Buyer says Item Not Recieved - Canada Post says it delivered item ... HELP!

[rewelu]

Hi,

I sent a parcel Xpresspost within my province.

Today I get an e-mail from the buyer and says he hasn't recieved the item yet. I checked online and then phoned Canada Post and they said that it was "delivered successfully"

I then phoned the buyer and he still persisted that he didn't recieve item. He says someone might have stolen it.

What do you think is the problem? Is this common? The item was insured. Who files the claim: him or me?

Thanks for all your input!

Hendre

[ospreylinks]

If you sent Xpress Post, there should be a signature on file taken by Canada Post.

I normally ship Expedited Service no signature with insurance coverage.

We have had two items apparently not received by the recipients over the years we have been selling (Actually a pretty good record by Canada Post I think).

In one case Canada Post said the goods were delivered, but they could not prove they had actually got to the recipient (as their parcel scanning is as accurate and consistent as the weather forecast in North Bay in May!!!!).

The claims clerk told me I should have sent the goods requiring a signature and I told her that insurance and the requirement of a signature are two different requirements and one is not required to have the other as Canada Post does not mandate that you select the signature option and charges for it over and above. Finally I was reimbursed wholesale value and cost of freight.

The second one was goods shipped to the US (actually an APO address, so who know where in the world the goods were really destined), that were never received. Again although it took some time, as CP had to contact the customer to verify they never in fact did receive the goods, I was refunded.

To proceed and process the claim you will have to provide them with the invoice from your supplier showing the value you paid for the goods. Remember you will only be reimbursed wholesale value. You will probably also have to provide contact information about the recipient and Canada Post will contact them to verify goods not received.

Contact the Canada Post Claims Department and file a claim. (And remind the clerk that a) it is not their money they are refunding and b) you paid for coverage in case of none-delivery, they didn't deliver so either return the goods or pay you out.....) Oh ya, be prepared to spend some time on the phone as their claims system is somewhat antiquated.

Jeff

[mahsauction]

Wow my claims experience wasn't near that complicated. I called the business number, told them that my buyer did not receive the item eventhough it showed as delivered online. They said no problem and asked for how much I declared on the insurance, address of the buyer, and what did I send. About a month later I received a cheque for the declared insurance amount.

[ospreylinks]

You are right, that sounds too easy....

Both times, Claims representative I dealt with, it was although she was paying the claim out of her own purse.

Jeff

[shoplineca]

It is the dollar value of your claim that determines how CP Claims will handle the situation and who handlses it.

If the wholesale value of your claim is less than (I believe) $113, the Customer Service person you are dealing with on the telephone can process your claim and send a cheque out for the cost of the item plus your shipping costs.

If it exceeds that value, they will refer the claim up the chain of command and depending again on the amount of the claim they may contact your customer, they may ask for the item to be returned to them (in the case of damage), ask for invoice copies and other documents etc.

Remember its CP that we are talking about here. The rules change every day and depending on who you talk to. However this is how I have seen the claim process work in my few situations with them.

Malcolm

[mevans_dot_net]

I've only had one problem filing a claim with Canada Post. That was on a package going to India. I escalated the complaint and it was resolved quickly with apologies from the manager.

Also, I've always received the full amount the customer paid me usually in about 1-3 weeks. A couple of times they've asked for proof of wholesale cost and I just told them it was not my problem if they lost the package. Why should I suffer lost profits for their mishandling?

Maybe I'm just lucky or very good at arguing my point (most who know me would back me up on that one!). I should also say though, these were all non-delivery or damage issues. I've never had to claim insurance on a package that actually showed it was delivered.

[carnafeagh]

I have put one claim in to Canada Post for an item insured for $40. They wanted proof of wholesale purchase as they would only refund my cost. I didn't have that as it was part of a whole buyout on a closed store.

So they said most markup is 50%, sent me $20 and told me they don't insure profit.

I have not bothered with them since. Most packages go surface US anyway and aren't insured, so I simply replace (we manufacture what we sell) any time Canada Post or USPS loses stuff. It doesn't happen that often.

Jill

[jaymor8]

What about the original question, here? Wassup with the tracking # reading as delivered and the customer saying that it's not? Seems to me that anybody could say that. I would leave it to them to prove. Give them the 800 number and let them battle it out. They are in province, that's not so bad.

It is the ticket holder who files the claim and it IS as easy as calling the 800 and giving them the details. Normally tho, they will only look into it after 40 days from the date of postage. Then they do the investigation. You may be better served to pay the customer yourself and just keep the claim cheque if/when it comes. Personally, I'd let em sweat a bit.

Jackie...

[rewelu]

Hi All!

My computer decided to go bezurk on me this weekend so I couldn't reply to all your wonderful insight into the matter.

To update you, the customer found that the item was delivered next door! This is less than satisfactory, but hey its Canada Post!

Thanks a lot for the input. It's always good to know about insurance claims if the matter arrises ... (touch wood)

Hendre