Post office says delivered, Buyer says no...

[sycks22]

Signature confirmation costs $2.60, well worth it in the future.

[CobbSpikedMe]

I also have a card that shows delivered on ebay but I haven't seen it in the mailbox yet. It was a $10 card so I'm not overly concerned about it, but I'd sure like the card to actually show up in the next couple days. Not sure what I can do if the PO says it was delivered, even though it wasn't really there. I guess I'm just saying that it does really happen, probably a lot.

[bounce]

I think you're fine. If the PO says it was delivered, that's what will show.

It's possible that you may have to run the traps and have the funds held up for a little while, but if what you've said is true you should be fine.

You didn't need to do the extra insurance, and even if you had it...if you think Paypal disputes are sometimes bad, just wait until you try and make a claim at the post office for a package that they say is delivered but your buyer says wasn't.

[pokerplyr80]

I remember reading that the usps carriers frequently mark items as delivered that aren't so that they hit a certain percentage of on time deliveries. Especially important because of contracts with companies like amazon.

I have had "delivered" packages show up a day or two later, turn up at a neighbor's house, and not show up at all.

I wouldn't automatically assume this guy is scamming you, unless something else is giving you that impression.

[Fred]

I've got to believe that the postal service hires competent people but here's a neat one....

What looks to be time sensitive medical correspondence for someone else is delivered to my home. The next day the postal delivery person is stopped and the envelope is given to her with an explanation that it was given to me and not the person intended (who lived a couple of streets away). On the envelope I wrote "delivered to incorrect address". Five days later, guess what is in my mailbox? Yup, same letter. This time I figured I better just deliver it myself. The address on the envelope was clearly marked (it clearly isn't my address) and it wasn't my name, etc. How the heck does that happen?

I'm beginning to have doubts about the postal service because in the past year I've had two envelopes not delivered. One to an auction house (with a payment for an invoice), the other was a typical bill. It used to be unusual for the postal service to screw up the deliveries. Now it seems to becoming a bit more common.

[Brucepug]

When a parcel is scanned the scanner should send a gps signal to the “system”. You should be able to call the post office and see where and when the package was scanned. Then you can see if the mailman is incompetent or the buyer is either a scammer or had his package stolen.

[buymycards]

Originally Posted by Brucepug

When a parcel is scanned the scanner should send a gps signal to the “system”. You should be able to call the post office and see where and when the package was scanned. Then you can see if the mailman is incompetent or the buyer is either a scammer or had his package stolen.

That is correct. The gps tracking is incredibly accurate. When I was still working for the PO, I used gps tracking to locate packages. I would be able to tell customers things like -"Have you looked in your garage?", because the tracking was that precise. I could also tell them - "It looks like it was delivered to 406 Oak St instead of 408 Oak St". Then I would go where it was delivered and get it take it from the incorrect address to the correct address.

When you go to the PO to file a complaint, always insist on talking to the Postmaster or Supervisor. Some clerks can use the GPS tracking tool, but usually it is a management employee who has access to it. If it was correctly delivered, they can print you a map that shows exactly where it was delivered. It will also show the time of delivery. If the package shows that it was scanned as delivered at 10am and your carrier normally delivers your mail at 3pm, then there is a problem and the Supervisor should take that up with the carrier.