Package stuck at USPS sort facility??

[Former_Member]

Hi guys, I shipped an order with registered mail to the USA on 18th January from Hungary, it normally takes 10 business days to deliver from here with prioroty. according to USPS tracking info, my package arrived to NYC on the 21st:

Processed Through Sort Facility, January 21, 2012, 10:31 pm, ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)
No news of it since then. Now its over 15 business days since I shipped and my customer complained about it - and she is totally right but I don't know if I can do anything to get her jewelry delivered. Any ideas?
Thanks!

[Former_Member]

I know from personal experience that often it will say nothing beyond being processed through the sort facility and yet suddenly it shows up at its destination. A postal employee told me once it happens often, why it does can be the carrier is lazy and isn't scanning it in.

Since its coming internationally, is it possible it's just stuck in customs?

It might be time to contact the USPS and have them start tracking it since you sent it priority and you do have the tracking info.

Probably others on here may have more ideas.

[Former_Member]

That also happened to me in Jan. and the package is still saying it is at the sourt facility(Jan 13th) Problem is, it never showed up. So I had to send the customer a replacement. Thank goodness it wasn't a very expensive or complicated item to remake.

[Former_Member]

Ouch! That does not sound good, especially because mine was an expensive, one of a kind bracelet :S
Thanks Marcia, I guess tomorrow I'll have a trip to the local post office and I'll try to contact USPS too

[Former_Member]

This happened to us last year as well. However, we got on the phone and did a ton of being transferred from one department to another. Eventually, we got our answers, and the package was sent shortly after that!
I will say, however, that if you call, be prepared to get very irritated with the auto-messages they have. We found that if you just say "speak to a customer representative over and over and over, no matter what the auto-message asks, you'll get to someone much more quickly, hahaha.

ETA: hopefully, if you keep up with updates for your customer, he/she will understand your dilemma, and will be very thankful for the work you've put in to try to make it right! When it happened with our customer, she was so thankful, she left feedback BEFORE she even got her package!

[Former_Member]

KnotaGeek, that's my strategy too, with all customer service lines :)))

Unfortunately making calls is not really an option, as I'm in Hungary and international calls are expensive.
But I've sent a link to my customer where she can ask USPS and I also suggested she goes to her local post office ( I am going too, to file an official claim), I hope she will at least appreciate tht I am trying to help, I also assured her we will find a solution of the package is lost.

Thanks for your input guys! :)

[Former_Member]

I did call & filed a claim and got an email from my local post office. Then nothing, I tried emailing again with no response. So I just let it go. It was even sent priority. None of my First class packages have ever gone missing. lol I did insure the second package and it got there just fine.

[Former_Member]

Hi there,

Had an experience this morning that may help some and wanted to share.

I was on the receiving end of this problem - I ordered a package from overseas, and it was (and technically still is) stuck in the eternal loop of one of the USPS sorting facilities. Don't bother with the 800 number - you'll never talk to a real person through it.

After some hunting and talking to my local post office, I was able to get this phone number for a Routing Center near my area: 847-595-7350 (also, extension 7351 will work).

When you reach the real person on the line, ask for "In Plant Support." That (mercifully) also brought me to a real person. I was able to explain the situation of the package being "stuck" at the sorting facility, provided the tracking, and the representative was able to find the package in the system immediately. Turns out that the sender of the package did not include the ZIP code on my shipping address. Everything else was there - just not the ZIP.

The representative said that this often is why a package will go 'round and 'round a sorting facility - if the address that's scanned by the computer has no ZIP code, it will go through the facility for some time, then get forwarded to the ZIP Code Correction Facility. There, they have real people fix the ZIP, and then it will get sent out.

She said in some cases, if the address is garbled or illegible, then the package would get sent back to its destination. But, she said, that for both packages going out and coming into the USA, it's usually a postal/ZIP code thing that gets packages "stuck" like that.

While clearly I don't know all the Routing Center phone numbers, or if the one I've posted here will help anyone outside of Illinois, but I'm hoping that this info is helpful!!

Lots of Smiles,
Miyu-chan

[CopperLeafStudios]

if it says "Processed" through the Sort Facility, that means it is outside of the U.S. The reason why the tracking may not be updated past that point is because the receiving country typically does not scan it (countries use their own postal system, and USPS only has agreements to update the info with a few places).

If it does NOT say "Processed", that is when it is stuck on your end. Otherwise, assume it is overseas and making its way to its destination. If it hasn't arrived yet, tell your customer to call their customs office to make sure it isn't being held there (e.g. for duty). They are supposed to receive a notice when this is the case, but those little slips don't always get to where they are supposed to go.

Hope this helps!!

[Former_Member]

How do I get in contact with them