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Even with insurance, USPS denies claim for woman's lost package

6 years 2 weeks 1 day ago Tuesday, March 13 2018 Mar 13, 2018 March 13, 2018 6:13 PM March 13, 2018 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - Somewhere between Washington state and Memphis, a package containing vintage jewelry and other items went missing. The woman who mailed the package, Margo Soule, lives in Baton Rouge and she's frustrated that the United States Postal Service won't honor her insurance claim.

"You know, it's just been a bunch of BS is what it's been," said Soule.

For the last few months, Soule feels like she's been seriously tested. She says she's tired of filing appeals and sending information to the claims department about the items that were lost.

Last year, as she prepared to move from Seattle, WA, Soule packed her tax information, social security card and birth certificate in a box with antique jewelry and a coin collection. She insured it for $200, which is less than she says the items are worth. She mailed the box on September 6, 2017, from Washington to Baton Rouge so they'd be there when she arrived.

When she flew into town, the package still hadn't been delivered. She called USPS and tracked the package online. Each time she was told it was "in transit."

September 23, 2017, an envelope arrived containing a piece of the box she shipped with the address label and barcode for insured mail. It came from Memphis, TN, and included a letter from the USPS.

Two days later she filed an insurance claim for her lost items. According to paperwork Soule received from USPS, that claim was denied for not filing a claim within a specified time frame and not providing detailed receipts that reflect the value of the items included in the package.

"I bought them years ago, it was antique jewelry," she said.

An appeal didn't produce results, either.

Soule has spent months trying to track her items. She knows she'll likely never see them again, which is why she's asking for a resolution and for the postal service to honor her insurance claim.

Soule had to get a new social security number and a copy of her birth certificate.

Tuesday, 2 On Your Side contacted the USPS. In a statement, the USPS says, "The Postal Service appreciates its customers and strives to provide excellent service. When mail service issues occur, we take steps to quickly resolve customer concerns. In this specific case, local management has communicated with the customer to offer an apology and to work together to arrive at a solution the customer finds acceptable. We apologize for any inconvenience."

USPS confirms someone will be in touch with Soule to resolve her issue soon. It is not clear what specific time frame the USPS was referring to in the claim response letters sent to Soule.

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