USPS Horror Story Advice?

When I ship an important item I go USPS guaranteed next day by a certain time...If not on time you get your money back...That cue was not packed in a good container...
From the looks of the dents in that cue it was deliberately damaged....
 
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The sad part is the cue is destroyed. Nothing monetarily can replace the cue. It's liken to loosing a finger. You might get paid but you'll never be whole again.

FIW this time of the year U.P.S. takes on temp help. Under paid and under motivated. Someone took out their frustration on your cue.
 
I wrap the cue in a piece of felt ......... then bubble wrap.... then it goes inside of a 36 inch long 3 in PVC pipe. Test caps are in the ends with screws and duck tape........... if you run over it with a truck it will arrive ok..............

Kim
 
UPS pays claims fast.

In less than 2 weeks. If that was shipped ups it would have insufficient packing requiring 3 inches of padding around the Cue or 7 inches total to be a payable claim. USPS might have different parameters. Your claim should be processed soon. You might not like their answer though. Looks like insufficient inner and outer.
Nick :)
 
Letter was received to bring the cue to the post office. Cue was turned in. Now it's time to play a waiting game. I'll post another update when I hear back.
 
I agree whole heartedly with the recommendation of putting the cue in a tube and the tube in the box.

If USPS doesn't pay in a timely manner, file a small claims law suit with the presiding court system. You shouldn't need an attorney and you should add some money to the suit for your time, court filing fees and if you use it, legal advice. I see no reason USPS would be exempt from this kind of lawsuit. That might stimulate them to pay up.
 
Just Used USPS 2 Days Ago

Just swapped cues with someone......I sent mine with $4k insurance coverage next day USPS to Michigan and the seller sent their cue to me in California. MY pool cue left Fresno at 12:08 PM (PST) on Wednesday and was delivered the next day (Thursday) before noontime.

The seller's cue was shipped on Thursday before noontime using Fed Ex and the cue arrived last night (Friday) at 5:30 PM. Both packages arrived undamaged and the Postal System is being slammed with Christmas mail and packages. I recognize that Fed Ex is also experiencing an increase in volume because of the holidays but it's no where near the increase the USPS is experiencing with Christmas mail.

The USPS is able to move my package through their system "noticeably faster" than Fed Ex and this was my 23rd shipment (Next Day Delivery Service) using USPS and I have never had a problem, Every single cue reached the recipient's address the very next day and undamaged. There are obviously going to the horror story with any delivery system. However, my experience with USPS using their 24 hrs. nation-wide delivery service has been flawless.....just FYI.


Matt B.
 
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I got burned in 2001... never again. USPS inurrance and their claim process is a travesty of errors committed by a confederacy of dunces. UPS and FedEx as well...

I use 3rd party shipping insurrance and have never looked back. Just like you would use shipping freight.
 
5 months later....

after about 20 calls to USPS, 2 appeals, a stack of 50 pages of documentation and countless hours....

USPS finally admitted fault and paid the claim....

I will NEVER ship any packages (cues or otherwise with the postal "break stuff" service...

If anyone runs into issues and needs help with a claim, just let me know... it's a headache and complete trainwreck and they want you to give up, but it's possible...

thanks all,
fox
 
slyfox said:
after about 20 calls to USPS, 2 appeals, a stack of 50 pages of documentation and countless hours....

USPS finally admitted fault and paid the claim....

I will NEVER ship any packages (cues or otherwise with the postal "break stuff" service...

If anyone runs into issues and needs help with a claim, just let me know... it's a headache and complete trainwreck and they want you to give up, but it's possible...

thanks all,
fox
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Hope that you got enough back to cover your losses. It's sad to see the USPS system collapse like it has. I had my own nightmare when they lost one of their money orders. I learned they cannot even track them so it takes six weeks for them to figure out what happened. I now use my PNC Cashier's checks which are free and can be tracked instantly. Time for the OP to go to Cook Out get a burger and shake then hit some at The Tap! :wink:
 
Cue

slyfox said:
after about 20 calls to USPS, 2 appeals, a stack of 50 pages of documentation and countless hours....

USPS finally admitted fault and paid the claim....

I will NEVER ship any packages (cues or otherwise with the postal "break stuff" service...

If anyone runs into issues and needs help with a claim, just let me know... it's a headache and complete trainwreck and they want you to give up, but it's possible...

thanks all,
fox
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I think I could steam out most of those dents in the cue and shaft .
 
CueTip said:
I always use pvc or a little thinner type of plastic tube to ship cues in. It;s really cheap to bye at Home Depot, Lowes or a plummers supply store! It's the best way!
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Ditto! PVC pipe beats any cardboard tube.
 
I was extremely luck just this week. One of the good guys on here posted me a cue on April 22nd with USPS Priority International.

Here is the tracking....



I have never had a package from the states do anything but go USA > Netherlands... Nothing in between...

And when it did arrive it looked like it had been run over and savaged by wild beast. I was so fortunate that the sender had stuck the cue in a hard tube case inside the box, or the cue woulda been firewwod!!
 
Yes, I would use a hard tube with bubble wrap around the cue, and then a triangle box bubble wrapped in the future. The triangle box and bubble wrap just isn't enough.
 
I suppose I should be very thankful. I shipped a Rare New York 2x4 Case
to a AzB member a few years ago and, somewhere enroute, it got "speared"
by a sharp metallic object (damage looked like from angle iron). The value
of the Case was greatly diminished by the tear in the Leather, so a claim
was filed by the Recipient. He was reimbursed in a timely manner and the
P.O. kept the Case.
I've shipped via USPS worldwide for 20+ yrs. with only that single incident.
My secret is PACKAGING & Insurance. I always mail high--end items via
Registered Mail, heavily insured, in bullet proof packaging.

Glad to hear you and your customer were made "whole".
 
nonstop or packaged flight?

Grantstew: It's funny looking at your tracking documentation; I had the same experience sending a package from point A to point B via USPS.........It had to go to points C, D, E, F, then back to A, before finding its way to Point B........it took more than 2 weeks.......

Kinda like paying for a packaged vacation where the flight makes 2 or 3 stops with layovers before you get to your destination; instead of a Point A to Point B nonstop flight.........I guess that's the old, "you get what you pay for..."
 
Truth of the matter is the only way to ship is to ups.....they are the world leader in package delivery and are a world wide company. So when you ship a package to another country it stays in there network...when you ship usps when it leaves the usa it is no longer part of there network and in the hands of the other country's. They have excellent claims service and are only 2-3 time more to ship but you get excellent service. I just don't understand why pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars on all these cues and cheap out on the shipping.:grin-square:
 
Usps

I cant imagine shipping a cue without properly packaging it .Also many of those parcels shipped Ups and FedEx. are delivered by USPS with final destination.The private sector doesnt have to go to every address.
 
dontlitethat said:
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How was it packaged? Only bubble wrapped?
I'd like to see the packaging it was in.


Rob.M
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Yep. Ship in a rigid tube or don't ship. If anyone has ordered from Seyberts they know what a shipping tube looks like.
 
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