Beware of how the post office can screw you!

[strelnik]

I sent a guy a USPS money order for an Ebay item because he had Paypal problems. I sent it by certified letter. He lives in the country on a rural route in Texas. He never got the MO, he claims so he opened up an unpaid claim in Ebay.

I got it resolved finally by paying again, but when I started to research the Post Office, I found out some things:

1. Certified letters are only tracked to prove they were mailed! They no longer track arrival!
2. Only signature letters with return signature envelope can prove the item was received. Delivery confirmation does not prove delivery!
3. Money orders, when lost or stolen, are NOT cancelled. If you fill out the form for a USPS money order, and someone fraudulently cashes the missing/stolen one, they will come back to you for the money.

The guy to whom I sent the MO, I believe, has some knowledge of the whereabouts of the MO. But he got real nervous on the phone when I told him that I had already talked to Postal Inspectors and told them I had signed a paper to press charges against anyone who fraudulently signed or tried to cash the MO. I told him just to send it back to me. So he probably doesn't know he could get away with this.

Don't believe me? Here's the answer from the Post Office functionary at the investigation office in St Louis, pulled from my e-mail:
----------------------------------
Dear Sir,


You may inquire about the status of a money order by going to your local Post Office and completing, signing, and filing a Money Order Inquiry, Form 6401. You must present the customer receipt to the Post Office for verification and pay a fee.

If the money order has been cashed, a photocopy will be mailed to the address shown on the Form 6401.
If the money order has not been cashed, a refund will be issued to the address shown on the Form 6401.

Please note: Refunds will not be issued until 60 days after the money order issue date. Also, if the original Money Order is cashed after being replaced, you will be held liable for reimbursement to the post office for the replacement Money Order that was issued. We cannot put a stop or a hold on Money Orders. Money Orders have no expiration date.

The incident number for your inquiry is # 977610
Thank you for contacting the Accounting Service Center of the U.S. Postal Service.

Please do not reply to this email.

Latosha Baker
Accounting Support Specialist
Accounting Help Desk
United States Postal Service
1-866-974-2733