I am just writing to ask how other merchants out there deal with packages that are lost by the shipper, I.e. US Post Office.

Sometimes we get people claiming to not receive their package when the post office delivery confirms that it has been delivered. How would others handle this? Filing a claim with USPS seems to go nowhere, and the result on a case like this is that "it was delivered".

We typically eat the cost and resend the order (as long as it is not too much $)

Are there any other options? Insurance on every package seems expensive, but so is replacing an order the customer is claiming to not receive.

We have an awesome track record with customer satisfaction and resolving customer issues/complaints, but I wonder how far is too far to bend with something like this. Do we take the customers word that the package was not on their doorstep, even though the Mailman/woman scanned it as delivered?

Any insight or help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Hi there,

With USPS, our items are generally less than 2 LBS, and we get maybe 4 or 5 "Did not receives" a year for them, out of thousands of packages. The cost of insuring each low-val package is FAR more than replacing the items. This is just our observation.

With UPS, you can file a claim, but it can be very tedious and annoying. They expect you to prove what you paid for the item, and try digging that up!! We have enough volume that we have our own rep, and this seems to make the process much easier, especially if they think you might be interested in FedEx.

You could require a signature. It's an extra charge, of course, but some companies I know of do it on everything. Maybe just do it on high value stuff...

- Jeff

Consider 3rd party insurance on USPS packages. We pay a super low rate as long as the package has delivery confirmation. We get a small amount of customers claiming they did not receive their packages through the Post Office, but having the 3rd party insurance is def worth it.. the claims are soo easy and we get claim checks the next week.

How to deal with claims from lost USPS packages.....

Use UPS!


Seriously though.... we've had the opposite experience. We REGULARLY have USPS packages go missing in transit. All of our items are less than 6 pounds, and most fall between 1-3 lbs. Also, the vast majority of ours are sent via UPS... but we offer USPS as an option to those who may not wish to have them left on their doorstep, or who may not be home. The larger of these, we send with a signature required.

With automatic insurance of $100, UPS isn't a big deal.... not to mention customers being able to track their orders. We've had 4 claims with UPS in the last year - the claim service is now web-based, so it is a little easier. Our products are also manufactured by us as well... so depending upon the size of the order, we go the "self-insure" route, and just reship the order without bothering with the claims process.

For USPS pacages, we use the Endicia insurance option instead of the USPS options. But, we also use Endicia's Galaxy Ship program, which makes adding it quite easy. We can also switch back and forth between that and WorldShip.

With all of this said however, we are about to do the "Stone Edge" thing. So, then we'll be using the ShipRush plugin - all of this will change.

I strongly suggest that you request a USPS representative, which is several positions above your Postmaster - the title escapes me at the moment (PM me and I will give you our contact which I am sure will help you with your " RANKING USPS HELPER."

Our policy is the customer is right, we respond in this way. Although, we let them know that we have opened an investigation, and that we do prosecute for mail fraud. Nine times out of ten or better, we get a "my Mother had the package!". Imagine that.

This is for US deliveries - International is another story!

There are lots of reasons for mistakes made by USPS mailpersons. Again, PM me for some hints on how to protect yourself CHEAPLY. And, on how to get those that can to do at the USPS. Remember it is all about revenue.

Best in jest,
Val
FOUR EYES JOKES SHOP
www.foureyesjokeshop.com

Who do you use for your 3rd party insurance?

We had a very expensive shipment ($3000) get lost and our warehouse forgot to insure it. It was going to Canada. Anything over $1000 USD generally gets stalled in Canadian Customs and it could take weeks to get it out. Well our package was "lost". Without insurance the US post office didn't care whether we found our package or not. It wasn't coming out of their pocket. So I wrote a letter to our congressman and they got the ball rolling again, then I went to our local post master and she was able to "find" the package and it was released from customs and delivered to the customer.
Happy ending!

If you must continue using USPS for package deliveries, then use DSI (Discount Shipping Insurance) for insurance. Way cheaper than Endicia's insurance. We've had 1 claim with DSI and the process is very easy. I swear by them.

Takes all the pressure off of you. Even if you send with delivery conf. and it shows as delivered, they'll still pay, since they know what some of us know firsthand - just 'cause they say it was delivered doesn't mean it actually was. Try getting the USPS to pay for that one.

Karen

I agree with both of these statements as this has been my experience with lost USPS packages.