Behold wall of text!
Let me know if you guys have heard this one... today I received a package from an eBay order. Standard bubble mailer type deal. Except, this time it’s wrapped within a plastic baggie with a printed note from USPS. Basically an apology letter “We are sorry. We fucked up your package. But we’re sorry. I mean, seriously guy, we’re reallllly sorry. We strive to do better but... we’re sorry”
What’s wrong with it? Well it honestly looks to be covered in blood. Dried up dark splotches of dark red / brown smeared across the package, and vibrant crimson wet droplets still beading up on the inside of the baggie.
WTF.
No,
Warm-and-brown, it actually means that there was an accident and something, possibly unfortunate, happened to the person that handles your mail.
Yeah, the shipping business, exactly. That's a stupid policy. "If we fuck up, you have to pay for it." That's not like a car insurance or house insurance where it's in case of accidents, wear and tear, or disasters happen. The USPS damaged the item, I feel like they should have to be responsible for that. It's a cop-out.
Here's the thing, it's not a stupid policy, it's their way of covering their asses, just like many other companies out there have their own way of doing so. If you're selling a high-ticket item, then the most reasonable thing to do is insure it. The other thing is the USPS has standards when it comes to packaging, and for insurance claims all packages have to conform to those standards. Like for example, writing or slapping a label that reads "do not bend" will do nothing in the event whatever you receive comes warped or bent because that item wasn't packaged accordingly with stiffeners to help protect it from bending during transit. In these type of instances your best course of action is to take your complaints to the sender. However, when it comes to insurance claims, while they tend to protract, and whether you want to believe it or not, the USPS takes and reviews all of them, but unfortunately just like with any other insurance company under the sun, they'll try their best to prolong the ordeal in order to frustrate you in the hopes that you give up, and most of the time they succeed, which is why claimants have to push their case for however long it may take.
The point is, items need to be packaged appropriately, so if you're shipping something that's fragile, then package the item in a sturdy box with enough cushioning for it to survive the trip and the possibility of some roughness on the way instead of writing "fragile" with a sharpie hoping the USPS gods smile down on you. People need to understand that the USPS isn't a daycare for packages, so they need to stop expecting they'll canoodle their packages all the way to the front of their door.
With all that said, though, most government agencies aren't exactly paragons of competence, so...
I wonder if a handler for USPS got cut or otherwise hurt and blood got on the package or something?
Yeah, pretty much. The note basically reads: "The person that services your route was involved in an industrial/vehicular incident and because of this your mail came in contact with blood." This isn't usually the case, but this has sometimes meant the death of a postman. While it's truly unpleasant to receive a package in this manner, USPS isn't exactly a grocery store where if something like this happens they can dispose of the "merchandise"; the mail has to be delivered, so there's literally no other way they can do any better. Sure, I'll concede that they could maybe include surgical gloves for the recipient to handle the package, but they do make sure to explain the situation with the attached letter, so the obvious course of action is to handle with care.
Remember, not even death itself stops the mail.
On a side, yet bizarre and morbid note, there are people that actually collect these type of mail items.
Ok then, you guys can be a-okay with damaged stuff just getting a sorry note. But I still think it's B.S. I agree to disagree.
I see you still like to make mountains out of molehills, as per usual. What happened was out of their hands, plain and simple. Insurance is there for a reason, whether you like it or not. Places like Amazon and Walmart, for example will cover your purchase, so no need to worry about damaged packages. For orders from places like eBay, in most cases when a parcel gets damaged is because the sender didn't bother to package it appropriately, so the sender is the one to both blame and direct your complaints to, and if they don't budge, then use the tools you're given to get your money back.
As I stated already, that "sorry note" was because of an accident that caused the package to get bloodied, not because it was mishandled.
Just quite recently in Ohio there was an accident involving a USPS carrier that was injured in a crash, so who knows what happened in this particular case.
TL;DR: Shit happens.
