Bill Dermody
08-26-2002, 04:14 PM
My wife and I had an experience recently that has left me afraid to buy watches through the U. S. mail, even when insured.
Our daughter, who is overseas, sent my wife some pottery, insured for $20, which was a little less than its actual worth. It arrived broken in half, and for the last several months we've been trying to get the post office to pay the insurance claim.
What if it had been a $300 or $400 pocketwatch? They've asked for the insurance receipt, the original receipt for the item, we've filled out the claim form. Still no money from them. Now they've lost all the forms, and they also have the broken piece of pottery.
Like many people, I've bought watches off Ebay and over the internet, and have almost always paid to have them sent insured, either by USPS, UPS, or some other carrier. But if our experience with this pottery item is an indicator, we may all be wasting our money, and we might just find ourselves in the cold should a watch be destroyed or seriously damaged in shipping.
Has anyone had any experience with damage to timepieces incurred during mailing? Did postal insurance cover the loss, or did they stonewall you as they've been stonewalling us? How did you convince them a 100 year old watch is worth hundreds of dollars? I finally gave up talking to the post office and wrote my congressman. I am now very wary about ordering delicate watches through the mail, even when supposedly "insured."
Our daughter, who is overseas, sent my wife some pottery, insured for $20, which was a little less than its actual worth. It arrived broken in half, and for the last several months we've been trying to get the post office to pay the insurance claim.
What if it had been a $300 or $400 pocketwatch? They've asked for the insurance receipt, the original receipt for the item, we've filled out the claim form. Still no money from them. Now they've lost all the forms, and they also have the broken piece of pottery.
Like many people, I've bought watches off Ebay and over the internet, and have almost always paid to have them sent insured, either by USPS, UPS, or some other carrier. But if our experience with this pottery item is an indicator, we may all be wasting our money, and we might just find ourselves in the cold should a watch be destroyed or seriously damaged in shipping.
Has anyone had any experience with damage to timepieces incurred during mailing? Did postal insurance cover the loss, or did they stonewall you as they've been stonewalling us? How did you convince them a 100 year old watch is worth hundreds of dollars? I finally gave up talking to the post office and wrote my congressman. I am now very wary about ordering delicate watches through the mail, even when supposedly "insured."