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schoolmarm
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« on: August 17, 2006, 02:36:32 PM » |
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Well, I have a puzzle that maybe someone can help me with.
Today the postman came with a package I had mailed to myself from Germany. Well, it was a package but it wasn't MY package. I had mailed 16.6 Kilos (about 36 pounds) of books and other research items in a bright yellow box. What I got was 7 pounds of conference papers and magazines in a damaged brown cardboard box.
Obviously someone has gone through my package and repackaged it. The items IN the package had been quite banged around and the conference folder was inside out.
Made the postman stand by my door while I opened it and asked him if he thought it was 36 pounds. So I went to my local small town post office to see if they had any info on tracking the missing items or what the heck happened to my package. I did say that it was a SMALL town, didn't I?
Filled out some forms, but I don't think that my local postman deals with this kind of thing very often.
This is the first time that I've had an international package not arrive with all the stuff in it. I frequently mail things back to myself, but on future trips I guess that I'll just pack another suitcase.
SIGH! I just didn't expect to have problems with mail from GERMANY.
Has this happened to anyone else? Anyone have any advice on what to do? Customs? Another postal office?
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stickball
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« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2006, 10:12:42 AM » |
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I wouldn't expect that from Germany, either. My US mail sent to me in Suva occasionally arrived by of Saigon. Go figure. Mail from the states took a month to deliver to Fiji, whether it was airmail or not. In order to claim any media (CD's, DVD's, etc...), I had to appear at the post office in town and wait while the inspector opened everything, played everything, and then approved. Oh yeah... then I had to pay for this service...! Most packages we indeed bunged up, but nothing was ever missing. Aren't the Germans supposed to be our friends lately...?
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"Television isn't a medium. It's a small" - anon
"Sh!t happens" - George Carlin
"I can do the work of three men -Curley, Larry, and Moe" - dena
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seniorscholar
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« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2006, 10:23:56 AM » |
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Are there any clues in the nature of the box or any of the packaging about where this happened? I have more than once had packages mangled by the US Post Office -- sometimes they arrive with a stamp saying "received damaged, repacked [place]" but sometimes they don't.
Off the subject, but I have another US Post Office story -- once I arrived home from the UK, unpacked everything I'd mailed to myself, and realized that the books included one I'd checked out from the English Faculty Library at Oxford. I wrapped it up and sent it back . . . and about six weeks later, it was returned to me by the librarian at the University of Mississippi, along with a note saying that, from the wrapper, it had also been to Oxford, Ohio, before reaching Oxford, Mississippi. So much for carefully printing "United Kingdom" in the address line (and I'm very happy it was addressed to a library, and that two libraries had intelligent people receiving their mail).
So, back to your problem: if there's any evidence of any of the places the current package has been, I think I'd try writing letters to those places.
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goldenapple
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« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2006, 10:59:48 AM » |
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I'd go to the Deutsche Post website and fill out one of their forms -- it's on the English language page, under the section "Private Customers" and then at the very bottom: "Contact". They should do a search and see if they can find your books or if they need to reimburse you: http://www.deutschepost.de/dpag?xmlFile=828&lang=de_ENIt will be a slow process, but it seems to me like the best way to get on the trail of your books. |
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schoolmarm
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« Reply #4 on: August 21, 2006, 12:35:42 PM » |
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Oh! Thanks so much!
And I found from the website that my package was insured, so I should at least get some money out of the deal. I guess that was the only good thing that came out of the 63€ mailing fee!
I filed a claim with US customs, and will file one with the German post.
The "new" box had no markings or text in either language. There was a little barcode with my zip code that my postmaster thought was put on in St. Louis. No cancellations of any kind. Most of my materials in English arrived. Nearly all of my German materials didn't.
One of my German students has had this happen to her many times, but she has never filed a claim. I think that I'm going to encourage her to do so.
I'm really curious to know whether others have had their international mail go missing or had it gone through.
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mabeelrc
Junior member
Posts: 63
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« Reply #5 on: September 13, 2006, 10:55:49 AM » |
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Boxes break. It happens.
I've lived and worked overseas and so have had occasion to mail lots of stuff back and forth. I lost one domino out of a domino set once. It wouldn't have been lost if I'd been more careful packing. A couple of letters have arrived late, shredded, and in the clear plastic postal service "apology" envelope. Other than that I've experienced very good service both at home and abroad.
Hint:
Don't put too many books/documents in one box. Two little boxes is better than one big box. Contents (books are heavy) tend to shift in transit.
Use strong, very strong boxes.
Use lots and lots of strapping tape. Lots.
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