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Topic: question about a damaged books/package

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freeverse071681 avatar
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Subject: question about a damaged books/package
Date Posted: 9/19/2018 10:27 AM ET
Member Since: 8/15/2005
Posts: 836
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i received a package from a fellow member. the package was damaged by the post office (got caught in a machine) when i went to the post office to pick up the package. they wouldn't deliver the package because of the damage to the envelope.

the package was sliced and ripped open. according to the postmaster of my local post office the damage was caused but a chunk of packing tape getting caught in the machine and ripping away. basically the postmaster said the wrapping job caused the package to be damaged by the machine.

they found the envelope dangling from the machine. so my question is because of the circumstances  would i mark this as damaged by the post office or by sender? any help would be much appreciated. thanks. 



Last Edited on: 9/19/18 10:52 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
bookbuggg avatar
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Date Posted: 9/19/2018 10:32 AM ET
Member Since: 6/2/2014
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Damaged by post office of course. The sender didn't damage it.

broomhilda222 avatar
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Date Posted: 9/19/2018 10:38 AM ET
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i would mark it damaged by post office. The post office is going to blame the sender so they don't have to be responsible for the damage. In all the books i have received, i have only had one book be damaged from a sorter. it seldom happens but i would not blame the sender unless you can tell they wrapped it poorly.

Just yesterday i received a book that had only been wrapped with one sheet of paper and the paper was torn. Book was not damaged but i did mark it damaged by USPS and stated in my note to sender that 2 sheets of paper should have been used. The package probably wouldn't have ripped if there were 2 sheets.

freeverse071681 avatar
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Date Posted: 9/19/2018 11:02 AM ET
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i was only questioning because the postmaster showed me the package and the chunk of tape was the size of a small fist and had a loop in between. i didn't think a machine could cause a loop of tape like that.

it looked like that happened because the member tried to mumify the pacakge instead of wrapping in plastic which is one of my rc's. i don't think the books would have been damaged by the machine if my rc's had been followed.

i'm also wondering if the member had followed my rc's could this problem have been avoided.



Last Edited on: 9/19/18 11:05 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
bookbuggg avatar
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Date Posted: 9/19/2018 11:30 AM ET
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Plastic can rip in the shorter. I have had that happen and if the post office is correct, and there was a loop, they should have not taken it or taped it down. 



Last Edited on: 9/19/18 5:27 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
sarap avatar
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Date Posted: 9/19/2018 4:04 PM ET
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I would think pretty much any package damaged by a sorting machine is because it caught on the machine funny ... whether that's a piece of tape, or a corner, or it fell on the belt wrong or whatever.

I got a box of books once, with a whole lot of books missing ... but the ones that were still in there had literally drag marks all over them, covered in dirt and oil, and pieces of the covers (hardcovers, mind you) torn away in chunks. They looked like someone dragged them behind a truck for 10 miles then stuck them in a box.

Why was the package so close to the edge that it got caught? Probably becuse huge bins of mail just get dumped on a conveyer belt and then you have to hope your packages aren't close to the edge of where it dumps, I guess.

I don't think you can blame the sender. Sorry.

IlliniAlum83 avatar
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Date Posted: 9/19/2018 4:49 PM ET
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I vote for 'damaged by PO' too.......I worked sending boxes of urine samples to labs by mail for years and have similar horror stories about what can happen to things that are taped correctly!

hardtack avatar
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Date Posted: 9/19/2018 6:01 PM ET
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I worked sending boxes of urine samples to labs by mail for years

I once had a lab, but thank God no one ever sent him any urine. As it was, he had plenty of his own.



Last Edited on: 9/19/18 6:26 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
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Date Posted: 9/26/2018 12:50 PM ET
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I’ve received books damaged by the post office that they put in a plastic envelope along with the original wrappings.  It happens.  As for the loop, if you’ve ever used packing tape, any machine can cause it to “bunch” if caught.  I’d tend to believe the PO damaged it.  A machine can catch the tape and do that, just like a sewing machine can catch thread and cause fabric to bunch; it’s the machine, not the sender.