USPS DOES NOT PAY THEIR INSURANCE CLAIMS LAS VEGAS Nevada

I have an account with USPS and do a lot of online shipping with carrier pickup. I packed and insured an expensive piece of Daum crystal using a pristine and rigid box that had no imperfections. The crystal was packed using lots of bubble wrap and the ends were reinforced using stiff cardboard so there would be no shifting of the item during transit. The vase was shipped to an officer at a US Air Force base in Egypt. I was notified by the recipient that the box was crushed upon arrival and that the vase had shattered. I then called the US Postal service to inquire into the protocol for initiating the claims process since the box was shipped to the Middle East. I was instructed to have the box shipped back to my address and to bring it to my local post office where I was to fill out the claims paperwork and leave the parcel for inspection. When the package was returned, the box had visible damage and was crushed on a corner. I took the package to my local USPS and initiated the claims process as instructed.

I received a letter from USPS (dated August 4th) stating that there was no visible damage to the exterior or interior of the package. I personally saw the damage to the box so I went to my post office, retrieved the box and took photos of it on the counter. I enclosed photos of the package as documentation of the damage. The package remained at the post office per their instructions during the appeals process. I asked to be notified of the appeals hearing so that I could participate in the process.

I called August 12th (866-974-2733) and spoke with a postal employee. They advised that they needed more information from my local post office and that the denial did not look right. The employee said they would give me an update in 5-7 days. I never heard back from them. I called again on August 18th and they claimed they had no further information even after I was promised an update. I then called my local post office and a supervisor ("Al") said he had not heard from the claims department at all in reference to this claim. I called again on September 11th and was told that my appeal had still not been entered in their computer. Another call was placed on October 6th and I was told someone would call me back (incident # 123076). Since there was still no record of my appeal, I mailed a second appeal with photos on October 9th, this time using Priority Mail with delivery confirmation (0103 8555 7496 2179 0929). On October 9th, I called again to report that no one had called me back (incident # 126941). A Ms Wright told me that they would do some research and call me back. On October 15th I called yet again and this time spoke with Sharon (incident # 135750) who promised me yet again that someone would call me back. On October 16th someone did finally call me back but not in the time frame I had requested (after 12 noon PST) so I called them back. They acknowledged receiving Priority Mail from me but claimed that my appeal still had not been entered into the computer. I asked if there was notation of all the times I had called, and she said they were switching to a new computer system and that my calls may not have been saved.

Surprisingly, I received a letter today (October 20th) from Autria Finley which was dated on October 16th stating that my appeal was denied. As I had called around 4-5 pm their time on October 20th, I don't see how they could have processed my appeal especially since their own personnel stated I was not even in the system yet. I have one final appeal to the Consumer Advocate in Washington, DC.

I under-insured the crystal for $800 and would like my $800 and shipping costs back. I can only hope that the consumer advocacy department in DC is more organized and interested in getting to the bottom of this then my experience with the Claims Dept in St. Louis who I found unprofessional and frankly, uncaring.

This goes to show you that you can pay for USPS insurance but that does NOT mean that you are insured. I followed their instructions to the letter and have gotten nothing but delays, denials and more aggravation than you can possibly imagine.

What is it going to take to get what I rightfully paid for???

zehavi
Las Vegas, Nevada
U.S.A.