Lost Holiday Package? Here is what you can do to get it.

During the holidays especially, packages can get lost in the mail sometimes due to the high volume of mail and packages being delivered and received this time of year. Here are some tips that may help you find your lost package and avoid the loss and dissapointment during the holidays.

These tips refer to the USPS: when mailing your package, make sure you send it in a way that includes the tracking number. Like priority mail (this comes with insurance) or first class that includes a tracking number (this will be for packages weighing up to 16 oz. ) Its important to keep an eye on the shipping status of your package. You can sign up on-line for email updates on the shipping progress. When you receive a notice or your recipient gets notified that a package has been delivered, check for the item to see if it has arrived asap.

Sometimes, theives drive the streets looking for packages on doorsteps. Other times, a package may be mistakenly delivered to the wrong address by your postal carrier (my personal experience). Your package is supposed to be scanned by the carrier, right at the moment it is delivered to your home or location. This way, you know the time, and the location at which it was scanned. If lost, the USPS can track the location where the package was scanned. And if you did not receive it, you can go to the address where it was scanned and see if they have it. ie a neighbor, etc.

The sooner you know that your package has been mis-delivered or lost, the better your chances of finding it. Case in point: this past Saturday: I got an email that my USPS package had been delivered . I went to my mailbox, no package. I immediately called my post office, they could not tell me where it was delivered because the packages were all scanned at the post office by the carrier (bad). They contacted the carrier, who said she remembered delivering several packages to a specific place down my street. I went to the place, and within a couple of hours of delivery was able to recover my package from them. Success! this was a jolly time. Unfortunately, sometimes the carrier scans all of the items at one time at the post office or other location during the route before delivering it. This is not what they are supposed to do. This makes it virtually impossible to find your package. You then have to rely on the carrier to remember where he/she may have left your package- that's why you should act fast. From my personal experience, I have only recovered one such package because I acted immediately.

I have lost many packages due to this mistake here in Westlake. Also, when I have filed a claim for any of these packages, I have never received a refund or any type of insurance after such an incident. From my own experience, the claims filed online get "lost", even after repeated filings. Go figure. Thats why it's important that you track your packages during the shipping process. I am hoping this helps others avoid some of the very saddening and costly experiences I have had. The fact is that some carriers do not do their job correctly or are overwhelmed, or just don't care (as I was recently told by a postal worker last week).

Since these variables cannot be controlled, you sometimes have to 'police' your own mail. I have received packages at my home that belonged to people on the other side of Westlake. I always return these to the post office; but many people don't do that, and then you are out of luck. You may want to consider sending Fed-Ex if the package is valuable and means a lot to you. That is my best advice. It may be more inconvenient, but your chances of receiving your package, and of your recipients recieving their packages increases greatly, and you are more likely to get compensated by Fed Ex for your losses. This is an upgrade from the 'shoulder shruggs' I have recieved from people at my post office. Here is the take home message: Ship using Fed Ex or using tracking at USPS, sign up for email updates, add delivery instructions for you package to be left out of sight from the street, if you can't find your package after delivery, act ASAP. Oopps, and I forgot, write your house number and last name on the front door opening of your mailbox, so the carrier can double check the delivery address!