Mail Theft From My Residence.

[mecse]

Originally Posted by adamhell

Hello,
I thought it would be smart to inquire here: I ordered a set of thomson titanium mountain bars on ebay and the tracking number information says they were delivered on March 26 at 11 am, but there is no package to be found. I assume that they were stolen. Does anybody have any experience with this? I contacted the seller on ebay to let them know what happened, and am awaiting a response from them, hoping they got insurance on the bars.

You're in the bay area, right? I think this happens a lot over there I've known of two or three other people who've had a theft like this. Sigh.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by mecse

You're in the bay area, right? I think this happens a lot over there I've known of two or three other people who've had a theft like this. Sigh.

'Porch Pirates'..http://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/11/porch...eliveries.html

Best to require signature. May be a PITA, but it reduces above, as long as ship company does what is asked, sign.

[fuzzalow]

Yeah, not much option here when there is no one at the address to receive the package. Either gotta get a signature or send it to your place of employment.

Places of employment almost never hassle you about getting personal packages but it might depend on security policies in effect imposed by building management for where you're at too. Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason for heightened security procedures in screening incoming material. If you work in The City that's just how it gets sometimes.

Unless your neighborhood is impeccable, packages should always get a signature.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by fuzzalow

Either gotta get a signature or send it to your place of employment.

Not necessarily. For me it's ultra convenient to use the "hold" feature. USPS, if siggy required will hold the package at the post office, and Fedex can be held at their local store. both within a mile of my house and easy to collect from. that's what i do for higher value items.

[PaMtbRider]

We are currently dealing with a similar frustrating mail problem. Our mailman of 20 + years retired a few months ago. Since then we get someone Else's mail about once a week. It usually is bulk / junk mail but not always. It makes us wonder how much of our mail is in a neighbors box. We've already filed a complaint with the post office and were informed that we are not the first to complain.

[AngryScientist]

to add some comedy to this thread on a related note: speaking of junk mail...

somehow the AARP got the wild idea i'm very old, and i'm on some special AARP mailing list. i get multiple offers via paper mail a day for hearing aids, burial plots, telephones with loud speakers and big number keys, walkers, walk-in bathtubs, etc!

it's maddening!

[pbarry]

if AARP sends you an offer for a Worksman trike, buy one!!

[cash05458]

Adam, I used to be a mailman for USPS...so know a bit about this. My advice would be to go down and ask to see your local postmaster...explain the situation...via GPS they can look up to see where the carrier left object etc...let him know you were not home as well...usually, he will work with you and file a claim with USPS to get the money back to you... as long as it was at least sent priority there is insurance on it up to 200 bucks if I remember correctly...it might take awhile. If he refuses, call another local office and find out who the POOM is, basically the manager of all the district offices, for your area is...they will tell you...contact the POOM (or Poum, I can never remember what the hell it stands for) and tell him you are unhappy and he will almost certainly look into it and get it solved...should that not work (tho it should) mention to him you are going to have to call the Postal Inspection service...they will certainly work with you at that point is my strong guess...

[etu]

live up the street from the OP in the richmond district and there's been a lot of this going around and petty crime in general has been on the rise in SF.
used to be rare to see cars broken into in golden gate park in the past, but they are a regular sight now.
just the other night, i forgot to lock my car in front of my house and someone had rummaged through it - second time in the past six months.
so i'd like to be optimistic, but i'd say you're probably correct in assuming some lowlife swiped it.

[crossjunkee]

Mail and porch package theft is an epidemic in Denver.

[cash05458]

Mail and porch package theft is an epidemic in Denver.

via this...it takes one call to your local post office...tell them to tell your mail person..."do not leave on porch or anywhere if I am not home." They have a card for this they fill out and carrier keeps on file...they still do leave, you have mucho leverage...

[crossjunkee]

Originally Posted by cash05458

Mail and porch package theft is an epidemic in Denver.

via this...it takes one call to your local post office...tell them to tell your mail person..."do not leave on porch or anywhere if I am not home." They have a card for this they fill out and carrier keeps on file...they still do leave, you have mucho leverage...

We live in a new development and our mail is delivered to a central box, which I absolutely hate. We have a little box for mail and larger boxes for packages. If a package is delivered they leave a key in the smaller box for you to retrieve the package. The package keys should stay put once you open the larger box but they don't. They break into the boxes by prying them open or making copies of the keys since they don't actually stay put.

[cash05458]

Cross...then again, call your local...tell them this...say you don't want ANY packages left and to leave a note...this will solve problem...there is always a way to get it done via USPS if you ask and take the time...but otherwise you have this big ugly slow dinosaur that just does as does...so ask and fill out the card...end of story...of course. you will have to go down to pick up...but beats theft yes?

[chiasticon]

I'd suggest calling your postmaster this afternoon if it's not there yet. I've had to do this before and the guy was all too eager to help track the package down.

as you likely know, the USPS tracking system is filled with issues. often it'll say delivered when it's not or won't say any tracking info at all until it's delivered. however, they actually take a photo and store it internally every time the package arrives somewhere. so they can later track it if they need to. and it could be something totally weird going on.

for example, last year I had a package that was marked delivered but wasn't here. I waited a few days because it wouldn't be the first time a neighbor received my mail or vice-versa. still nothing. went into post office and dude took all my info. took a couple days but turns out the package (from Fairwheel, btw) had been given two labels; one for a guy a couple hours away but also in Ohio, and mine. so depending on which one the sorting machine saw first, it went there. ended up bouncing around between sorting facilities in Ohio and PA for a few weeks until the postmaster could get someone to grab it and manually fix it. but it was this process of taking a photo of the label at every sorting facility that enabled them to figure out what was happening.

now, why was it marked delivered? apparently, the carrier marked it that way and then went to deliver it here, saw it had another label on it for an address two hours away and took it back to the office. apparently they can't tag it or un-mark it as delivered at that point.

[93legendti]

Originally Posted by makoti

No, that is not necessarily so. Just happened to me. USPS said the delivered it to my mailbox. I never got it. Called the seller, who said call the PO because they delivered it. I told him he contracted with the PO to deliver, not me. Did call them, they started an inquiry. Never heard a thing.
Re-contacted the seller, who again said not his problem. Contacted Ebay, who offered a money back guarantee (that I knew nothing about). Filed a claim, was rejected, appealed, was reversed, got a refund.
Here's the thing: You don't KNOW they were stolen, only that you didn't get them. Maybe they were delivered a block away, or to 9019 instead of 1909. They still show delivered, either way.
Contact Ebay. Can't hurt.

Same here, has happened 3-4 times to me, Ebay and Amazon. Each time I got my money back. On Amazon, the seller sends out another item and told me to keep the first one if it ever shows up.

Very easy and quick. More so than hassling with USPS, but maybe people like the hassle.