ChitChats and Canada Post Lose 300+ Packages as Entire Skid Goes Missing at Mississauga DC

[teenytrinkets]

I have two packages from sales that I shipped with ChitChats in BC to Ontario on March 9th that have gone missing.  Last tracking states they were picked up by Canada Post on March 16th.

I called ChitChats today to find out what's going on, and here's the juicy scoop:

My packages are 2 of over 300 on a skid that was scanned as "received" at the Canda Post Mississauga distribution centre on March 16th.  That's the last time it was seen.  Just how does an entire skid of that many packages go missing, anyway?

The agent told me that ChitChats started an investigation in late March, and Canada Post claimed no responsibility for the loss of the skid - that they never received the skid and that the receipt tracking was an error.  They had to resort to video footage to prove that the skid was indeed received at the CP facility, and now the investigation is still ongoing with that proof. 

I am sure the fact that the investigation is taking weeks to resolve is due to the whole Covid-19 mess.  The agent said that CP is simply lacking staff to look for the skid at the facility.  Hmmm...seems strange to me that a $30,000+ claim isn't worthy of pursuing with an "all hands on deck" kind of mentality, but really, I have no idea what's going on with CP at the moment!  Maybe they have bigger fish to fry?!  But, the also agent told me it's very, very rare for an entire skid from their truck to go missing, so maybe CP knows it's just a giant claim and is dragging their heels on purpose?

With no ETA in sight, and too many customers affected, I have to be proactive in following up with ChitChats to see how the investigation is progressing.  I didn't buy insurance (I typically only insure for $50+, and since my sales for the two shipments were $40 and $30, plus about $12 each in postage, I didn't bother) so my reimbursement will be limited to a credit on my account for the value of my shipments (including shipping) whenever the investigation is settled.  I understand customers with insurance are able to submit claims at the 21 day non-delivery mark, and get a cheque in the mail.  

Obviously, timing plays a big role in this unfortunate mess, because I think the 16th was the first day that a lot of businesses laid off employees and postponed operations.  The agent said the person at the CP facility that scanned the skid was laid off the same day.  Hmmm....

Has anyone ever heard of a loss like this before? 

[recped]

Has anyone ever heard of a loss like this before?

Sort of!

About 15 years ago when I was "rolling my own" Chit Chats type of thing (shipping consolidated orders to Buffalo which were then broken down and handed over to USPS).

I was using UPS, they picked up here in Toronto, was scanned in at their Toronto depot and the last scan was a departure scan.

The big box (about 50 individual orders)  never arrived in Buffalo. UPS were at a loss to explain but initiated a search. 3 weeks later my big box was found in Montreal and a week later returned to me.

The second miracle was that after reshipping and finally delivering to the buyers well over a month late I escaped without a single refund or any bad feedback!

The Chit Chats skid probably went on a truck to somewhere, on arrival at "somewhere" it was set aside and is still there. It might even still be at Gateway (Mississauga CP), it's a massive facility.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@teenytrinkets 

Not Canadapost, but when I was working in Manitoba a number of years ago and our freight came by CP boxcar from Toronto they had a container catch fire.  The container with our product, was approx. 2/3 of the unit. Had to go through the wet icky mess after it was released to us to find out what we could salvage and what we had to claim. Ahhh memories!! Also heard reports of trailers in Toronto for various carriers in the past having freight removed prior to final delivery. Freight has mysteriously walked away in lots of ways over the past 100 years. Canadapost is no exception to that. The crooks keep getting more creative.  The reports of mail ending up being snaffu'd by crooked postal delivery  employees.  Even was an episode of Highway thru Heck with a trailer full of Canadapost mail that had to offloading from an overturned trailer and the security involved with doing so.

-Lotz

Now where did I put that package?? It's here somewhere!!

[ricarmic]

I had an item returned to sender (me) about 8 years after I mailed it.

The story was interesting. 

A postal employee was grabbing mail and keeping it in their house. If I recall the reason was they were looking for stuff with gift cards in it. (My letter had a sportscard in a semi-rigid holder, which would seem a lot like a giftcard from the outside - but they never opened my letter).

Eventually they got caught, but they had been doing this for a long time/years and there were 1000s of items. CP decided to send everything they found on its way again (so this is years after it was pulled from the mailstream). 

My buyer no longer lived at the address that they lived at when it was shipped, so it came back to me as a return to sender.

It was pretty weird getting it back, I had stopped selling sportscards about 5 years before, it was a flash from the past!

I think I also had a tracked item on a truck that crashed and burned one time too.

[nostalgicaftertaste]

Wow, 8 years later? That's quite the crazy story!

[ricarmic]

I've been doing this a long time, a LOT of crazy things have happened over the last 40+ years!!!!!

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Video and Announcement from Canadapost  

https://youtu.be/tebACaQfryE

https://m.communications.canadapost-postescanada.ca/nl/jsp/m.jsp?c=%40pcfKUYibsNoAt8MxO0IYkg1RE93lv5...

-Lotz

[ypdc_dennis]

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@nostalgicaftertaste wrote:
Wow, 8 years later? That's quite the crazy story!

---

How about 45 years:

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canada-post-takes-45-years-to-deliver-letter-to-calgary-woman-l...

[hlmacdon]

Given new guidance from PHAC that is going to be the least of their problems, but that is quite the doozy of a loss, yikes! 

[retroman_studios]

The Vancouver branch has had issues with certain clients trying to slip non ChitChats parcels in, and has caused entire shipments to be seized by US Customs as they do a bulk manifest, so the extra packages go bye bye!

[ypdc_dennis]

---

@hlmacdon wrote:

Given new guidance from PHAC that is going to be the least of their problems...

---

Anything specific?

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html

[teenytrinkets]

When you say "slip non-ChitChats parcels in" - what does that mean exactly? Parcels with USPS labels? And how does a client "slip them in"? Can staff not distinguish between a ChitChats label and a non-ChitChats label when accepting parcels???

[retroman_studios]

They have a large bin that parcel go in. It would be combined USPS and UPS.

Mistakes happen. I'm sure they try and weed stuff out but when you are scanning thousands of parcels, it's possible to not to see wrong ones. I don't know if the Chit chats UPS labels or USPS labels differ from others.

I've always bought labels from chitchats and almost always with insurance.

[teenytrinkets]

The insurance makes sense for US parcels (since their first class service isn't insured), but it's kind of pointless for anything under $100 in Canada (since CP covers it, anyway). Unless of course ChitChats is at fault for losing or damaging, then i guess you're SOL.

I'm not impressed with ChitChats Canadian service from BC to ON anyway (even before this giant skid went missing). Two weeks+ to reach buyers (and that's good timing) is not ideal. It's a great cost savings for smaller items, but they're gonna have to up their game for me to ship with them regularly.

[retroman_studios]

I think the service was basically a way to add value for Canadian market. They used to have Asendia and USPS but they later removed those. For those, your Canadian shipment would cross the border then come back over the border again under USPS or Asendia.

There is also a lower limit on the Canadian services they now offer, so if you are wondering why it's so expensive for a small package, it's because there is no pricing available to ChitChats for small packages, and they simply charge the minimum dimensions.

Unless I have lots of orders and it makes sense to just make one trip, if I have small Canadian orders I just use the local post office as it's convenient and will be cheaper for small packages.

I consider ChitChats mainly a venue for international shipping. 

[valuestore]

This can happen at your local outlet aswell at busy times such as the Christmas rush, big line ups, temp workers, dont want to wait so you drop it on the counter with a nod, clerks distracted and busy, thief sees an opening and grabs it..have to make sure your items are secure before walking or driving away.

[teenytrinkets]

That can happen even after a scan. Our local outlet leaves all the packages in bins on the counters, often unattended. Quite shocking how little attention is paid to them...

[teenytrinkets]

Actually, ChitChats has fairly affordable flat rates for small/light packages from Vancouver to Toronto (and Montreal, Ottawa). I've paid $10-$12 with them (compared to around $18 minimum with Canada Post). If i have more than 2 parcels to ship, it can save me $20+. But it's the looong wait....uggghhh. The US service is better for me.... SUPER fast. Probably because i use the location in Surrey which is super close to the border.

I'm trying not to let this loss affect my opnion of their Canadian service - but judging by the rotten delivery times, and a lost skid, something about their process with CP seems flawed...

[recped]

I don't think this has anything to do with ChitChats "processes".

I dropped a Canadian package (going to Brantford ON) with them on April 17th, it made it to Gateway (Mississauga CP) on the 20th (dropped on Friday, picked up Monday by CP).

Just a few hours ago it finally got a scan showing it was leaving Mississauga today. It sat at gateway for 10 days when normally it's less than 12 hours.

Interesting comparison, I dropped of a package at ChitChat on Monday the 27th, it reached Mississauga CP on Tuesday and was delivered in Montreal yesterday (29th).

[musicyouneed]

I dropped off a parcel in Vancouver at Chit Chats (logged at Chit Chat April 15) going to Kingston Ontario.  Still nothing registered under tracking number.  Normally as soon as it gets to Mississauga, it gets scanned.  I called the post office and they said that everything is super slow right now.  I emailed the buyer and he also said that things are really taking a long time right now and that he will post feedback when he receives it. 

I know that as soon as it gets to Mississauga, it will be a few days after that to get to Kingston.  

So it was logged on April 15 by Chit Chats and it is now April 30/20,  and Mississauga has not scanned it, is this normal for now?