology. Almost.

 

P.S. OP, those people are riding you. Do the certified mail thing PP suggested. Politely mention the deadline is approaching (or had passed) and that the court route would be a hassle for everybody.

[Miss Tick]

Yup, my last quarterly life insurance bill. Then the late notice was returned to sender, even though we've lived at the same address since '96. I got the cancellation notice though, no problem. I can re-up though, same policy, same price, just like nothing happened. I just have to include a medical form that will reveal that I now have terminal cancer. I'm sure there will be no problem at all. :banghead:

Holy cow. Corporate conspiracy?

[T'smom]

Yes. We mailed our rent one time in the form of a mail order and it never arrived. I'm sure the landlord thought we didn't really send it, but we had a dated receipt to prove it. I was pretty upset, but no one ever tried to cash it, so we were able to get a refund on it. I was so mad because she insisted on being paid via mail order which meant the money was already gone from our account. If a check had been lost, we could have simply cancelled it, written another and not been out anything. Instead we had to pay rent twice in December. (There was a 30 or 60 day waiting period before we could get a refund- I don't remember which, it was a couple years ago) To our knowledge, it never showed up anywhere.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Holy cow. Corporate conspiracy?

I was tempted to think so, but the legal risks to the giant insurance company just don't seem worth it given the policy size. And of course, you can't sue the federal government for lost mail...I checked. I also checked with my state government and there is indeed a bill that would prevent this exact scenario, but the bill has been waiting for a floor vote since June. Poetic.

[T'smom]

Yup, my last quarterly life insurance bill. Then the late notice was returned to sender, even though we've lived at the same address since '96. I got the cancellation notice though, no problem. I can re-up though, same policy, same price, just like nothing happened. I just have to include a medical form that will reveal that I now have terminal cancer. I'm sure there will be no problem at all. :banghead:

I am so sorry.

[BlsdMama]

Yup, my last quarterly life insurance bill. Then the late notice was returned to sender, even though we've lived at the same address since '96. I got the cancellation notice though, no problem. I can re-up though, same policy, same price, just like nothing happened. I just have to include a medical form that will reveal that I now have terminal cancer. I'm sure there will be no problem at all. :banghead:

:(

 

I'm so sorry.

[BlsdMama]

It happens pretty often actually. But what you are saying sounds like these women are giving you the round about. I would ask them to cancel the check they sent you, have them mail you a new one certified mail. If they don't agree to that and it doesn't arrive by the 31 day deadline I would certainly go after them for double. It is unacceptable that they would lead you to believe you are getting it and then string you along. I'd have a different reply if they honestly said that it may take a while to get the deposit to you.

The deadline passed eleven days ago. Sigh.

[Amy in NH]

Yes.  Eight years ago my father sent us two Christmas boxes via USPS.  One never made it.  Ever.  Amongst other items, it contained a silver baby bank for my then-infant daughter, and a $50 Home Depot gift card.  He didn't insure it.  He was able to reverse the Home Depot card at the store where he purchased it using the sales receipt and got a new one issued, but the rest of the stuff was lost.  :(

[Mrs Mungo]

I would not say it is common. But, living far from so many family members and friends, we mail a LOT of stuff.

 

Once my sister sent my son a birthday present and I only received a piece of the box in an envelope with a message that the package was destroyed in transit. MIL sent us an Easter package once that never arrived. I sent a package to Afghanistan on Halloween that still hasn't arrived, and I have given up as lost.

 

Things do get lost. It happens. We have had it happen many times over the years. I would not say it was a common occurrence; it happens rarely.

[fraidycat]

One of my kids' birthday cards from my brother has never arrived. Possibly lost, but probably stolen.

[clemota]

A birthday card to my grandfather from my 3 children (his great-grandkids) never arrived in time for his birthday.  It showed up almost 2 years later - and a year after he had passed on.  My mother (his caregiver) has yet to open it, it was such a shock for her to find it in the mailbox.  It was in perfect condition.  No note, no markings from being mis-delivered or stuck in one of their machines.   Nothing.

 

So, yes, mail can honestly get lost.  Like those missing socks in the laundry, methinks.

 

They've offered to replace the check if it doesn't show soon, right?  So I'd assume they are being honest about it.  Take them up on their offer.  They can always cancel the first check in case it ever does show up.

 

 

[JustEm]

The deadline passed eleven days ago. Sigh.

Then I highly suggest that you have them cancel that check that is in the mail and mail you a new one certified mail.  Now that you are well within your right to get double what you deserve I would say threatening to do so will get them to cut you a check that will conveniently not get lost in the mail

[Seasider]

I have had mail lost BUT I think it sounds like those women are stalling. Perhaps for some reason they didn't want it to show up on the books for 2013 and they will soon get it out to you.

 

Whenever I mail something to someone that I fear may go missing, I get a proof of mailing receipt from the post office. At least from the sending end it keeps things indisputable.

[HSMWB]

Where we used to live I'd have answered - possible I guess, but not common.  Where we live now (in a different state in the US) - I'd say - very possible, we have some kind of mail issue almost once a month here.  I have had things sent to us FedEx, from a very reputable brick and mortar store, that never made it - watched it bounce back and forth from the city we live to different cities.  Once, when it said it was at the main post office in our city, I went there and the manager personally checked all the boxes, it did not seem like she thought I was 'crazy' for having the issue.  Anyways, it was never delivered and the store sent me out a second order.  And this was with tracking! (And it was FedEx that were to USPS kind of strange)

 

Just last month, we were sent a rent check, it never made it.  Finally, after about 30 days the renter had it returned to them - our address was 100% correct.  She took a picture of it and everything to show us.  It was a bit of a quandary, nether one of us had a reason to suspect the other was not telling the truth (she has paid her rent on time for a long time, and we always cash the check promptly).  I was very happy that she did not send a money order so she still had money to wire to us instead before the check was returned to her, we count on that money.

[MyThreeSons]

Is it really just a lost check?  Maybe I'm just being really impatient?  I got a letter from a friend that was mailed on the 3rd from Oregon on the 7th.  :p  Right now I feel like a jerk for being suspicious, but doesn't it sound a little... quirky?

 

Depending on how it was sent (what type of envelope), it might have been easily identified as a check and stolen along the way. Perhaps the senders can check their bank to see whether it's been cashed.

 

On another note, to answer your title question, yes, I have had something lost in the mail. A couple of years ago, I sent ds a package via USPS. He received some of the contents, along with some things I hadn't sent him. The box had been damaged and some stuff came out. When they repacked it, they added some stuff that must have come from someone else's damaged package. We sort of laugh about it now, but I still wonder about the little boy somewhere who received my big boy's long johns instead of the baseball gloves he was supposed to get. 

[Melissa in Australia]

Yup, my last quarterly life insurance bill.  Then the late notice was returned to sender, even though we've lived at the same address since '96.  I got the cancellation notice though, no problem.  I can re-up though, same policy, same price, just like nothing happened.  I just have to include a medical form that will reveal that I now have terminal cancer.  I'm sure there will be no problem at all.   :banghead:

 

I am so sorry

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[Melissa in Australia]

I have had things lost in the mail that have turned up months and months later. I  have also had mail returned to me months after mailing it. apparently it got lost then rediscovered???

[Catherine]

I did-years ago I sent a check (it had to be a check-of course!) as payment to someone in another state and she contacted me 6 weeks later to ask me ot please send it. She had never received and when I checked, it had not been cashed. It was not for a large amount and I just resent it.

 

She emailed me 3 days later to say that both checks arrived on the same day.

[creekland]

Yup, my last quarterly life insurance bill.  Then the late notice was returned to sender, even though we've lived at the same address since '96.  I got the cancellation notice though, no problem.  I can re-up though, same policy, same price, just like nothing happened.  I just have to include a medical form that will reveal that I now have terminal cancer.  I'm sure there will be no problem at all.   :banghead:

 

 

I was tempted to think so, but the legal risks to the giant insurance company just don't seem worth it given the policy size. And of course, you can't sue the federal government for lost mail...I checked. I also checked with my state government and there is indeed a bill that would prevent this exact scenario, but the bill has been waiting for a floor vote since June. Poetic.

 

This caught my eye this morning... as I'm dealing with a similar thing right now.

 

I opted to pay ours online in Dec - payment was accepted.  In Jan I realized it had never cleared our bank acct, so I called and asked.  They had reversed the payment for unknown (even to the person I was talking to) reasons.  There's NO problem with the bank acct.  The person I was talking to had me pay by phone Jan 2nd.  I did.  Today I noticed it still hasn't cleared from my bank acct... so I hop onto the online acct.  The payment was reversed again yesterday.  In 10 minutes (ie when they are open), I'll be back on the phone, but I'm getting really annoyed.

 

Neither time did they notify us of the reversal.  I noticed it when it didn't clear our bank acct (same bank acct I've used for all other payments).

 

Coincidentally, this is happening with the first bill after they discovered my brain tumor.  Mine is not supposed to be terminal, but... we have life insurance for a reason whether it be medical or a car accident!

 

:grouphug:  to you.

 

ETA that the person today told me the problem was the wrong bank account - or the routing number bringing up the wrong bank (gave both explanations) - even though it's the exact same bank account and routing number that we've had for years... and the last person read me back the numbers correctly.  :glare:   I switched to paying by credit card.  We'll see what happens.

[Cera]

I have had things get lost in the mail BUT with the runaround they have already given you I wouldn't believe that is what happened.  I would call and politely remind them that they have 31 days to return my deposit or I have the right to sue for double.  I would also request a replacement check be sent priority mail today with the tracking number provided to me immediately so that I can confirm it has been mailed and track its progress.

 

I understand that you enjoyed the house, the woman was nice, etc but they are taking advantage of you (and being deceitful).  If they take advantage of you they will do the same to other people who can't wait for their deposit checks, they need to be called on their behavior.

[Lolly]

yep. All of my bills from Charter Comm. I have yet to receive a single one. I did get the late notices. Took me a few months to figure out I wasn't ever going to get a bill first. Now, I have them delivered online. They are still supposed to come in the mail too, but never do. The rude lady at Charter informed me that they could track them and see that they are being mailed. In fact, the last city post office they enter is YYYYYY. I pointed out that that is not where I live, there should be one more city on her list. For some reason, they are just stopping a town over and never coming to my house. 

 

This year, my sil mailed the girls all birthday cards with $50 cash in each one. One of the cards never arrived. I thought she would have known better than put so much cash in the mail. 

[Susan C.]

Yup, my last quarterly life insurance bill.  Then the late notice was returned to sender, even though we've lived at the same address since '96.  I got the cancellation notice though, no problem.  I can re-up though, same policy, same price, just like nothing happened.  I just have to include a medical form that will reveal that I now have terminal cancer.  I'm sure there will be no problem at all.   :banghead:

 

So sorry and whispering <<<auto bank draft>>>>. Hope it works out somehow, do call your state insurance board.

[Piper]

After a visit home to Aus several years back, I made a lovely scrapbook of photos for my sis and her kids...got lost in the mail.  I was so bummed. I still wonder what table it got kicked under.

A couple of months ago, dh ordered a new king-sized comforter for our bed from Amazon...never arrived. 

 

So yes, it happens, but not all that often, IME.

 

OP, go after those people legally.  They are definitely trying it on, and you need to call them on it.

[BlsdMama]

Then I highly suggest that you have them cancel that check that is in the mail and mail you a new one certified mail.  Now that you are well within your right to get double what you deserve I would say threatening to do so will get them to cut you a check that will conveniently not get lost in the mail

 

I am a little fearful of even insinuating a threat, lol, as we have ten children and a 100lb german shepherd... Without a good reference we would *never* ever, in this lifetime find another rental, kwim?

 

So, it didn't show up yesterday or today... I'm calling today and requesting a new check, via Priority mail, with tracking numbers.  It would save a lot of aggravation and frustration.  I'll even do it at my expense.   Whatever.  Let's just close this chapter, kwim?  I hope it was lost.  I really do.