Rant Usps :( Sorry but I Really, Really Need to Vent

[Fluffy215]

I received a piece of mail yesterday that really upset me. Basically it was a 1099-R from a job I had doing demos at the grocery store here. Anyways, it was sent on January 29th and I just got it yesterday, but that is not what irks me so badly. What really gets me is that it had been opened!!!!!!!!! It said on the envelope "opened in error" and then had tape across the top. And then it had a postal seal over the tape. First off it was missing for 5 weeks and to know that it had been opened? This is my 1099-R, my social security number is on it!!!!!!! And the envelope clearly states "important personal tax information enclosed" so whomever opened it knew what they were opening. Now I fear my identity is at risk!!! I want to go to the post office tomorrow and rant but I am probably going to get nowhere because they will just say well we have no idea who opened it I just feel so violated right now And they want more money for this service????

 

[erinb]

I would say that it was probably delivered to the wrong address and whoever lives ther just opened it and realized it wasn't theirs. If this is what happened, just be glad that they decided to return it back to the PO and not just pitch it in the trash.

 

[candiejayne]

I have done this before, I deal with tons of mail at work, and sometimes when I sort it, evelopes stick together. I've opened stuff that did not belong to our office before.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

And we want to turn our health care system over to the same people?

 

[ChefDaynaDos]

I sold textbooks on eBay and USPS lost 4 of the packages I had sent out. FOUR! And they were basically just like "oh well" & I got stuck having to reimburse the people who purchased the items from me. I hate the post office

 

[pcchefjane]

Even though it may not do much good, I would report it to the post office. This is wrong in several senses! Also check your credit report online to see if anyone has opened any accounts in your name the last 5 weeks. You can get one "free one" from FreeCreditReport.com but you have to be sure to delete it so as not to get charged for the "service". Also report it to your local bank in case anyone has tried to open or access your account.

 

[dianevill]

I hear you. I know you feel violated, but hopefully it was just a small mistake.

On a much smaller scale, my six year old son saved up cereal box tokens to get a free watch. He saved for almost 6 months. The package came back to us, "opened in error", with of course, no watch. He was devastated, and there was nothing I could do to fix it. Thankfully his fixation on getting that watch was fairly short lived and he moved on to other things (we're now saving for a Guitar Hero shirt - only 4 more Frosted Flakes tokens to go!), but still, I felt so bad for him. He had been watching the mail for weeks, and then was so excited when he saw the package.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I hear you. I know you feel violated, but hopefully it was just a small mistake.

On a much smaller scale, my six year old son saved up cereal box tokens to get a free watch. He saved for almost 6 months. The package came back to us, "opened in error", with of course, no watch. He was devastated, and there was nothing I could do to fix it. Thankfully his fixation on getting that watch was fairly short lived and he moved on to other things (we're now saving for a Guitar Hero shirt - only 4 more Frosted Flakes tokens to go!), but still, I felt so bad for him. He had been watching the mail for weeks, and then was so excited when he saw the package.

Diane, did you contact the company? I would think they'd resend it for a little kid.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

Happens to us all the time
We have the same address as some elderly friends down the street one is east one west
i nearly died one day when I accidentally opened the Victoria's secret bill and it was $600+ I went so far as to call VS and then realized the name on the account
they have opened ours by mistake as well

 

[pcchefjane]

Happens to us all the time
We have the same address as some elderly friends down the street one is east one west
i nearly died one day when I accidentally opened the Victoria's secret bill and it was $600+

I went so far as to call VS and then realized the name on the account
they have opened ours by mistake as well

Elderly friends buying $600 worth of VS? That is definitely a vision I don't want! LOL!

 

[Crystal Patton]

I had my insurance agent call me and explain that the company had received my payment on time, but it was in a plastic bag and the check was shredded. It did have a little sticker on it that said the USPS sorter had chewed the piece of mail - sorry. They asked me to send another check.
What blew me away was that the USPS has a STICKER to explain this it happen so often.

 

[dianevill]

Diane, did you contact the company? I would think they'd resend it for a little kid.

I did, and they wouldn't because USPS admitted that it was their fault.

 

[wadesgirl]

Even though it may not do much good, I would report it to the post office. This is wrong in several senses! Also check your credit report online to see if anyone has opened any accounts in your name the last 5 weeks. You can get one "free one" from FreeCreditReport.com but you have to be sure to delete it so as not to get charged for the "service". Also report it to your local bank in case anyone has tried to open or access your account.

DO NOT GO TO FREECREDITREPORT.COM! They are not free! You want to go to annualcreditreport.com. This is the free service. You can request a report from any of the three credit bureaus up to once a year.

They keep raising the rates on us but their customer service isn't very good! I've had several host packets, etc that have been lost lately.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

DO NOT GO TO FREECREDITREPORT.COM! They are not free! You want to go to annualcreditreport.com. This is the free service. You can request a report from any of the three credit bureaus up to once a year.

They keep raising the rates on us but their customer service isn't very good! I've had several host packets, etc that have been lost lately.

This is why I always try to book at the show, and do my first host coaching right there, and give them their host packet!
When I do mail a packet - it always goes priority mail - do it from usps.com and get confirmation with it.

 

[pampchefsarah]

I was the one who opened the envelope in error a few weeks ago! It was a bill from Target, and I was surprised at the $600 balance (sadly, not because it was so high, but that it was too low!). I was excited for about a second, then realized the name on it was Maria Rodriguez not Sarah Rodriguez.

Two good things - Target now uses an account number on statements, not the credit card number, so Maria doesn't have to worry about the card being used fraudulently, and I took advantage and wrote a note of apology on the back of my PC business card and stuck it in the envelope when I mailed it to Maria (I wrote 'delivered in error' on the outside, and sealed it with tape so it would be obvious it had been opened). I haven't heard from her, but at least she knows I exist!

 

[pamperedlinda]

I did, and they wouldn't because USPS admitted that it was their fault.

I would not buy that brand of cereal again - very poor customer service IMO