USPS

[taikonaut]

Hi All,
I was expecting a delivery of a jacket I bough on ebay and according to the tracking number I search on USPS website and discovered an attempt delivery was made on 22nd March, however no delivery notices was left. I dont know which couriere handle the UK destination, could that be Parcel Force? Anyway I tried phoning USPS on their International Enquiry Centre phone number 1 800 222-1811 but couldnt get through but maybe because I am phoning from the UK?
If anyone can assist please let me know

 

[shanghai joe]

Hi All,
I was expecting a delivery of a jacket I bough on ebay and according to the tracking number I search on USPS website and discovered an attempt delivery was made on 22nd March, however no delivery notices was left. I dont know which couriere handle the UK destination, could that be Parcel Force? Anyway I tried phoning USPS on their International Enquiry Centre phone number 1 800 222-1811 but couldnt get through but maybe because I am phoning from the UK?
If anyone can assist please let me know

when did it leave the US?

 

[taikonaut]

Hi All,
I was expecting a delivery of a jacket I bough on ebay and according to the tracking number I search on USPS website and discovered an attempt delivery was made on 22nd March, however no delivery notices was left. I dont know which couriere handle the UK destination, could that be Parcel Force? Anyway I tried phoning USPS on their International Enquiry Centre phone number 1 800 222-1811 but couldnt get through but maybe because I am phoning from the UK?
If anyone can assist please let me know

when did it leave the US?

Around the 20th March. I phoned Royal Mail this morning and they believe Parcel Force is the courier but they are closed on Saturday afternoon. I did visited Parcel Force a few days ago to collect another parcel but they made no mention about this one. I believe they hold the parcel for 20 days and if unclaim they will send it back to the sender and it is 21 days ago when they attempted delivery but USPS tracking made no mention about it being returned to the sender.

 

[bazelot]

Here in the US, USPS is pretty reliable. THey leave a note in your mailbox if they missed you and you can pick it up the next day at their nearest location (which is around the corner in my case). I would assume thta other carriers do the same as well in Europe.

 

[shanghai joe]

Around the 20th March. I phoned Royal Mail this morning and they believe Parcel Force is the courier but they are closed on Saturday afternoon. I did visited Parcel Force a few days ago to collect another parcel but they made no mention about this one. I believe they hold the parcel for 20 days and if unclaim they will send it back to the sender and it is 21 days ago when they attempted delivery but USPS tracking made no mention about it being returned to the sender.[/quote]


Yep, parcel force is the courier.........when did the item enter and leave UK customs?

 

[shanghai joe]

Here in the US, USPS is pretty reliable. THey leave a note in your mailbox if they missed you and you can pick it up the next day at their nearest location (which is around the corner in my case). I would assume thta other carriers do the same as well in Europe.

never had any probs with items sent by USPS to UK.

in fact with USPS express I've had it delivered to my door within 5 working days.

That's why I insist on paying extra on USPS express for valuable items.......worth it!

 

[taikonaut]

Its arriived in the UK on the 20th March and attempt delivery on the 22nd March.
Parcel Force dont always leave a note to say they call because last week they just send me a letter via normal post saying they have my parcel and inform me to arrange for collection. They may have done the same for my missing parcel but the letter did not reach me? Still if they have it they could have let me know last week when I visited and collected another parcel.

 

[Peter Graham]

I know what has happened because it happened to me last year. I was tracking a parcel from the US and the Parcelforce website said that delivery had been attempted yet no note was left. The next day a letter arrived from Parcelforce to say it was at their depot and there was a customs charge to pay. They do not deliver parcels with customs charges. 'Delivery attempted' is the way it shows up on the website. I'm afraid you've got some money to pay.

 

[taikonaut]

I know what has happened because it happened to me last year. I was tracking a parcel from the US and the Parcelforce website said that delivery had been attempted yet no note was left. The next day a letter arrived from Parcelforce to say it was at their depot and there was a customs charge to pay. They do not deliver parcels with customs charges. 'Delivery attempted' is the way it shows up on the website. I'm afraid you've got some money to pay.

They did not send me any letter about the missing parcel, they did send me a letter about another parcel arrived last week which I collected with a custom charge. What I dont understand is while I was at Parcel Force to pay the charges for the latter parcel they made no mention that they still hold the missing parcel. If there was another charges you would think they would pounce on the opportunity and brought me to task while I was there.

 

[shanghai joe]

I know what has happened because it happened to me last year. I was tracking a parcel from the US and the Parcelforce website said that delivery had been attempted yet no note was left. The next day a letter arrived from Parcelforce to say it was at their depot and there was a customs charge to pay. They do not deliver parcels with customs charges. 'Delivery attempted' is the way it shows up on the website. I'm afraid you've got some money to pay.

yep, you're right on that one.happpend to me!

 

[shanghai joe]

I know what has happened because it happened to me last year. I was tracking a parcel from the US and the Parcelforce website said that delivery had been attempted yet no note was left. The next day a letter arrived from Parcelforce to say it was at their depot and there was a customs charge to pay. They do not deliver parcels with customs charges. 'Delivery attempted' is the way it shows up on the website. I'm afraid you've got some money to pay.

They did not send me any letter about the missing parcel, they did send me a letter about another parcel arrived last week which I collected with a custom charge. What I dont understand is while I was at Parcel Force to pay the charges for the latter parcel they made no mention that they still hold the missing parcel. If there was another charges you would think they would pounce on the opportunity and brought me to task while I was there.

which parcel was posted first? one you're waiting or the one you received?

 

[taikonaut]

I know what has happened because it happened to me last year. I was tracking a parcel from the US and the Parcelforce website said that delivery had been attempted yet no note was left. The next day a letter arrived from Parcelforce to say it was at their depot and there was a customs charge to pay. They do not deliver parcels with customs charges. 'Delivery attempted' is the way it shows up on the website. I'm afraid you've got some money to pay.

They did not send me any letter about the missing parcel, they did send me a letter about another parcel arrived last week which I collected with a custom charge. What I dont understand is while I was at Parcel Force to pay the charges for the latter parcel they made no mention that they still hold the missing parcel. If there was another charges you would think they would pounce on the opportunity and brought me to task while I was there.

which parcel was posted first? one you're waiting or the one you received?

One I was waiting and still waiting.

 

[shanghai joe]

Ok keep us on the progress.............

 

[taikonaut]

Parcel Force online tracking service is back up again and it is indeed held at their depot. Incompetant staffs there did not send me a letter or bother to inform me when I was at their depot a few days ago about another parcel.
Problem is there is going to be a charge, not sure how much I am going to get hit? I would luv to make a counter claim against them for poor service.

 

[shanghai joe]

Parcel Force online tracking service is back up again and it is indeed held at their depot. Incompetant staffs there did not send me a letter or bother to inform me when I was at their depot a few days ago about another parcel.
Problem is there is going to be a charge, not sure how much I am going to get hit? I would luv to make a counter claim against them for poor service.

how much was the item valued and insured?

parcel force charges about £14 (dont know current rate, that was about a year ago) PLUS customs........maybe no vat depending on how the item is declared......gift???value???

 

[taikonaut]

Well I have been charge VAT as well as custom. Should they really be charging me VAT or customs?

 

[shanghai joe]

Well I have been charge VAT as well as custom. Should they really be charging me VAT or customs?

depends on how the item is declared..........what's declared on the customs form?

also the amount is important too....did the seller declare the full amount??

 

[Jason]

I know what has happened because it happened to me last year. I was tracking a parcel from the US and the Parcelforce website said that delivery had been attempted yet no note was left. The next day a letter arrived from Parcelforce to say it was at their depot and there was a customs charge to pay. They do not deliver parcels with customs charges. 'Delivery attempted' is the way it shows up on the website. I'm afraid you've got some money to pay.

Here in Australia, the way it works is equally strange. After the goods go though our Customs, they assess it, and if there's any import duty and/or GST to be paid, before they send it on to the local post office, they whack a note on the parcel saying something like:
Step 1) Instruction to Postmaster at local post office: NEVER remove this document from the parcel
step 2) Hold this parcel at the local post office for the recipient to collect
step 3) ...
step 4) ...
step 5) Please remove this document from the parcel and post to the recipients address so they know to come to the local post offce to pay any duties & GST

With such contradictory instructions, sometimes you just don't get any notification at all that your item is waiting collection & monies need paying !!
My first international transaction went like that - sent from the USA to Australia, only GST needed to be paid, never got any notice of its arrival due to the silly contradictory note above, and hence I thought it never arrived. I called up the company that sent the goods to make a claim and they chased it up, saying that it was showing as 'awaiting collection' at my end. Wha??? So I toddle down to the local post office (where I was a regular face and kinda well known there) and the post master says something like "oh yeah, we were wondering when you were going to come and collect it...." It had been waiting there for nearly a month and they were about to return it to the sender - and I had been in there plenty of times in that time period too. Grrr.

Sometimes in this track-everything-electronically world, its still good to get to know your post office staff in person.