[meteorite-list] usps insurance is fraud

From: Sterling K. Webb <kelly_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:22:41 2004
Message-ID: <3EF3A7D0.5BE715E7_at_bhil.com>

Hi,

    About 300 packages sent and received in the last two years. Never
had one lost. In receiving, USPS dropped a carton with a vintage guitar
and cracked the body. They paid $50.00 to have it repaired (I did
myself). And yes, they do evaluate the packaging to see if it was
adequate. Why should they pay for, say, someone who shipped a
blown-glass swan in a paper bag with no padding?
    UPS dropped a carton containing a computer so hard that one of the
hard drives came off its mounts and shot down through the case ripping
things up as it went. They paid an amount equal to 25% of the purchase
price after about a week's negotiation. Since UPS had packed the
computer for the shipper it was impossible to pass the buck on that one.

    Yes, both are picky and have lots of forms to be completed, but the
system does seems to work.
    In shipping, I've had one item broken. The buyer was compensated for
the full value of the item and the USPS took the broken item. This is
usual for cases of total loss in the insurance trade. If it's a total
loss, there should be no value remaining. I once had a car totalled out
in insurance; I wanted to pick parts off the carcase and the insurance
company made me buy the wreck back from them for $200.
    If you want your package to be treated with the full dignity you
think it deserves and would rather it was treated right in the first
place, REGISTER it. Registered mail is the personal responsibility of
each individual who handles it until they can hand it off to somebody
else who will sign for it and get them off the hook! It's your best
protection.


Sterling K. Webb
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

harlan trammell wrote:

> we all buy insurance to ship our skyrox. but it is really for
> peace-of-mind only- a big waste of money. when the _ _it hits the fan,
> you are as lost as somone in a molasses canoe or an astronaut in
> space with no fuel left and no air. anybody ever ACTUALLY collect
> insurance money from the post office on a loss from the usps...? i
> didn't think so. usps insurance is aCOMPLETE WASTE of MONEY- just
> read the form to file a claim. you have to have the item , the
> receipt, etc.. oh, the item! that means , you have to send it BACK to
> the sender and they then say it was damaged THEN not during the
> shipping when you RECEIVED it - therefore, it can NEVER be tendered
> properly for a claim - a self-perpetuating KOP-OUT to avoid paying a
> claim- get it?! suppose you DO get it all together and go waltzing
> into a p.o.- they just laugh!! after that, it goes before a review
> board to determine if it was PACKED right before a claim is paid.
> 99.99% you did not pack it right (and there are no written, standards
> for packing or a way to verify that was indeed packed right before
> sending anyway)and they say forget it. and if you are one of the lotto
> winners who does get a claim, they give you depreciated value less
> fees from stupid government assessed value chart. in other words , you
> have no recourse whatsoever . so don't waste your money. use fed ex.
> the private sector is ALWAYS better than ANYTHING government.
>
Received on Fri 20 Jun 2003 08:33:21 PM PDT