Post Office Lost My Nakaya

[budopo]

Well, Mike said the pen arrived safely, and he'll contact me when he's ready to work on it. I'm relieved and fairly certain the pen is undamaged, since I packed it pretty well (and I had them put "fragile" stickers on it, though it's hit or miss for how effective those are).

 

When I filled out the insurance claim (to get the process started if the pen was indeed lost), I had to fill out the date of purchase and show proof of value. If I were shipping a family heirloom or an antique or a gift, how could I fill that out?

 

But, I do prefer USPS over UPS and especially FedEx, although the USPS doesn't have very up-to-date tracking. FedEx once delivered two boxes, marked "Fragile" and "Glass". One box had a rip in it, and the other had a hole I could easily fit my fist through. The driver also left a nastygram on my door for not being home for the scheduled delivery, even though he was early.

 

I think it might be a cultural thing, to some extent, or perhaps some people just don't care about doing a good job. When my wife (who is Japanese) shipped her stuff to the States, she used a Japanese shipping company. They showed up to the house (in the States), took their shoes off, unwrapped everything, and hauled away the shipping boxes for us. I stood there in disbelief.

[Uncle Red]

I'm glad to here the pen showed up.

[Ghost Plane]

Yep. Once Mike as it, it's safe and about to become incredible

[PaulT00]

Touching wood here, but so far I've been lucky with fountain pens. The few I've sent or received internationally have arrived in reasonable times and I've never had to invoke insurance.

 

The thing which does annoy me is that apparently some delivery persons think nothing of forging a recipient's signature. Again, never happened with FPs but we have had a major argument with Parcel Force in the UK after a parcel was left on our doorstep - it actually contained a large 10kg bag of cat food, and was left in plain sight outside the door. Turns out it was supposed to have been signed for by 'L R Baker' - my partner and the addressee. Except that (a) we discovered the parcel several hours after it was supposed to have been signed for and ( b ) the signature on the Electronic Proof of Delivery bore no resemblance to my partner's signature.

 

When we took this up, after a lot of back and forth, we eventually had the delivery guy turn up on our doorstep claiming first that it had been signed for by my partner's mother, and then after we pointed out that she'd died in June 2010 some 12 months earlier, he claimed that he'd had an arrangement with a 'little old lady' at our address who took ages to answer the door, and who had agreed he could sign for items like that and leave them. Sadly the only 'little old lady' who has been near our house in recent years (we have lived at this address for 18 years) was my partner's late mother, who on the very rare occasions when she stayed with us never answered the door on principle as it wasn't hers to answer in her view. You may imagine my other half's reaction... it wasn't pretty.

 

For some reason, despite the fact that the delivery guy had clearly fabricated a story to try to cover the fact that he had (a) interfered with the mail ( b ) committed forgery and fraud and © been in breach of both his contract of employment and the contract for recorded delivery with the vendor from whom the package was sent, he seemed to regard us as being the bad guys for taking issue with this practice which was clearly done to save him time on his round (by not having to wait for people to answer the door to actually sign for things) so he could go home early. Apparently he was disciplined for it - hopefully it was made clear to his colleagues that it was a bad plan!

Edited October 21, 2011 by PaulT00

[rogerb]

Just be absolutely sure that, if you send abroad, the insurance covers you right to the destination.

I discovered, the hard and expensive way, that the expensive pens I sent 'insured' to Arizona from Spain were only, effectively, insured as far as the Spanish border

So, as they were 'lost' in the US Customs ..... tough luck...

This is quite ludicrous, and probably illegal, but I wasn't prepared to try to fight it through the Spanish courts

 

I certainly agree it is absurd, unethical, just plain wrong. If it had happened to me, I'd probably be more upset than you are. But since the government of Spain makes the laws that govern what they can do, there is a good chance it isn't technically illegal... Which, actually, makes it that much more infuriating, but although courts have been known to rule against their own governments, the fight to convince them to is usually so brutal, it would be easier to just replace the pens yourself. So I think you made the wise choice in deciding not to fight it. Although, if I were you, I'd be wasting a lot of time wishing plagues upon the lawyers for the Spanish postal authorities who figured out that little wrinkle...

 

Although I do have to ask; was there any proof, other than electronic "tracking data" (which any ten year old could fiddle) that the US Customs ever even got the package? Again, I'm sure the fight wouldn't have been worth it, as the Spanish courts would naturally tend to be very impressed with whatever data Spanish postal authorities gave them, but I was just wondering how you even know where it was lost.

 

I have to say to you, Wandering Author, that you have no idea just how 'upset' I was, and how many voodoo dolls of Correos insurers were thoroughly stabbed

I was advised by USPS that the parcel had entered US Customs on 9th January, and I have no reason to disbelieve this. I was less than enchanted by a Customs spokesman who told me that they get 100k items a day(or some such figure) through the NY Customs and 'could not be expected to know where every one was, or even that they had it' !!! When I asked about the bar code readers, he said that they inevitably 'miss some' :bonk:

I suspect that the story given to me by the Spanish postal services insurers was a barefaced lie,

But I took the pragmatic view and the intended recipient agreed we'd share the loss (about $500) and get on with our lives, sadder but wiser!!

Edited October 22, 2011 by rogerb

[WanderingAuthor]

I have to say to you, Wandering Author, that you have no idea just how 'upset' I was, and how many voodoo dolls of Correos insurers were thoroughly stabbed

I was advised by USPS that the parcel had entered US Customs on 9th January, and I have no reason to disbelieve this. I was less than enchanted by a Customs spokesman who told me that they get 100k items a day(or some such figure) through the NY Customs and 'could not be expected to know where every one was, or even that they had it' !!! When I asked about the bar code readers, he said that they inevitably 'miss some' :bonk:

I suspect that the story given to me by the Spanish postal services insurers was a barefaced lie,

But I took the pragmatic view and the intended recipient agreed we'd share the loss (about $500) and get on with our lives, sadder but wiser!!

 

I won't say I'm surprised, but I don't think the TOS will allow me to express my thoughts on US Customs adequately... Although I've heard similar things from the USPS, including my local Postmaster. The previous one, that is.

[jorgerp1]

Just be absolutely sure that, if you send abroad, the insurance covers you right to the destination.

I discovered, the hard and expensive way, that the expensive pens I sent 'insured' to Arizona from Spain were only, effectively, insured as far as the Spanish border

So, as they were 'lost' in the US Customs ..... tough luck...

This is quite ludicrous, and probably illegal, but I wasn't prepared to try to fight it through the Spanish courts

 

 

Hi Roger :

 

I have sold more than 100 pens (many more...) here at the market place to USA and if we have an insurance, the spanish mail service will pay us and then they claim against the foreigh mail service (if the pen has been lost abroad)

 

It´s my experience :embarrassed_smile:

 

Best,

 

Jorge

[georges zaslavsky]

sorry to hear your troubles

[Wineguy]

I'm currently waiting on a package from Goulets in Virginia. They shipped it on Priority Mail on Monday. Now I live near San Francisco, so one would expect USPS to put it on a plane to San Francisco. Not quite. They sent it via truck to Los Angeles, 500 miles from my home. This took three days. Another day was spent sending it to another post office in Los Angeles. It left there yesterday for heaven knows where. Wish me luck.

 

Edited for spelling

Edited October 23, 2011 by Wineguy

[WanderingAuthor]

I'm currently waiting on a package from Goulets in Virginia. They shipped it on Priority Mail on Monday. Now I live near San Francisco, so one would expect USPS to put it on a plane to San Francisco. Not quite. They sent it via truck to Los Angeles, 500 miles from my home. This took three days. Another day was spent sending it to another post office in Los Angeles. It left there yesterday for heaven knows where. Wish me luck.

 

Edited for spelling

 

I live on the East Coast, but the USPS has some strange notions of where to send things there, too. They shuffled one package in a rough triangle, between "sorting facilities", before moving it on to where it belonged. And they once sent a package that needed to go about fifty miles north... seventy-fives miles or so south, first.

 

I asked someone about this, and they said it "saves money" to shuffle them around like this, because it supposedly cuts down on gas mileage... I've never tried that in my own car, because I don't think it has the same design as the USPS trucks; if you add weight, the mileage gets worse, and if you drive in the wrong direction, it eats up more gas. I'm not sure if that reply is official policy or not, but either way I wasn't terribly impressed.

[Ondina]

Just be absolutely sure that, if you send abroad, the insurance covers you right to the destination.

I discovered, the hard and expensive way, that the expensive pens I sent 'insured' to Arizona from Spain were only, effectively, insured as far as the Spanish border

So, as they were 'lost' in the US Customs ..... tough luck...

This is quite ludicrous, and probably illegal, but I wasn't prepared to try to fight it through the Spanish courts

 

I certainly agree it is absurd, unethical, just plain wrong. If it had happened to me, I'd probably be more upset than you are. But since the government of Spain makes the laws that govern what they can do, there is a good chance it isn't technically illegal... Which, actually, makes it that much more infuriating, but although courts have been known to rule against their own governments, the fight to convince them to is usually so brutal, it would be easier to just replace the pens yourself. So I think you made the wise choice in deciding not to fight it. Although, if I were you, I'd be wasting a lot of time wishing plagues upon the lawyers for the Spanish postal authorities who figured out that little wrinkle...

 

Although I do have to ask; was there any proof, other than electronic "tracking data" (which any ten year old could fiddle) that the US Customs ever even got the package? Again, I'm sure the fight wouldn't have been worth it, as the Spanish courts would naturally tend to be very impressed with whatever data Spanish postal authorities gave them, but I was just wondering how you even know where it was lost.

 

In the U.S.A. DHL, EMS, FEDEX, TNT, UPS all offer "international" insurance only within the borders of the country of expedition. With USPS it the the same but for a few countries with which they keep an special bilateral agreement. This is specified in the small print fo the TOS. I certainly agree it is absurd, unethical, and just plain wrong. They justified by the different legislation changes from country to country. And beyond the laws that rule any country's mail, in this specific case it seems to be that entity in a practical legal limbo called US Customs. Many of us have wasted a lot of time wishing plagues upon the authorities that provide impunity to acts that are classified as mobbing anywhere else. But since the USA government makes the laws that govern what they can do, there is a good chance it isn't technically illegal.

 

Just be absolutely sure that, if you send abroad, the insurance covers you right to the destination.

I discovered, the hard and expensive way, that the expensive pens I sent 'insured' to Arizona from Spain were only, effectively, insured as far as the Spanish border

So, as they were 'lost' in the US Customs ..... tough luck...

This is quite ludicrous, and probably illegal, but I wasn't prepared to try to fight it through the Spanish courts

 

I certainly agree it is absurd, unethical, just plain wrong. If it had happened to me, I'd probably be more upset than you are. But since the government of Spain makes the laws that govern what they can do, there is a good chance it isn't technically illegal... Which, actually, makes it that much more infuriating, but although courts have been known to rule against their own governments, the fight to convince them to is usually so brutal, it would be easier to just replace the pens yourself. So I think you made the wise choice in deciding not to fight it. Although, if I were you, I'd be wasting a lot of time wishing plagues upon the lawyers for the Spanish postal authorities who figured out that little wrinkle...

 

Although I do have to ask; was there any proof, other than electronic "tracking data" (which any ten year old could fiddle) that the US Customs ever even got the package? Again, I'm sure the fight wouldn't have been worth it, as the Spanish courts would naturally tend to be very impressed with whatever data Spanish postal authorities gave them, but I was just wondering how you even know where it was lost.

 

I have to say to you, Wandering Author, that you have no idea just how 'upset' I was, and how many voodoo dolls of Correos insurers were thoroughly stabbed

I was advised by USPS that the parcel had entered US Customs on 9th January, and I have no reason to disbelieve this. I was less than enchanted by a Customs spokesman who told me that they get 100k items a day(or some such figure) through the NY Customs and 'could not be expected to know where every one was, or even that they had it' !!! When I asked about the bar code readers, he said that they inevitably 'miss some' :bonk:

I suspect that the story given to me by the Spanish postal services insurers was a barefaced lie,

But I took the pragmatic view and the intended recipient agreed we'd share the loss (about $500) and get on with our lives, sadder but wiser!!

 

Fact is that according to the information provided by both postal systems involved, US Customs, made your valuable pens go missing. They still have a valuable box from me from August 2001. By the way, the insurance terms are in the TOS, and they are pretty much the same for each Western Postal system. They did not lie to you, and it is certainly unfair to state so. On the other hand, how hard is it to peel off the bar code of a lucrative parcel if you are legally granted impunity ?

[rogerb]

Just be absolutely sure that, if you send abroad, the insurance covers you right to the destination.

I discovered, the hard and expensive way, that the expensive pens I sent 'insured' to Arizona from Spain were only, effectively, insured as far as the Spanish border

So, as they were 'lost' in the US Customs ..... tough luck...

This is quite ludicrous, and probably illegal, but I wasn't prepared to try to fight it through the Spanish courts

 

 

Hi Roger :

 

I have sold more than 100 pens (many more...) here at the market place to USA and if we have an insurance, the spanish mail service will pay us and then they claim against the foreigh mail service (if the pen has been lost abroad)

 

It´s my experience :embarrassed_smile:

 

Best,

 

Jorge

I'm pleased for you, Jorge .....I suspect that as a native Spanish-speaker, your 'negotiating skills' are more effective than mine, although I did get a Spanish friend to ring the number in Madrid given by my local post office, and she got much the same line ..... and she is NOT the sort to give-up easily

But I'll bear it in mind for the future, thanks.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I can see sending insured is second to sending it registered, return receipt.

Seeing how everyone got to sign, you can nail a Custom's thief or other Mail working thief.

[Dimitrios_P]

Expensive pens should be sent insured.

 

I've seen that mentioned by victims often enough.

 

 

I so agree and is very sad.....