OT: Help with USPS insurance claim

[vintagetoppsguy]

I have a question about an USPS Insurance Claim and I was wondering if anybody’s had a similar experience or any advice. Here’s the background. I sold something on another message board and the buyer paid via PayPal Friends and Family. It was $165. The buyer informed me that he lived in a bad neighborhood and requested that I send it with Signature Confirmation. I figured if he lives in a bad neighborhood, it doesn’t matter or not if I send it with Signature Confirmation if it gets stolen. So, I sent it with $250 insurance so he would have to sign for it anyway and the insurance would protect me.

A couple of weeks later, he emails me stating that he never received his package. I looked up the tracking number (VH612736607US ) and the last thing it says is “Out for Delivery” but not delivered. I gave it a few more days just to see if it would show up and then filed an insurance claim. As proof of value, I sent screen shots of the item for sale, screen shots of the PMs in which he offered to buy it, screen shots of my PayPal account showing the money received and screen shots on my PM back to him notifying him that it was shipped along with the tracking number. I didn’t think there would be any problems.

I received a letter today from the USPS stating that my claim had been rejected because of lack of proof of value. The letter went on to say that they needed the PayPal Completed Transaction Detail Report showing date of transaction, to whom the article was sent, to whom the article is coming from, article’s description, total amount of the article, etc. Here’s the problem. Since it was PayPal Friends and Family, there is no Transaction Detail Report showing that information.

Has anybody ever had this issue or have any advice?

[bobbyw8469]

Proof of value can be a price guide I would think? It doesn't have to be what yours sold for. If I managed to find a copy of Action #1 at a thrift store for $10, does that mean the value is the $10 I paid at the thrift store or the $250,000 that Overstreet Price Guide values it at?? Know what I mean?? Good luck David....

[Peter_Spaeth]

.2
Appealing a Claim Decision
[1-26-14] A customer may appeal a claim decision within 30 days from the date of the original decision at www.usps.com/insuranceclaims/online.htm. Customers who did not file their claim online must send written appeals to Accounting Services (see 608.8.0 for address).

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

.2
Appealing a Claim Decision
[1-26-14] A customer may appeal a claim decision within 30 days from the date of the original decision at www.usps.com/insuranceclaims/online.htm. Customers who did not file their claim online must send written appeals to Accounting Services (see 608.8.0 for address).

Peter,

Thanks! Understood, but they're asking me to provide as proof something that doesn't exist - the PayPal Completed Transaction Detail Report. Since it was PayPal Friends and Family, there is no Transaction Report because it wasn't really a 'transaction'. That's why I was wondering if anybody else has ever dealt with this situation.

I feel like I'm getting the runaround from the USPS. I paid for postage, insured that parcel, they screwed up and now want to deny my claim. I did what I was supposed to do - sent the package insured - and basically they're trying to weasel out of paying a claim.

David
David

[Peter_Spaeth]

David, I agree, but that's what claims people do -- they try to find a reason to deny. I don't know what else you can do except file an appeal at this point, you can't manufacture proof of value other than what you have.

[t206hound]

I've never had to do it, but if you have emails (date/time stamped) that you can produce that show a sale price of $165, then that should be sufficient. Whether you collected money via paypal, check, money transfer, etc. is immaterial.

Note that there is no circumstance in which you will collect more in insurance than the sale price; you are generally better off insuring for less.

[CTDean]

David, I have had problems a few times with ebay packages that never arrived. Just like yours, they were insured and the last tracking info was "Out for Delivery". I think the Postal carrier just fails to scan the package when it is delivered. I filed a missing package claim with the Postal Inspectors and got a very quick response. The Postal Inspector sends the tracking information to the Postmaster in the city where the package went missing, and the Postmaster has to explain to Postal Inspectors what happen to this insured package. In my cases the Postmaster or Postal Inspector visited the houses where the package was to be delivered. Both times the buyer said he did find the package, and dropped the ebay case. Your package was not marked delivered, so the Post Office is responsible to find it or pay the claim.

[CTDean]

David, the United States Postal Inspection Service has it's own website.

www.postalinspectors.uspis.gov

Google: Postal Inspector

[buymycards]

David,
Call the Postmaster in the delivery office. He/she should be able to find the carrier who delivered to that particular address on that day, and they may be able to come up with some info. You can also file an online complaint on USPS.com and the Postmaster is required to follow up within 24 hours. It always work best to go right to the top and talk to the Postmaster.


I don't know why you can't come up with a PayPal receipt or invoice. The opening page of your PayPal account should contain a list of all of your transactions, and you can click on a link to get the details for a particular transaction.

Good luck,
Rick

[D. Bergin]

It should be fairly easy to create an invoice in Word or Excel you can send to the PO.

Make sure you have your address, the buyers address, date of payment, date of shipment, method of Payment, Detailed list of item(s) that were sold, and cost of each item.