I know it won't happen, but I really wish we could exclude states sometimes.
Like right now - yet another INR for a parcel lost in the black hole of the Missouri City/Houston hub.
And all USPS can say on the tracking is "in transit, arriving late". No s**t Sherlock, Mailed Jan 22, last scan as above was Jan 26 and here we are at 2/13.
I hate refunding and then seeing the buyer get the parcel later.
Why is ebay not covering sellers, knowing the hub in Tx is a major issue?
19 comments
inhawaii
·2 years agoI would like to exclude New Hampshire.
naturalhealthstore
·2 years agoInteresting. I have a similar situation. A package I mailed with priority mail to an address in Lees Summit, Missouri on January 23 was last scanned on January 27 and showed "in transit arriving late, moving through the system". On Feb 6, I filed a missing item report online and I have not heard anything from USPS as of today.
rosachs
·2 years agoYou should be able to file an insurance claim for non-delivery. Do so. That action alone rattles the big cages and points out where in-house mistakes are costing USPS money.
-Bob.
dollocity
·2 years agoTwo items i bought. Took 6 weeks to get to me. Because they were stuck in texas.
moondogblues
·2 years agoI started to reply to this but got the BIG ebay HOW do you like me now thing... maybe I won't get interrupted this time but I have had two issues with the PO, saying no such address when we could google it, and also a seller had to resend an envelope when they (PO) said the numbers didn't exist. Same numbers on the new envelope. We are going to the PO tomorrow to ask why this is happening...
rosachs
·2 years agoThe answer I keep getting from our postmaster is: "Not enough people, too many trainees". Given the string of faces we see on our regular carrier's day off, I can believe it. Our regular guy is great - always positive, always stops in, and even left us his cell number if we get a REALLY big day...or a nothing day. He works with us, so it's no problem to work with him.
The temps? I can't tell if we keep getting new ones because nobody wants the job or because they just aren't doing well enough to be kept on. Or both.
-Bob.
rosachs
·2 years agoI've been dealing with this at work all thru the pandemic and even more this past year. I've managed to come up with a series of actions that seem to greatly increase the odds of the package arriving, albeit late.
- When the buyer contacts me about their package being 'stuck', I first check the tracking, then register for email updates of any/all tracking scans.
- Next step is to file a Missing Mail Search Request - and in the product/package description, I indicate what it looks like (how it was packed) and also where the last scan took place and when. Not the bogus 'in transit' scan that shows up 2-4 days after the package stopped moving, but the actual USPS facility scan where it got 'hung up'.
- Now I update the buyer, explaining what appears to have happened and the steps-to-date that have been taken to get their order moving again. I also let them know that a Missing Mail Search can take a few days before any real update and ask that they please be patient and we'll get this worked out.
- if the package hasn't shown up by the time I'm allowed to file for the insurance, I file the insurance claim for a Lost Package. USPS -hates- to pay out insurance claims, especially 'lost' package claims, so this puts a bit of extra heat on the problem.
- if the package hasn't shown up after that, USPS will pay out on the insurance and I can refund the customer. I also tell them that they have the option to return the unopened USPS package by simply writing "Refused - Return To Sender" on the front by the label and giving it back to USPS. They have their funds back, I get to keep the funds they sent me, and USPS gets to keep whatever was in the package. It's a Win, Win, Win. 🙂
The most important thing I do is to keep the buyer informed as to what is being done and what results to expect or that have happened. Really nasty buyers will still be really nasty - it's just in their DNA. But the majority of buyers just want to know what's going on and what I'm doing about it. They're willing to wait, to work with me, just not forever.
When you get positive feedback from a customer who's package was lost because of the way you handled their problem -- that's feedback worth keeping!
Hardest part: Keeping your cool and not gushing or over-promising. Focus on the problem, not the emotions, and stick to the facts and what you're doing about them. I always tell my customers that the Missing Mail Search can take 3-7 days before a reply is received, usually a canned message, and that normally the package is "found" and delivered before that happens. Not always, but enough that I'm comfortable saying that.
Bad sellers are the ones who yell back and don't really do anything. Good sellers keep their customers informed, have a process to resolve a problem, and stay polite and upbeat at all times. All of which can be difficult to do with some customers.... but hopefully you'll never get enough practice to really get good at it. 🙂
-Bob.
ebeths_eclectic_collectibles
·2 years agoI didn’t know about the situation until I had a problem. I would have at least felt a little better if EBay had let sellers and buyers know there is an issue. The sale I had to refund was small but eBay doesn’t care. If the customer files an INR they get their money back.
mementomoria
·2 years agoFile a lost package claim with USPS. Very easy and quick to do. If mailed by Ground Advantage file the claim on day 15. If is shipped by priority I think you can file earlier. This will get the package moving or you will get a check in the mail. Shipping in Texas is very bad. For the past month and a half a friend of mine has had approximately 200 packages lost and has received close to $3,000 in insurance claims from the USPS. Every seller should be filing claims - maybe something will get changed at USPS.
ebeths_eclectic_collectibles
·2 years agoYou can’t file and win an insurance claim if package is just “stuck†in transit and gets delivered very late. I had an INR and called usps. Had to refund and then shortly after the package was finally delivered.
cardsforauction
·2 years agoFill out the online lost mail form at USPS website. USPS will contact you and let you know where it is or provide a scripted statement like I got from an employee over the phone regarding the Missouri City facility. Basically the employee will state that we apologize for the inconvenience and we are working hard to get your packages to you, etc. After I filled out the online form and got the call from USPS, eight days later my package finally arrived. It took 26 days from date of mailing to get my package, because it passed through the Missouri City facility twice. I think they are testing the new system?
a_c_green
·2 years agoPackages destined for other states will go through sort facilities in Texas all the time. Your goal seems to be to avoid Texas as a pass-through state rather than a destination. Not sure how you would accomplish that.
yuzuha
·2 years agoHeck, even as a destination Texas isn't a problem outside of that one very specific sort facility. I just sent something to a city right outside of Dallas the other day and it got there in three days.
lakefor94
·2 years agoNothing "Passes Thru Texas" via Houston. If it passes thru, it goes thru DFW.
If I had anything going towards south Texas or the border, UPS would be the choice.
chapeau-noir
·2 years agoI wonder if they ever managed to cram that parcel sorting machine into the Houston Black Hole Sorting Facility or if they're going to have to build the castle around it?
12345jamesstamps
·2 years agoI notice a lot of my trackings with "in transit, arriving late"....all have given me positive feedback...way back from March 2023...key word is "delivered"...if not shown it is considered not received.
The response I got from the last public forum last month was "look for another source for mailing". meaning not use the post office?
As a side note...I am mailing items to Texas in that "black hole" without tracking and ALL items have arrived in 3-4 days tops in Texas. So. items without tracking are running smoothly. I had not one item lost in the USA last year plus now.
ryanrobyn
·2 years agotook my sale 6 weeks to reach buyer - I notified buyer about the problem and sent updates all the time
playwithitagaintoys
·2 years agoHub in Texas is just fine. Love USPS. Always dependable and on time! But of course S*** happens
toomuchstuffagain35
OP2 years agoYou apparently aren't mailing stuff that's going through Houston.