Problem with USPS to Canada

hoosierhiver

hoosierhiver

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I sent out a ukulele to Montreal last week for the Montreal Ukulele Festival and it was stolen in transit. Somewhere between Indiana and Montreal, someone stole the ukulele. They removed the customs form and stuck it on a box full of trash. The recipient received a box of trash with my customs form on it and unfortunately even paid duty on it before they opened it and discovered what happened.

The USPS response has been rather apathetic so far.
 
I would like to be encouraging, but I can't. I shipped a mandolin from the US to British Columbia some time ago, and it was damaged in transit. I tried to make a claim with the USPS, but the told me that since Canada Post had delivered it, I would have to file a claim with them. Canada Post told me that was absolutely wrong, and they didn't even have a claim form for that-- and that since I had purchased insurance from the USPS, it was their responsibility (which makes perfect sense to me). After being batted back and forth between the two for a while, I was told I should speak to an International Specialist from the USPS. I left dozens of messages for her, without a single call back.

I paid the recipient for the damage, which fortunately wasn't extensive, and learned a valuable lesson.
 
The thing that gets me is that it was obviously stolen by someone inside the postal system who put the tracking on another box presumably to avoid anyone from knowing where the theft occurred, yet the post office is treating it like it's no big deal., making me wonder if this is common.
 
I believe that theft by post office personnel is rampant, I had three checks mailed to me recently that went missing, though other mail arrived (they were cancelled immediately). The powers that be couldn't care less. I find the carriers to be complacent, lazy and poorly trained, they don't make any effort to sort their deliveries properly. I very often get mail for other tenants in my building and even from addresses blocks away from me. The recordings on the phone while you wait forever are the most disingenuous I've ever heard.
 
kohanmike said:
I believe that theft by post office personnel is rampant, I had three checks mailed to me recently that went missing, though other mail arrived (they were cancelled immediately). The powers that be couldn't care less. I find the carriers to be complacent, lazy and poorly trained, they don't make any effort to sort their deliveries properly. I very often get mail for other tenants in my building and even from addresses blocks away from me. The recordings on the phone while you wait forever are the most disingenuous I've ever heard.
Click to expand...

Lat week I had a mis-delivered letter in my box that was from a bank. The address wasn't even for my city/zip code and wasn't even for a po box!
 
My wife recently had a dress stolen out of a package from Great Britain. There were supposed to be two dresses, but when it arrived, there was only one, and the invoice was also gone. We could see where the box was opened and then taped shut. The retailer did not seem surprised, and had a replacement sent immediately. I don't know who ended up eating the cost of the dress, but it wasn't my wife. Anyway, USPS has always been pretty reliable for me, except in the instance of this dress.
 
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old age

From my experience , tracking numbers arent much help. I bought something on Ebay for what I thought was a very good price. I checked the tracking number and it said it was
delivered. I never got it. I told my Mail person about it and she checked the tracking number and told me she is never near my house at that time. This made me think it was delivered to the wrong house OR The person that sold it to me sent an empty package to a wrong address on purpose so that it looks ( by the tracking number ) like it was delivered. I didnt bother to argue with Ebay. The tracking number
said it was delivered.
 
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Not just Postal Services, courier services as well. I had a ukulele sent to me from the USA by FedEx and when the box arrived it was empty apart from a doll of negligible value but the customs label said ukulele worth $100US. I didn't read the customs label properly so by the time I realised the problem it was too late and I was stuck with paying GB customs duty on goods I did not receive.

On a more local matter while I was staying with my daughter last year a parcel she was expecting never arrived. When she contacted the courier service they said it had been signed for. As we had been in her apartment at the time, there had been no knock or doorbell at the time it was supposed to have been delivered, so there was clearly something wrong going on.

It turned out that the van driver had signed for the parcel himself and left it on the doorstep and the parcel had been stolen from the doorstep. At least she got compensation for that and I gather the van driver was sacked.

Dishonest employees is clearly a problem with all delivery services and not confined to N America either.
 
I'm on a few forum two being for the classic Honda V4's.

Please do not confuse the USPS with the crooks at the Canadian border. I couldn't imagine UPS, fedex or any other delivery service telling me I owe more than the already paid shipping and I pay it or lose my purchase. This already being an inflated price as Ive heard from many of my Canadian Brothers.

With the USPS I can expect my package to be delivered to the correct address round these parts. I did get a package shipped overnight from ukelabs that the box was soaked to the point the tape Issac put all over the box was the only reason it held together. Surprisingly none of the 6 ukuleles the book or tuner were wet.

UPS and FedEx have both misdelivered packages to my home and my business. With my business they are walking through this door with 12 inch numbers in their face.

mustang-and-shop.jpg

If you do not complain to the fullest and just give up you're part of the reason this is allowed.
 
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We talk about these problems, but most mail and deliveries *do* go through. I've had many more problems with DeFex er I mean FedEx and to a lesser degree with UPS than with USPS. It probably helps that I've officially lived from PO boxes since 1989 -- less chance for misdeliveries. As a lens & camera trader I've shipped a lot overseas from my California home and I've had more dustups with Customs Canada than with any other nation's gatekeepers. Y'all have got a creaky system there, mates. Too bad I couldn't just walk stuff across the border.
 
k0k0peli said:
We talk about these problems, but most mail and deliveries *do* go through.
Click to expand...
Agreed, but not just about USPS. All three of the main carriers and, I expect, the smaller regional carriers. Each of the majors moves millions of packages every day, and the vast majority of them arrive on time and intact. Unfortunately, human nature being as it is, most of what gets posted online are complaints.

NOTE: I retired from FedEx last year after 28 years. I don't speak for the company and don't consider myself an apologist for it, but I mention this in the interest of disclosure.
 
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