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.
9 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
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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’.
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.