USPS lost my certified, priority mail..what to do next?

Update: Thanks guy for all the replies.
Finally my package was delivered to Nikon and I got an email from them.
Lesson learned: Never ship any valuable without delivery confirmation and insurance.


I sent my Nikon camera for repairing to Nikon service center using Certified, priority mail. I did not purchase insurance though. I did this using their Automated Postal Center. I got the tracking # on the receipt. Now when I enter that no, it says no package found. Its been 10 days. I went to port office and they said as they do not scan the package at the time purchase (because it was done using automated postal center), they can't do much. When I asked for complain form, they did not have any.
Can anyone suggest what should I do next to recover my Nikon coolpix 4500 camera worth at least $350?

Why In the fark would you mail a $350 camera with no insurance in the the 1st place????



Just pray its just moving SLOW...

should have used ups ground or bought insurance.

unknownshopper said: chintudude said: Can anyone suggest what should I do next to recover my Nikon coolpix 4500 camera worth at least $350?

Bid for it on eBay? Then report the seller if the serial numbers match.

Seriously, you know that's were it's going. And if you did not purchase insurance there's no other likely way you're ever going to get it back.

edit: With a little knowledge of how the USPS routes packages you can filter the seller down to just those who are located near the more likely theft points in the chain.
Just wondering, did you mail it in a box that in any way identified what the box contained?

Although this is certainly possible, it is quite ridiculous to bring this up...

certified mail option is good as a legal evidence in a court when someone on the other end claims he/she never received the package.

insurance, on the other hand, is needed for the case like yours. if you had purchased insurance, you wouldnt have any problem getting that insured amount when the claim center determines the package is officially lost/untrackable.

Note that he did not say that he purchased Delivery Confirmation.

DC is not free or automatic when purchased at the post office, even if purchased from the Automated Postal Center.

USPS sucks...they lost an NEC MultiSync 1700M+ LCD monitor I shipped in August...well, they either lost it or someone ripped it off...I find it hard to believe that a box that size can just disappear...

Online tracking isn't accurate.

You shoulda spent the $5 for insurance.

I think even if it worked and was valued at $350 they would not give that to you since it was going to be fixed. I find it funny that when you buy something it is always worth close to the amount paid, yet when you buy something used you will only spend pennies on the dollar because it is not "worth" more.

uggabugga said: You probably should have spoken to a postal clerk rather than used the automated mailing center if you didn't understand the services that the post office offers. Certified Mail is not insurance and it doesn't offer any special handling during transit. All that Certified Mail provides is a signature on delivery and a record of delivery at the destination post office. In particular, Certified Mail does NOT provide tracking of any sort. It is not a tracking service.

There is something curiously missing from your original post. You say you entered the "tracking number" (it is not a tracking number) somewhere and it says the package is not found. Have you contacted the Nikon service center to find out whether they have received the package? That is the obvious first step.

This is good information. I've been a carrier for 24 years and more and more machines are replacing human beings. This might be saving money, but customer service and trust will and is suffering. The Automated Postal Center is relatively new. They were just installed in our area a few months ago. The APC should only be used for very simple transactions. For anything more complicated, stand in line and work with a window clerk. As was said above, a certified number is not a "tracking" number. After an certified article is delivered or attempted, it can be checked online, and that's it. It's not scanned all the way through the movement of the piece through the various points in the system it goes through. One thing that is lacking in the APC is the ability to get a green return receipt. This is signed by the person receiving the piece and returned to you. Check out the USPS site specifically: http://hdusps.esecurecare.net/cgi-bin/hdusps.cfg/php/enduser/faqs.php?p_sid=mVn5x1qh&p_lva= for more information and posibly locating the post office that the artice was sent to. Maybe a letter to that Postmaster will do some work.

Good Luck,
Len

FYI, even with insurance USPS is loathe to cover lost packages. It takes many many many days in my experience for them to cough up the insurance even after they have verified that the package has been lost or damaged, etc.

In the future, you might want to set up a free dhl account and ship with them. They have proven to be the lowest cost out of the 3 carriers - DHL, then FedEx, then UPS. Sorry about your loss, but I have had a package misrouted by priority as well and it took about 3 weeks. Be patient, it may show up.

Why on earth would you use USPS in the first place????

Fedex provides real time tracking and insurance at a lower cost than basic USPS. I ship alot of crap. I NEVER use USPS. Way too many problems. Its ok for small cheap items though.

"Must be your PO."

Actually, it was a news program like 60 minutes, they sent several mailings regular mail & Priority. More than half the time they got there the same time.