USPS warning

[Jugband]

Hi everyone, I've gotten so much useful information here, and I just had an incident I thought others who order vape mail could benefit from. About a month ago I ordered an item, luckily just an inexpensive drip tip. I was tracking it as I do all vape mail. January 30Th it was shipped to Jackson Mississippi. Which was odd, it was in New York headed for Pennsylvania. I knew it was an error but figured it would show up sooner or later. I waited two weeks, no further movement. I just called USPS to ask about it. After holding for over a half hour and being transferred to different departments I was told the item was lost, and no further information was available. I asked how I go about getting reimbursed for the lost package. The woman actually laughed! And told me you do not get reimbursed, it was not insured. I asked, so that's it? If USPS looses a package that's not insured that's just that? She told me without insurance they are not responsible for lost packages. So I just learned an important vape mail lesson. At least I got off cheap. For now on I will always pay extra for priority at least that comes with insurance. Or better yet use a different method if offered.
Just thought I should pass this along.

 

[Jonathan Tittle]

This has always been the case with USPS, that's why they offer insurance at an added cost. They're not going to cover the cost of, say, $100 in merchandise shipped via First Class (their cheapest method) for the cost of a $2.50 or less stamp. This is why Flat Rate is really the only option if you care about your package in the slightest bit and even then, you only get $50 free (as of now - it was $0 as of last year).

If your total value is higher, you have to pay for additional insurance, otherwise $50 or $X is the limit on their liability, where $X is however much you or the vendor paid for. Thankfully, most of the vendors I've went through pay extra for up to $100, even on cheaper merchandise, just in case they do lose it, or someone steals it before delivery.


If you want guaranteed delivery with better tracking, FedEx and UPS are really the only two options. DHL has always been slow for me and more often than not, they're late.

 

[BDecann]

Thanks for the heads up

 

[tejas]

If you want guaranteed delivery with better tracking, FedEx and UPS are really the only two options. DHL has always been slow for me and more often than not, they're late.

Unfortunately, most vendors only offer USPS.

 

[*deleon517*]

I had that issue when the purple 30amp efest came out. had my package go missing, said it was delivered but no signature. Mail man left it at my apt. door, now I will only ship to my job or order when i know i will be home to recieve it. Thankfully my off days come on thurs & friday. Since the mail man did deliver it but it wasn't there when I arrived home, there was nothing usps could do. The vendor which i ordered from several times also was no help. It's not like I was scamming it was the cheapest thing I ordered from them and the last thing I ordered from them. Of course it was first class so there was no insurance on it.

 

[Harlen]

The vender will normally resend what was sent
Haven't had one not do it

 

[Slots]

I have lost packages too.
They got lost between the PO, and a business I use...the last 3 blocks, ..and they got lost.
I ask the venders I buy from to please "black out" anything "vaping related" on the return address on the outside of the package to keep the postman from stealing it.
There are a few venders that offer you a choice to have it insured, and I always take advantage of it.

A note in the comment box when you purchase, to please carry that option from everyone, would probably go a long way to have better options provided in the future.

 

[*deleon517*]

The vender will normally resend what was sent
Haven't had one not do it

That's my normal experience, I'm very vendor loyal have only really used 7 or so vendors in my 3 years of vaping. Not sure if they figured I was trying to scam since the batteries were the new hot thing or what. They simply stated we gave it to usps so it needs to be dealt with them. Since then I haven't used them, sad that they lost my business over a $20 order but that's how I decide where I buy. I could understand if I never used them but I had 2 huge orders and 3 smaller orders totaling a couple hundred with them prior and never had any issues before the missing batteries.

 

[Bill's Magic Vapor]

Scary...haven't lost anything yet. Knock on wood....So sorry for your loss.

 

[kalex]

tax dollars at work. they lost one package (macbook air), they "delivered" another package which I have yet to locate. Not a great track record

 

[iamzg]

Yeah I read this today and was like "Oh that sucks". Then my $85 package didnt get delivered even though its "out for delivery". Karma.

 

[supertrunker]

i never lost any vape mail, but the USPS did manage to lose my marriage certificate over a distance of 18 miles and i had to return to the county court and get another notified copy at my expense and convenience!

I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt, but insure all my mods so that they take better care of them - i hope.

The marriage cert never did show up, much to my wife's annoyance.

T

 

[sega330]

thanks for the info

 

[Jugband]

My order was with Fasttech. I emailed them today and told them what happened. I suppose it will be a few days until they respond. Like I said I consider myself lucky. I've ordered some pretty expensive stuff in the past and got it all. This was only like a $5.00 drip tip. But now I know, don't gamble! Get it insured if it cost much. You just don't expect orders to just disappear. Just today I was expecting an Omega RDA, it was missent! It was not insured, fingers crossed it makes it's way to my mailbox. That's the last thing I order first class postage.

 

[squee]

tax dollars at work.

?? Nobodies tax dollars go to USPS. They are run by gov't rules and policies but don't receive any gov't $.

And you have to pay for insurance from UPS and FedEx too, for anything over $50 or $100 (can't remember which). About 10 years ago, FedEx somehow managed to lose a $5,000 Digital VCR being shipped back to me after repair from Sony - it was only going from San Diego to Los Angeles! Thankfully, that was insured but I had to wait several weeks for paperwork, claims and such before I got a replacement unit.

 

[Jugband]

Yeah I read this today and was like "Oh that sucks". Then my $85 package didnt get delivered even though its "out for delivery". Karma.

Not Karma, USPS

 

[squee]

Fasttech offers DHL shipping, go with that next time. I did that with my Healthcabin order - was at my door in 5 days!

 

[emily n portland]

FYI to all, even if your packages are not insured with the deliverer, assuming you paid with a credit/debt card...you are protected by RegE and/or the card brand (Visa,MC,etc) and you can dispute the charge with your bank/issuer, if the merchant is not willing to refund/reship your product. The bank would either refund you themselves (what they would likely do for $5), or they will send the charge back to the merchant.

May not be worth hassle for the $5 to the OP, but good info for all.

 

[ukeman]

thank you …so many are unaware of this fact. The much maligned USPS has been knee-capped by congress with excessive hoops to jump through because like anything else, they intend to privatize it for their sponsors.
Without USPS, we'd be in deep doo doo getting our vape gear in Hawaii.

?? Nobodies tax dollars go to USPS. They are run by gov't rules and policies but don't receive any gov't $.

And you have to pay for insurance from UPS and FedEx too, for anything over $50 or $100 (can't remember which). About 10 years ago, FedEx somehow managed to lose a $5,000 Digital VCR being shipped back to me after repair from Sony - it was only going from San Diego to Los Angeles! Thankfully, that was insured but I had to wait several weeks for paperwork, claims and such before I got a replacement unit.

 

[Jonathan Tittle]

I had that issue when the purple 30amp efest came out. had my package go missing, said it was delivered but no signature. Mail man left it at my apt. door, now I will only ship to my job or order when i know i will be home to recieve it. Thankfully my off days come on thurs & friday. Since the mail man did deliver it but it wasn't there when I arrived home, there was nothing usps could do. The vendor which i ordered from several times also was no help. It's not like I was scamming it was the cheapest thing I ordered from them and the last thing I ordered from them. Of course it was first class so there was no insurance on it.

If they dropped a package that required a physical signature, skip the post office and contact the Postmaster direct through USPS.com. My last complaint of my packages being delivery at all hours of the day or not being carried with the postal worker when the mail runs (they would deliver mail, run another route, come back and *then* delivery my package(s)) ended up lighting a fire. My mail now comes between 12-2 pm daily, if not earlier, like it *should* (i.e. not when they're being lazy) and they bring the packages with them.

I wasn't insensitive in my note, but I noted that all of my packages were under 2-3 pounds and most barely weighed that (bottles of flavoring and empty bottles don't weight much), so it's not a lot to carry for a route that requires walking. I let them know if it was a 10-20 or even 30 pound package, I'd be a little more understanding as that gets a little heavy over a mile of walking one way and then back up another. But for 2-3 pounds, I wanted my packages *with* my mail, else I'd simply use someone else and spend my money elsewhere.

I guess when a business gets in touch with them it makes a little more difference as they want businesses to stay, but any consumer should be able to get the same effect. There's no reason for a lazy PW to drop off a package that requires a signature and leave it without one. If they don't want to do the job, there's plenty of hard-working people who'd love benefits, retirement plans, 401k and $15-$30 an hour to do a simple job in a smaller city.