CP question regarding USPS

[Brigitte]

I have a "first time" USPS problem. A delivery attempt has happened but no note was left behind. To re-arrange a redelivery or to pick up a parcel at the post, one seems to need that pinkish peace of paper that should have been left behind. I presume there are numbers on it that are important. The player is worried to arrange a redelivery and thinks it could get lost this way and wants to wait until it goes back to Germany to be reshipped to the US again, to have possibly the same problem then.... it will be stored in US postal system 60 days, so this can take 3 months before I have it back here, chances it gets lost in this time frame are in my opinion quite high.... not to forget about the tripple postage costs for getting it back here and back to the US. I cannot arrange anything from here, neither can I find out in which post office it is now sitting so that it possibly could be picked up or find out how to get another pinkish piece of paper to arrange something online. Any idea whom I could contact at USPS that can do something about this? It is in NJ.

Thanks a lot for any tips, can PM to not keep it up....

Greetings from a wonderfully sunny Germany

Brigitte

[kkrell]

Brigitte,

Your customer should not need the slip to request the item from his local Post Office, just his address. Of course, the mail carrier might have it in his possession for another delivery attempt, and so the best time to go to the P.O. is after the carrier has returned for the day (usually after 5pm local time). Your customer can also call the local postmaster.

[MTGuru]

I'll ask one of the Chiffboard members who works for the USPS to look at this thread.

Normally, the post office will attempt at least 2 deliveries (as Kevin said). After that, the customer can pick up the parcel at the post office. The pink paper or number should not be necessary, only proof of personal identity and address.

[PhilO]

This just happened to me wherein the tracking read that a delivery was attempted and notice left, but no notice was left; in fact, after speaking with the local post office, they first couldn't find it but then miraculously put it out on the truck for delivery.

I think they lied about the attempted delivery, but usually I've actually had good luck with USPS, which has been showing signs of getting worse recently.

Anyway, if there was a delivery and no slip left, one needs to go to the local post office with the tracking number and identification; probably best to get the phone number and call first (early) and confirm that it's there, especially if more than one post office in the area.

Good luck.

Philo

[Brigitte]

Thanks a lot for the information. I also thought that it works similar like over here, one gets notified and can pick up or re-direct delivery another time when one surely is available.

I think the problem is possibly a communication problem as English is not the first language. He was told the parcel number I gave him is not the parcel's number nor the tracking number when with this number I can go on the USPS page and see exactly the route and that the delivery attempt was made even to the minute and initiate the email system to get emails send out to the recipient and myself whenever a move is happening of it. I am not sure if the person on the customer service phone does just not look into their own website. My phone attempt yesterday with them was that they did not give me any information as I was not the receiver which kind of makes sense but bounds me to not able to do a lot...

I have no problem to write to USPS if this would help in any way. Looking forward to any advice and hope also that the player might get hold of someone on the phone who goes through with him to arrange a re-delivery.

Will keep an eye on the thread and go out digging in the garden again... it looks nearly like summer here now, all green and just a few naked trees left, sunny with about 20 Celsius feeling warmer....

Greetings
Brigitte

P.S. after seeing Phil's message: I checked with the post office finder and there are at least 5 post offices in the area of his address.....


Added on Sunday, 25.th: He managed to arrange a re-delivery, so now I have to wait if this will arrive and he will be there to sign. thanks a lot for the advice and have a lovely Sunday ahead of you!!!!!

[RonKiley]

All I need to do is go to the Post Office and show them my drivers license. They then go back and get the package for me.

Ron

[MTGuru]

P.S. after seeing Phil's message: I checked with the post office finder and there are at least 5 post offices in the area of his address.....

One of those will be the designated post office for the customer's address or zip code. Or one will be the main post office for parcels in that area. The customer can call the local post office to find out where to go.

[MTGuru]

Any resolution yet? The USPS person I asked has not checked in here yet.

[Brigitte]

Just came back home and no luck so far. I phones usps again and found out in which post office it is stored now and passed it on to the player and hope he goes there and they hand it our to him.

Will update when it is sorted out.

thanks a lot and have a nice weekend
Brigitte

[MTGuru]

At this point, the responsibility is definitely your customer's, not yours. Thousands of people every day pick up parcels at their post office. Your customer can do that, too. If not ... well, you can't play the whistle for him/her, either. Some things you have to do for yourself.

[Brigitte]

It is not the first time that a parcel has to be picked up at the post office and it never has been a problem. I am not sure what the problem is and am thinking it might be a communication/understanding problem. My information I received today from USPS and passed on to the player got kind of dismissed, so I am now trying to work out how to send an email to USPS regarding the post office information I got from them today and ask how to contact the post office other than by telephone and how to pick up the package there. The player tells me he has been exactly in this post office and they said the parcel is not there and seems to believe it is on the way back to Germany. I know it is still in that post office for minimum another 2 weeks (it is there already for 2 weeks now). To receive it back to Germany and send it back again to the US will be worth a whistle in postage which I really would like to avoid, not thinking of the time it takes until it will be coming back by "land/ship" which return parcels will do and then sending it out again with possibly the same problems

Will check on USPS page again and try to find an email address that I could contact straight away without having to go through a menue on their site that has not the right questions/subject for contacting in the first place.

Greetings
Brigitte

[kkrell]

Sounds to me like buyer remorse, and they are trying to avoid picking up the package, so it is returned to you. Or they want you to refund first, and THEN they go pick up the package.

[Irish Marine]

Brigitte,

Everything has been said here already. To reiterate, this is not a USPS problem. The problem is with the person you sent the package to in the U.S. All s/he needs to do is go to the post office and give his name and address and the package will be handed over. I've done this countless times. Good luck!

[Infernaltootler]

I'm in the UK and send out about 1000 packages a week (not all to the States though) and I'm afraid this could be a case of buyers remorse.

In the UK, it is the seller's responsibility to get the parcel into the hands of the recipient and if the carriers make a mistake it is my fault and I have to sort it out.

You don't say how much the product costs but to my mind it does sound a bit like buyers remorse, or possibly the customer has picked it up and is planning and claiming he hasn't. If he really, really wanted the product he would have visted all five offices until he got his whistle, I know I would.

Whilst extremely annoying it is important not to loose sight of the fact that this will be a rare incident and your energies are far better employed in helping easier customers than fretting over this for too long.

[Brigitte]

Today I learned that the post office does not store parcels longer than 5 working days and then sends them back, which I must admit, I was really shocked about this short time frame. I am not sure if it is this way with every post office, but at least the one in Englewood does it this way. I asked them what people do if they go on holiday, forgetting totally that someone could be ill, and was told, that in the US people always tell the post office they are leaving and post is held on then for them..... I am now waiting to hear back from USPS where the parcel is as a re-delivery also cannot be done anymore, even though the parcel "in theory" is stored 30 days in USPS hands, so after 5 days nothing can be done as it looks right now to receive a package.

I am quite in a confused mode at the moment.... as no note was left, the player could not initiate the re-delivery online, being no native English speaker I can understand he was too shy to phone them. Arriving in the post office too late meant he could not pick it up there anymore and had also no assistence. When I phoned the post office today they even remembered the parcel. And as if it is not enough with this one, they did not laser scan it when they send it away again, so everyone looking into their systems sees is still being in the post office.... as always, if something goes wrong, it goes wrong big time.

I wrote to USPS again today and DHL and try to catch it somewhere inbetween the post office and customs, somewhere someone has to laser scan it again so it turns up in the systems and when this happens, it should be possible to re-direct it I would hope.... yikes

Hope you all had a better start into the week

Brigitte