Missing upper receiver via USPS

[Wisco]

This an odd one...

I bought a complete upper receiver via someone on another forum. Paid PayPal. Item shipped. Item says delivered to front door via tracking info on USPS website. Could not find item at front door or any other door or porch at the house or outbuilding.

I was not home the day or evening after delivery.

Called local post office. Postmaster says the driver put the package in a car in the driveway and there is no label for placing it in a car (she was unimpressed when I asked if maybe that's a clue to leave it at location they do have a label for). It wasn't in any car of mine in the driveway when I got home. The one car that was in the driveway was locked.

Postmaster says if I don't have the item, I should file a police report ...because someone stole it if I don't have it. And said carriers can place packages wherever they want. Delivered means delivered and there's nothing they can do at this point

So, right now I'm less the money and the item.

I'm leaning toward a credit card dispute. I paid for something I did not receive. Delivery confirmation is not a guarantee as signature confirmation would've been. I know with Amazon the one time a package was missing, they didn't argue and just shipped another. This was a private party transaction and this guy isn't going to just say "oh well" and eat $600+.

Involving the police is an option, but that's not going to get me my upper or my money - just make a better case if I do a credit card dispute.

Has this happened to anyone on THR? What's the best course of action at this point?

 

[FL-NC]

A friend had a complete upper stolen via USPS recently too. It was from a company that sponsored him, so he let them handle it.

 

[wally]

You may be out of luck with the credit card company as many treat PayPal as a "cash transaction" thus you don't get the fraud protection. One of many reasons I avoid PayPal. If you have a PayPal account maybe they will help, maybe not, let us know how it goes.

With USPS shipping either buy their insurance for the full value of the package or ship it COD.

 

[Wisco]

I wanted to use Google wallet, but the guy insisted on PayPal and tried to insist I not write in the memo line that it was for anything gun related. I wrote exactly what it was to cover myself for the goods purchased.

The seller also would not buy insurance - "waste of money" and would've cut into his take. Moot point anyway as USPS shows the item being delivered.

USAA has been pretty good with any issues I have had. I filed a dispute. I'll see what happens.

I'm obviously peeved I didn't get my upper. I'm also irritated that USPS basically told me to bug off when they don't even know what car they allegedly placed the item.

 

[Wisco]

A friend had a complete upper stolen via USPS recently too. It was from a company that sponsored him, so he let them handle it.

Do you happen to know the outcome?

 

[cjwils]

I know for a fact, although I have no proof, that mail carriers have entered false information into the USPS computer system regarding packages shipped to me. I have seen at least two times when the USPS tracking system says package delivered, even though it did not arrive at my home until the following day. I have also seen at least two times when a package marked signature required was left at my door with no signature.

 

[FROGO207]

You might get lucky and a neighbor will find you and ask about a strange package found in their car. I have had several packages left on my doorstep for a neighbor that were clearly marked for his address (his number is clearly on his house) and left sitting directly under my address number next to my front door.Ya gotta wonder who they hire!! Anyway once FED-EX left a Haz-Mat package of mine containing16 LBS of propellant and 5K primers on my employers doorstep on a Friday (long after the shop was closed) evening that I found by accident at around noon the next day after it had rained on it all night. Said they had an adult signature on it and was not their problem.

 

[reddog81]

Re: Postmaster says the driver put the package in a car in the driveway and there is no label for placing it in a car and the only car in the driveway was locked… That sounds rather fishy.

I once had a bullet mold shipped and "delivered" but it wasn't at my house. I went down to the post office to try and figure it out. They insisted it must have been stolen because they delivered it. It showed up in my mailbox 2 days later. I have no idea what happened in the meantime.

 

[jhb]

yes. my usps delivery gal was stealing packages.

i got tired of it and installed cameras to track her clicking on the package as scanned and delivered but not delivered and kept by her. to catch her in the act.

i didnt get far at the local post office boss. called me a liar and accused me of stealing my own packages. then said he looked up the package and it wasnt a package cause it was in a large padded envelope and it had to have been in my mailbox...even though her scan showed delivered a handful of houses down from me.

once i invited him out to see my camera footage not showing her delivering a package on the date and time claimed and gps scanned on. i found him going through my bushes to make sure she didnt somehow stick it in my bushes. yel almost a bad comedy of stupidity.

i ramped up my complaint above the local level. couple days later my package shows up on my property in plain sight in a spot my cameras dont show well. i know she knows i caught her. postal folks did nothing about it or to her. my formal complaint was compleletly ignored. she still delivers my mail but is well aware i have cameras and i complain and wont give up.

now on topic what postal person opens someones car door and sticks a package in it. then their boss thinks thats normal??? i think you may have the same issue i do a sticky fingered postal worker.

although my last one was a drunk and would pull in the trees and sleep in a boozed state on saturday instead of delivering mail on saturday. come monday id get twice the mail but half was neighbors and my neighbors had half of mine. im in a cant fire dumping branch. where they are horrible employees but cant be fired due to senority and union protected. so they dump them in my local branch. never had a good one yet.

good luck.

 

[hdwhit]

• Post Office
• Shipper
• Credit Card Company

You've mentioned calling everyone except the people who can actually help; Paypal. Paypal is an escrow service. You give them the money and they hold on to it until the item arrives and then it goes to the seller. If you didn't get your item (even if the Post Office says they delivered it) then open up a case with Paypal and let them work on resolution.

See: https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/paypal-safety-and-security

 

[jmace57]

The key is to contact the postal inspector. I had a package with two expensive vintage gun magazines that was marked as delivered. Nothing happened for weeks as I contacted the local postmaster. Within a few days of contacting the postal inspector, it showed up on my doorstep with no explanation. I hope you get it resolved.

 

[Wisco]

You've mentioned calling everyone except the people who can actually help; Paypal.

I'm hesitant to do that since PayPal prohibits firearm part transactions and may just tell me and or the seller to eat it.

The only reason I used PayPal is because my credit card offers some buyer protection and the seller refused to take any of the other several payment methods I offered.

 

[readyeddy]

The police report will help document the event. Tell the police officer that you were informed that the package was left inside of a car in your driveway, and also inform the officer that the only car in your driveway was locked on the day of the purported delivery. Those details should be included in the report.

From there you can use the police report to support your claims with the USPS and credit card company.

 

[Helidude]

I don't have packages delivered to the house. People take things that aren't theirs.
I have had P.O. boxes before, and currently a UPS store box.
This isn't fool proof, but it generally takes the public portion out of it. Things can be mis-delivered but that is easier to sort out. Some people just leave mis-delivered mail sitting out instead of putting it back in the slot or giving it to postal or ups employees.
This solved most of my issues.
The ups box ( actually 3 bays of them ) was burglarized once. That has also happened at post offices. Around Christmas to steal gift cards and cash.

 

[GBExpat]

Wisco, I fear that you may have just learned a very expensive Life Lesson.

 

[Wisco]

Wisco, I fear that you may have just learned a very expensive Life Lesson.

To never buy anything online?

Seriously; I've bought thousands of things online. This is only the second thing that's ever been lost, or stolen.

 

[tluxtele]

Let's say the story is true. Are they even allowed to open you car door... regardless of putting anything in it or not? If they opened your front door to put the package in your house that wouldn't be acceptable.

Sorry man. $600.00 is a lot of money to be out. I hope you get this resolved quickly.

 

[Wisco]

Are they even allowed to open you car door... regardless of putting anything in it or not?

I don't believe they are, but the postmaster really skirted that question and got a bit belligerent about the fact "the package was delivered. Does it matter where? If it's not where he left it, that's on you now."

 

[GBExpat]

To never buy anything online?

No ... in this case to spend the extra $2.90 ($2.45 if setup online) for Signature Confirmation.

I buy stuff online ALL of the time, but for the expensive items/orders (especially) I make sure that the all-important Delivery aspect of the transaction is ab-so-lute-ly covered.

 

[Wisco]

From what the USAA rep just told me, they'll do a chargeback and fight as hard and legally as possible for me and PayPal probably won't argue too hard.

No ... in this case to spend the extra $2.90 ($2.45 if setup online) for Signature Confirmation.

True. I have now learned tracking is no guarantee. The next thing I sell will be sent signature so I'm not hosed for a mistake like the seller in this case might be.

PayPal likely won't cover him for selling gun parts...

 

[VinnAY]

The exact moment PayPal finds out it was anything to do with a firearm you're going to be totally and completely F'd and will have your account confiscated so you just lost any course of action thru them and besides they;ll pull up the tracking, it says delivered, and that's good enough for them anyway.

 

[FL-NC]

Do you happen to know the outcome?

Its still stolen. Referred to USPS inspectors. It was never delivered, and never made it out of town. Local gun shops notified- it was being sent back to mfg for repair cause it didn't work. Hopes are that whoever stole it will put it on a lower, it won't work, go to a gun shop for repair, then.....

 

[Wisco]

The exact moment PayPal finds out it was anything to do with a firearm you're going to be totally and completely F'd and will have your account confiscated so you just lost any course of action thru them

That will be true of the seller than, too.

Which is why I wanted to use ANY other service. I'm not sure why people are are hung up on needing to use PayPal.

 

[Helidude]

Left in a car......
Was the address " tan 98 buick 4 door"?

When I transitioned from my po box to the ups box I had 1 package ( non ffl items ) still coming from DPMS.
I was assured that it would forward.......
I contacted DPMS as I had just ordered it that morning or the day prior . DPMS said that it hadn't shipped yet, so it could ship to the new address......
I believe this was also the package that shipped ups ( that cant go to po boxes ) even though the order form online didn't clue anything about ups shipping.
So in about a week it shows delivered, but no one can find it.
Post office says they cant find it, they don't accept ups packages.
Ups says its delivered to that post office even though they don't deliver to post offices.
Got several run around calls and emails with UPS, postal service, and DPMS.
Postal and UPS said I couldn't start the claim because I didn't ship the package.
DPMS kept telling me to start the claim.
A phone call to a UPS rep got me varied answers . One was that they "googled " me to get an address and delivered it to that.
She didn't have a good answer about people having the same names, or that they may deliver it to someplace you moved from years ago.
She also didn't have a good answer that since this was from a firearms company that it was possible for them to leave a rifle on the doorstep of a felon.
I asked her if the package wasn't deliverable to where it was supposed to go, why not just return it to the shipper?
After almost a month, DPMS sent a replacement order to the new address. 2 days later, the original package arrived at the new address, with a postal forwarding sticker on it.
I emailed DPMS about how they wanted to handle it figuring that I would pay for the second batch since the address change was on me. I never heard back.

DPMS's site wasn't clear on the shipping until after the sale. ( I always check that depending what/where I have available to receive )
The address change was on me, but the ignorance in dealing with it from all involved was astounding.​

 

[coloradokevin]

The post office can be a bit unreliable sometimes. Back when I married my first wife we sent our wedding invitations by mail about 8 months prior to the event, and no one received them. They arrived at everyone's door on the week of the event, as if they got lost under a bin at the post office during the interim. On a similar story, when I married my wife we sent out invitations in a timely manner. We received an RSVP card from a friend about two weeks after our honeymoon... the postmark on the card indicated that they sent it out about two months before our wedding.

So, sometimes even "lost" items show up. But, lost packages often equate to stolen packages.