No Scan Receipts For CP Packages- Claims?!

[teenytrinkets]

I'm having a debate with a friend who's a seller.

We both use flat rate boxes and print labels at home (either through CP small biz or eBay labels).

She puts her packages on the counter at the PO, in the red box or gets a pickup. Never gets a scan receipt.

I stand in line at the post office and get a scan and a receipt for all packages. She thinks I'm insane for doing this.

She says you can file a claim with CP on any package where the tracking number doesn't show up in the system - even without a scan receipt. And apparently has done it before and been refunded.

Anyone have personal experience with this?

[pjcdn2005]

If the item has been scanned at least once it will show as having been accepted at Canada Post so the would  be just like having a receipt. However, if you left the package on the counter and it got lost or stolen before being scanned, I'm sure that you couldn't put in any sort of claim or prove that it was ever mailed.  

I haven't ever had to try to put a claim in for a package that was never scanned but I don't think that it would be successful.  They would have no way of knowing if you really mailed the package.  Just printing a label isn't proof that it was mailed.  

With that being said, I rarely have any need to file an insurance claim so I wouldn't necessarily wait in line if there was a long lineup. 

[reallynicestamps]

I agree, although I always prefer to get a receipt.

I have the privilege of using POs where I am known, but even when I have used a busy downtown office, I was content to catch the eye of the busy clerk before leaving the package on the counter.

It probably helps that I dye my hair Atomic Pink.

[ricarmic]

I seem to remember threads here where in fact a parcel "left on the counter" and not scanned was not delivered and CP would NOT cover it because there was no proof that they ever had it.

Now I''m medium old so there is always the recollective accuracy concern, and I don't have time to search through the threads, but I'm 95% sure I saw at least a couple threads complaining about the lack of coverage in those situations in the past.

[marnotom!]

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@ricarmic wrote:

I seem to remember threads here where in fact a parcel "left on the counter" and not scanned was not delivered and CP would NOT cover it because there was no proof that they ever had it.

Now I''m medium old so there is always the recollective accuracy concern, and I don't have time to search through the threads, but I'm 95% sure I saw at least a couple threads complaining about the lack of coverage in those situations in the past.

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That's my recollection as well.  I'm just too medium old and tired to try and use the search function to find an example of such a thread.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Anything that fits, I drop in a Canada Post mail box. I have shipped hundreds of tracked packages this way and have never encountered an issue. Everything gets a scan. You do not get the acceptance scan. You will usually either get a scan within 24-72 hours at the local sorting depot, or the destination sorting depot.

There might be some exceptions. If I sell a very rare and expensive item, like a $500-$1000 hockey card, I will either go to the post office and get it scanned, or pay the $3 for a Canada Post pickup. Even then, I would probably be comfortable dropping it in a red mail box, but I will get a scan as a courtesy for the buyer.

As far as I know, you cannot make a claim for an item that has not been scanned into the Canada Post system. With that said, if you ever find yourself in that scenario it might still be worth it to file a report with Canada Post and see if they can find the package.

Given how unlikely it is that a package will get lost between the mail box and the first scan at the sorting depot, it does not make sense to wait in line at the post office. Your time is worth money. The liability is very low.

On a side note, if you use flat rate boxes it is always a good idea to include the destination address visible on the box in an additional place than the one provided. At least with the old flat rate boxes that had carbon paper, the rate of packages that require intervention because the address cannot be read seems very high. It is easy enough to print out an additional address label. I usually place a folded copy of the invoice inside a shipping bag, and place an additional shipping label on the outside of the invoice so that it is visible in the event that the hand-written address smudges or runs. 

[teenytrinkets]

I recently bought from a trusted seller on a group (so not ebay) and she shipped in a flat rate box that had a bubbled/folded bar code on the box (looked like a quality control issue on a bunch of those boxes). I wasn't sure if would scan, so I asked for a scan receipt. It was like pulling teeth!

[recped]

I have never presented a package with an online label at the counter, I've never had a package that didn't get scanned within 24 hours (usually less).

I wouldn't call it "insane", just a waste of time. The whole point of buying labels online is to avoid having to deal with postal clerks.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

My clerks are really nice and friendly though!

[regs43]

I always hand them to the clerks (but I also like to chat with them each day). I usually say "whenever you have time" to actually process them. I only get a receipt if its for a larger valued item, 2/$300.00 of more.  I also have to go to the post office to get my mail anyhow, as the village is a PO Box only kinda place. 

Living in a small village everyone knows everyone, its a different vibe here compared to the city. If there is large line of more then 2 people lol I have no issues just depositing into the box outside the post office though.

[msau4301]

To me it comes down to what you're more comfortable with. For me I always take it in and get the scan. It makes me feel better having that little receipt in hand (silly or not). I go to an outlet at Shoppers Drug Mart, it is only five minutes from my house and in a plaza with grocery store and many other handy stops so I try to combine with other errands.

For those that think it unnecessary and are comfortable doing it the other way that's okay for them too.

I don't believe however a claim could ever be done without a scan of some sort (doesn't have to be drop off scan) at least somewhere along the line - good for those confident it will be done, me on the otherhand feel better knowing I got that first scan.

[ricarmic]

As I've mentioned before, I'm in a wee village of 350ish and because I'm a stamps on the box kinda guy I've always had a close relationship with my PMs.

I'm also doing my part to keep our wee PO open still, current version is a combined version of 3 regions all merged into ours over the last 20 years so the local PO folks concern of getting merged elsewhere is always on their minds. Because I'm ornery and run all the current postage I acquire through my local PO it helps their localized sales a lot which the local staff also appreciate a lot. They're also kind enough to keep a supply on hand for me in advance, because one never knows when I'll have a couple bankers boxes going overseas needing $200 or more postage on them each.

I've also always had them "trained" to put nice cancels on all my outgoing mail, because new stamps with nice cancels are very much appreciated by the collectors.

So because of this I naturally always have an acceptance scan and receipt for everything I send out actually. Anything not tracked they usually do after I leave in their free time and I get those receipts on the next visit. 

The odd time there are system glitches so the package doesn't show up anywhere in the system until the 2nd or third "stop" so to speak, but I've not yet had a glitch one not delivered so I don't have personal experience with an unscanned item (I would still have my receipt with the tracking number on it anyway so I wouldn't actually ever have a "no evidence" kind of situation).