USPS Shipping Priority Insured Not Paying for Broken Items

[dawnmarie25]

Seriously considering boycotting the USPS at this point.  Their new policy before paying out on a broken item claim requires the BUYER  to take the packaging (box, bubble wrap, peanuts etc)  to the post office  and have it inspected by a postal employee.   This is a ridiculous expectation for a buyer who has already received an item that was damaged in shipping.   If the post office isn't going to insure their packages properly I'm going to UPS or FedEx.  

[jbachman-2012]

I have delivered both car and tractor tires already.   Also, boxes of baby chicks, as they would be 'next-day' delivery.  And once,  a 50# bag of seed - would never even think of it today, due to possible damage.   "The good old days!"

[lja440]

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@no_zero369 wrote:

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@lja440 wrote:

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If one falls it usually hits my sholder, thus the week I am taking off to heal (SOB it's my last day off). 

The reflection is me LOL my only internet picture I think, I am so not photogenic.

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I think what you people at the USPS do is yoeman's work!  My carriers are always happy, helpful and pleasant.  I see the load y'all operate under and think you are doing a great job!

Glad you got a few days off to heal and heal the jeep too!  Keep up good work!  Appreciate the insider information!

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Yeah, I am very lucky to have a great mechanic. He fixed a lot of little issues, one tail lightshort wher the brake light and blinker worked only half the time, right side back seat door wouldn't open, rear widsheild wiper motor didn't work and the vent for the gas tank was plugged with road dust so bad it took forever to fuel up. Everything is working now but my wallet took a $450 hit.

[lja440]

Baby chicks are common, less so are hives of bees. The guy I subbed for was allergic so I was called in to deliver them. They don't freak me out so I often am the one to deliver bees. We have some Amish that raise exotic chickens and often ship full grown birds. 

[lja440]

Daily I have cases of paper towels, TP and Diapers. Since we deliver Amazon here I get prime pantry boxes, bags of dog food, cat litter. I have two guys on my route that BOTH of them get two cases of Monster energy drinks every couple weeks, those are some heavy boxes.  I also have some guys that reload shotgun shells, the FRB full of shot push the #70 limit pretty close.

[yuzuha]

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@outdatedrecreated wrote:

The best solution is to package your items better to be honest. But I share your distain for USPS and I wont ship anything using USPS that is worth more than $20 and weighs less than 16oz. It has done alot for my mental well being to not have to deal with their incompetence. 

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I ship items matching that description (blown glass Christmas ornaments) all the time and I have yet to have any of them get damaged, even the ones that have gone internationally. If you pack things properly, it's very, very unlikely they will get damaged even if they're mishandled.

[collectintime]

I am confused by your response. I was talking to the person who started this discussion. I am sure he or she is antagonized by people who seem to know the answers with little to no experience with these problems. I am just making observations from my experiences, as you may or may not be making observations from your experiences.  I have had more packages damaged in the last year than ever before. I would say less than 2 percent of overall sales are damaged, but I am accustomed to maybe, one damaged package per year. Some years, no damage. Therefore, I am assuming the post office must be much rougher on packages than they were in the past.  In years past many good photographs and proof of value was good enough on the online claim. It was paid. That has changed. Now that the Covid pandemic has arrived, on all damaged packages, the buyer is sent a letter to take the item in for inspection.  Why ask for photos if the buyer is going to be asked to bring it in? Why not explain to people right on the website that without the item being brought in for inspection the insurance claim will not be paid?  That is the way it has been all year. It was not this way for the last decade, but it is now.

[moo*cow*corner]

For whatever reason, apparently the Post Office has decided to change their procedures for insurance claims. There's lots of possible reasons. If they want to inspect any and all claims, it's their right.

I'd say that it's pretty safe to assume that the PO is being much rougher on packages than in times past. My only intelligent choice is to pack better. What used to be adequate packaging no longer holds up to the rougher treatment. If you'd like insurance claims paid, then go over and above what the PO recommends. Most claims that get denied, are probably denied for inadequate packaging.

I ask for pictures for my own records. If a buyer sends me photos of a broken dinner plate, I immediately refund them out of my cookie jar insurance fund. I don't want pottery or glass shards returned to me. If I were selling things that could easily be mailed back to me if damaged, I'd tell more buyers to return things before refunding.

There's no reason to explain to buyers that items will be required to be taken to the PO for inspection in the event of any damage. Buyers are covered by the MBG. That's all they need to know.

Insurance protects the seller, not the buyer. Buyers can't be compelled to cooperate with any claims. The seller is still responsible for any damaged shipment.

[gotclubs]

Do you see this box? Void or no void, that box is getting crushed, as it did. If it is packed with styrofoam and the box can not be crushed, then that's a different story. If you filled a box with bubble wrap, or air pillows or whatever, it doesn't matter.

As you can see on the box, it is called a "golf club box", and had a golf club shipped in it. The shaft was snapped in half in two places. Do you know how much force it takes to break a golf club shaft? The are swung at over a hundred miles an hours, with significant torque applied to them, and do not break under normal use. This is like an item smashed in a machine, and not matter how well you pack this, it's just destined to break.

I'm not saying people always pack their things perfectly, I'm saying at times it doesn't matter how well you pack something, because super durable items meant to take a beating will still break. There were a few posters blaming sellers, I'm offering a slightly different viewpoint, and this wasn't a fragile item.

[shado-x]

Why didn't you have the buyer return the package back; and then you, the seller, file the claim with the goods in hand?  More power that way.  I see why the USPS is doing it the way you described.....you got paid, you want to get paid again, according to the USPS and their Insurance carrier.   In your case, you want to file a claim without the merchandise that is damaged.

[lja440]

Yes I see the box is damaged. But it obviously it wasn't packed well enough. I don't care is it was a golf club box. 

When my husband passed in 2004, I shipped a portion of his considerable fishing equipment to his youngest brother INCLUDING (if I remember right 8 poles). Because I packed them right they not only arrived undamaged but Dale still uses the containers and has used them to pack them each time they were transfered (air force).  They are simply PVC pipes with one cap glued and the other end I tied cord around the handle and secured itwith the cap that I taped on so the pole couldnt shift and slam the fragile tip against the other end.  These poles with tips thinner than the middle of a Qtip can pull in a large struggling fish without issue, but they will snap if hit on the tip. Same with golf clubs, they are not designed to take a pointed strike mid shaft like would happen if a heavy box was dropped on them.

[anasazirose]

If you're willing, I have a question.  In your response, you said buyer can't be compelled to cooperate with a claim.  I understand that, but if they don't and the PO was responsible for the breakage, is the seller then just out the funds, even having paid for the safe shipping?  That's very frustrating.

[gotclubs]

Late reply here, because I'm not on the message boards often.

Your anecdotal story of the 8 rods is irrelevant. Just because they were packed well according to you, isn't the only explanation as to why they didn't break. I've shipped well over 50,000 golf clubs, and only a handful have been broken, and they're all packed the same way. Something else happened along the way that was abnormal to a regular shipment.

I guarantee it's very possible for your rods that you shipped to be broken in transit, even in a PVC tube (side note, that's so illogical for most items being sold and only relevant for specifically fishing rods, or something like a weightlifting bar). Have it fall off the delivery truck that's about to unload and back up over it. What did it look like happened to my box? You think it got smashed by a box falling on it? You need to apply multiple hundreds of pounds of force to a golf club to snap the shaft, and this one was actually broken in two places. The force needed to do that is extraordinary.

Sellers exist who need to take more care with their packaging, I do not deny that. I was merely pointing out that sometimes it may be irrelevant

[kh-vince]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.