USPS insurance claim woes......

[Handsome Rob]

Anyone else had to deal with the USPS Insurance service?

 

I sold a flintlock rifle on another forum a couple of weeks ago. Wrapped it up well & mailed it off to Texas, all safe, sound & insured for $400.

2 days later, it arrived in Texas, unsafe, unsound, but still insured. God only knows how, but they managed to [i]crush[/i] the stock along the forearm, rendering the rifle, obviously, unuseable.

I put forward an online claim for the vale of replacement parts only, including the shipping, but not labor costs (It's only a ½ hour job) for a total of $274.90

The costs were a direct quote from Lyman Direct & a printed quote was attached to the claim, along with detailed photoraphs.

This was on July 19th.

 

This morning, I received a text from the guy I sold the rifle to (I had USPS ship him the check & he'll take care of the repair) with an attached letter from USPS stating that they'd approved the claim, but for a lesser amount. Their own 'research' shows that the replacement value is $71.40

 

Where in the hell they've pulled that particular figure from I do not know, although I'd venture a guess......If I could buy a replacement Lyman Great Plains stock for $71.40, I'd buy every one I could! Lyman Direct is the ONLY place you can buy a new stock.

 

Can anyone advise me about an appeals process? The letter says that the payout can be appealed, but I'm damned if I can find any information on their site, that is any use at all!

 

Anyone else had to go through this?

What're my chances at getting the full claimed amount?

 

Wish I'd just claimed it as a total loss now.....

[Guest AmericanWorkMule]

from what I've heard and read you were lucky to even get $1

 

http://community.ebay.com/t5/Video-Games-and-Consoles/WARNING-usps-insurance-is-fraud/td-p/2894059

[Guest Bonedaddy]

Got a lawyer?

[Handsome Rob]

That bad huh?

[maroonandwhite]

All you can do is call and fuss until you get the right person. We deal with them at work and they do not like paying claims. Make them tell you where they got their info from. If they play hardball though and don't give you an answer then Id say all you can do is hire a lawyer. They are banking most won't do that as the cost of a lawyer outweighs the benefit.

[itchytriggerfinger]

Just another reason USPS needs to go away.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

It's another reason I don't buy insurance for a lot of things like that. And the Post Office can go away.

 

All the crap I had to go through to send my son in Germany a care package of American, mostly mom made

food items and some clothing, plus a bag of good coffee through the Post Office, made me rethink doing it

again. Damned stuff gets x-rayed already. Not worth the trouble.

 

Government in action. The biggest restraint of trade there ever was.

[ted]

Tell them you don't want the money , for them to replace the item in as good of shape as it was before thay damaged it and broke it then. With it shipped to the person you where shipping it to at no charge being you have already paid them already for that .

[hipower]

Tell them you don't want the money , for them to replace the item in as good of shape as it was before thay damaged it and broke it then. With it shipped to the person you where shipping it to at no charge being you have already paid them already for that .

Is that even possible under their rules?