USPS NEW AUTOMATED POSTAGE "CHECKER.

[davestraub47]

Absolu

I send out the same exact pieces and have been for 8 years.  The packaging is custom-sized,  the shipping materials never vary an ounce.  This new automated "checker"  has STOLEN my money repeatedly and I've let it go until I began sending this Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville award out - over 25 times.   The weight is precisely 7.7  lbs.     The "Automated Bot"  has sent eBay corrections indicating the weight was 16 lbs,  20 lbs,  14 lbs,  and I've been charged anywhere from $15 to $20 upcharges for this MISTAKE and screw up.   Calling the USPS's bureaucratic phone number to complain is like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer.   You're not going to get any money back.  Their reply:  "....we'll check it out and verify your complaint."  The packages are gone and delivered.  How are they going to verify anything ?   I've called eBay numerous times and "....There's just nothing we can do about it.  You'll have to file a complaint with the post office."   eBay admits that they're receiving hundreds and hundreds of call and the post office  Customer "no-service"  says they are also getting calls in droves about the same problem.  eBay has 30-million shoppers worldwide and  THEY CAN'T INTERVENE ON BEHALF OF THEIR SELLERS ?   I do upwards of $100,000 a year on "Feeee-Bay"  and there's just nothing they can do ????   It's **bleep** and its THEFT.   I'd love to get a class-action going.  I'm a retired CNN anchor and NBC White House Reporter.    I know what to do and how to do it,  but I'm too busy packing eBay orders to get overwhelmed in litigation against  "Big Brother."     I'M LIVID and I'm using UPS as much as possible now.

tely 

[wastingtime101]

What are the outer package dimensions of that item @davestraub47 ?

[nobody*s_perfect]

The APV system isn't new; it's been in place for several years.

https://link.usps.com/2017/10/05/what-is-apv/

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/ship-smart/ebay-shipping-partners/avoid-extra-postage-costs....

Yes, it does make mistakes. There is a formal appeals process but it does not involve phone calls. (Sorry, I haven't saved the link but somebody will come along with it.)  

The system takes images of every piece so there is evidence to examine in case of challenges.  One common error happens  when a small item is on the scale at the same time as a larger one.  Sellers do report successfully challenging those overcharges.

Your item is 21 inches long, so your package are almost certainly incurring the surcharge that USPs imposes for packages with a length over 22 inches, as well as the "dimensional weight" for packages over 1 cubic foot, but that wouldn't account for that variety of weights unless your box size varies.  Your item is 21 x 15. A box that's 23 x 17 x 6 has a 'dimensional weight" of 14.13 pounds, so it would ship at the 15-pound rate.

[richard1rst]

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@davestraub47 wrote:

Absolu

I send out the same exact pieces and have been for 8 years.  The packaging is custom-sized,  the shipping materials never vary an ounce.  This new automated "checker"  has STOLEN my money repeatedly and I've let it go until I began sending this Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville award out - over 25 times.   The weight is precisely 7.7  lbs.     The "Automated Bot"  has sent eBay corrections indicating the weight was 16 lbs,  20 lbs,  14 lbs,  and I've been charged anywhere from $15 to $20 upcharges for this MISTAKE and screw up.   Calling the USPS's bureaucratic phone number to complain is like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer.   You're not going to get any money back.  Their reply:  "....we'll check it out and verify your complaint."  The packages are gone and delivered.  How are they going to verify anything ?   I've called eBay numerous times and "....There's just nothing we can do about it.  You'll have to file a complaint with the post office."   eBay admits that they're receiving hundreds and hundreds of call and the post office  Customer "no-service"  says they are also getting calls in droves about the same problem.  eBay has 30-million shoppers worldwide and  THEY CAN'T INTERVENE ON BEHALF OF THEIR SELLERS ?   I do upwards of $100,000 a year on "Feeee-Bay"  and there's just nothing they can do ????   It's **bleep** and its THEFT.   I'd love to get a class-action going.  I'm a retired CNN anchor and NBC White House Reporter.    I know what to do and how to do it,  but I'm too busy packing eBay orders to get overwhelmed in litigation against  "Big Brother."     I'M LIVID and I'm using UPS as much as possible now.tely 

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Frankly, you are doing it wrong.

At the bottom of the notice you receive is a hotlink to the USPS site that handles these along with a request for a review. Calling the bureaucratic hotline gets you someone who knows nothing about the problem and simply wants to get rid of you.

Click on the link in the email and send the pertinent information. Be precise, and straight to the point. AVOID what appears to be your tendency to RANT. State the size and weight of the box along with the tracking number. You are incorrect that "The packages are gone and delivered.  How are they going to verify anything ?  " EVERYTHING is saved on video so that they can be reviewed.

As packages move through the system of conveyor belts it is possible for one package to be on top of another. The system automatically weighs the package(s) and measures them with a laser beam. That would account for an overcharge. Upon a proper request for a review as detailed above the technician reviews the tape, sees the problem and fixes it.

I have had several like situations. I have filed review requests and they have all been approved and the upcharges reversed.

The trick is to get through to the RIGHT person. That is what the email is for. There is no point in calling someone on the third floor about a problem on the first floor.

[wastingtime101]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

Your item is 21 inches long, so your package are almost certainly incurring the surcharge that USPs imposes for packages with a length over 22 inches, as well as the "dimensional weight" for packages over 1 cubic foot, but that wouldn't account for that variety of weights unless your box size varies.

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Not to mention a fee if incorrect dimensions were entered when the shipping label was purchased.

I was attempting to rule out user error as a first step.

If this is USPS error, then my standard advice:

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This happens to me all the time. It's a pain in the ass, but it's easy to appeal. Send USPS an email verifypostagehelp@usps.gov with the following details:

In order for USPS to investigate your dispute they must have the following information:

• Full Name
• Phone Number with area code
• Email
• 10 digit Revenue Assurance ID or USPS Adjustment ID of each record to be reviewed
• IMpb or tracking number starting with 94 or 420

I generally describe the problem, as well, so the USPS agent knows what to look for.

When you file an appeal, USPS will look at the actual photos taken during sorting and they will see the package and grant the refund.

USPS sends the refund to your original source of payment (credit card, bank, paypal, etc). It will not show up in your eBay account.

https://www.ebay.com/ship/lmng

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Automated-Package-Verification-Program

[martin2001]

I take photo(s) of every package I mail, on the scale with a ruler. It takes almost no time. I had several of these “underpayments” claims. I upload the images to my site, fill out the USPS form (I use pirateship, and they have a link), I just state what they say and what I actually mailed. I provide a link to my site with the images. One of the images  is  a calibrating weight showing that my scale is 100% accurate. Never “lost” a case.  Always received a refund, and quite quickly.

[12345jamesstamps]

I guess I am one of the few who still walk into a post office and have a clerk add the postage to my package.

Never had any problems yet.

The clerks  at my post office (San Francisco) still use a ribbon tape measure for size and dimensions of the box  and have been using the same scale probably since the dinosaurs.

Everything is automated these days so there isn't really any customer service on a phone or a computer to rant to.