FrUsTrAtIoN!

[Ray]

I don't know if this has anything to do with the pandemic or the shenanigans going on in the USPS or none of the above, but DAMN!

Back in June, I purchased a $75 USPS International Priority Mail label through stamps.com, so I could ship the package to Singapore. 8 days later it was returned to me - no reason given - and marked "delivered" in the tracking system.

I immediately files a USPS inquiry. The immediate response stated "probably COVID", but you'll get a definitive response in a few weeks. (Singapore is not on the restricted list.) "Few" turned out to be almost 12 weeks, and I received an email (and follow-up phone call!) stating the reason for the return was deemed "Unknown". Because of that, I may be eligible for a refund on the basis of "Services Not Rendered". Great! I call stamps.com to get them to file the claim.

Stamps.com tells me "We just act as an agent for the USPS. The postage is theirs, so you need to file the claim with the USPS." OK. Fine. Off to the post office I go and explain it all to them.

"Sorry. Right on the label it says 'Stamps Endicia', so you'll have to file the claim with them." Home I go.

Back on the phone, I get the same stamps.com runaround, but did manage to get a "resolutions department" email address, so I sent copies of all the documentation to them. At that point, I remembered about the advice I've given to buyers here many times: File a dispute with the credit card company!

The fact is that I paid stamps.com for postage that was supposed to get my package to Singapore, but that service was not rendered, so they are responsible as far as Capital One is concerned.

We'll see.

[Diane56Victor]

I bet now someone, somewhere will be diligently following your parcels journey!
Hope you get a good result.

[DirtyCoconuts]

that SUCKS

i am so sorry, dude

the one silver lining is that now you are steeled in your resolve, like a righteous knight on a divine quest.....now you can have fun in getting your justice.

in the days of social media, even threatening to make bad press about something is a pretty big deal...USPS does not care but Stamps.com sure should..

[estación seca]

I remind people government run health care would be exactly like this.

[Leafmite]

Yep, welcome to the USPS!
I do not think that this is Covid19 or anything. You have been fortunate if this is the first time it has happened to you. Over the years, I have gotten packages returned that were ripped up and missing contents, packages mailed in mid-November arriving to the recipient in March and a few expected items that vanished without a trace during shipping and never reached me. And I do not mail packages very often.... And, though we have a nice, sheltered porch, the USPS loves to put our packages by the garage where they are expose to full sun, rain, etc... Always nice to find wet books, kids college diplomas, electronics, etc. Thanks, USPS!

[MJG]

Ugh, that just sucks. What seems lost on the USPS, and in your case stamps.com, is what a huge frickin' hassle this is for their customer. And that's true even then the merchant *does* take ownership.

Fingered crossed that your credit card company comes through with minimal paperwork on your end.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I remind people government run health care would be exactly like this.

Probably a better option than no health care at all because you have no (or inadequate) insurance and can't afford it.

[Ray]

DC - There is no guarantee that I’ll get it back, but the email from the USPS puts me in a good light with Capital One and the threat of a chargeback fee ought to light a fire under stamps.com.

MJG - No paperwork - one phone call. There could be some if stamps.com comes up with a plausible reason they shouldn’t pay, but that seems unlikely.

It actually gets more frustrating when I think that I have shipped the exact same order to the exact same address several times in the past, with no issue whatsoever.

[Ray]

I think I should change the title of this thread to "STUNNED!".

I sent an email to the stamps.com resolution department yesterday. I received a response this afternoon, from "the office of the president".

They still claim that the USPS ought to refund the money, but "since I am such a long-term customer" (I became their 3rd customer after the USPS dropped their own software trial, for which I was a beta tester), they credited the money to my postage balance.

While thanking them (and after cancelling the dispute with the cc company), I pointed out that they really should nail down the responsibility details, as both parties still say the other one is...

[MJG]

That's good news, Ray.

I hope that stamps.com refunded you because of your email, and not because they had been notified of the credit card dispute. It's amazing how cooperate a vendor can become when it finds out that a dispute is underway.

Either way it's the correct outcome for you.