On May 24, I mailed a USPS priority envelope from Lakewood containing my current passport and renewal documents. I sent it on a Wednesday to the PO Box in Philadelphia for the US Dept of State passport agency. The tracking information available on the USPS website showed some progress and indicated an expected delivery two days later, on Friday.
To my dismay however, when I checked the site again the following week, the info changed to a simple one-liner “USPS is in possession of the item”, and only showed the date and time the local post office received the envelope from me. No further information was available. I checked the passport agency’s Passport Application Status webpage multiple times, but they never received the envelope. I waited several days and kept checking both sites, hoping that it would reappear in the system. But there was nothing. My envelope seems to have simply vanished from the postal system.
I also called 1-800-ASK-USPS dozens of times and despite multiple hours spent being looped around in the automated telephone system, I was never successful at reaching an actual human to discuss my plight. Even calling the main number for the headquarters in Washington DC didn’t get me through to a human. I then walked into the post office to speak with the employee who I originally handed my envelope to. He listened and walked to the back room to check if there was more info available on an internal computer, but also came up empty handed.
At this point, I reached out to our good Congressman, Chris Smith. His office was able to inquire on my behalf with a senior representative within the postal service. But the response from the USPS was nothing short of disappointing. The agency said that a search of the Lakewood facility yielded nothing. They also noted the possibility that the label fell off. But the clearly typed self-adhesive label, provided by the passport desk at the Ocean County Clerk’s office was firmly stuck on and could not have fallen off. Additionally, if the postal machines chewed up the USPS-issued envelope and the passport fell out, they’re supposed to send it to the State Department – which would have then reached out to me. Their “up to $50” reimbursement offer also doesn’t do me any good, due to the great difficulty in replacing the important documents they lost.
Why can’t they also conduct a thorough search of the other facilities where my envelope had to have traveled through on its way to Philadelphia? If this was their own personal envelope, I’m sure they would try harder to find its whereabouts.
I can’t help but think that had I used UPS or FEDEX, I would not be as distressed and frustrated as I currently feel. Unfortunately, I also feel like I’ve tried everything I could. If anyone has any helpful suggestions on locating and retrieving my envelope, PLEASE help me!
An unhappy USPS customer
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As someone who sells online and ship with priority this does happen but rarely…(I also don’t remember as long as this case)
Once a customer called their own post office and they found it that day…
Maybe you can try the post office in the town of the state agency
You have a sensible suggestion. But thus far, the USPS is unwilling to do anything more than search at the one originating location only. I wish they would show more concern for their customers.
Whenever I need to locate a missing package for a customer I only call the local PO at the destination zip code. The national number is worse than useless and I find most local post offices to be friendly and helpful. The USPS has gotten so bad Amazon offers sellers discounts to use UPS instead.
This is outrageous. Why do they think it will help just looking in Lakewood? A package can stop at multiple locations from here to the destination. They should search every one!
You’re so right. I once had UPS lose my envelope. But I was able to quickly reach a human, which made sure a thorough search at every location on the route to its destination took place, and thankfully they found it!!
But their tracking system works in real time and is much better than USPS’s, which is after all, a government affiliated entity and has customer ratings on customer service like the state-run DMV.
It would be nice if someone from USPS would put in the effort to work on this for their customer, by conducting a serious search throughout the ENTIRE route, especially the main processing and distribution center.
This would never happen if the postal service was privatized.
You’re so right. I once had UPS lose my envelope. But I was able to quickly reach a human, which made sure a thorough search at every location on the route to its destination took place, and thankfully they found it!!
But their tracking system works in real time and is much better than USPS’s, which is after all, a government affiliated entity and has ratings on customer service like the state-run DMV.
It would be nice if someone from USPS would put in the effort to work on this for their customer, by conducting a serious search throughout the ENTIRE route, especially the main processing and distribution center.
Your tax dollars at work!
It’s been many years since I lost any confidence that the USPS can be relied on to deliver the mail. I frequently receive mail hat should go to other addresses and mail that I send out doesn’t always arrive. I spoke to one Tzedaka organization and they told me that sometimes whole mail bags with donations don’t get delivered. Another head of a large organization said that they try to get as many donations done on line because the USPS can’t be relied on.
Trump messed up when he loudly criticized the mail system and said mail in ballots can’t be trusted. Th embarrassed mail carriers had to deliver and that help cost him the election. If those mail ins were handled as usual, they wouldn’t have arrives on time if at all.
As a shipper whenever I have a USPS item that gets stuck, first thing I do is request tracking updates on USPS.com to my phone/email. Very often that itself seems to magically help. It could be it creates some kind of search on their system.. Next you can open up a missing mail search, while it usually just triggers the receiving PO to contact you – maybe its there.. I would also make a claim as that may help the system in the search. Pretty much all my lost items eventually show up – I’ve had items even paid out show up months later so I would not give up..
my suggestion to you is you need to move on! it wont be found its lost.. you will need to order a new copy of these documents via passport agency website i am sure you can do this easily. and its always a guarantee that other couriers wont lose things either.
Please publish my comment.
We sent in our daughter’s original birth certificate and ss card so she can get a passport. We git the passport, however the documents were supposed to arrive 5-10 days later and have still not arrived now, four months later
We’ve tried everything, with no luck. The national passport agency is worse than the Lakewood DMV, if thats even possible. No help at all.
Any ideas are appreciated!
FR,
It’s quite possible that the USPS delivered your documents to the wrong address.
Just recently, my daughter’s passport was actually delivered to someone else on the other side of town. But luckily the recipient was kind enough to look up our phone number and call us. I also receive other people’s mail in my mailbox every once in a while, and try to get it over to its rightful addressee.
You just got to say a prayer every time you have to use the USPS.