Photo Missing from Mail

[Schulterklappen]

The picture attached was mailed (registered mail) from Germany in late May of this year. It shows up on Deutsche Post tracking; but, never appeared on the USPS site. I assume it went missing somewhere between Frankfurt and the US Customs and USPS in New York. US Customs has no record of it.

A claim was made and paid out; however, it does not replace the original Foto.
Should it turn up anywhere and someone sees it, please contact me. I have some other pieces that belonged to this soldier and would like to have the original.


A key to the original is that it is dated March 1945.



Thank you!

[Tim W]

I'm sorry to hear this has happened to you! I also have had 3 packages go "lost" in the same way around May/June. 2 were registered and 1 airmail and they all showed sent from Germany to the U.S. than nothing. And another seams lost that was sent last month. I feel your pain, these photos might be lost forever, its sad to think some unscrupulous postal worker might have just dumped them in the trash. what can be done about this? The postal service seams unwilling to help. If this is not the doings of a postal worker than what could have happened to them all?
I'll keep a lookout for your photo it looks like a very nice one. It sure makes me a little uneasy to order anything anymore!
Tim W

[Schulterklappen]

Lost Registered Mail

I have been fortunate with all the registered mail that I have gotten from Germany over the years. This makes the second piece that was lost. Oddly enough, both were photos. The sender was kind enough to make a high resolution scan of the Foto and of the back; so, it is not as painful as it could have been.

It is interesting that you suffered the same type loss about the same time. It puzzles me registered items go from one country's postal service to another and disappear. If country A sends a manifest of registered items to country B you would think country B would account for the items on the manifest upon receipt and notify country A that something is missing.

I am very sorry to hear about your losses also. It is all quite frustrating...

[Tim W]

Yea, over the years I to have been fortunate in receiving all the posts from Germany, but this year, I don't know whats going on. the dealers were all "Good Trusted Dealers" from this site. Of course I believe them and they sent me e-mails with scans of the postal numbers etc. They have all started searches from their respective post offices and are willing to make full refunds when all is said and done. Its not about the money! These photos were special to my area of collecting, historically important and it just burns me up to know they might be lost forever. Sorry for venting, I'm just Pissed Off. The postal service needs to get there dealings in order. We see commercials on TV showing the postal service in all there glory, serving us with our postal needs but when you go to them with a problem you get nothing.
I guess I'll have to pay more for Fed Ex, that is if the seller is willing to do this.

tim

[Tim W]

Yea, over the years I to have been fortunate in receiving all the posts from Germany, but this year, I don't know whats going on. the dealers were all "Good Trusted Dealers" from this site. Of course I believe them and they sent me e-mails with scans of the postal numbers etc. They have all started searches from their respective post offices and are willing to make full refunds when all is said and done. Its not about the money! These photos were special to my area of collecting, historically important and it just burns me up to know they might be lost forever. Sorry for venting, I'm just Pissed Off. The postal service needs to get there dealings in order. We see commercials on TV showing the postal service in all there glory, serving us with our postal needs but when you go to them with a problem you get nothing.
I guess I'll have to pay more for Fed Ex, that is if the seller is willing to do this.
Is there anyone else out here with the same problem?
tim

[Bryant U.]

Tim, unfortunately I have suffered from the same problem this year.

[12thPanzer]

I had the same thing happen from 2 different sellers within the last couple of weeks too. They have all been sent Registered from Germany, and when tracked say "they have arrived at German Post Breif" for sending to USA or something along those lines.....but never reach the US.
There is something going on for sure....as there is another huge thread on this too. All of us have lost too many fotos.....something is up

[VonPeter]

Me too.
Never hade problems but last month I receved an empty envelope from Germany. Someone hade opened it and taken out the content.

/peter

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

the May-August period (like the Xmas one) is usually a touchy subject for worldwide post services. They are using temporary workers, and the stolen/lost items are higher than usual.
I'm a strong partisan of the french post office, because the service is really good (and trust me i know the shipping costs from most of other countries). I had many problems in the past, and i currently have a fully insured parcel up to 150 Euros that is missing in Chile. The parcel is fully tracked up to Chile then... nothing. I'm quite used to send parcels and letters almost everywhere (North America, South America, Europe, Russia, Scandinavia, and sometimes Asia), and usually all is 100% ok.
But sometimes you will have bad luck in a painful way.
The problem is when this is not a question of money, and you lost items that are 1) unique 2) rare = can't be found again...
Oh by the way i have an austrian letter that i'm waiting since 1 week... Expensive cost, and i'm even not sure it is tracked... Fingers crossed

See You

Vince

[juoneen]

This is why they have registered mail.

[VonPeter]

This is why they have registered mail.

Dident help me. Unfortunatly registered mail attracts more attention from people with long fingers.

[MLW]

My guess is that the letters with the photos are stolen when the registered letters are taken off the airplanes and brought into the US postal system. This was a huge problem a few years ago and I spent six months documenting and complaining to the various officials in the US Postal Service. Finally, the US Postal Service Inspector General investigated the matter in New York City and supposedly arrested several employees who were stealing registered letters (they thought there was money in the envelopes). The problem was solved for a year or two, but now it is back. I suggest you contact the Inspector General's Office in your area and complain (do that by talking to the US Postal Service Customer Service Office).

Regards,
Marc
www.digitalhistoryarchive.com

[W Petz]

I have attached a thread I started back in May 2013 mentioned by 12th Panzer which addresses the same subject.

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=656926

I recently took 10 letters I received from the USPS International inquiry Center on missing Registered letters from Germany to my local Post Office. These were copies of the Letters that I returned to the USPS International inquiry center on missing registered mail from Jan through July 2013.

The local Postal Manager here in Corpus Christi and I sat down while he ran a more detailed search that showed 8 of the 10 registered letters never left Germany and still showed them as being in Frankfurt. Two of the letters did make it to New York JFK. The Postal Manager said they are apparently being held by customs. All of the letters only contained WW2 photos and not money.

Since arriving back in the USA from Holland I have had over 20 registered letters gone missing and I think either Customs in Frankfurt & New York have confiscated the photos??? or they have been stolen and never made it beyond the sorting centers at Frankfurt & New York.

In all my dealings prior to that the only other problem I had was in Holland where I started an investigation against my Dutch mail carrier who had a registered letter for several days and I went back and forth to the local post office to try to get it delivered then it suddenly showed in the system as being delivered and signed for by my landlord. That was impossible as he lived in Virginia USA at the time. I made a complaint and they said after an inquiry they only repeated that the letter was signed for by the resident. I filed a police report but nothing ever came of it. Thereafter I only had my mail sent to my the US Army civilian work address in Holland.

The over 20 missing registered letters apparently have simply never made it completely through both postal systems so I know it isn't the mail carrier. I've been told that customs can confiscate anything without any explanation and can hold onto the items for months or dispose of the item.

I have lost quite a bit of money in the process as only a few of the sellers have reimbursed me so far.

Bill

The picture attached was mailed (registered mail) from Germany in late May of this year. It shows up on Deutsche Post tracking; but, never appeared on the USPS site. I assume it went missing somewhere between Frankfurt and the US Customs and USPS in New York. US Customs has no record of it.

A claim was made and paid out; however, it does not replace the original Foto.
Should it turn up anywhere and someone sees it, please contact me. I have some other pieces that belonged to this soldier and would like to have the original.


A key to the original is that it is dated March 1945.



Thank you!

[Fritz]

Tim, unfortunately I have suffered from the same problem this year.

Same here, with a registered letter from germany to israel. It seems it never arrived in israel, that was in march though.

Reading these posts here it occurs to me that Deutsche Post has "lost" many shipments within that time frame. This is not how you maintain a good reputation, the service in such an event is quite miserable and really slow either, in my case it took them an impressive four months to even get back to me.


Cheers

[Schulterklappen]

Registered mail

This is why they have registered mail.

Yes, and it is certainly ironic that the registered mail is disappearing "without a trace"...