Brainteaser! USPS

[ed4copies]

EVery day we ship a couple dozen packages, many of which are small flat rate boxes. Many also include "one of a kind" blanks.

Today, a customer calls to tell us he received our box (small flat) and it has products in it that are not from us. (Security locks, of a sort) He sends us pictures and we don't recognize the merchandise at all!! BUT, the label does appear to be ours and the tracking number matches.

His order had one of a kind blanks, and they are not here, so they were put into a box and shipped.

I have scoured the place and can't find any small flat rate boxes laying around and we still have no idea where the merchandise in the box came from. Our labels are sticky back AND we tape across the name in case it is exposed to rain. The box is taped in the manner we would use.

So, theories???

 

[Drewboy22]

ummmm, I am interested to see how this comes out...

 

[edstreet]

This one is very obvious. I will hold off and let the mystery okay out to not spoil the mood.

 

[mredburn]

THe answer is Area 51, Undocumented Aliens that "don't exist" have swapped contents with a box they beamed up in the 1950s and are now probing your "Special" Blanks...

Alternate Answer #2
Someone on the Star Trek Enterprise has beamed the contents of the box up and it replaced it with someone else's box contents. Making it one of the few times the teleporter has failed.

 

[Ed McDonnell]

1) Pen turner working at the post office opened the box and swapped your shipment for whatever was laying around.

2) You box ticked off an xray machine. The overworked employee checking boxes was multitasking and checking multiple boxes at once. They accidentally put the wrong stuff back in the two (or more) of the boxes. Somewhere a security vendor is trying to explain to their customer how they can secure their valuable tonight using pen making supplies....

Ed

 

[mbroberg]

So none of your products were in the box, only the mystery products?


Correct, Mike and he sent us a pic--ED

 

[workinforwood]

I have no clue, pot was legalized in Wisconsin and Ed got subscription?

It is funny you mention rain! My usps trailer is full of holes in the roof. Not kidding

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Did the box show signs of being opened prior to delivery??

If not, and if you taped over the label so that it couldn't have been removed and accidentally stuck to another box, I don't see how such a thing could happen at the post office...

Is this a customer you have prior dealings with?

 

[CREID]

Sounds like you need to call Mulder and Scully, "The Truth is Out There".
Curt

 

[bobleibo]

This one is very obvious. I will hold off and let the mystery okay out to not spoil the mood.

If it's so obvious, then post it.

 

[CREID]

I just thought of something, I just received a package from you a few days ago and I didn't have a knife handy to open the package. So I decided to tear it open. Well, I looked for the best place to start tearing and I pulled on the side flap and it just opened. I remember thinking, "How did I do that without tearing it apart". This may be your answer or not, who knows. You might want to start taping it so that it has to be cut open or at least be able to see that the tape has been removed. Also, I used to work in the flexible packaging industry as an ink supplier and plastic bags that were made to carry coins had to go through a process so that they couldn't be tampered with, mostly because people would use a freeze spray and pop the adhesive and remove some coins and then press it back together and it would seem as no one had tampered with it. Just some ideas.
Curt

 

[CREID]

Of course, (and I don't mean to offend anyone) but how well do you know this customer? That is all I will say on that as I really do not mean to offend anyone.
Curt

 

[alphageek]

If it's so obvious, then post it.

No feeding the troll.

 

[hcpens]

The customer is playing a prank on you, and knew you would start a new Thread on IAP.

 

[alphageek]

This one is very obvious. I will hold off and let the mystery okay out to not spoil the mood.

There is several possibilities, including intentional mischief to accidental swapping if the boxes came open in a truck. There is NO way that there is any ONE obvious answer - you are just trolling on Eds thread.

Oh, wait - I'm wrong. There is ONE obvious case where you would know the answer better than anyone else. Did you pay a postal worker to mess with the box?!

 

[Indiana_Parrothead]

Maybe the items he got are the new one of a kind blanks, we pen turners make blanks out of some crazy things.....

Mike

 

[alphageek]

Are you sure you don't have a disgruntled employee who is tired of seeing all the pretty blanks go out the door and took some for themselves?

You guys have such a massive operation there.. The guy who assembles the boxes, the picker, the person who fills the box, the person who prints the labels, the person who tapes the label to the box, the person who verifies the order, the person who closes the box, and the person in your shipping department. Heck - there is at least 8 possible people before the product leaves the door right in that list. How well do you screen all those people

 

[mbroberg]

This one is very obvious. I will hold off and let the mystery okay out to not spoil the mood.

There is several possibilities, including intentional mischief to accidental swapping if the boxes came open in a truck. There is NO way that there is any ONE obvious answer - you are just trolling on Eds thread.

Take it easy Dean. After all, our resident Cliff Clavin has shed the constraints of group think and has obtained a level of enlightenment and understanding unattainable to mere mortals. He sees things that others don't see (or that are not there at all).

Hummmmm, could it be that our Cliff is actually a postal worker? That could explain some things. :biggrin:

 

[bobleibo]

If it's so obvious, then post it.

No feeding the troll.

You are absolutely right.....after so many years of refusing to do so, I had a weak moment. I could actually feel my I.Q. dropping. What was I thinking? Ugh!

 

[bobleibo]

This one is very obvious. I will hold off and let the mystery okay out to not spoil the mood.

I have a great idea.....you send me a PM with the OBVIOUS answer now - before we all find out the answer - and I will keep it tucked away and compare your obvious answer with the real answer after.

 

[mbroberg]

This one is very obvious. I will hold off and let the mystery okay out to not spoil the mood.

I have a great idea.....you send me a PM with the OBVIOUS answer now - before we all find out the answer - and I will keep it tucked away and compare your obvious answer with the real answer after.

Don't hold your breath!

 

[bobleibo]

This one is very obvious. I will hold off and let the mystery okay out to not spoil the mood.

I have a great idea.....you send me a PM with the OBVIOUS answer now - before we all find out the answer - and I will keep it tucked away and compare your obvious answer with the real answer after.

Don't hold your breath!

I know, just thought I'd have a little fun. It's still early here, morning coffee hasn't kicked in yet.

 

[stonepecker]

This one is very obvious. I will hold off and let the mystery okay out to not spoil the mood.

I have a great idea.....you send me a PM with the OBVIOUS answer now - before we all find out the answer - and I will keep it tucked away and compare your obvious answer with the real answer after.

Don't hold your breath!

I know, just thought I'd have a little fun. It's still early here, morning coffee hasn't kicked in yet.

For the few members that don't drink coffee but are at the age where a handfull of pills start their day........

The meds haven't kicked in yet!

:wink::tongue:

 

[jcm71]

Both boxes made a detour to Penn and Teller in Las Vegas.

 

[mbroberg]

The Security Lock shipper had to reprint his label and attempted to do so by entering either the Transaction Number or Tracking Number. Either through human error or a computer glitch your Transaction or Tracking Number got entered instead resulting in your label being reprinted (voiding your original label if it got accepted by USPS first). Then, without looking at it the other shipper slapped it on the box and sent it out.

Either that or the Penn and Teller thing.

 

[Skie_M]

But, that wouldn't explain why the box received was taped up the same way that the boxes going out would be ... unless it's just a very common method of taping up a box for shipping.


Are you sure that NOBODY THERE recognizes the items that the customer ended up with? I find it impossible to believe that those items could have originated from your shop if nobody there recognizes them at all.

If that were the case, I would suspect that your customer is having a laugh at your expense at the moment, and I hope he would come clean about it being a joke sooner rather than later ...

If someone at your place does recognize the items, then you have a workspace area to begin checking, looking for the misplaced items ... you also have a list of addresses that you sent packages out to on the same day. You could contact them and ask if they had received anything unexpected in their boxes

 

[ed4copies]

The Security Lock shipper had to reprint his label and attempted to do so by entering either the Transaction Number or Tracking Number. Either through human error or a computer glitch your Transaction or Tracking Number got entered instead resulting in your label being reprinted (voiding your original label if it got accepted by USPS first). Then, without looking at it the other shipper slapped it on the box and sent it out.

Either that or the Penn and Teller thing.

IF this is the case (And I really like your thought pattern), we should see OUR package returned with a voided label, shouldn't we?? (There is time for this to happen, the packages were shipped late last week)

Neat theory!!!

 

[ed4copies]

But, that wouldn't explain why the box received was taped up the same way that the boxes going out would be ... unless it's just a very common method of taping up a box for shipping.


Are you sure that NOBODY THERE recognizes the items that the customer ended up with? I find it impossible to believe that those items could have originated from your shop if nobody there recognizes them at all.

If that were the case, I would suspect that your customer is having a laugh at your expense at the moment, and I hope he would come clean about it being a joke sooner rather than later ...

If someone at your place does recognize the items, then you have a workspace area to begin checking, looking for the misplaced items ... you also have a list of addresses that you sent packages out to on the same day. You could contact them and ask if they had received anything unexpected in their boxes

This is what we have been doing---I hold the same theory.

The idea of a joke never really occurred to me. This customer has placed several small orders in the recent past, all have gone normally.

 

[alphageek]

Are you sure that NOBODY THERE recognizes the items that the customer ended up with? I find it impossible to believe that those items could have originated from your shop if nobody there recognizes them at all.

All joking aside - My crack about the number of people at exotics that could have swapped stuff into the box was completely tongue in cheek!!! Ed is 1/2 of the force behind exotics and I really, REALLY doubt that Dawn did this either!

 

[stonepecker]

Are you sure that NOBODY THERE recognizes the items that the customer ended up with? I find it impossible to believe that those items could have originated from your shop if nobody there recognizes them at all.

All joking aside - My crack about the number of people at exotics that could have swapped stuff into the box was completely tongue in cheek!!! Ed is 1/2 of the force behind exotics and I really, REALLY doubt that Dawn did this either!

You just NEVER really know. I 'hear' that Ed is getting old and worn-out. Sometimes when talking to him by phone he sounds so "tired". :turtle: I know that he has several ways to get home that involve a train. I just don't think it is the "looser's train".:biggrin::beer:

 

[brownsfn2]

Dean is correct. There are only two halves to the business.

1/2 holds long conversations on the phone, makes fun videos, surfs IAP, and turns cool pens.

The other half does a lot of work picking orders, printing shipping labels, and posting items for sale.

I am not saying who does what but they know.

(Scoring points with Dawn on this one.)

 

[CREID]

Are you sure that NOBODY THERE recognizes the items that the customer ended up with? I find it impossible to believe that those items could have originated from your shop if nobody there recognizes them at all.

All joking aside - My crack about the number of people at exotics that could have swapped stuff into the box was completely tongue in cheek!!! Ed is 1/2 of the force behind exotics and I really, REALLY doubt that Dawn did this either!

What about the other half.

 

[mecompco]

So I once sold a MacBook on eBay. The customer receives, in my box, several used toner cartridges. The weight is not what was recorded at the UPS store where I shipped it. Of course, I ended up shipping them another MacBook and eating the cost as, according to eBay and PayPal, the box "was received". That one is still a mystery as well.

Regards,
Michael

 

[mredburn]

I tape the flaps on the ends and in 2 locations over the preglued flap so that its harder, not impossible to open the box without leaving signs behind. I have had boxes show up at my house in a bag from the USPS that the glue on the flap failed and everything inside was gone and a note that the contents were missing. In each case it was small dollar amount stuff off different sellers on Ebay. I dont think that happened here. You could have someone that switched stuff in route. Lots of Possibilities, what is the most probable?

 

[TurtleTom]

You're going to have to make good on the order anyway so tell them you sent the wrong box, get the security locks,sell them and recoop what you can.

 

[ed4copies]

Although the issue is not really "resolved", today's conversations lead me to a firm belief this was not a joke, by the customer. Upon closer inspection, his wife told Dawn the tape might have been tampered with, so we gave them a full refund and they placed another order (since the one of a kinds are not identical to anything else, we want them to pick the closest substitute.)

 

[Lucky2]

Ed, what does the USPS have to say about this? Surely, you must have reported the tampering to them by now, did they reply back to you? Are they going to do anything about it, or, do they have doubt in your story?
Len

 

[rkimery]

Barbara Bush?

 

[Drewboy22]

what was the outcome Ed? What did the PO say?

 

[ed4copies]

Sorry guys!!

After running my own business for the past 40 years, I have learned that calling large entities to report things is a waste of time. Some poor employee will have to listen to me complain, then they will want reams of paperwork and I can receive the $50 the item is insured for.

My time is worth more than that, to me.

I am currently working on a much larger problem--international, several hundred dollars should have gone to Italy, went to Israel in late June. EVERY phone call takes 15 minutes, and each step of the process requires 15-30 days for everyone to get a chance to reply. No one does, but the overall will still be 90 days, at best and maybe recover $100.

The post office delivers nearly every package, flawlessly. But, their process for finding lost packages is painstaking for the customer and only the SHIPPER can make the claim. So, I save that for the "can't avoid" situations.