a little story about the u.s.p.s.

[CLAYPOOL]

UPDATE ON MAG - 10 SHOTGUN. I finally got the shotgun back @ the end of December. 9 months. Still can't get anything else from the Post Office. Had to sign a release form to get it. The lady in Texas won't refund the gun price either. ATTENTION: You had better put TO and FROM on the outside of the package No matter what the gal in the Post Office tells you...

[Petrol & Powder]

My local Post Office is staffed by good people and they do a good job, unfortunately that's just one link in a very long chain.

Getting all the way back to the OP, The Post Office has a lot of discretion over packages in their control. Generally speaking, a warrant is needed to open an inspect first class mail and some packages but there are exceptions. If the package was inadvertently damaged, it can be inspected to determine if it is safe to continue delivery. There are border search exceptions, there are hazardous materials inspections and other exemptions.

More than likely in the OP's situation, the package was damaged in transit and opened as a result of that damage but then the PO failed to follow through and get it back into the system. It eventually made its way back into the delivery chain and the OP received it.

And BTW, private carriers such as FedEx and UPS always reserve the right to open any package under their control - and they DO NOT need a reason to open the package. If you don't believe that, read the fine print on your shipping contract. Now, as a practical matter, they rarely exercise that option because they are interested in delivering the package and really don't want to waste time inspecting them.

[mac60]

So... I ordered gas checks from sage's. They're located in Jacksonville, Al. - not really all that far from me. They went from Jacksonville, Al. to Birmingham, Al., from there it's just a few hrs. drive down I-65 to get to where I'm at. From there they went to San Antonio, Tx. for some reason. Don't get it...

[Echo]

When I wrap stuff to go by USPS, I always put a Return Address label on the inner wrapping - in case to vinyl-tape wrapped box/envelope breaks open (?) and the stuff inside is loose, without the packaging. I've had (a couple of times) FRE's delivered without contents, envelope torn open by machinery (maybe) and contents fallen (?) out. Never again, since wrapping EVERYTHING in vinyl tape.

[starbits]

While I have had my share of problems with the usps, but occasionally they shine! I had a renter send me a monthly rent check where they misspelled my name, the street name, the city name, had no state on it, and had the wrong street number and the wrong zip code. Not a single thing in the address was correct, yet it still arrived. On the other hand I have had packages correctly addressed to me and had the PO return them because there was no such address.

Starbits

[Petrol & Powder]

So... I ordered gas checks from sage's. They're located in Jacksonville, Al. - not really all that far from me. They went from Jacksonville, Al. to Birmingham, Al., from there it's just a few hrs. drive down I-65 to get to where I'm at. From there they went to San Antonio, Tx. for some reason. Don't get it...

Hub distribution system. Everything goes to the hub and then is directed from there by the most efficient means, not always the shortest route. It doesn't always make sense when viewed as an individual package.

[RED BEAR]

The worst experience I have had with USPS is when I mailed off my bills and more than 2 weeks later a neighbor 10 houses down brought all the payments I had mailed and said they were delivered to his house that day. My credit card company informed me that my interest rate was tripling because of the payment was late. Blr mike I am certain there are some good USPS employees somewhere I just haven't seen any in a long time. Our distribution center was on the news as being one of the worst in the country. Try to order supplies from USPS 5 times never got them main post office tried to say they were sent to a small local office (not the one that delivers the mail because there was a zip code on the request ) . never heard of a persons mail going to a post office instead of my house . the small USPS office told me that they have had a lot of these complaints and what the main office told me was not true why would they come there instead of where they were addressed to. I did get good service when I lived in the country but that was 40 years ago.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I recently ordered supplies and somehow they were dropped off at a distant office & I "picked them up" from there... Mind you, I was in the hospital with pneumonia for a few days before & after that date, somehow I must have teleported over there & they didn't mind the hospital gown apparently. (You'd think I'd have gotten at least a "crack kills" comment on that?) I've had pretty good luck other than that, but heard other horror stories.

[shooterg]

Went through 2 levels of appeal on the "insurance" on the package referenced earlier in this thread to no avail. 3rd level of appeal, I pm'd the buyer that I had refunded asking for a notarized statement if convenient, but no responce before the appeal date expiration. Apparently the appeals are handled by a third party whose main job is to make sure they do not pay !

Local PO ladies fine, they're used to the Greensboro sorting facility losing stuff, not much they can do about it.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Just to put the shoe on the other foot, how about the really poor and shoddy way some sellers will pack the stuff you bought from them. I`ve had `J` bullets packed loose in a zip lock bag and that going into a simple brown envelope. Out of 250 bullets that I paid for that got shipped that way I wound up with 28 that got stuck in the bags corners. The P.O. said there was no insurance on the package, even though they delivered the shredded bags. The seller in Iowa was very nice about my loss saying `That`s too bad` and never to be heard from again.Robert