What happens if the carrier admits they DID deliver to the wrong address?

[gurlcat]

Just thinking of a couple recent posts regarding tracking with a Delivered scan but buyers saying they did not receive the item. -So apparently the recipient's local post office can look up the GPS of where the package was scanned, to see if it's at the same location as the shipping address.  I have seen numerous people here say this, but I don't think I've ever heard anything about what happens if it turns out the package really was misdelivered.  

Do they give the recipient something in writing so they can show that to the seller, in order to get a refund?  Can the seller also then use it to get an insurance award?  

I don't find it the slightest bit surprising that they CAN pinpoint the location; I just find it hard to picture them throwing your local mailman under the bus and taking responsibility for it, not when lying or claiming it can't be done would be so much easier.  I guess I've grown cynical about these kinds of things, but then again, you would too if you knew the woman who mans the desk at my local P.O.  She is a true monster, has horrendous stories about her on Yelp and I have my own as well -besides the disgusted look on her face and tone in her voice every time you approach her, she once threw my box of LIVE FISH across the room right in front of me, knowing it was live fish by the way, then looked at me and raised her eyebrows, like "What are you going to do about it?"  -Pretty sure she has dirt on her boss or something because anyone else would have been fired by now.  Anyway, suffice it to say I hope I never have to go ask her for a GPS lookup; pretty sure she would just throw her head back and laugh at me. 

[ajs_coins_and_alchemy]

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@gurlcat wrote:

 -Pretty sure she has dirt on her boss or something because anyone else would have been fired by now.  

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Sorry, I have no actual help for you -- but as far as how she still works there --- Union Worker.

[gurlcat]

Lol could be.  If so, I'll take one of her for every 100 good workers protected from all the evils of "at will" employment.  

[itscalledapostingid]

I have had incoming packages misdelivered twice in recent years. Both times when I contacted my local postmaster he sent the carrier out to retrieve the packages and deliver to me.

  If I was in this position as a seller and it was an expensive package I wouldn't waste any time in contacting the postmaster myself to confirm it was delivered correctly or track the package down if needed.

[gurlcat]

Oh I don't think it's the seller's responsibility either.  -Up to the point OF delivery, yes, but after that, no.  And not just because the seller automatically has eBay's back upon the delivery scan, but because the buyer is really better positioned to get help for themselves, because it's their local P.O.  

So, those 2 retrievals -WOW, did you request help the same day, like notice your tracking said Delivered but it wasn't in your box, so you got right on it?  Or were they longer, and did your carrier have to knock on the door and get the residents to hand over the (illegally collected) packages?  Were they opened yet? 

[slippinjimmy]

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@itscalledapostingid wrote:

I have had incoming packages misdelivered twice in recent years. Both times when I contacted my local postmaster he sent the carrier out to retrieve the packages and deliver to me.

  If I was in this position as a seller and it was an expensive package I wouldn't waste any time in contacting the postmaster myself to confirm it was delivered correctly or track the package down if needed.

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^^^^ This

I know that if they can retrieve the package they will redeliver. I do not know what happens if they can't retrieve but my guess is that the sender could win a lost in transit claim against USPS and they WOULD payoff if the package had insurance (including Ground Advantage / Priority built in $100 coverage) presuming you get some confirmation document from the local post office.

FYI - You should be contacting the destination Post Office not the sending, maybe they don't have any monsters.......

[itscalledapostingid]

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@gurlcat wrote:

Oh I don't think it's the seller's responsibility either.  -Up to the point OF delivery, yes, but after that, no.  And not just because the seller automatically has eBay's back upon the delivery scan, but because the buyer is really better positioned to get help for themselves, because it's their local P.O.  

So, those 2 retrievals -WOW, did you request help the same day, like notice your tracking said Delivered but it wasn't in your box, so you got right on it?  Or were they longer, and did your carrier have to knock on the door and get the residents to hand over the (illegally collected) packages?  Were they opened yet? 

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The first time I called my local postmaster and the mail carrier knocked at my door with package in hand within an hour of the call. She just went and grabbed it from the mailbox before the resident had gotten their mail. I had called as soon as I knew there was a problem because it was something important I was waiting on. Second time the package was in my mailbox the next day. I was impressed. 

[gurlcat]

So you did notice the problem and contact them the same day they were misdelivered?  

[itscalledapostingid]

Yeah I called them the same day as soon as I checked my box and it wasn't there.

[gurlcat]

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@slippinjimmy wrote:

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FYI - You should be contacting the destination Post Office not the sending, maybe they don't have any monsters.......

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Sorry I kinda went back and forth in my post, regarding my hypothetical role.  If I was the seller I would urge the buyer to contact their local P.O.  If I was the buyer ...... I guess I'd have to take it up with ole Brenda.  Maybe the stars would align and it would be her day off, lol.  

[a_c_green]

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@gurlcat wrote:

I have seen numerous people here say this, but I don't think I've ever heard anything about what happens if it turns out the package really was misdelivered.  

Do they give the recipient something in writing so they can show that to the seller, in order to get a refund?  Can the seller also then use it to get an insurance award? 

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Well... I know the USPS will give the recipient something in writing in cases where a scammer uploaded a tracking number supposedly for the recipient but actually addressed someplace else within the same City and ZIP Code; they will certify that the package was not addressed to the recipient holding that tracking number.

If they themselves simply goofed up and delivered to the wrong address, and the people at that address won't give it back, I would think the same evidence could be used in a claim against the USPS, although I don't know how hard you've have to fight to win that.

In the situation you're describing, you would not be sending that USPS letter to the seller, but to eBay, as an appeal of the Item Not Received dispute that you most likely would have initially lost.

[mam98031]

I have had this happen twice as a buyer on Ebay.  I had two different sellers trying to scam me out of my money.  They both shipped, what was suppose to be my order, to another address in my zip code.  And what they shipped was lighter and couldn't possibly be what I ordered.

When I notice that both of these transactions were showing delivered I immediately contacted USPS.  These transactions were about a month apart.  USPS was wonderful and worked with me.  I got all the info I needed out of USPS to include pics.  A fact that many don't know is USPS takes pics of packages a few times during their travels in the system.  

I filed INRs on these items and I submitted the documentation I had that proved the seller was operating a scam.  I won both cases.

[gurlcat]

That's quite different from what I'm asking about though.  I'm talking about innocent sellers and postal carriers just having a woopsie.  

[mam98031]

Seems I had a woopsie too.  LOL

[vintagecraze50]

You could ask the Postmaster to do pull up the GPS scan which is recorded in their data bases. I did that on an INR a month ago with a customer and THEY were able to locate that package within a few ft of where it was dropped off. Great for buyers making false claims of non delivery, or mis delivered packages by USPS.