How do you handle a customer not getting their mail?

[Joebobber]

So I was wondering because it's that time of year where alot of packages get mailed, what do you do when a customer contacts you and says they haven't received their order and you look at the tracking and it says it was delivered already?

I've had this happen a few times, and it's only turned out good once, where the secretary had the package and forgot to give it to the person for a few days.

I KNOW everyone who sells pens has had this happen. What do you say to them?

 

[jttheclockman]

I think this all starts with you. You mention it has happened a few times. You need to look at your source of delivery. Yes there are porch pirates but they steal large packages, A pen would be shipped in a package that fits in a mailbox. That is the first step. Others can talk about sending packages with insurance and how much it carries and the process to track it down. I have not run into one problem but I do not ship many pens. I do ship other items because I am a scrollsawer. I have had issues with so called breakage and ask customer to send photos. I know it was not because of me and the package was well protected but items I make will break. I ask they send broken item back on my dime and will replace it. I ask for it back because I could salvage many things. Have not had a no show item so can not answer but if happened I would eat the loss and send again. Their judgement day will come and if they can live with the guilt then it is out of my hands. Too old to sweat the small stuff and a pen is a small item. If it was a large clock or something like that it was a one of a kind so I would just refund money and tell them to move on. Scams are so prevalent these days and they come in all shapes and forms so it is the cost of doing business.

 

[Joebobber]

I've had it happen with large packages and small ones. I'm not talking about just pens either. I have helped many family members sell their junk online and over the years it happens only maybe once a year or so.

One question though John, if it is because the issue is sending smaller packages that fit in mailboxes, and porch pirates look for bigger ones, what size does a person use?

The delivery method is also dependent upon the individual homeowner. I can ship usps, but if it goes to a mailbox or door then use fed ex or ups which most likely also goes to a door. Get signature confirmation but if the person isn't home they'd have to have it delivered at work which isn't safe either. So maybe only ship to P.O. boxes?

It hasn't happened to me since last year (on a large order of duck calls) but it crossed my mind today and I wondered what everyone else says to people if/when it happens.

 

[rherrell]

It happens to me VERY rarely, I think twice in 15 years and both times I sent them a new order for free.
I will say that neither time did the tracking show it was delivered to the customer, both times it was "lost".

 

[Joebobber]

I had 1 get lost by USPS. That insurance they offer is a nightmare. The claim process is horrible. I decided not to file cause it was so bad, luckily, because a year later the lost package got delivered. That was a tough one to eat, and if i had received the insurance money i would've had to pay it back.

I did what you did as well. I apologized profusely and resent the order.

 

[MRDucks2]

Oddly enough, we have never had a package not get where it was supposed to go. Been shipping since either 1996 or 1998. At the best of times about 6 packages a week. Mosstly USPS then UPS. Rarely FedEx.

We have had stuff not get to us. Typically it is refunded, I would say 60-70% of the time and we move on. The other 30-40% it is reshipped.

This year the wife did order a mild from the UK that shipped in March. It never showed up and a refund was issued. It showed up a few weeks ago. Wife reached out to inform the seller and asked for a new invoice. Seller said she would look into it and decided not to invoice for it because no one had ever reached back out before.

 

[Joebobber]

I guess the few times where the tracking says delivered but they claim they never received it I have not been as compromising as I could've been. I tell them I can give them a discount on a new item. Keep in mind this is a situation that the tracking says it was delivered.

 

[leehljp]

I would, if possible give them the tracking number once it shipped - so that they could at least they could know that you did ship it. That doesn't guarantee that it gets there but takes the doubt off that you at least sent it.

 

[rixstix]

The few instances we had when items were marked as delivered by the USPS, our words went like this...

• No problem Ms Customer, the item was insured but we have to follow the insurance company rules. (missing for 30 days)
• The USPS is required to deliver packages but not required to deliver to the correct address, could you check around with neighbors please while we are waiting for the insurance 'lost package timing'?
• Once the insurance time parameters are satisfied, claim payment happens within 48 hours and we will have the replacement item ready to reship by then.
• If you, Ms Customer, cannot wait, you can place a 2nd order and we will ship immediately and just refund the original order value to your CC or PP account as soon as the insurance claim is settled.

• We used ShipStation and their insurance is much less expensive than USPS insurance, pays quicker and even covers packages USPS won't insure. $1/$100 then. probably a bit higher now.
• Was the payment made using PP goods/services and qualify for buyer/seller protection? If yes, have the buyer file a PP claim. PP will message the seller for proof of shipment and proof of delivery. Usually, claim paid instantly to the seller to reship.

PP and CC companies are getting a bit more strict regarding claims payment on items marked as delivered by taking the stance that they are not responsible for the security of the buyer's location. Sometimes a bit of tip toeing is needed.

We had one instance where the customer refused to follow the insurance requirements and the customer just disappeared. We assumed they received the package and was just trying to double-dip. We used the insurance story even for packages we did not insure just to weed out this type of instance.

Like @rherrell, we could count on less than 2 hands the actual number of USPS packages lost/not delivered in 10 years. International was countable on less than 1 hand.

 

[SteveG]

...Scams are so prevalent these days and they come in all shapes and forms so it is the cost of doing business.

I would suggest that you establish a standard response to a loss such as this, and be sure it is both reasonable AND palatable to your customer. Also, build in your pricing structure an amount that will compensate your occasional loss. That will make you feel better about the whole thing, and keep your buyer as satisfied as possible (when it is a legit loss). As an additional thing to consider, whenever my customer experienced a loss or warranty issue, I responded quickly and got the issue resloved in a good way. This often led to future purchases, so was good for business. Sadly, we all realize that scammers are everywhere. It is just an aspect of the world today.

 

[jttheclockman]

I've had it happen with large packages and small ones. I'm not talking about just pens either. I have helped many family members sell their junk online and over the years it happens only maybe once a year or so.

One question though John, if it is because the issue is sending smaller packages that fit in mailboxes, and porch pirates look for bigger ones, what size does a person use?

The delivery method is also dependent upon the individual homeowner. I can ship usps, but if it goes to a mailbox or door then use fed ex or ups which most likely also goes to a door. Get signature confirmation but if the person isn't home they'd have to have it delivered at work which isn't safe either. So maybe only ship to P.O. boxes?

It hasn't happened to me since last year (on a large order of duck calls) but it crossed my mind today and I wondered what everyone else says to people if/when it happens.

Joe that is a tough question because now you said it is not always pens. As I said I send various sized packages because of what I do. I do not use the USPS boxes. I use my own brown boxes. I should correct something because since last year I am downsizing my business and more or less getting out of it. I have done less craft shows and actually just sold all my shipping boxes and much of my shipping materials. So my response is from past experiences. This being the first year I shipped only 2 items. I had to think when I really had a problem and maybe it was 2 times over my 30 years in business. I had returns at shows so it was easier to handle. Losses have been far and few. I always compensated the customer. Things worked out. Someone brought up their packages showing up at different addresses. That has been a problem in my area for many years because they are constantly changing delivery people. Use to be one person who we all got to know but that has changed. But we all just deliver packages on our own if this happens. I did have packages delivered to another town but again was resolved with a phone call. There are still honest people out there. I tried going through insurance through post office once for a package to me and that did not end well. Luckily the sender reimbursed me. It was a legit loss of package and still remains a mystery some 5 years ago. There is no right answer to your question and how it is handled can be a pain. As I said people have become more brazen and scams happen all the time. Good luck.

 

[Joebobber]

I'm not currently going through this I should note. I was turning duck calls and I was thinking and it just popped in my head the last time it happened. The post office is DEFINITELY no help when tracking says it's delivered. I don't believe their insurance even covers it.

While it seems most people here agree with eating it and either give a refund or remake the order, I have to disagree. If a customer gets their mail after it has been sitting out on their steps or mailbox all day then that is on them. They are the ones taking that risk. I don't feel I have any responsibility after the item has been delivered other than standard repairs, ect. If it's something where the package was lost in shipping then I would replace it or refund. I know when I have packages coming and if someone isn't home I make sure 1 of my neighbors can toss it in my house.

When this happened the result was that Facebook reimbursed the customer and I ended up keeping the payment because I had proof it was delivered. It was a $300 order.

 

[jrista]

I am really starting to wonder when UPS and FedEx (and others) will start putting up package delivery boxes, similar to the package cubbies in USPS mail boxes. The porch pirate issue is becoming so egregious these days, normal package delivery has almost no protection from them. These people will come right up onto your porch and root around, looking in other things, to find packages now (I had a couple of empty planters on my front porch, and my main UPS delivery guy and one of the amazon delivery guys was putting packages in there, to try and keep them hidden from the pirates. That worked for a while, but I caught someone sneaking onto my porch the other day, and almost lost a package.

Amazon has started taking photos of the package delivery. I don't know if they send that to the seller as well, but, that is a service that would be really nice across the board. If shippers would actually snap a photo of the delivered package, in its place of delivery, with enough of the surroundings for evidentiary purposes. If these photos were sent to both the shipper and the buyer, that would help with situations like this...

As for what to do when a package goes missing, in all honesty, I have the same questions. I've shipped a number of packages so far. Only one time did I ship to the wrong address (client actually gave me the wrong address and didn't realize it). They were able to get the package in the end, but I did refund their shipping costs due to the mixup. Outside of petitioning UPS, FedEx, and other shipping companies to step up their own game with photos of delivered packages and the like, sadly, it seems like in the end, from a customer service standpoint anyway, it would tend to fall on the seller to deal with missing packages? I mean, how do you know if the buyer is truthful or not, or just lying to get a refund on a package they DID receive? In this day and age, if you indicate you think the buyer is lying, they will usually just take to social media and roast you, hurting your business.

 

[rixstix]

As for what to do when a package goes missing, in all honesty, I have the same questions. I've shipped a number of packages so far. Only one time did I ship to the wrong address (client actually gave me the wrong address and didn't realize it). They were able to get the package in the end, but I did refund their shipping costs due to the mixup. Outside of petitioning UPS, FedEx, and other shipping companies to step up their own game with photos of delivered packages and the like, sadly, it seems like in the end, from a customer service standpoint anyway, it would tend to fall on the seller to deal with missing packages? I mean, how do you know if the buyer is truthful or not, or just lying to get a refund on a package they DID receive? In this day and age, if you indicate you think the buyer is lying, they will usually just take to social media and roast you, hurting your business.

That's why we suggest the buyer use the PayPal buyer/seller protection button. Our customers understood the insurance terms and either reordered and/or waited. ShipStation insurance of USPS packages requires the buyer to respond to the automated emails and paid the claims in less than 48 hours. The orders trying to double dip just seemed to disappear even after repeated followups.

Our current package receiving problem is the USPS returning packages to senders because sellers refusing to print the 2nd address line on the shipping label. You never know how the seller will ship... UPS, Fedex, USPS or other. The USPS will not deliver packages to our physical address and requires the PO Box number to be on line 2. Without line 2 on the label, the package is threatened to be returned to sender as "Not valid USPS address" PSI is the absolute worst about this. Their online system will not accept the line 2 and requires interaction with customer support on each individual order.

 

[jttheclockman]

Joe First today so much commerce is being done on line. Look at Cyber Monday going to set all time records and they say there is a recession. This means things are being delivered by mail in some sort of fashion. This means more mistakes will happen. It is just fact. Nothings is a perfect system unless you hand deliver. We all been on both sides of the fence especially if you are in a business. If you are a person that gets and sends packages on a regular basis you need to set up a system with a carrier. The postal service is only as good as all the links in the chain down the line. They do have insurance as well as all other carriers. Going through Paypal can be another form of insurance. Collecting on these policies can be daunting at times. Amazon does snap photos of all packages delivered and sends this to your email. get them all the time FedX does this too in my area. You also get tracking numbers and updates so there is a trend to ward off the stolen package but again no perfect solution. This is why people have doorbell cameras these days and they can help. If you live in a neighborhood that does watch for one another than maybe you can rely on them to rescue packages. But again the society today is on a downturn and theft and just plain no goods happening all the time. Many you never hear of.

So you have some choices. But I say this with all kindness so do not take it any other way. Ask yourself what would you do if you were on either side of that fence and there is your answer. Everyone is different. I give more pens away and have given more scrollsaw clocks away than I can even imagine over the years so as I said I do not sweat the small stuff any more. Yes money does not grow on trees but it can. Cut those limbs down and make a pen

 

[dogcatcher]

I used to send out 20 to 30 packages a month. I quit buying insurance on all packages years ago. I self insured. I eat the cost of the loss. The sales price is not tax deductible only your costs.

If one is lost, I send a replacement. The second time I insure, with signature required. There are crooked buyers out there, but a very small percentage
It is just another cost of doing business.

 

[Joebobber]

Yeah John I've been there, 1 time onky. I had an apartment and the mail guy just left packages for the whole building sitting on top and next to the mail box. I ended up getting a post office box and having packages sent to it. While it totally sucked i was out the money, in the end it was my fault for not doing my part. The seller did what they were supposed to, the post office delivered it using the same method they always used. It wouldn't be fair to blame either of them, although the postal worker might've had a small bit of blame. Plus if I got a replacement free the guy i bought from would be out time and materials because I didn't make sure my packages went to a safe place. I was even home at the time this happened.

 

[rherrell]

I am really starting to wonder when UPS and FedEx (and others) will start putting up package delivery boxes, similar to the package cubbies in USPS mail boxes. The porch pirate issue is becoming so egregious these days, normal package delivery has almost no protection from them. These people will come right up onto your porch and root around, looking in other things, to find packages now (I had a couple of empty planters on my front porch, and my main UPS delivery guy and one of the amazon delivery guys was putting packages in there, to try and keep them hidden from the pirates. That worked for a while, but I caught someone sneaking onto my porch the other day, and almost lost a package.

Amazon has started taking photos of the package delivery. I don't know if they send that to the seller as well, but, that is a service that would be really nice across the board. If shippers would actually snap a photo of the delivered package, in its place of delivery, with enough of the surroundings for evidentiary purposes. If these photos were sent to both the shipper and the buyer, that would help with situations like this...

As for what to do when a package goes missing, in all honesty, I have the same questions. I've shipped a number of packages so far. Only one time did I ship to the wrong address (client actually gave me the wrong address and didn't realize it). They were able to get the package in the end, but I did refund their shipping costs due to the mixup. Outside of petitioning UPS, FedEx, and other shipping companies to step up their own game with photos of delivered packages and the like, sadly, it seems like in the end, from a customer service standpoint anyway, it would tend to fall on the seller to deal with missing packages? I mean, how do you know if the buyer is truthful or not, or just lying to get a refund on a package they DID receive? In this day and age, if you indicate you think the buyer is lying, they will usually just take to social media and roast you, hurting your business.

I get an email notice from the USPS every day that has photos of the letters I will be receiving that day and a list of the packages. Not quite as good as the Amazon photo but it's very helpful. I don't remember how I signed up for the sevice or what it's called but I'm sure it's on their website.

 

[Joebobber]

I get an email notice from the USPS every day that has photos of the letters I will be receiving that day and a list of the packages. Not quite as good as the Amazon photo but it's very helpful. I don't remember how I signed up for the sevice or what it's called but I'm sure it's on their website.

That's awesome! How much does it cost?

 

[rixstix]

I get an email notice from the USPS every day that has photos of the letters I will be receiving that day and a list of the packages. Not quite as good as the Amazon photo but it's very helpful. I don't remember how I signed up for the sevice or what it's called but I'm sure it's on their website.

The USPS product is called "Informed Delivery"

The requirements are similar to getting a passport in proving your identity and legitimate/real address. Most can be done online until you get to the point of actual proof, then print the page with a barcode and take it to the Post Office for verification. Not all addresses qualify to apply.

In addition to the email, there is a USPS login to get additional details.

 

[Woodchipper]

I'm not fully trusting of the USPS. My wife ordered a Christmas present for our grandson. She didn't review the address and we never got the order. I went to the main post office to see if it was in the dead letter box. I showed the lady the address; she said there was a similar street north of town. However. the numbers there were such smaller than ours. It's odd but UPS determined the address was wrong...got the correct address and delivered not one package but two packages at two different times! Our mail delivery has been horrible. W have had delivery after 8 PM and the last two days delivery was at 3 PM. Once went three days without delivery. Mailed a bill and the driver passed our mailbox but delivered up the street!

 

[McKenzie Penworks]

We've been pretty lucky in regards to packages not going missing forever... though there for a while in 2020-2021 it could take several weeks for things to get where they needed to go. It's funny, once a customer notified us that they were looking for something I'd sign up for notifications for it and magically it would start moving through the system again. A few times things were "delivered" and ended up at wrong houses and got to where it needed to go eventually. Perhaps a handful of times in the past 4-5 years we've sent replacements for things that just "vanished".

Admittedly it may be a bit easier to replace things like blanks, kits, etc. However, even when I was selling pens I would just send a replacement with the understanding that the wood/resin body might vary a bit from the original. If you're operating a business, the cost of replacing the occasional piece is WELL worth the positive feedback you'll get from the customer. It's the kind of advertising that money can't buy. Sending out 1-2 pieces a year even shouldn't even be noticeable on your bottom line.

 

[penicillin]

When the USPS postal carrier scans your package as they deliver it to your door, they record the GPS coordinates of the delivery. The GPS coordinates of the delivery are not available to consumers online. Those coordinates are accurate to within a few feet.

I have a feeling that USPS customer support people are not supposed to give the coordinates to the recipient, but if you ask politely, they may provide them.

With the GPS coordinates from USPS customer service, I was able to determine which neighbor accidentally received our packages. I could tell that the postal carrier scanned the package at their truck, then walked the package up the short path from the street to the front door - the GPS is that accurate. The neighbor gets many packages and does not always open them immediately, so they did not notice our package mixed in with theirs until I asked them to look.

Deliveries from Amazon and other package delivery companies may be indicated as "handed to resident." The problem can be that the person who accepted the package is not the resident. That just happened to an elderly neighbor a few days ago. They were out of town and their daughter came by to pick up the package. That's when they learned that it had been "given to resident" ... The problem is that nobody was home at the time the package was "delivered".

 

[Joebobber]

That is very interesting. I'm super glad to know that is a thing! Very hepful, as now i can look into it further to determine where it was delivered for them and point them in the right direction. That should fix any issue in the future i would imagine.

 

[rherrell]

That's awesome! How much does it cost?

$0!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[randyrls]

Mailed a bill and the driver passed our mailbox but delivered up the street!

They have special trucks for package deliveries. Those trucks don't pickup mail.

To join the thread; After thinking about this, I would ship the replacement to the customers nearest UPS store. Many other stores are also "drop points" for shipments. CVS, Rite-Aid, etc. They are everywhere and you know the package was picked up by the customer. I've done this and showed ID to pickup an expensive ($1,000.00+) item.

 

[egnald]

I am chiming in because I am frequently on the receiving end of this topic. For whatever reason, the folks that plotted the subdivision I live in, Indian Hills, named my street Comanche and the street one block North of me, Apache. To our mutual despair a neighbor to the North and I both have house numbers of 425.

That photo for evidence of delivery has saved me a lot of aggravation on several occasions. Most recently, the photo directed me to the front porch of the neighbor to retrieve a box of insulin. The neighbors were out and my insulin would have certainly spoiled if I had not been able to track it down in time.

Anyhow, this incident made me a very big fan of the photo delivery evidence when it is provided.

Regards, - Dave

 

[Woodchipper]

They have special trucks for package deliveries. Those trucks don't pickup mail.

To join the thread; After thinking about this, I would ship the replacement to the customers nearest UPS store. Many other stores are also "drop points" for shipments. CVS, Rite-Aid, etc. They are everywhere and you know the package was picked up by the customer. I've done this and showed ID to pickup an expensive ($1,000.00+) item.

The truck made three stops in a row. We didn't get any mail pickup that day...with the flag up.

 

[Joebobber]

I should add, I live in a town of maybe 50 people in the summer. We are 45 miles away from a real town. There is nothing for miles. So ups and fed ex are not practical shipping options as they dont always come out here and we don't go into town that often, once a week usually.

 

[Amanap]

I am really starting to wonder when UPS and FedEx (and others) will start putting up package delivery boxes, similar to the package cubbies in USPS mail boxes. The porch pirate issue is becoming so egregious these days, normal package delivery has almost no protection from them. These people will come right up onto your porch and root around, looking in other things, to find packages now (I had a couple of empty planters on my front porch, and my main UPS delivery guy and one of the amazon delivery guys was putting packages in there, to try and keep them hidden from the pirates. That worked for a while, but I caught someone sneaking onto my porch the other day, and almost lost a package.

Amazon has started taking photos of the package delivery. I don't know if they send that to the seller as well, but, that is a service that would be really nice across the board. If shippers would actually snap a photo of the delivered package, in its place of delivery, with enough of the surroundings for evidentiary purposes. If these photos were sent to both the shipper and the buyer, that would help with situations like this...

As for what to do when a package goes missing, in all honesty, I have the same questions. I've shipped a number of packages so far. Only one time did I ship to the wrong address (client actually gave me the wrong address and didn't realize it). They were able to get the package in the end, but I did refund their shipping costs due to the mixup. Outside of petitioning UPS, FedEx, and other shipping companies to step up their own game with photos of delivered packages and the like, sadly, it seems like in the end, from a customer service standpoint anyway, it would tend to fall on the seller to deal with missing packages? I mean, how do you know if the buyer is truthful or not, or just lying to get a refund on a package they DID receive? In this day and age, if you indicate you think the buyer is lying, they will usually just take to social media and roast you, hurting your business.

FedEx does not have the drop lockers like Amazon but we do have drop sites. Almost all Walgreens stores are a FedEx drop or pick up location. We also use some Dollar General stores and a few Walmart's. FedEx office is also a drop option but not nearly as many of those locations as Walgreens.

I also want to mention a couple other issues with shipping right now, not making excuses, just trying to explain. We are in the middle of what is considered peak for parcel transportation (FedEx, USPS, UPS and DHL) so the volume of packages handled will double so this cause issues with extended delayed or lost packages. These companies also employ a lot of temp workers this time of year so you have the issue of misdelivered shipments due to inexperience. Some companies handle it better than others but USPS really struggles this time of year.

Amazon is very different since they are a different industry and are able to avoid the problems FedEx, USPS, UPS and DHL have.

Also, porch pirates are scum.

 

[mmayo]

I get an email notice from the USPS every day that has photos of the letters I will be receiving that day and a list of the packages. Not quite as good as the Amazon photo but it's very helpful. I don't remember how I signed up for the sevice or what it's called but I'm sure it's on their website.

It's called informed mail and it's free.

 

[Hartwell85]

All these conversations are very useful to me. I launched a website this year to sell my pens and bottle stoppers. I have thought long and hard about the non-delivery issue and how to respond to the customer. My main concern was getting scammed by a false claim. Lots of good advice here that I can put to use. Will check out ShipStation as an alternate to USPS.

If you ship USPS and have a tracking number, you can sign up for text alerts to know when your shipment was delivered.