WidowMaker Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 I just recieved a shipment of tubes form a wholesaler and it was short a bag of 100 count tubes. I called the individual back and he was pretty sure he had completely filled the shipment prior to mailing it UPS. He seems to be a very nice individual to work with and promised to send the shorted items. But the problem is its only the second order ive placed with them and he doesnt know me from Adam. For all he knows i could have just been lying to him just to get more tubes. The package came in a large bubble cushioned mailer and it did look kind of beat up. Im not sure if it had been opened by someone and then retaped. But still it bugs me becasue this has happened. Has this happened to any of the posters here? Anyone that wouldve been either in my position or the wholesalers position? The only real way i know of attempting to keep this from happening is to ship with a card board box. Tape it up with the widest clear packing tape available. Make one pass over the wide tape using paper masking tape and hand write my name on the paper tape. Then go over it again with the wide clear packing tape. This way the paper tape is laminated between two layers of wide clear packing tape. Then maybe upon receipt of the package one could tell whether or not it had been opened or not. Any thoughts on this??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 Not uncommon! I am the shipping and receiving supervisor for a Naval Air Base. We handle parcels (under 50 lbs) and freight (50+ lbs) from any and all vendors. I see as many as 3000 deliveries pass through my docks on a monthly basis. You would be amazed at the condition of some of the material we receive. Crates valued at half a million dollars with holes in the side where someone punctured it with the forks on a forklift before it got to us Boxes from UPS or FedEx that don't have any material or a receipt inside It could have been either parties fault. But my guess is it happened in transit. For some, it's kind of a no win situation. You know that you will never be at home for a delivery, so you approve them leaving the package at your doorstep. Well, you just agreed to accept whatever material they leave, regardless of condition! If go directly to a depot, always, always open your package before you leave :!: :!: :!: Once you sign for that material and open the package, the carrier is no longer responsible for damaged or missing items. Also, if don't have time to open the packages at the depot, make sure to note any visible damage on the outside of the package before you leave! A small dent in the box could mean a big hole in your material. In the industry it's known as concealed damage. Very hard for a customer to prove if there was nothing annotated on the paper work. Whenever possible, seal the box with an adhesive. Then cover with tape. It's visible when adhesive has been opened. That's one reason I always ship with Priority Mail boxes. You can seal them before you tape them up. If it's a major concern or problem, they make security tape. You can find it on the web. It's designed to leave writing on the package when the tape is removed. So, if someone tries to open your package and replace the tape, you can see that the lettering has separated from the tape and is left on the package Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overkill Posted February 11, 2005 Report Share Posted February 11, 2005 I am a letter carrier for the USPS and have seen alot of packages with contents spilled out. Most of the time it is that the packing hasn't held up to the shipping. Many times the problem is that an inadequate box was used or not enough tape was used. I have many times stuffed contents back in broken envelope or box and retaped it, just to have the customer complain that someone is looking through there mail. I will say that I have never seen an employee open a package or steal one.(I am not saying that it never happens) I haven't even heard of anyone in the area I work getting caught for doing it. Many people don't know this but, every postal facility is equipped with a viewing system so that postal inspectors can watch all the employees without anyone being aware of their presence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richoc Posted February 11, 2005 Report Share Posted February 11, 2005 I have had 2 in the last 2 weeks opened. Very evident it was done on purpose. Package sliced open and contents taken out. Entire order of hooks gone. Fre gift left though. Posties said, call police/police said call post office. Other package opened was ripped up and retapped/kind of. Nothing gone though. Our Mail man, did not remember ether looking like that when he dropped them off. Been our carrier for like 20 years, great guy also, so put trust in him. The first thing I ever mail ordered was stolen. Metal box at apt. ripped open and every thing gone but one item. Got no where with that one ethier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overkill Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 If you have evidence that it was definitely tampered with by the post office then you should call the Postal Inspectors if the post office will not help you. The Postal Inspectors are not part of the USPS but a government police that investigate all kinds of mail fraud, theft and Identity theft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richoc Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 We were just blown off buy the post office, told go to the police. Police said not there problem ethier. Typical handling up here. Police responds time when we had intruders captured that broke in our building.... Fastest was 2 hours. Do you have a way to contact them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overkill Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 Here is the the web site http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/welcome2.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richoc Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WidowMaker Posted February 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 The package was shipped via United Parcel Service / U.P.S. There was a period of time, several years ago, when basically all the wholesale and parts catalogs deliverd to my post office box were being opened. If it had the word "fishing" related to it in any manner then it was being opened. I found out a lady who worked there made plastic worms on the side. I started going back through my records and estimated when it first started happening and about the time it quit happening. Those two approximate dates corresponded exactly with the time period during which she worked there. All she had to do was ask and i would have helped her out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Splash Posted February 12, 2005 Report Share Posted February 12, 2005 Sounds sorta like you have a suspect widow maker! I'm way up in B.C. Canada, so most of my shipments that come to me are well traveled. If Customs opens a package then they use a special yellow tape to indicate it. Certain package types get beat up in the mail, and my experience has been that 'priority" type envelopes, either the tyvek or the cardboard ones get mangled in the mail, often spilling the contents. About 50% of the envelopes are not intact, or have been retaped by some thoughtful postie (thanks). BTW Priority mail from the US takes forever to get up here....maybe its all that re-tapeing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
