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USPS Insurance

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nicko99

~ Amateur Cigar Smoker ~
Joined
Apr 15, 2003
Messages
726
USPS Insurance

BEWARE ~ I am going through a little battle w/ the USPS over an isurance claim. Maybe I just didn't understand the rules, but they seem a little off to me. I bought something on ebay, and it was shipped w/ insurance. The item was delivered to my door and the postman explained to me that the box had a rattle and sounded broken. He shook it and sure enough it was. He was nice enough to mark on the box as "Broken at delivery" w/ his signature and ID number so I wouldn't have an issue of proof when I took it in for the claim.

So, i pack it back up and take it in to the P.O. the next morning. When I get there, I was handed a claim form and told to fill it out. No problem, I can handle this... When I get back to the counter I was asked for the Insurance ticket. Thinking that this guy was a little slow I point to the Ins. barcode on the box. He says... "Not that ticket, I need the other half. The one with the postmark on it". I explained that I was the receiver and that the "other half" was in Delaware. And then asked "Shouldn't you be able to scan the bar code and see the info in the computer?". The response was a very rude "NO! Anybody can just slap a sticker on a box and try to make an Ins. claim".
smiley-duh.gif
What the heck is the barcode for then?

I also have to have a receipt for the item. The insurance coverage amount doesn't matter w/o a receipt showing it's cost. Lukily I paid with PayPal and could print out the transaction.

Ok, I go home and send an email to the guy I bought it from and ask if he saved his half of the Ins. tag. Thankfully he did, but trys to explain to me that since I'm the receiver that I don't need it. A few emails later and he agrees to mail it to me. A week later I go back to the P.O. and turn in all the paperwork. The lady there tells me that everything looks great and i should here from the claims office in about 4-6 weeks. Just like clockwork I get an email, but not from the claims office. I get an email from the guy I bought it from. Seems the P.O. sent him MY check made out to his ebay business name. He doensn't have a bank account setup under that name so he can't cash it and send it to me. Instead he is mailing it to me and I get to figure out how to convince the P.O. that they should recut a check in my name.

God forbid this had been some cigars... I'd be really ticked :angry:

So, bottom line.... Always save the insurance ticket even if you are the sender. You never know when your receiver may need it to make a claim. And I'd hate to see someone loose a pass or something.
 
The insurance claim has to be made by the sender, not the receiver as it was the SENDER who paid the "insurance premium" if you will.

I'm surprised that the post office didn't tell you that originally. They should have first told you "Contact the sender, he has to make the claim and he will get paid"

I think the person who you submitted the forms to thought you were the the one who purchased the insurance which explains why she told you that.

Again, the SENDER is the one who had to make the claim, process the paperwork and receive any insurance benefit.
 
I thought that as well Bill, but there is a place on the claim for ti be filled out by either the sender or the receiver. It also asks if you have rec. the package or if it was lost.

I actually had to go the the P.O. a couple of times and all the people I talked w/ looked at the form and said it was filled out correctly.
 
Yes, I know what you mean about that form but I was told by a postmaster (well it was quite a while ago so things may have changed) that the money for the claim can only be paid to the sender.

Bottom line is Postal Insurance is basically nothing but an aggrevation :(
 
That would mean I would have to ship the item back to the sender for him to show the claim to the PO.
 
what a headache, and what an idiot for filling out his business name on the insurance form.
 
Forgive me for being dumb, but why doesn't the eBay seller refund your money and let him settle with the Post Office. The check was made out to him, or at least what he put on the original form?
 
A little side note on insuring cigars. I looked into how you would go about filling a claim on cigars (a pass actually) and was told that cigars {in our case, a pass} would not qualify for an insurance claim!
1) They are considered perishable items
2) If you can get past #1 then you would need a sales receipt for each individual cigar from a "respected source" That can be confirmed by a postal inspector!
 
JOE.M. said:
A little side note on insuring cigars. I looked into how you would go about filling a claim on cigars (a pass actually) and was told that cigars {in our case, a pass} would not qualify for an insurance claim!
1) They are considered perishable items
2) If you can get past #1 then you would need a sales receipt for each individual cigar from a "respected source" That can be confirmed by a postal inspector!
Click to expand...
So, why should we insure a pass?
 
This is information I got 2 weeks ago when I was worried about Emo's pass. I would not bother in the future insuring passes. Just my $.02
 
Hey Brian,

The reason for not returning the item to the sender is because I chose to have it repaired rather than lose it to the post office. It was a Christmas gift for a freind. I paid to have it repaired instead. The P.O. approved the repair cost (less that total ins. purchased).
 
Ya, try collecting if your Pass had ISOMS. They would probably arrest you for transporting contraban.

Also, do not use USPS money orders. If lost it will take you 6-8 weeks to get a reimbursement after the required waiting period which is several weeks.
 
This might only work at smaller home-town or regional banks, but if you just bring the check made out to the wrong business to your bank and explain the situation you should be able to get the check deposited. If you have an account with them they know exactly who to go after if there is a problem, so there really isn't a risk on their end. Plus, it's not like you couldn't just set up a quick checking account under your social security # with the assumed business name, cash the check, and then close the account (another option for you if you don't feel like waiting to jump through USPS's hoops and the bank has really strict rules preventing option #1 above).
 
A little side note on insuring cigars. I looked into how you would go about filling a claim on cigars (a pass actually) and was told that cigars {in our case, a pass} would not qualify for an insurance claim!
1) They are considered perishable items
2) If you can get past #1 then you would need a sales receipt for each individual cigar from a "respected source" That can be confirmed by a postal inspector!
Click to expand...

A GREAT reason to use CP insurance. We still do that, right?
 
Gunpowder said:
Ya, try collecting if your Pass had ISOMS. They would probably arrest you for transporting contraban.

Also, do not use USPS money orders. If lost it will take you 6-8 weeks to get a reimbursement after the required waiting period which is several weeks.
Click to expand...
Possesion of Cuban cigars is not illegal. There are people that make arthorized trips to Cuba all the time and they are allowed to bring back 50 cigars....legally. If I was to own any cuban cigars those would be the people I would have gotton them from. :)

I would not have expected a shorter waiting period on a lost money order. 6 to 8 weeks seems about right......... do you know of another MO company that has a much shorter turn around for lost MO's?

Agree that the insurance on passes is pretty much useless. The one thing that it does do is require a signature upon delivery. Signature confirmation cost $1.80..... insuring for $50 or less cost $1.30. You don't get a returned signature card with who signed for the package using the insurance route as you would using Signature confirmation but you would be able to have the PO verify delivery and who signed for it should there be a need.

For the most part, the delivery/signature/insurance confirmations allow us to track a package (sorta) and to confirm when someone actually sends and/or receives. This has been very useful info in past passes when confirming that an individual really hadn't sent a pass on as he/she had stated.
 
ivan37 said:
Plus, it's not like you couldn't just set up a quick checking account under your social security # with the assumed business name, cash the check, and then close the account
Click to expand...
I have the check now and it has the complete address printed on the front. So opening the account and just depositing the check isn't an option. So, it's off to the PO at lunch today to try and get this fixed.
 
nicko99 said:
ivan37 said:
Plus, it's not like you couldn't just set up a quick checking account under your social security # with the assumed business name, cash the check, and then close the account
Click to expand...
I have the check now and it has the complete address printed on the front. So opening the account and just depositing the check isn't an option. So, it's off to the PO at lunch today to try and get this fixed.
Click to expand...
Addresses don't matter to most banks when cashing a check. Once again they have little risk: If you did steal the check from someone else, then that person would tell USPS and USPS would put a stop payment on it and when it came through that you tried to cash it then they'd have all your information to come after you with. Same scenario if the check was fake.
 
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