When the USPS misdelivers a package

[Bootsie]

how do you get it corrected?

I went into the USPS on Tuesday and mailed three packages--one to Dallas, one to Houston, one to Austin--three different contents, sized packages, and weights

Two of the packages arrived at the Austin address yesterday--the package that was supposed to go to Dallas arrived at the Austin address yesterday morning and the package that was supposed to go to Austin arrived yesterday afternoon at the same address.  The US postal service put the same tracking number on two different packages that were supposed to be going to two different locations!  

After hours of trying to determine what happened (and I have the receipt with THREE tracking numbers to three different addresses) the post office said the solution is for the Austin recipient of incorrect package to drive to the post office and pay for shipping to the correct address!  The Austin recipient (of the wedding gift for the Dallas recipient) is a senior citizen with health problems and does not even know the Dallas recipient.  By this time I could have driven to all three cities to have the packages delivered to the correct person!  

[Farrar]

I’ve always just returned it to the post office. Or if it was a block or so off, delivered it myself. That’s absurd.

[Bootsie]

Just now, Farrar said:

I’ve always just returned it to the post office. Or if it was a block or so off, delivered it myself. That’s absurd.

 

[Pen]

Not exactly same situation, but if I get mail that’s not for me, I write “delivered to wrong address” on the front possibly with correct address circled in red and put it back into mail.

 

[Tree Frog]

Did you have insurance on them? I think I'd be claiming that since the package didn't arrive where it was supposed to and the tracking on your receipt for the misdelivered package probably doesn't show the package has gone anywhere. The fact it was delivered in Austin shouldn't have any bearing on whether it arrived in Dallas. 

Good luck, though. Sometimes the post office is difficult to work with.

[Bootsie]

Just now, Bootsie said:

 

In this case, the person it was delivered to opened the box, thinking that it was for her (and then found a wedding gift).  She is a senior citizen with health issues, so getting to the post office is not an easy situation for her.

[Miss Tick]

Maybe a local-to-her shipping place (like a UPS store or mailbox place) would drive to her, pick it up, repackage it and ship it. On your dime of course, argh.

Sadly, there is no way you are going to get satisfaction out of the post office. So sorry!

[Jean in Newcastle]

I am assuming that you had put the correct addresses on the packages yourself?  And that the Post Office messed up by typing wrong addresses on their stickers and affixing them to the packages with the postage?  (BTW - our post office always has me check the addresses on their stickers to prevent this from happening). 

I think that people can have packages picked up from their home to be mailed.  https://usps.force.com/faq/s/article/What-is-Package-Pickup

 

[Innisfree]

Could the senior citizen's own mail carrier pick it up when delivering her own mail, seal it back up, and send it where it should go if you cover payment? I don't know how hard this would be to coordinate, but our own mail carrier has said he can pick up packages at our house to mail. I think if it has the right postage, and he indicated there was a way to do that, it's just a matter of picking it up. This was a few years ago, though, and in today's mess, who knows.

[Innisfree]

Maybe you pay her, and she pays the mail carrier?

[Bootsie]

4 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I am assuming that you had put the correct addresses on the packages yourself?  And that the Post Office messed up by typing wrong addresses on their stickers and affixing them to the packages with the postage?  (BTW - our post office always has me check the addresses on their stickers to prevent this from happening). 

I think that people can have packages picked up from their home to be mailed.  https://usps.force.com/faq/s/article/What-is-Package-Pickup

 

I did "click and ship" where I filled in all of the shipping info on the computer.  That info is all correct.  The clerk at the US postal service had a bad attitude.  I checked to make sure the first two packages got the correct label.  She printed the third label (what I THOUGHT was a third) but apparently it was a COPY of the second, slapped it on the package and threw the package in the bin before I was able to see it, but it isn't exactly a copy of the second--because now I find out that the two labels have different weights marked on them.  So, both packages that arrived in Austin have the Austin address--and the label with the Dallas address was never printed--it took me hours yesterday to even figure out what happened, comparing MY receipt with what appeared on the two packages that arrived in Austin.

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Part of the answer of "what I would do" would also depend on the cost of the wedding gift.  I think that SusanC is right, the Post Office isn't going to pay to fix this.  (They should, of course.  It's just unlikely right now.)  If the cost is not great, I would just send a new wedding gift to the new couple and would tell the senior citizen to keep or donate the gift. 

I would have her tape it back up if the address is still readable and mark on the outside delivered to the wrong address and leave it for the mailman.  I would also file for insurance which is going to force them to try to track down the package.  It can take a bit sometimes so if the package shows up in Dallas you can drop the claim.

[Bootsie]

Several months ago important documents (like birth certificate) sent to DD in Austria for her residence permit.  We needed it tracked.  It took almost two months to get to Austria--after sitting in London for a while.  When it finally arrived, the label that DS had was clearly marked "Innsbruck, Austria, EUROPE" (we learned if we don't put Europe the USPS often sends mail to Australia first).  There is a USPS label that is added to what DS had put on the package and it says "Innsbruck, Austria, EUROPE, UNITED KINGDOM"  We also had the correct postal code for Innsbruck and that was on the USPS label, also.  It seems as if their computer system would recognize that there is a problem when the Postal Code is not a UNITED KINGDOM postal code.  

[Bootsie]

2 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Part of the answer of "what I would do" would also depend on the cost of the wedding gift.  I think that SusanC is right, the Post Office isn't going to pay to fix this.  (They should, of course.  It's just unlikely right now.)  If the cost is not great, I would just send a new wedding gift to the new couple and would tell the senior citizen to keep or donate the gift. 

Unfortunately, the gift is from my daughter to the bride--and is something that she purchased in Europe and isn't easily replaceable as a gift.  At least it wasn't the handmade baby gift going to Houston that ended up being received by the bride 🙂

[Bootsie]

4 minutes ago, Mom2mthj said:

I would have her tape it back up if the address is still readable and mark on the outside delivered to the wrong address and leave it for the mailman.  I would also file for insurance which is going to force them to try to track down the package.  It can take a bit sometimes so if the package shows up in Dallas you can drop the claim.

The problem is that the USPS tracks a package as being delivered to Austin--which did happen.  They have no record of every receiving the misdelivered package--just that I paid for it to be sent--so I can't file an insurance claim because they say they never got it.  So, their records are that I paid for three packages, but only two packages ever entered their possession.  (Not sure how their system handles that the "same package" was delivered twice in Austin.)

1 hour ago, Bootsie said:

The problem is that the USPS tracks a package as being delivered to Austin--which did happen.  They have no record of every receiving the misdelivered package--just that I paid for it to be sent--so I can't file an insurance claim because they say they never got it.  So, their records are that I paid for three packages, but only two packages ever entered their possession.  (Not sure how their system handles that the "same package" was delivered twice in Austin.)

Does your receipt show three different addresses or at least three different zip codes?  Does your receipt show three different tracking numbers?  It sounds like it does.  Any chance that there is another post office branch where you could go for help?  Kill them with kindness, tug on their heartstrings, and see if they could issue you a new label to get the package to Dallas or issue you a return?  Make sure to emphasize how old and frail the lady in Austin is and if they have any ideas on how to help and how much you need their experience and expertise to correct this situation.

Edited September 18, 2020 by Mom2mthj

[Bootsie]

56 minutes ago, Mom2mthj said:

Does your receipt show three different addresses or at least three different zip codes?  Does your receipt show three different tracking numbers?  It sounds like it does.  Any chance that there is another post office branch where you could go for help?  Kill them with kindness, tug on their heartstrings, and see if they could issue you a new label to get the package to Dallas or issue you a return?  Make sure to emphasize how old and frail the lady in Austin is and if they have any ideas on how to help and how much you need their experience and expertise to correct this situation.

Well it has just gotten more confusing--I have a receipt for payment--it has three different address/zips and three different tracking numbers.  I also have a receipt from when I dropped off the packages--it has three packages--two for the same zip and the same tracking number (but different weights--so it isn't that they just did the same package twice) and then the third package with its correct 

I just had someone in Austin go to the post office with my original receipt and the QR code for the label that, according to the post office hasn't been used.  In the email that I received with the QR code it clearly states the Dallas address--but when the post office in Austin printed the label from that QR code, it prints another label to Austin!  So, everything on the paperwork I filled out is correct and everything I handed them looked correct, but there is something in their system where they have two different QR codes printing the same label.  When the QR code for the Dallas package is scanned it labels for Austin and then the postal computer system says that QR code has never been used ?!?   

[Shoeless]

I would create a new label via click and ship, and send it to the senior citizen.  Have them retape up the box for the gift, apply the new label you provide, and arrange for package pickup via usps.com.  This is the simplest way to get the package to the correct person.  

Should usps pay to fix their mistake? Of course.  Will they? Nope. 

 

Edited to add: With click and ship, the post office just has to scan the bar code on the label.  I don't know why the clerk at the post office was creating more labels to stick on your original packages. That isn't necessary if you buy a label via click and ship.  They are just supposed to take the package and scan it as received.  

Edited September 18, 2020 by MissLemon

[kbutton]

 

5 hours ago, Bootsie said:

 The clerk at the US postal service had a bad attitude.  

This is something you can complain about. If the clerk is error prone, they want to know so that they can document this. They might want you to go higher up and complain about this person as well if their own hands are tied.

The entire situation is something to address with a supervisor or postmaster, not a clerk. 

[happi duck]

Since the gift isn't replaceable I like what@MissLemon suggested.  I'm afraid trying to "fix" this would get the gift lost.

If you wanted to complain or ask for money back, I'd make photo copies of everything and write to the postmaster.  The PO is always so crowded I wouldn't risk exposure to complain in person.

[kiwik]

16 hours ago, Bootsie said:

In this case, the person it was delivered to opened the box, thinking that it was for her (and then found a wedding gift).  She is a senior citizen with health issues, so getting to the post office is not an easy situation for her.

Then you do the same thing but add 'opened in error"

[Pippen]

11 hours ago, kbutton said:

 

This is something you can complain about. If the clerk is error prone, they want to know so that they can document this. They might want you to go higher up and complain about this person as well if their own hands are tied.

The entire situation is something to address with a supervisor or postmaster, not a clerk. 

I'd make an online complaint about the entire situation.

We had frequent misdelivered mail in my neighborhood and the final straw was when my daughter's ACT scores/test copies were delivered to someone in my neighborhood who opened them by mistake. I know because they wrote an anonymous apology note and put it my mailbox. I talked to my carrier about it who gave me some attitude so I made an online complaint. I know it must have carried some weight because the carrier immediately started underlining my address. She was ticked.