# Timeline of USPS damage claim
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-usps-damage-claim/696137
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 21, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-usps-damage-claim/696137 "2014-08-21T20:05:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-usps-damage-claim/696137/1 "2014-08-21T20:05:22Z")
I had an ebay buyer ask me for a refund because the package I sent him was torn open, and it was delivered empty, in another envelope with a note stuck to it saying the package was found damaged and empty. I packaged it perfectly well. Because of this, I filed a complaint with the USPS. How likely am I to be reimbursed and how long should it take?
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### Author:  [@PorchePine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PorchePine)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-usps-damage-claim/696137/2 "2014-08-21T20:29:06Z")
I once filed a damage claim from the USPS 18 years ago. I gave up on getting an answer, either yay or nay.
The value of the claim ($35) wasn’t worth the headache of pushing the issue.
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### Author:  [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-usps-damage-claim/696137/3 "2014-08-21T23:07:41Z")
The USPS once damaged a 40MB PCMCIA flash drive I mailed. I filed a claim for the cost, about $800 (obviously this was many years ago, when flash memory was much more bulky and expensive than it is now), and they paid it in full after a few months. I had to send them a receipt and the broken card itself, but it went fairly smoothly.
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### Author:  [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2014, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-usps-damage-claim/696137/4 "2014-08-22T01:01:05Z")
Another vote for the nay column. I received damaged goods once thru the USPS and even though it was insured it turned into such a bureaucratic nightmare (the people there are union and cannot be fired so they literally don’t give a shit about customer service) that I just gave up.
Short answer: If you ever need to send a package that’s valuable enough to require insurance **DO NOT** use the US Postal Service. Use UPS or if it has to get there quickly FedEx…
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### Author:  [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-usps-damage-claim/696137/5 "2014-09-06T16:19:50Z")
I guess it wasn’t as bad as everyone said. I got my check in the mail today, didn’t have to fight with them at all.