Ok. I stopped crying and am getting a grip. I went to the post office first thing this morning with my laptop, so I could show large, clear photos of the damaged box and its contents to my post master and ask for advice.
Here is what happened, we think. I packaged the box perfectly. It was in one of those Priority Mail boxes with super sticky adhesive closure that you can hardly get open when you receive it. I also reinforced the ends with strong packing tape. The contents of the box were not indicated on it anywhere. My quilt ( and two table toppers I was going to give as Xmas gifts) were carefully folded and wrapped in an unscented white plastic bag. My name and contact information were attached to a cardboard tag taped to the outside of the plastic bag.
I mailed it on March 30, Priority Two-Day Mail ($23) to my quilter in Florida. On April 3, it ended up at some postal hub in Texas, where it sat for over ten days. We think that is where the contents were lost. After all that time, the empty box was sent on to its destination in Florida. Seriously?
After examining the full photo of the box (which I did not share here) my postal guy observed that the left side of the box had been cleanly cut off. He thinks the package got caught on “the belt” and was damaged and the contents separated from the box.
I asked if we could contact the hub in Texas, and he said it wasn’t possible. All contents that are discovered separated from their packaging are sent to a Lost and Found hub in Atlanta. It is a nightmare to try to contact them. My only hope of getting that quilt back is if someone sees my contact information attached and gets in touch with me in the future. I am not optimistic at all that this will happen.
Meanwhile, I have started a claim for my lost goods, for which I can get up to $100, plus my $23 postage. I might get that, which of course in no way compensates me for the fabric, the work, and the sentimental value. That quilt was very special to me. It was the first sew-along I had hosted on the blog, and several lovely online friends sewed along with me for one entire summer. I am just devastated that the quilt is lost.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your kind words, suggestions, and commiseration on my loss. It means the world to me to have so many like-minded quilting friends who “get” what a horrible event this has been.
Going forward, I am not sure how to proceed when I need to ship a package to my quilter (or anyone else). Obviously, I will pay for more insurance, but perhaps I need to switch to UPS or another carrier. I’d love your thoughts on that.
55 Responses
It’s heartbreaking indeed. The round trip sounds crazy. But it’s like that here too. I ordered a tailor’s clapper off Etsy. The man who makes them is a county east of London. The parcel took forever to arrive and I said it’s probably in Scotland! He tracked the parcel and replied “you won’t believe this – but it went via Edinburgh!” – Scotland! Another gift of a little needleminder from Cornwall (I live in the next county – Devon) went over the Bristol Channel into Wales and then back across the border to me! Thankfully both eventually arrived intact.
All that work and all the memories can never be refunded – the value to yourself is far more, I do so hope that it turns up eventually. Perhaps the contents were damaged if the side was sheared off? I will continue to keep fingers crossed for you and sending lots of hugs xxx
My husband fears the contents were damaged as well.
Our son Ahren once shipped a box of books from California to Ireland. It was claimed to have been lost, but was finally returned to California by way of Australia, where it had sat for some time. Another time, he traveled on KLM (a Dutch airline) from California to Amsterdam. His luggage ended up in Mexico, but he finally got it back.
Oh my goodness! But a happy ending for your son’s luggage and the books! Let’s hope you have the same for the quilts!
I remember the story of Ahren’s books — at the time he made a joke about “glad my books could have a vacation in Australia!” or something similar.
MEXICO?! no words. no words.
I am so sorry this happened to you. Really sad.
There is at least one lost quilts page on Facebook, I think – post all your photos there.
I would get in contact with the quilt groups, longarmers, quilt shops in Atlanta and see if someone has a way in to the lost and found and can look for you. I think it is likely your claim number will allow someone else to go look.
Honestly – find longarmers in your area, or the areas where you travel regularly, so you can do drop off and pick up in person.
Mailing each quilt twice, all the way across the country, is just too big of a risk in my opinion.
I realize you may not have a longarmer next door, you might live in a remote part of California, but there are tons of excellent longarmers available these days, all over the place.
You travel regularly, look in the places you travel or where your sisters and daughter live, if there is no one near you.
This could happen with any mail service, in my opinion, depending on fluke accidents and the area.
That’s a good idea. Maybe find a quilter’s drop off point so that they get passed on to the next quilter’s stop so that one person doesn’t do a long trip at a time and then returns them the same way – hopefully the cost of gas will be less than the cost of the parcels?
We are in a fairly remote area. The one time my daughter and I used a long armer in our area, they switched the backings on my daughter’s quilts! It was totally obvious which backing went with which quilt (one was a baby quilt in pastels), but they didn’t pay any attention. Going forward I have gone with nationally known long armers who have always done an amazing job for me. I feel loyal to them, since they have given me such great service. However, I am going to definitely change carriers and have anything I send delivered right to their doors. Plus I will pay whatever it costs to insure my quilts to their full value.
I got some information on the Lost and Found hub in Atlanta (formerly called The Dead Letter Offrice), and it says no one from the public is allowed in!
vickie said it perfect;y. i agree! t
“take no chances”. you can’t insure that loss enough.
I should ask my readers if they know of any really good longarmers in the general Bay Area and have them message me. I go back and forth between my home in the Sierrra foothills to the Bay Area all the time for medical appointments. There must be someone who does quilting.
Quilt shops and quilt groups in the Bay area will have longarmer lists.
My Quilt Guild has a list of longarmers and embroiders on our web site.
When you contact a longarmer,
ask how long they have been in business,
size of their long arm,
edge to edge?
Custom? Ruler work?
Definitely ask for references and photos.
Visit their studio and see how clean it is, how they organize their waiting quilt tops, and what types of batting and backing they offer.
I now have four long armers I use. One is edge to edge only. The other three will do custom work. All are excellent. All have very nice studios.
The USPS lost two baby quilts I had made out of feedbacks from my late grandmother’s small stash. I had sent them to my cousin in AZ when she had twins. The PO never even compensated me the $100. This was 20 years ago. I have used FedEx for everything I care about ever since.
Christa, that is a terrible story. I feel awful for you. USPS actually sent me a questionnaire this morning asking me how I felt their service and claims process was. Believe me, I did not hold back. I am leery that I will have the quilt returned to me, and I am doubtful my pitiful claim will be honored.
It is terrible to lose quilts this way. There is no monetary compensation that makes up for it.
heartbreaking.
Nicole I am so sorry for your loss. I hope an honest person will do the right thing and contact you. The AQS show in Paducah is this week. A few years back all the juried in quilts for the show were being transferred
From the back of a truck into the Expo Center to be hung. Several were taken. I never heard if they were recovered. I am guessing after that the quilts were guarded.
I heard about that incident! What a disaster.
My sister in Wisconsin knew someone whose home was robbed. The thieves were after guns in the home, several of which they stole. As an afterthought, apparently, they grabbed an heirloom quilt made by the wife’s grandmother as they went out the door–to wrap the guns in.
bastards
Nicole,I am so sorry this has happened to you. I rarely use USPS anymore. In the past I have mailed packages from Nebraska to Montana and it has taken almost 2 weeks. I mailed cards to people across town and it took a week. I just feel they are so unreliable. I started using UPS regularly and have had good results. It is slightly more expensive but, the peace of mind is worth it.
I think it is going to be UPS for me in the future as well. USPS has really let me down.
The documentation is difficult. Who keeps receipts from ALL fabric purchases? And who keeps meticulous records of time spent? I sent a quilt to the winner of a raffle. It was taken by porch pirates. I claimed it, but the post office said (rightly so) that they delivered the package to the correct address and that was their responsibility. The advice was to insure it at the limit where the recipient has to sign for it. In my case the recipient was only out the $10 she paid for raffle tickets.
That doesn’t explain or make up for the obvious damage to your package, though. If there is a UPS or FedEx near you you could try them the next time.
The porch pirate thing is a real problem these days. We are fortunate to live on a quiet street with a long driveway and a covered porch. I used to live on a busy street and things got stolen all the time. I even had a concrete goose and my door mats taken.
I think I will go with UPS in the future. I have more confidence in them.
You’ve been on my mind. I understand how emotional your situation is. A few years ago a dear friend passed away in Florida. The short story is that she had a small wooden chair that was the topic of both laughter & sentiment over the years. Her son brought it to my sister at the memorial service because none of her family wanted it but I DID! My poor sister was tasked with purchasing a special box from Amazon, paying extra for the UPS Store to pack it securely & ship it to me in Wyoming. It arrived with an arm & a leg smashed & broken off. So much for that special packing ‘service’. Since it originated in Florida, my sister was then left to deal with recouping the costs, although I was able to take the required 5-6 photos for proof of damage & fill out the claim paperwork online. After several months & numerous visits to the UPS Store & phone calls to their company headquarters she was reimbursed for everything including the special box plus a bit more for all of the trouble. (I was more than happy to insist that she keep every penny!) Fortunately, my husband is talented & was able to repair the damage with some woodworking magic. I guess the moral of the story is that there is no perfect shipping carrier–they all have their problems. I join the group that has encouraged you to ask around about a long arm quilter closer to your home. It might help to cut out the ‘middle man’.
My son worked for UPS one summer. He was paid for how many boxes he lifted and literally threw on the truck each hour. Does that explain the broken rocking chair? The guys he worked with had contests with each other everyday to see who the winner was for the day’s tally. Men who did not load enough boxes were fired. There was no intent to care for the contents at all. It was all speed. Nothing but speed.
oh my. I love that your husband could fix it in the end.
Oh that is terrible. Thank goodness you have a handy husband. Were the repairs on the chair good enough to suit you, or was it just spoiled due to the whole experience?
I plan to ask my readers if anyone knows of a reliable long arm quilter in the Bay Area. There definitely are none where I live.
Don’t use USPS! They lost my taxes and finally found them 5 weeks later. I had to redo all my documents to submit again….and now the late charges are coming in! I now use FedEx for everything. Plus….insure those quilts! Sorry this has happened to you.
We have had many major problems with Fed Ex, I have done well with USPS, I think it is the luck of the day and a toss up.
I will be insuring any quilts I mail to the max in the future.
I am so sorry this happened to you! I can only imagine your pain. I know that I am concerned anytime I need to ship anything. I do hope that somehow your quilt will be found.
It will be a miracle if I ever get it back.
Nicole, I am heartsick at this story. I fervently hope there is a happy ending and your quilts are restored to you. I’m afraid that I agree with others who said you may be better off finding a local longarmer – it’s a shame, as you’ve established a relationship with your Florida quilter and I’m sure she appreciates your business. You certainly prepared your package for shipping thoroughly, and let’s hope that someone sees your address label and returns your quilts!
My Florida longarmer is in as much shock and dismay as I am. She said in the years she has been quilting, something like this has only occured one other time. Still that is too much.
My long arm quilter, of decades, is now undependable. I started from scratch looking for a new quilter over a year ago. It was hard, mentally. I had to just get over it.
I asked around and decided to try three. I started out giving them “lesser” quilts – baby quilts, charity quilts, simple quilts.
They are all excellent. Look around, you will find someone fantastic, somewhere near you or where you travel regularly, no mail required.
I will send out the word that I am looking for a good longarm quilter in the SF Bay Area and see what happens.
I had something similar to that happened to me one time. My local Post Office was not very helpful so I spent the day getting phone numbers and calling them myself. They were so nice and wonderful and I got my package later that week. Good luck.
You were so fortunate Jean!
I worked on a college campus in Abilene, TX, for 3 years (moved last summer). I would use the campus mail office to mail my quilts to my quilter in Minnesota. The last year I was there, they told me to stop using USPS for mailing my quilts. Switch to UPS, it will cost me more, but your valued quilts will get there. I trust there opinion and have been using UPS ever since.
I think that is what I will start doing.
I join those who are feeling your pain. my loss was insignificant: a charm pack I won that never arrived. But the sender was not cooperative and so I never received it. I have only sent out quilts once or twice and was so worried about them. One year we just packed a quilt for my SIL in our luggage which (fortunately!!) arrived with us. I know you are in agony and I don’t blame you at all. Know that we quilters are also feeling your pain.
I have had packages misdelivered or not arrive before, but the stores where the purchases were made always came through and sent out a replacement free of charge. Now that many delivery services take a photo of the package on the doorstep, it helps. Although I had a package delivered to a house around the corner-it was clearly identifiable, and the home owners claimed there was a mistake and they never had any such thing delivered. I think they were lying and kept the package. Our mail and delivery service is pretty terrible in my neighborhood, but most neighbors look out for one another and will bring over a package to you if it was misdelivered to their home.
My heart aches for you. I’ve had the same experience with four quilts I mailed that were lost. One was a 100 year old family tree quilt that was hand embroidered. Thankfully, the quilts were eventually found after lots of fervent prayer. I’ll never mail anything by USPS again. I’ll pay the extra UPS charges for added certainty. I hope yours turns up!
Oh no, four quilts lost? How terrible,but fortunate that they were reunited with you.
We re-shipped my lost/found quilt top using FedEx, and it arrived from California to Las Vegas the next day. I think I’m going with FedEx from now on for quilts!
I think if I send anything to my quilter in Florida again, I will use Fed Ex or UPS. It is just too far from California, and the journey could be affected by severe weather, which could delay it when going by USPS.
My other quilter is in Utah and I feel less anxious sending things to her.
Wow, that is quite an experience. Hopefully someone at the lost-and-found headquarters in Atlanta will do the right thing when they see your contact information on the tag you attached. I hope and pray that your contents were NOT damaged when they got separated from the box. The insurance claim had better be honored after all that! I have definitely not sent many items of any kind through the mail in my lifetime, so the few times that USPS was used have been successful. Guess I should count my blessings from the stories listed here.
It would be a miracle for sure. I just don’t have faith in people doing their jobs properly anymore. It is the exception rather than the rule.
USPS use to be the best and most affordable service around. De Joy made it his mission to break it. It started in 2017 and he and the newest leader have accomplished the mission.
The postal service is not supposed to be a ‘profit’ making business. It was set up to SERVE the citizens of this country. Even in Fremont, a city of 200,000, the service has become expensive and unreliable.
My long-arm quilter is in Walnut Creek. She is good but she takes way too long. I just can’t recommend her. I really need to find someone new. I have a backlog of quilts.
Good luck!
Many years ago, I bought a bracelet for my moms birthday. I went to the post office and bought one of their cute colorful mailers, enclosed the bracelet and shipped it off. The package never arrived. I was heartbroken and quickly bought & shipped a replacement gift. I often thought how stupid I was by putting the bracelet in packaging that was decorated with balloons & birthday wishes. Obviously anyone would know there was a gift enclosed, thus vulnerable for theft. Live and learn! Then 18 years later the birthday package arrived in her mailbox with an attached note from USPS, stating that the package was found behind some cabinetry in their CO distribution center. So hopefully your quilt will find its way back to you, lets hope sooner than 18 years.
Glyn, that is an incredible story! Imagine that bracelet finding its way to its destination after 18 years!
People must sometimes receive their belongings back from the Dead Letter Office in Atlanta! Fingers crossed that one of them might be me.
Oh, Nicole, I am so very saddened by your lost quilt and table runners. We’ve started using UPS because the USPS just takes forever even for birthday cards and such.
There used to be a web site called “Missing Quilts” or some such where quilters could post photos and include the circumstances about their lost quilts. Perhaps it or some site serving the same purpose is still out there?
May by some miracle, these precious items will find their way back to you.
Hugs!
I’m so sorry. I’ve only sent quilts twice. Sent a quilt via UPS to the Quilter’s Hall of Fame for display. When I sent my Ladies of the Sea top for quilting, I used Fedex, maybe 2 day, insured for the appraised value. Yes, I had the top appraised before sending it out. Cost a lot but got there safely. Quilter returned it UPS, I think.
You just confirmed my worst nightmare of shipping quilts. I have always delivered mine to the quilter in person just because of things happening like your story. It doesn’t happen often but it is heartbreaking when it does.
My quilter is 2 1/2 hours away so it it a day trip but there is a fabric shop there that I make sure to visit that also so it’s not horrible.
I really empathize with your experience—losing a quilt and table toppers like that must be heartbreaking, especially after taking such care in packaging. It’s frustrating when things go wrong with Priority Mail, and the lack of communication from the hub in Texas makes it even harder to track down what happened. Thanks for sharing your process; it’s helpful to know how others handle these situations, and I hope your quilter in Florida gets the package safely soon.