eBay/USPS purchase in the process of going wrong

delmer · January 28, 2019

For those buyers that have been stuck with the "USPS shows delivered but I have no package scenario"... If you purchased with AMEX - and possibly other credit cards - I would check to see if they'll provide buyer protection. This worked for me when I used AMEX through PayPal in a very similar situation. I bought an iPad, for some reason they didn't make me sign for it and dropped it off in the mail room of my condo building. I initially thought it wasn't delivered or delivered to the wrong address - I went to the post office twice and talked to the mail carrier that delivers to our building and she was adamant that she never scans a package delivered at the wrong location - and they had her scanning it at my building. I then had the building manager pull the security video and sure enough there was someone that came in, grabbed a bunch of packages, and left. I had to file a police report online and show AMEX my homeowner policy, but they refunded the entire purchase amount. I was shocked, but definitely very impressed with AMEX's customer service.

I use Amex a lot for my company and they are great with almost everything. It's something a ton of people aren't aware of but they extend warranties, cover damage, cover theft, etc. etc. etc. I can attest to their service but in this case I used funds that were already sitting in my PayPal account so it doesn't really apply here, however, I should be in good shape for getting my money back.

pstmstr · January 28, 2019

I am retired from USPS but still have a few contacts so might be able to help. Send me the tracking number. A couple of suggestions for everyone. First of all, unless you have given them permission, no USPS delivery personnel should be leaving any packages on your porch, insured or otherwise. They should be attempting to deliver and leaving a notice if no one is home. I would send and expect those sending me items to use Priority Mail, Insured, Signature Required. Porch pirates are becoming a bigger problem these days. The ONLY class of mail with a guaranteed delivery is Express Mail. Priority should normally take 2 or 3 days. I posted this on another thread but my experience has been that USPS is pretty reliable although all delivery companies make mistakes. Whoever is telling you they won't start a claim for 14 days is lying to you. There is no claim to make if an item isn't insured. In over 33 years at USPS with most of those as a Manager I know of less than a handful of items that were "lost". Sometimes an item is left at the wrong house or sent to a wrong post office. Normally, it is redirected within a day or 2. Like you, I want my stuff on time and to the right address. I've got packages in the last 2 months delivered by USPS, UPS, FedEx, and Amazon. USPS made one mistake, UPS didn't deliver at all one day, FedEx left my package on a neighbors porch and had a late overnight delivery. Amazon is kind of new in my area and the drivers don't have a clue what they are doing. I'll make this offer with no guarantees but an attempt to help. If you have an issue, send me a message with the tracking number and I may be able to see what's going on.

1st, thanks for stepping up and offering to help.

2nd USPS delivery drivers ALWAYS leave packages on the porch, with or without permission...ALWAYS!! Just saying.

You should call the post office and advise them to leave a notice if you aren’t home. Some parcels are marked Carrier Leave If No Response but if not they should not be leaving them on the porch.

nsxguy · January 28, 2019

For those buyers that have been stuck with the "USPS shows delivered but I have no package scenario"... If you purchased with AMEX - and possibly other credit cards - I would check to see if they'll provide buyer protection. This worked for me when I used AMEX through PayPal in a very similar situation. I bought an iPad, for some reason they didn't make me sign for it and dropped it off in the mail room of my condo building. I initially thought it wasn't delivered or delivered to the wrong address - I went to the post office twice and talked to the mail carrier that delivers to our building and she was adamant that she never scans a package delivered at the wrong location - and they had her scanning it at my building. I then had the building manager pull the security video and sure enough there was someone that came in, grabbed a bunch of packages, and left. I had to file a police report online and show AMEX my homeowner policy, but they refunded the entire purchase amount. I was shocked, but definitely very impressed with AMEX's customer service.

I use Amex a lot for my company and they are great with almost everything. It's something a ton of people aren't aware of but they extend warranties, cover damage, cover theft, etc. etc. etc. I can attest to their service but in this case I used funds that were already sitting in my PayPal account so it doesn't really apply here, however, I should be in good shape for getting my money back.

What does the tracking show ?