Another USPS Horror Story

[IndianasFinest]

First off.. Mods if this is in the wrong spot, I apologize, and please move it

So I bought a pistol off gunsamerica last week, and the seller asked me if it would be ok for him to ship USPS to my FFL. I suppose I should have known better with the Post Office's less then stellar record of performance, but went ahead with it. Now there policy for shipping a firearm states there must be delivery conformation on the package, and I asked the seller to please insure it as well as add tracking. Well I tracked the package yesterday, and it said it was delivered. Headed down to the shop only to be informed they had not received it or seen the postman in over a week !! So now I am pretty worried, and called the Post offices's BS help line. All they could tell me was that it was delivered in Clarksville, Indiana NO SPECIFIC ADDRESS. So my first question was "Well who the heck signed for it then ?" Didn't have that info either. SO now I am thinking great I am out a gun I paid for, and it's now just lost in time somewhere or in someone else's hands. I went back to the gun shop today to let them know of the situation when one of the guys suggested we check next store at a private residence to see if they happend to get it. Well guess what just happened to be sitting in there mail box with no signature ?? You guessed it my pistol !! Never ever again will I use the USPS......You think the Goverment could run a health care program ??

 

[redneckmedic]

File this one under....Lesson Learned and Firearm Recovered....Could have been much worse!!! Did you save on the FFL?

 

[Scutter01]

Not that Brown is much better. I avoid them as well after having many packaged marked "Adult Signature Required" drop-kicked from the truck to my porch, without obtaining a signature.

 

[IndianasFinest]

Actually the only person who saved money was the seller. I had to pay a $15 transfer fee regardless of which company handled the shipping. The seller saved $30 I think, but yea BIG lesson learned !

 

[husker]

Delivery confirmation does not require a signature.
All it really does is protect the sender from the receiver claiming it was never delivered.

 

[IndianasFinest]

Really ? Then what the heck is being confirmed ? Not being a jerk, just curious.

 

[purple72]

Delivery confirmation only requires a signature from the carrier. But, if it was insured, it would have required a signature at the delivery location. Was it insured? Doesn't sounds like it. All carriers are about the same. You only hear about the failures mostly. At least you got it finally, which was the objective.

 

[IndianasFinest]

It was insured, did you read my original post ?

 

[purple72]

Yes I did. So which tracking # did you use? The delivery confirmation, or the insurance #. The confirmation cost can be refunded, since it wasn't confirmed. But, it sounds like it worked out for you either way.

 

[IndianasFinest]

The tracking wasn't the issue. The issue was it was delivered to the wrong address, and nobody signed for it at all. It was just put in the mail box of the house next store to the gun shop. I could care less about refunding my money, but this could have turned out really bad. All someone would have had to do was open up the mail box, and that gun could have been gone, on the street in who know's hands. Since when I called the post office help line they couldn't tell me the exact address where it was left I would say I got very lucky in recovering my property.

 

[EdC]

All carriers are about the same. You only hear about the failures mostly.

This is true but I've always had ungodly failures with deliveries of guns, and not much else. Twice I've had pistols returned to me from a gunsmith/warranty work by FedEx. Both times the were left outside on my porch, instead of having to sign for them.

 

[Viper393]

Did 111 do your transfer?

 

[Indecision]

FFL stuff, i got nothing for you. As far as stuff to your house. I make friends with my UPS guys. They call me and ask about leaving **** at my house or offer to meet me in town. I order enough car parts they come by at least every other week for something.

 

[IndianasFinest]

Yea, 111 Did the transfer.... great guys over there.

 

[matthock]

Note that USPS insurance is practically worthless. They use their own internal auditors to decide what your item is worth and what they're going to offer you after you file a claim - it's totally disconnected from the amount you declare when you ship the package, that's just the upper limit.

As for the carriers - I've had problems with all 3, but I've had the best luck with UPS, personally. A LOT of it depends on the particular driver you're dealing with wherever the box is being shipped to - I'm guessing I just have a good local driver.

 

[IndianasFinest]

Yah know.... I guess I didn't really take into account either that the driver really didn't have any idea he was dropping off a gun....Maybe I over reacted a tad, but there should be some sort of double safety to prevent this kind of thing from happening.

 

[Beau]

It's to bad the post office is going downhill. Seems like most of the employees just don't care nowadays.

My advice is that if you are sending or receiving anything of value through USPS send it Registered Mail.

 

[Viper393]

Yea, 111 Did the transfer.... great guys over there.

I agree. I've bought my last 4 guns from them. I think your lost package could have been in a relatives mailbox if it was next door to 111/Party Central.

 

[IndianasFinest]

I'm not sure I'm just glad everything worked out, and nothing was lost or stolen !!

 

[WestSider]

This is part of the reason why I'm not big on buying guns online. Glad this story had a happy ending.