US Postal Service NIGHTMARE... please tell me it ain't so...

[PatMarlin]

I placed an order with a reputable company you all know for some goods 6 weeks ago and the total was just under $1000.

I purchased a postal money order, sent it 3-Day Priority Mail with delivery conformation. Well it's never shown up. There was no destination scan after the initial scan of the priority letter at my post office.

So finally, I filled out a form last week at my post office saying the money order was never received and to issue another money order. I assumed there was no big deal, and they would check if it had been cashed, and void the first one.

Now today my post office postmaster lady tells me that even if they issue another money order, I'm still liable for the one they lost, the one that's floating out there, and there's no expiration date on a US Money order.

SO she says if anyone ever cashes that money order, I have to pay it.

PLEASE someone tell me this can't be true? I have asked for a remedy of this MO problem due to their loosing it in the first place.

Now she's telling me USPS will not cancel the draft no matter what happens, and I'm on the hook for it... FOREVER! WHAT IN THE HELL IS A MONEY ORDER GOOD FOR THEN?

This has got to be false.
I will never ever buy a USPS money order again... :rolleyes:

[AZ-Stew]

Contact your Congressman's office for confirmation of the Postal Service rules.

Regards,

Stew

[oneokie]

Look on the USPS web site, Domestic Mail Manual, Money Orders.

[Scrounger]

I posted six months ago that Postal Money Orders are not the safest thing going. My bank tells me they get counterfeited fully as often as the WalMart or liquor store variety. Ignore those PayPal haters who don't know what they're talking about. PayPal is probably the safest, least expensive way to move money around.

[mike in co]

WHILE SCROUNGER AND I AGREE ON GUNS , WE DONT AGREE ON USPS MO'S AND THE ANTIGUN PAYPAL/EBAY.

i have had a usps mo replaced......90( maybe 180?) days to the replacment, plus or minus some paper work time and reply to you. the paper work is simple. the wait is forever! they simply check for x number of weeks to see if it shows up. i did not have the extra money , so i had to wait, and the seller was not happy, but understood. me thinks that once they put it on thier do not honor list/stolen list...why would you be responsible ?

have you talked to a supervisor at a"main" post office, not a branch.

probably 90 plus percent of my business is done by usps mo....no failures to pay yet!

the problem with priority flat envelops is that they can hide in where in machinery. remember i have worked for the usps specifically in PRIORITY MAIL.

priority mail over 3/4 " thick is handle different than the flat stuff.

mike
THE COLORADO BRASS COMPANY

[PatMarlin]

...me thinks that once they put it on thier do not honor list/stolen list...why would you be responsible ?



Well this is what I or anyone with common sense would think. I knew about the wait.

The flat envelope tip was a good one.

[Lloyd Smale]

big joke with post office is that they give you a tracking number and cant track it. About the only way they can tell you anything is if the package made it to its destination. ive had two differnt guns take 3 weeks to arrive at there destinations and thats with sending the priority. I use fedx or ups for guns anymore its more expensive but at least you get tracking info you can fallow. Its worth it for the peace of mind. Last gun was a rifle i sent to clements. It arrived with the box ripped and dented and the stock banged all up. I had insured it and asked them about getting some money and they said i had to prove it wasnt shipped that way by providing pictures of it before and after and picutures showing how it was packed!! I once sent a glass roof from a corvette to a guy that got smashed by UPS. It was insured and i had a check in 3 days for the damage no questions asked.

[jonk]

This makes me re-think paying with a check... a 2 week holding period vs. a 90 day wait for the USPS to get their act together is sobering; if they lose my check, a quick call the bank, and voila.

[mike in co]

big joke with post office is that they give you a tracking number and cant track it. About the only way they can tell you anything is if the package made it to its destination. ive had two differnt guns take 3 weeks to arrive at there destinations and thats with sending the priority. I use fedx or ups for guns anymore its more expensive but at least you get tracking info you can fallow. Its worth it for the peace of mind. Last gun was a rifle i sent to clements. It arrived with the box ripped and dented and the stock banged all up. I had insured it and asked them about getting some money and they said i had to prove it wasnt shipped that way by providing pictures of it before and after and picutures showing how it was packed!! I once sent a glass roof from a corvette to a guy that got smashed by UPS. It was insured and i had a check in 3 days for the damage no questions asked.


lloyd..its not a tracking number..its delivery confirmation. they do not track anywhere near what the competition does. having siad that ups tracking often sucks with 2-3 day gaps in status.

ya picks your service and takes your chances.

mike

[AZ-Stew]

The reason there are gaps in UPS tracking is that once the package goes into a truck trailer for ground shipment, it doesn't get scanned again until it's taken back out of the trailer at a hub station or the destination city. If it's in transit from NYC to Texas, for instance, it may stay in the same trailer for 3-4 days without being re-scanned.

Regards,

Stew

[yarro]

I have had two money orders lost. One was a Post Office MO the other was a commercial. The commercial MO from my bank was much easier to deal with and I got another much quicker plus my liablity for the original was only 2 years not forever. The PO MO was a long drawn out process. At least you sent it 3 day otherwise they would make you wait 45 days before they let you declare it lost like they did with me. I have had packages take a month to go to the next state. UP shutdown its sorting line in Phoenix to look for a part that got lost in shipment when I told them that I could not get a replacement in time for me to fix my gun for a match. They found it between the belts on the sorting line. I no longer send anything expensive or important via the post office.

-Yarro

[Springfield]

When I sell my commercial Big Lube bullets I tell people I prefer they send me a check (or Paypal) . That way they can cancel it easily if it gets lost, they know when it is cashed, and it doesn't cost them anything. Imagine if you sent a MO and it never showed up and you lost the little receipt? Then you are really screwed. And the last time I went to the bank to cash all the checks and MO's for the mould Group Buy, I had to wait while the teller called all the MO companies to see if they were good or not. She didn't have to do that with the checks. The main reason for MO's is that you don't trust the guy sending you the check. So wait till it clears. MO's are not more convenient to me.

[lovedogs]

This sounds like a typical gov't thing doesn't it? The sad thing is that they have a tendency to make so many rules and regs that they, themselves, don't know what's going on half the time. I learned my lesson long ago about sending checks or MO's with orders. I use credit cards for ordering now. And that's all I have them for. I remember my hassles with our local small town Postmaster last year when I had to return a Marlin to the factory. She hadn't the intelligence or the will to correctly interpret postal regulations. She just wasn't going to ship my rifle, period. So I got in touch with the closest BATF office. Much to my surprise and relief, they were very helpful. Their Chief Agent called the Postmaster and read the regulations to her. If she still refused to ship my rifle he was willing to contact her supervisor and stir things up. She is now very polite and cooperative with me.

Government by and for the people? Ha! Just consider the way our Congress is or maybe the IRS.

[trickyasafox]

I'm with Mike in Co my buddy had to get a 70 dollar one redone. took 6-8 weeks, but he sure as hell wasn't on the hook for one that THEY lost.

[Scrounger]

One word: PayPal Read their guarantee on things you buy through them.

[jim4065]

I agree with Scrounger on PayPal. The only unpleasant surprise I've had is when receiving money from overseas. In addition to the basic fee for their service they add on another fee for currency exchange. The other side of the coin is that PayPal will always go to bat for the customer. They know that you paid it because they paid it. They have forced suppliers to ship 5 different items to me in the last year, including a 160 lumen LED weapon light coming from Hong Kong. I recently paid Lee with a personal check at their request. (Why not? They've got six months for the check to clear.) :mrgreen:

[mike in co]

One word: PayPal Read their guarantee on things you buy through them.


second words....
read the part where NO GUN RELATE PURCHASE/PAYMENTS ARE ALLOWED.......

AND SO JUST HOW GOOD IS THE GUARANTEE FOR PEOPLE ON CAST BOOLITS ???

[garandsrus]

I had a couple things not arrive that were paid for by PayPal. They didn't refund my money because they couldn't get it back from the seller! Their guarantee is BS.

I called the credit card company and had the charge removed. PayPal wasn't very happy!! They said that if I did it again they might suspend my account.

John

[Scrounger]

I haven't read it but I know me and a lot of other people do gun-related (not the actual gun) purchases all the times with no problems. They do not want to risk the possible liability of a gun related lawsuit. Although I think their reasoning is as clear as swamp water, it is their right to adopt that position. Fine, I take what benefit I can from their services. You must have a heck of a time finding a market or fast food place that sells guns. Or a drugstore or gas station or Doctor.... Get over it....

[Scrounger]

I just looked it up so we can all see exactly where they stand. This is what they prohibit you to do with their service. In actual practice they have no idea what you are buying unless you get it from EBAY, nor do they make any effort to find out. Without doubt there are many transactions that go through them that are in violation of their policies, but they don't seem to lose any sleep over it, as opposed to some people who hate them to a far larger degree than they are worthy of deserving. Many of us here are happy with our PayPal accounts, you can even donate money to Cast Boolits through their PayPal account. Why doesn't the NRA start their own similar business? Bet you it would be twice as expensive, one third as efficient, give us daily mooching spam emails, and be so screwed up no one would use it.


violate any law, statute, ordinance or regulation
relate to sales of (a) narcotics, steroids, certain controlled substances or other products that present a risk to consumer safety, (b) drug paraphernalia, (c) items that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity, (d) items that promote hate, violence, racial intolerance, or the financial exploitation of a crime, (e) items that are considered obscene, (f) items that infringe or violate any copyright, trademark, right of publicity or privacy or any other proprietary right under the laws of any jurisdiction, (g) certain sexually oriented materials or services, or (h) certain firearms, firearm parts or accessories, ammunition, weapons or knives
relate to transactions that (a) show the personal information of third parties in violation of applicable law, (b) support pyramid or ponzi schemes, matrix programs, other "get rich quick" schemes or certain multi-level marketing programs, (c) are associated with purchases of annuities or lottery contracts, lay-away systems, off-shore banking or transactions to finance or refinance debts funded by a credit card, (d) are for the sale of certain items before the seller has control or possession of the item, (e) are by payment processors to collect payments on behalf of merchants, (f), are associated with the sale of traveler's checks or money orders, or (h) involve currency exchanges or check cashing businesses
violate applicable laws or industry regulations regarding the sale of (a) tobacco products, or (b) prescription drugs and devices
involve gambling and/or gaming activities, including, but not limited to casino games, sports betting, horse or greyhound racing, lottery tickets, certain games of skill, and other ventures that facilitate gambling unless the operator has obtained prior approval from PayPal and the operator and customers are located exclusively in jurisdictions where such gambling activities are permitted by law.

[GLL]

I recently discovered first hand that the Delivery Confirmation means that the package was delivered to the local Post Office and scanned there. It does not mean it was necessarily delivered to the address on the package ! The package was found to still be at the office even though the computer showed it as "delivered". I now use Certified mail with signature required.

Jerry

[mike in co]

I recently discovered first hand that the Delivery Confirmation means that the package was delivered to the local Post Office and scanned there. It does not mean it was necessarily delivered to the address on the package ! The package was found to still be at the office even though the computer showed it as "delivered". I now use Certified mail with signature required.

Jerry

wrong.
not only does it have to be delivered to the addressee, it must not be dropped in a box, it is suppose to be hand delivered to a person.(yes they mostly drop it at your address)
it is final scanned at the destination , not at the last post office.........maybe some small town where they own one scanner ??

mike

[leftiye]

Not to hi jack this thread, but all you paypal lovers - have you ever filed a complaint with them about a bad transaction? I bought 100 lbs of linotype from a crook on evil bay in December. When I melted it, 65% of it turned to muck (zinc contamination I think). Seller told me to p!$$ up a rope when I asked him for a refund. Filed a complaint with Paypal ($2000 buyer protection you know.....). They told me to ---- up a rope too! I think they won't refund your loss unless they can get the seller to part with the refund. Have had better luck with eBay dispute resolution though.

[softpoint]

When I have a purchase like that, It's either credit card or a bank cashiers check. They do charge a couple dollars for those ,and you have to go to your bank to get them, but they can stop payment on them immediatly.

[hpdrifter]

wrong.
not only does it have to be delivered to the addressee, it must not be dropped in a box, it is suppose to be hand delivered to a person.(yes they mostly drop it at your address)
it is final scanned at the destination , not at the last post office.........maybe some small town where they own one scanner ??

mike
wrong!

I just lost an inexpensive heirloom. They said it shoulda been "insured". The delivery confirmation said it was delivered, but it wasn't. There is no signature required so they could just throw it out the window and say it was delivered.

[PatMarlin]

I had a couple things not arrive that were paid for by PayPal. They didn't refund my money because they couldn't get it back from the seller! Their guarantee is BS.

I called the credit card company and had the charge removed. PayPal wasn't very happy!! They said that if I did it again they might suspend my account.

John

This is very true. If the sellar doesn't have money in his account YOU are sol.

I do a ton of business with PayPal. All and all I'm happy with them. They are much better now than they were few years back.

[PatMarlin]

I recently discovered first hand that the Delivery Confirmation means that the package was delivered to the local Post Office and scanned there. It does not mean it was necessarily delivered to the address on the package ! The package was found to still be at the office even though the computer showed it as "delivered". I now use Certified mail with signature required.

Jerry

This is true. Delivery confirmation is worthless. Signature Confirmation tracks it, and it has to be signed.

[Pardini]

The Pay Pal Buyer Protection is only for items purchased thru E Bay. Pay Pal will not get involved in anyway in transactions outside of E Bay.

This heavily favors the seller because Pay Pal will not take money out of their account no matter how bad the buyer gets screwed. All they say is read our users agreement, but we will keep an eye on this seller and if we get alot of other complaints we may suspend the account.


As for the USPS , The tracking number is nothing more than a feel good number. It gives the illusion of tracking, but in fact there is no information tied to it at all. They can't tell who the sender or the addressee is from the number. They can tell you if it was delivered but can't gaurantee that it was delivered to the addressee. Could very well have been delivered to your nieghbor.

[twotrees]

I packed it in a hard case and that inside of a cardboard box.

I put addresses inside both containers.

Then wrapped it in Brown Paper and addressed that. Shipped from Ga on Tuesday arrived at Gunsmith on Thursday. It was insured and Delivery confirmation was received.

All in all not bad service. MUCH BETTER that my last experience with UPS !!!!


Good Shooting,

TwoTrees

[mike in co]

wrong!

I just lost an inexpensive heirloom. They said it shoulda been "insured". The delivery confirmation said it was delivered, but it wasn't. There is no signature required so they could just throw it out the window and say it was delivered.

RICK....
this is not wrong.
you need to go back to the post office and talk to the post master. if no satisfaction move up the chain and let them know.
what is done by a letter carrier is not post office policy.
demand they be held accountable for thier actions...they did not follow thier own rules.

'mike

[PatMarlin]

The Pay Pal Buyer Protection is only for items purchased thru E Bay. Pay Pal will not get involved in anyway in transactions outside of E Bay.

This heavily favors the seller because Pay Pal will not take money out of their account no matter how bad the buyer gets screwed. All they say is read our users agreement, but we will keep an eye on this seller and if we get alot of other complaints we may suspend the account.




Nope- this is not even close. No flame intended, but the buyer protection plan most certainly does cover buyers who purchase outside of eBay. Where does this stuff come from?

50% of my online sales business comes through PayPal, and they will yank cash out of my bank account in a hot minuet. They side with the buyer first, and then I have to document and prove my case.

3-4 years ago, they were REALLY bad. They just didn't have their processes down to accurately look at what had happened in a transaction. Now, I've got to say they are on it. They have very fair rullings, and you can get them on the phone right now and explain what has happened. They will walk right through the transaction history with you, on the phone.

[Scrounger]

Nope- this is not even close. No flame intended, but the buyer protection plan most certainly does cover buyers who purchase outside of eBay. Where does this stuff come from?

50% of my online sales business comes through PayPal, and they will yank cash out of my bank account in a hot minuet. They side with the buyer first, and then I have to document and prove my case.

3-4 years ago, they were REALLY bad. They just didn't have their processes down to accurately look at what had happened in a transaction. Now, I've got to say they are on it. They have very fair rullings, and you can get them on the phone right now and explain what has happened. They will walk right through the transaction history with you, on the phone.

They call it 'misinformation', Pat. People have been known to stretch the truth or bend and extrapolate it a little to try to convince people they are right. Don't sweat it, we'll never change their minds, nor they ours. It is their loss.