Say WHAT???

Neal

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So, I sold my F-50R last week, with a 7 day return offered so the buyer could try it out. He decided not to keep it and sent it back to me via USPS.

Delivery was attempted last Friday. I was not home, so the carrier left a pink delivery notice in my mailbox.

I tried to pick it up at the post office the following day, but arrived after their 2 pm Saturday closing. I notified the buyer of the delay.

Today, I went on my lunch hour to pick up the guitar, and the USPS employee told me that I had already picked up the package...uh, no.

I had the pink slip in my hand. On the back, it requires the signature, printed name and address of the package owner, and the presentation of their photo ID, in order to release the package.

Somehow, that did not prevent a USPS employee from giving the wrong package (my guitar!) to the wrong customer. So far, that customer has not come forward to return the guitar.

Neither the front-line USPS employee who "helped" me, nor their supervisor with whom I insisted to speak, had a clue what to do next, other than to "talk to the Postmaster" and call me later. No call was forthcoming this afternoon.

I found the email address of the Postmaster online, and sent her an email documenting the situation to establish a paper trail. No response yet.

Two questions:

1. Has this ever happened to any of you?

2. What would you do if you were me?

I have assured the buyer that he will be compensated. It is definitely not his fault.
 
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txbumper57

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What A Nightmare Neal! Do they have security video of the person picking it up at the counter? Possibly parking lot video of the vehicle and license plate number? There should be a record of the time in the computer that it was picked up at least. Personally I would get up with Default since he is the resident USPS member around here to figure out what options you have. Was it shipped back to you with insurance coverage? Hoping the best for you and a favorable outcome.

TX
 

Default

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Should be video recording of the front desk area. Review that and you should know what the culprit looks like. Call the Postal Inspection Service immediately. This is mail theft.
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/...d/fraudschemes/mailtheft/ReportMailTheft.aspx
If you prefer to file your complaint over the phone, please call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).

In the future, require signature confirmation or Certified mail.
In the case of rare or unique guitars that have a high value or are irreplaceable, send it registered, where there is a chain of custody and the employee's wages are garnished to cover the replacement cost of the item.

We are very careful with registered items. ;-)

 
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Neal

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Thanks, guys. I will call the USPS customer service line supplied by Default in the morning.

At the very least, an error was made by the USPS employee in not following proper procedure. As I stood there in vain searching for answers, I had a birds-eye view of the process as a line of people behind me retrieved their packages. The package and the pink slip are both supposed to be scanned to ensure that they match.

There is also someone out there who has my guitar, KNOWS they have my guitar, and have realized that they can probably get away with keeping/selling it, courtesy of the USPS mistake. I will have my eye on Craigslist. The guitar, as you recall, has an unmistakable pattern of weather-checking on the top.

The buyer did insure the shipment, but I really don't want to leave him on the hook.
 
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MLBob

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Wow! No words.

Hope you get follow up from higher ups..
 

Bonneville88

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That is insane!... man, I'd be getting a little crazy... good on you for
staying calm enough to work toward figuring out wtf happened!
I have never shipped a guitar USPS or had anyone ship me a guitar
using USPS, but have heard mostly good reports from others,
but this sure gives pause...!
 
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txbumper57

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Should be video recording of the front desk area. Review that and you should know what the culprit looks like. Call the Postal Inspection Service immediately. This is mail theft.
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/...d/fraudschemes/mailtheft/ReportMailTheft.aspx
If you prefer to file your complaint over the phone, please call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).

In the future, require signature confirmation or Certified mail.
In the case of rare or unique guitars that have a high value or are irreplaceable, send it registered, where there is a chain of custody and the employee's wages are garnished to cover the replacement cost of the item.

We are very careful with registered items. ;-)


I would also put out the word to local pawn shops in your area to be on the lookout as well as any local Guitar Shops that buy used gear. Maybe you can catch the person trying to sell it off quick before it is gone. The fact that it was insured at the least means the costs should be covered but I would pursue this to the end personally. Whoever picked up the package had to know that it wasn't theirs unless by some coincidence they were expecting a Guitar sized box as well. Highly unlikely though. I hope they get it worked out and I hope they go after the person who took it unless they truly did get it by mistake. If they did take it by mistake then it should be showing back up at the post office tomorrow if they are being honest about things. Best of luck and let us know how things work out.

TX
 

jeffcoop

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Crazy situation, Neal. I hope it gets resolved soon.
 

Cougar

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At the very least, an error was made by the USPS employee in not following proper procedure.

I can't imagine they would give that package away to someone who wouldn't even have known it was there to be picked up. More likely: a USPS employee took it home. Most likely: it hadn't been picked up in a couple days, and they put it in some other area that they haven't checked yet. Or they sent it out for delivery again, and it'll turn up tomorrow. OK, I'm an optimist. :tiger:
 

Los Angeles

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I'm with Cougar. what's most likely happened is a worker put in the wrong code. so instead of "out for delivery" it was accidentally marked as "picked up". it usually takes a few days to sort out.
 

Neal

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Little known fact. USPS, unlike FedEx and UPS, do not automatically make additional attempts at delivery unless requested by the customer. The package stays at the post office for 10 days, then gets shipped back.

So, here is where it gets strange.

USPS Tracking labels the shipment as "picked up by customer at main post office, 10:33 am" on Saturday. I was nowhere near the place.

I was presumably the only person (other than the buyer who shipped it back to me) that knew it was there, and what was in the box (although it was guitar-sized and had "Gibson" writ large on both sides).

As of today, hope is fading that it is still in the USPS system and that someone made a simple clerical mistake, given that the box and the customer's pink delivery-attempted slip must match.
 

Westerly Wood

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Sorry to hear this Neal. Terrible incompetence at post office. They have no record of the exchange?
 

mavuser

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this sucks, i'll just add I would not rule out, among other possibilities, a scam that involves the buyer returning it and someone pretending to be u and going to pick it up. Was it attempted to be delivered to your door? or did they arrange PO pickup? think about someone going to the post office to pick up a package, and they give them the incorrect box, a big Gibson Guitar box with a heavy jumbo guitar and case inside. think about all the errors that have to happen on one side of the counter, and the thought process of the person picking up the package.

Now it may be "lost" inside the post office somewhere, or it could be an employee playing games, but I would not be in such a hurry to refund the buyer *yet*

good luck sir!
 

Neal

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The prospective buyer is a member of this forum. He is absolutely blameless.

Delivery was attempted at my house last Friday, so I know there was nothing weird going on until 10:33 on Saturday morning.

And, frankly, if someone were to go through the motions of obtaining a guitar by fraud, why would they pick one that is cosmetically flawed and immediately recognizable?
 
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mavuser

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cool well that makes me feel a little better for u, just covering all possible bases. have heard some wild and crazy stories. good luck getting it straightened out
 
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