USPS Insurance Claim

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Deepfins791
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USPS Insurance Claim

Post by Deepfins791 »

Last November I sold some relatively valuable photos to a collector on the East Coast. Despite having them sandwiched between foam core board and placed in a padded envelope marked all over the outside with, "photos - do not bend!", they had been bent completely in half during transit. Both myself and the buyer were devastated. The photos weren't destroyed, but they now had a nasty crease right through the middle of them.

Fortunately, I had insured them for the full value, but I had never filed a claim before. Here is what I learned. The USPS gives you plenty of time to file a claim. I believe it is 60 days from the delivery date. And you can file the claim online. You need pictures of the packaging, pictures of the damaged article(s), a copy of your USPS receipt, and documentation of the value of the item. I got an appraisal from a certified appraiser. It took me a while to get all the required documents/photos submitted, and filling out the on-line claims application on the USPS' website was a bit of a slog. Once finished, you hit the submit button, and get a claim number.

A couple weeks later, I received a letter from USPS asking that the packaging and the damaged items be turned into the post office. I contacted the addressee and he took them over to his local PO. The PO has the right to ask for the items and possibly keep them. Well, then I waited, and I waited, and I waited. Lo and behold, today, a check arrived from the USPS for the full insured amount! It took about 6 weeks.

To save a few bucks, I have been guilty of under-insuring a lot of the tackle I ship. I dreaded the thought of actually having to file a claim, and questioned whether after going through the process, I would ever see a dime. There have been times my profit margin on an item was so slim, neither I or the buyer was willing to absorb the extra expense. But I gotta say, I am now a believer in paying the insurance, and I am now confident if I was to file a claim with the USPS, I might actually get my money.

John
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Mike N
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by Mike N »

Great post. Thanks. I too fight the idea of having to pay extra for insurance to make sure the USPS does its job correctly.

Shouldn’t they be the one paying for insurance to cover the damage they cause, especially since you already paid postage to cover the cost of the delivery of your item?

Every other business and profession has to pay for its mistakes, except the post office with its artificial “cap” on damages. Geez...

Mike N.
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Reeltyme

Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by Reeltyme »

Gentlemen, I believe you are misunderstanding the USPS process. The initial charge for taking your package from point A to point B and the token offering of the $50 insurance coverage, is a test for the customer. If you read or ask the clerk at the office, you will find out that no guarantee is offered on arrival time or condition. A simple “estimation” is all that will be given. When the customer does not add additional insurance to the package, the postal service is now aware that the package offers no challenge or is not worth breaking, although to stay in top package breaking condition, they will practice on the lower cost packages. Once a customer adds additional insurance to a package, the postal service is now aware of a potential target or challenge for the “hunters” in the field. The item is now fair game for attempting at “package breakage”. This challenge for the postal personnel has become a game where they can win points for each package broken. These points can be turned in at the end of their employment for earlier retirement. Bonus points are awarded for all broken packages that did not receive the insurance claim (mostly due to the cumbersome and time consuming process). The following procedures are recommended;

NEVER send any package marked “fragile”! This is an instant target.
NEVER add insurance over the free insurance. This is an instant target.
NEVER write “do not bend” on your package. This is an instant target.

Good Luck!
Harry Verdurchi
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by Harry Verdurchi »

Reeltyme wrote:Gentlemen, I believe you are misunderstanding the USPS process. The initial charge for taking your package from point A to point B and the token offering of the $50 insurance coverage, is a test for the customer. If you read or ask the clerk at the office, you will find out that no guarantee is offered on arrival time or condition. A simple “estimation” is all that will be given. When the customer does not add additional insurance to the package, the postal service is now aware that the package offers no challenge or is not worth breaking, although to stay in top package breaking condition, they will practice on the lower cost packages. Once a customer adds additional insurance to a package, the postal service is now aware of a potential target or challenge for the “hunters” in the field. The item is now fair game for attempting at “package breakage”. This challenge for the postal personnel has become a game where they can win points for each package broken. These points can be turned in at the end of their employment for earlier retirement. Bonus points are awarded for all broken packages that did not receive the insurance claim (mostly due to the cumbersome and time consuming process). The following procedures are recommended;

NEVER send any package marked “fragile”! This is an instant target.
NEVER add insurance over the free insurance. This is an instant target.
NEVER write “do not bend” on your package. This is an instant target.

Good Luck!

Good One !!!!
But you left out Perishable
with Perishable on the Package you are Guaranteed for D.O.A. or ROTTEN.
And CONTAINS GLASS, (The more pieces it is in when it arrives to it's destination the more points they get) Do Not Stack , always insures your item to be on the bottom of a load of anvils)
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by Reel Geezer »

My wife had a very collectible item broken in shipment to her. She filed a claim and took the item and package to our post office for inspection. The claims guy looked it over and just said that the fact that the item broke proved that it was packaged poorly and denied the claim. Governmental logic in action.
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Midway Tommy D
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by Midway Tommy D »

Reeltyme wrote:When the customer does not add additional insurance to the package, the postal service is now aware that the package offers no challenge or is not worth breaking, although to stay in top package breaking condition, they will practice on the lower cost packages. Once a customer adds additional insurance to a package, the postal service is now aware of a potential target or challenge for the “hunters” in the field. The item is now fair game for attempting at “package breakage”. This challenge for the postal personnel has become a game where they can win points for each package broken. These points can be turned in at the end of their employment for earlier retirement. Bonus points are awarded for all broken packages that did not receive the insurance claim (mostly due to the cumbersome and time consuming process). The following procedures are recommended;

NEVER send any package marked “fragile”! This is an instant target.
NEVER add insurance over the free insurance. This is an instant target.
NEVER write “do not bend” on your package. This is an instant target.

Good Luck!
Randy,

Is this really legit or is it just satire?
Love those Open Face Spinning Reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)

Tom DeLong, NE
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john elder
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by john elder »

That would be satire, Tommy :roll:
ORCA member since 1999
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Specializing in saltwater reels...and fly reels...and oh, yeah, kentucky style reels.....and those tiny little RP reels.....oh, heck...i collect fishing reels!...and fly rods....and lures
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Midway Tommy D
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by Midway Tommy D »

john elder wrote:That would be satire, Tommy :roll:
Anything is possible nowadays, JE. :loco: We got a handmade ceramic bowl USPS from our daughter in CO the other day and nowhere on the box did it say fragile, glass or anything at all other than two address labels. She packed it well with big air packing and it arrived just fine, unbroken. The box didn't have a scratch, dent or rub mark on it when I found it on the front porch. :shock: I think it was the first USPS box or big envelope in the last five years I've received without some sort of tear or dent on it, so....... :mrgreen:
Love those Open Face Spinning Reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)

Tom DeLong, NE
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kyreels
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by kyreels »

I just ordered 6 led glass lightbulbs on Amazon and they arrived in a non-padded envelope. None were broken. I was amazed. Think there is no way that could happen if the package were marked fragile. Its all just a big crap shoot.

Guess that photographs should be shipped in a box from now on.
Matt Wickham
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reelsmith.
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by reelsmith. »

I've met a number of people who "self insure" ...they play the odds, regardless of the value of the item.

If I had to guess how much money I've spent (wasted?) on insurance over the past 40 years, I think it would be in the $30K to $40K range. Kinda' crazy.

Had I never insured a package I'd be way ahead of the game as I've only made two claims and both were relatively small.

Personally, I think there is some truth to the high dollar postage on the box tipping folks in the system off to the value of the package. Its a flag.

That's a benefit in printing postage, the value is not shown.

Dean.
Wanted: Kosmic Items, Small Leather Fly Reel Cases, Early Fishing Related Bottles, Fly Reels and Pre-1900 Angling/Casting Medals.

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wrong99
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by wrong99 »

I was a Postal Service Contract Route Driver for over ten years, where I worked the docks of the Postal Service Processing Center every night. The things that are done to parcels by many postal mail handlers and/or their equipment are unthinkable. Internal theft is rampant. Needless to say, after witnessing these nightmares on a daily basis, I always insure to the max anything of value. For those sending extremely high-value reels or rods, Registered Mail is the ONLY form of service offered by the USPS that makes it IMPOSSIBLE for damage or theft to occur.
Mark
Reeltyme

Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by Reeltyme »

Mark, Thanks for posting this. This is invaluable information and greatly appreciated!
Thanks from all of us I’m sure!
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54bullseye
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by 54bullseye »

wrong99 wrote:I was a Postal Service Contract Route Driver for over ten years, where I worked the docks of the Postal Service Processing Center every night. The things that are done to parcels by many postal mail handlers and/or their equipment are unthinkable. Internal theft is rampant. Needless to say, after witnessing these nightmares on a daily basis, I always insure to the max anything of value. For those sending extremely high-value reels or rods, Registered Mail is the ONLY form of service offered by the USPS that makes it IMPOSSIBLE for damage or theft to occur.
Mark
The bad part of registered mail is it takes forever !!! I am on the east coast and I had bought some reels a few years back from Brian Purrone in Oregon I think it was over two weeks before I got them but they were in perfect shape on arrival !! I believe in double boxing and just way over packing as part of my insurance ! One person at my post office told me pack any box so it can survive a eight foot fall !! John Taylor
wrong99
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by wrong99 »

Generally, if it's sent Registered Priority Mail, it takes 2-3 days longer than regular Priority. The cost is $10 extra for Registered Mail (on top of the Priority Mail fee) but, because the risk factor is basically zero, insurance is incredibly cheap. It takes a few extra days because every time your Registered parcel physically changes possession, each party has to sign a change of possession form, after which the parcel is either locked in a safe or in a locked caged area by the registry clerk. When I loaded the mail at the dock of the Processing Center to take to a designated Post Office, if there was a piece of Registered Mail, the registry clerk would meet me at the dock and we would both sign a change of possession form just before I departed. The parcel would be the first thing off my truck when I arrived at the post office, where the post office Supervisor and I would sign another change of possession form. From there it would go to another locked area of the local Post Office for the customer to pick up and sign for. If the registered parcel should disappear somewhere along the way, the Postal Service would know exactly who last had possession of the parcel and they would be completely responsible, either financially or with their job, or both. This is why theft or damage NEVER occurs with Registered Mail. I've never heard of it taking two weeks, unless it was sent Registered Parcel Post, but you never know with the Postal Service.
Mark
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

Post by 54bullseye »

Well thanks for the explanation Mark that sounds like the way to go on big ticket items !! Thanks !! John Taylor
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Re: USPS Insurance Claim

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