Need help with contacting USPS please!

[BruceP]

About 2 months ago I sent 2 packages to my daughter in the peace corps in Swaziland. They sat at that same Miami facility for weeks.

[Doug Rose]

Janet and I use USPS Medium Priority Flat box for all of our telephones we send out, unless we can use on the of the cheaper local boxes. The medium priority flat box is built like a tank and are free! Yes, sometimes the tracking numbers are updated slowly, many times after the package arrives....but the package always arrives in a the 3 day priority window. Got to keep the buyers happy and we do....mostly.

We sell a lot of phones and the USPS medium Priority flat box is a godsend to us. We can quote accurate shipping beforehand, get a free box, delivered to our home, to mail it it with delivery confirmation and insurance. I can count on one hand issues we have had with the USPS and most involved were outside of the US.

No, I do not work for the USPS....just my observation for years of use since it was $7.70. Still a bargain in my opinion. ...Doug

[DavePEI]

Sort Facility ISC MIAMI FL (USPS). is the Miami International Shipping Center. It is likely on its way to you as you speak, and may very well be caught in your customs.  Here, I have seen items sitting in customs for a week or more before continuing on to the Post Office where it gets its first Canadian scan.

Quite often I see the ISC arrival being the last US scan before parcels arrive at the P.O. in Canada and begin picking up local scans.

[Haf]

@ Doug

Janet and I use USPS Medium Priority Flat box for all of our telephones we send out,

I guess you don't ship single or three slot slot payphones But that is my biggest concern, as there are no standart boxes and those phones are quite heavy maybe one of the boxes is damaged, or address is unreadable or wrong and that might be the reason for being stuck in Miami.

@ Dave; unlikely it's in German customs as I guess they would have mentioned when picking up the three other phones bought after the one stuck and all already here (from different sellers packed separately and arrived/picked up different days). It seems to be different here from your place as if it is shipped from abroad you have to pick it up personally at customs office in your town, at least for non business buyers. You have to open the box, they check contains and you have to proof value with sales bill or in my case mostly ebay print outs, then pay all customs and take it home. Only thing you get by mail is a notification for picking the item up, but as I'm at the customs quite often and as old phones definitely are conversation pieces, those officers now give me a call as soon as it's in customs and I can pick it up even before I get the notification.

And I never had any bad experience so far with USPS, they update the status even more often than many others, for example USPS tracking informs me that the last phone I bought arrived in Germany, when looking at German DHL tracking it seems to be still in transit USA-Germany.
The only thing about USPS is that it seems to be impossible to contact them from outside USA and I don't want to fill in some address from someone in the USA just to be able to send them a mail.

Haf

[LarryInMichigan]

The USPS is hardly easy to contact by phone in the USA.  The local post office here NEVER answers phone calls.  I have called several times over the years, and all calls are answered by voice mail with a greeting that states that you will be called back.  I have left many messages but have never been called back.

The post office in a neighboring city is much better though.  When a phone which from Bulgaria was mis-sent, for whatever reason, to that other post office, I called there and was told that I could come and pick it up.  The woman who took the call placed the box behind the front counter so that it would be readily available when I arrived.  BTW, that post office was the scene of a horrific shooting back in 1991.

Larry

[Doug Rose]

I guess you don't ship single or three slot slot payphones

Haf....I have,  many times, but always Fedex. Unfortunately I have had many more problems with Fedex than the USPS. Boxes smashed, ripped open and heavy damage to items. I haven't had a payphone to sell in a while, but Fedex is not my favorite shipper....Doug

[Haf]

Doug; totally agree with you about Fedex I made similar experiences. And even if USPS have increased prices but not the service they're still the cheapest and most reliable for abroad.

Haf

[G-Man]

I don't know how long it takes an item shipped to Germany to arrive but it is once more time to attempt contact with the USPS regarding your overdue parcel.

I would also file a claim with eBay and also lean-on the seller to help resolve your problem.

Here is the contact information that was previously provided:

Email Us

For less urgent communication, you can email the Postal Service™ as follows:
•   Go to www.usps.com and click on "Customer Service" at the bottom of the page

•   Click on "Email Us"
•   Type in the required information
•   Click on "Submit."

You should receive a response within 1-3 business days.

Write Us

Customers may write the Postal Service to express a concern and to request assistance. In order to receive a timely response, it is recommended that correspondence be mailed to the Office of the Consumer Advocate at the following address:

UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
OFFICE OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCATE
475 L'ENFANT PLAZA SW, RM 4012
WASHINGTON, DC 20260-2200

How to Complain About a Postal Problem

When you have a problem with your mail service, complete a Consumer Service Card which is available from letter carriers and at post offices. This will help your postmaster respond to your problem. If you wish to telephone a complaint, a postal employee will fill out the card for you.

The Consumer Advocate represents consumers at the top management level in the Postal Service. If your postal problems cannot be solved by your local post office, then write to the Consumer Advocate. His staff stands ready to serve you.

Write to: The Consumer Advocate, U.S. Postal Service, Washington, D.C. 20260-6320. Or phone: 1-202-268-2284.

•   TRACK AND CONFIRM (Domestic)
o   Call 1-800-222-1811
   Monday thru Friday: 8:00 am to 8:30 pm ET
   Saturday: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm ET
   Sundays: Closed
   

•   TRACK AND CONFIRM (International)
o   Call 1-800-222-1811
   Monday thru Friday: 8:00 am to 8:30 pm ET
   Saturday: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm ET
   Sundays: Closed
   

[Haf]

Problem solved
Managed to call USPS with my new callcentric NY telephone number. So now I can call any number within the USA, helps a lot. Problem was a damaged address, I would like to  thank everyone who helped here, I really appreciate that.

Thank ya'all Haf