USPS or Customs?

[captp]

Recently, a bunch of us at my local smoke shop sent a nice shipment of cigars to Major Dan, a regular customer, who was deployed to Afghanistan for 6 months. As a thank you he sent us 8 unit coins (2nd coin from left. The others are for other shipments we sent). When the package arrived, it was badly torn and only 3 coins were in the package. My thought is that some scumbag inspector opened it, liked the coins and took 5 for himself. The other possibility is that it was carelessly handled by USPS and the coins just fell out. What's your thought on this? Should we file a complaint with the Post Office, or let it go?

[duotone]

I would definitely file a complaint, and keep a copy of all correspondence/emails etc.

I ordered some £13 Sennheiser headphones about 1 year ago. No one was home when delivered. So a couple days later I went to pick them up from the Royal Mail (who delivers all of our post within the UK) and the cardboard box had been ripped at the corner to see what was inside.

I opened it & saw the untouched headphone box inside the cardboard box with all the attachments that it should have had.

I thought then & still think now that whoever opened it saw what was inside, googled the make & model number hoping it would be something expensive. When they found out they were only worth £13 I am sure they were disappointed.

Although they were only worth £13, they could have been a £300+ pair of headphones and if they were I am not so sure that they would have been in the box when I turned up to collect them.

[jd_1138]

I bought a computer off ebay a year ago, within the continental USA, and the box arrived torn to shreds and half-ass taped up by the USPS. There was a note from them saying "your package was damaged in transit", no apology, no word on what to do, nothing.

I have bought from the seller before and I know he packs well, so it was the USPS' fault. Unfortunately, the seller doesn't automatically insure items unless you ask, and it was only a $70 PC, so I never bothered to ask about insurance.

I would go through all procedures, if nothing else than to let the USPS know that a package from a soldier was handled poorly and disrespected.

[captp]

Discovered a word that shouldn't be used here.:tongue_sm

[jwhite]

I would definitely file a complaint with each party who would have handled the package.

[73mountaineer]

Anyone that thieves a unit coin that was intended for someone back home should be, well there are just some things I can't say on B&B :cursing:

[Captain Pete]

File a complaint, but bear in mind that this package traveled through the military postal system before getting to the USPS. When I was in the Army, most of the soldiers working in the mail rooms were doing it as a three month tasking. Needless to say, when the tasking call comes down to the units for personnel for these kinds of duties, they don't always send their best troops.
In my unit, we actually sent the most marginal of soldiers, those we didn't mind doing without for any upcoming training or deployments. I'm not saying that this is the way it's done now, or that this is the way it was/is always done. But at any rate, it was not uncommon for items to go disappearing from packages being sent from a war zone. Some clown in the mail room figures a guy is mailing home war souvenirs, and decides to help himself. That's possibility number one. The second possibility is that military postal inspectors at the source opened the package to make sure no contraband was being sent back to the states, and they didn't bother resealing it. Either way, it's inescusable. But shit happens.

[captp]

File a complaint, but bear in mind that this package traveled through the military postal system before getting to the USPS. When I was in the Army, most of the soldiers working in the mail rooms were doing it as a three month tasking. Needless to say, when the tasking call comes down to the units for personnel for these kinds of duties, they don't always send their best troops. But shit happens.

Hadn't considered the military postal guys. Don't want to think one of our soldiers copped it for himself. I prize my 4 coins above most things I have because of why the were given to me, especially the first one, the State Command Sergeant Major coin (a joint coin the State Command Sergeant Major and Command Chief Master Sergeant had made up), given to me by the retired Command Chief.

I just hope the shipment of 2 boxes or so of cigars I sent to an Army Chaplain in Iraq gets there unmolested.

[SilverKarn]

Why is it everyone is assuming that someone stole the coins? Mistakes happen, the corner gets caught on something, opens, and coins roll out.

I know the sentimental value here, but mistakes do happen, it could have been a apathetic worker who didn't want to look for the coins, or no one saw/heard the coins drop out.

[btuer60]

It is my understanding that automated postal machines can occasionally tear envelopes - especially if there is something other than folded paper inside.

So I tend to think it was likely an accident - If it was done on purpose - I doubt there would have been any coins left. Just my .02.