NEED ADVICE: USPS Mail Carrier lost 43 of my packages...
Yesterday I gave my regular USPS carrier 43 outgoing parcels. He's my regular carrier and he's been on my route for the past sixth months...I've never had a problem with him before. He's always been very friendly and I always take my boxes out to his van so he doesn't have to pick them up from the house.
Fast forward to today. When I checked on the tracking numbers for yesterday's shipments, I found that none of the 43 packages were scanned in as received by the carrier...so, I drove to the post office and talked to my carrier's supervisor. She said that my carrier wasn't working today so she couldn't ask him what happened to the packages, but she did say that she remembers him bringing them into the building after his route was done late yesterday afternoon.
The supervisor said that it could be that the carrier's scanner wasn't working correctly...but there hasn't been a single update to any of the 43 tracking numbers. Typically they get scanned by the carrier, then again by the post office, and again when they get to the local sorting facility. All three of those scans usually happen the same day I ship a package...but none of them have happened with any of these missing boxes.
I'm at a loss here. I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to blame my carrier, but it's his responsibility to scan the packages in as received and that wasn't done for any of the 43 boxes, which makes me very suspicious that he didn't scan any of them on purpose. I really don't know what to do in this situation.
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 years agoDid you use Ebay or USPS.com to check for scans?
You cannot rely on Ebay to be up to date. It can fail to be updated for days while USPS.com may be behaving properly.
cobra_viper
OP2 years agoBoth.
The only reason I started stressing in the first place is because one of my buyers started demanding that I cancel their order and give them a refund because they said I never shipped their item...which wasn't true. I always ship out my items the very next business day.
And I absolutely hate impatient buyers...especially the ones that demand same day shipping right after they purchased the item or the ones who hound you constantly about why the tracking isn't updating 10 minutes after you mailed something out. Some buyers are just neurotic when it comes to shipping...
wastingtime101
·2 years agoUSPS.com tracking can be delayed up to 24 hours. I see it all the time.
eBay tracking can be delayed up to 24 hours from when it populates on USPS.
Recently eBay tracking synching with USPS has been spotty. I've had several packages delivered to buyers on USPS that have not reflected delivery on eBay and other sellers have reported the same. Something is going on there. I've seen it with my packages since ... December? And as recently as the last 2 weeks.
onefootflipper
·2 years agoMy stuff never gets scanned at pickup (goes out with another companies huge daily shipments and the carrier just isn't hand scanning 500 packages), and I finally got used to not losing my mind when an entire day seemingly goes missing as that day always eventually shows up in tracking, although once it did take almost 3 weeks (which is why I am above standard right now instead of top rates).
umccars
·2 years agoGlad it worked out. That would be very stressful.
cobra_viper
OP2 years agoThey found them. All 43 tracking numbers updated this morning. * breathes a sigh of relief *
I hope this never happens again... 😅
candd205
·2 years agoI'm relieved for you too. I remember how relieved I was when this happened to me with just 1 (kind of expensive) package, so multiply that by 43 and I just can't image the stress.
monica-sells
·2 years agoi love a happy ending......
albertabrightalberta
·2 years agoI think you're getting nervous and stressing over this way too early.
Suggestions to call the postal inspector and file a case is a waste of your time and USPS resources. (Actually, it's not going to waste USPS money/time because at 24 hours post shipment, they won't do any "investigation" yet.)
I've had many times when items don't show any scans until they're out for delivery or even when they get the delivery scan.
wastingtime101
·2 years agoCheck with your carrier tomorrow or next time they're on duty to see if there's any additional info they can share (about their scanner or otherwise).
Check USPS.com again later to see if tracking shows up on any of the packages. Sign up for email updates on 1 or 2 of the tracking numbers. If nothing shows up for a couple days, ask the PO if they can check their internal system for tracking they might see that hasn't populated to public view for whatever reason. That happens sometimes.
Not much else you can do but wait it out. I feel your pain on this. I experienced a similar situation in the past.
cobra_viper
OP2 years agoI already signed up for a couple of the email alerts. That was one of the first things I did. I'm hoping they have an update by tomorrow morning...that'd make my day a lot easier so I don't have to go back to the post office again.
Thanks for the tip on the internal system. I'll make sure to bring that up if I do end up going down there to speak with the supervisor again...although by now the packages should have already been to the local sorting distribution station. The fact that there have been no updates to any of the tracking numbers in almost 36 hours is what has me worried. By now all of the tracking numbers should have 3-4 scan updates on them.
carlmarxx
·2 years agoYou need to call The USPS Postal inspector department and file case with them.
chevymontecarlo88
·2 years agoI would give it a day or two. Something similar happened to me (not 43 but 6) and they did start tracking a few days later. 43 is a lot of packages to lose and would bet its a bad scanner or was not scanned.
You have already contacted the supervisor so just follow up with them in a day. (or your postal courier when he picks up again)
Good Luck
selsa84
·2 years agoI feel ur pain. I'd just keep going till you can see the actual carrier who accepted them from you and ask him what happened. There's been no shortage of USPS problems where I'm at. I refunded 6 items alone today because Dejoy is dead set on destroying the USPS.
lakefor94
·2 years agoYou already talked to the supervisor who knows of the packages. Now you wait and see what shakes out.
Sometimes the scanner is working but the upload is not functioning dues to ISP issues. Perhaps you should go to a scan sheet so the carrier only has to scan the sheet.
cobra_viper
OP2 years agoI already thought of that. I tried a scan sheet today with the fill-in carrier...it did not work. The scanner kept getting an error message so he had to scan all of the boxes individually.