ANOTHER Arrrrgh!

Damn!

Yeah. I finally found a USPS website that allowed me (after much re-doing and things not working) put a tracer on it.

We'll see how it goes. If memory serves, the last time I had to send something to BofA from here was shortly after we arrived last year. I seem to remember that it took a long time, so I haven't quite given up hope yet. But the fact that there's no tracking in the USPS system, just the reference to the hand-over at LANGLEY HWDC (Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Center) tracking stamp on the Royal Mail side saying it was leaving the UK on 12 June is not at all encouraging.

When I sent my IRS forms in they went out 17 April and reached Austin on 28 April (so, 11 days). I'm already at 20+ days on this one - which makes me reeeeally nervous.   

So, I thought I'd get out of the stone age here. I set up a twitter account using my email address and tweeted to Royal Mail for help. Twitter then locked me out saying my account seemed like I was a bot or something, and wants me to enter my phone number to unlock it. Well, my personal phone does not get put on stuff like this, so I sent them a message saying I don't have a phone I can use. Will see what happens - and if the Royal Mail answers I guess I can't see it, because I can't get in to the twitter account now.

Where, oh where is LBXXXXXXXXGB ?!?!?!?!?

So, I thought I'd get out of the stone age here. I set up a twitter account using my email address and tweeted to Royal Mail for help. Twitter then locked me out saying my account seemed like I was a bot or something, and wants me to enter my phone number to unlock it. Well, my personal phone does not get put on stuff like this, so I sent them a message saying I don't have a phone I can use. Will see what happens - and if the Royal Mail answers I guess I can't see it, because I can't get in to the twitter account now.

Where, oh where is LBXXXXXXXXGB ?!?!?!?!?

It's sooo frustrating isn't it? I opened another email account for a specific purpose and sent a few test emails to myself to check that it was working then found myself locked out too. Was told I couldn't get back in without a phone I can receive texts to, even though I had the recovery email address set up. I kicked up a fuss with their tech department but nothing doing apparently, that was the only way to unlock. So I gave up, (used another account from another provider) only to find that the next day they unlocked it for me anyway!

Got twitter to work.  Income Tax Refund Check is still AWOL.

Check mailed 9 June.  Last tracking was at Langly HWDC (Heathrow World Dist. Center) 12 June.

Tweeted USPS last week and got no reply. Used their "contact us" email earlier last week. No reply. Spent most of the afternoon phoning and trying various permutations of responses on the USPS phone tree and punching in 00000 a lot before I finally got the system to set up a callback. (Because the wait time was 1 hour and 52 minutes). USPS phoned,  swears they were not given the mail in the UK. SO, it's still in the UK. 

SO, I tweeted Royal Mail. They say to wait until the 17th and then put in a claim for lost mail! Jeez, that's like a $900 check! And I have to worry now about identity theft because my bank info was in there, with my signature, and my home address. So I'll need to contact BofA and tell them to put a fraud watch on my account. Which, I would assume, will play havoc with my transferring money over when I need to do it next. 

Have contacted the California Tax Board, they are sending paperwork to my Houston Mail Forwarding that I will have to fill out to report the lost check. They couldn't send it directly to me because "that's out of the country" and they'd have to put a stop check on it immediately and then it would take about 4 weeks for the paperwork to be sent to me. To fill out to send back to request the check be re-issued.

So, they send it to Houston, nothing happens until I fill it out and send it back. So if the check magically appears in my bank account in the next three weeks (how long it will take them to get the forms sent to me in Houston. Houston will PDF them to me), I am to just tear the paperwork up.

Once I send it in, approx 8 weeks later - if the check has not already been cashed - they will send a check (no, they can't do direct deposit). To Houston. I'll have to pay the extra to have it sent here via FedEx, and then either deposit it in my RBS account and take the 60-70 pound cost hit, or FedEx it to Bank of America again (I'm not trying mail again) at a cost of 42 pounds. At this point, I'll probably just take the $100 hit and have RBS deal with it.

If it HAS been cashed, they will send me a photocopy of the front and back and I'll have to send an affadavit that I did not cash the check (it's fraud) and they will issue me another check. That they will send to Houston. Eventually. Maybe by Christmas.

I am soooo pissed at the Calif Tax Board. They had the direct deposit info, but since they changed the refund amount it's "their policy" to cut a check. I let the lady I spoke to today know precisely what that policy has done, and how there is no excuse for sending a paper check when they do have the accurate direct deposit info. She agreed, but doesn't make the policy.

At this rate, it might be worth buying a cheap smartphone - if I could be sure it could run the BofA AP, just to do the damned check-deposit-via-phone. If it cost less than $100, I'd be breaking even.

7 July. Day 28 from mailing that "it'll be there in 7 to 10 days" Tax Refund to Atlanta.

Still no tracking since Heathrow Distribution had it. Still nothing from USPS social media or email in response to queries.

Sent an email to the CEO of Royal Mail (hey, why not?) asking for assistance in locating/expediting or returning it so I can FedEx it to Atlanta.

And to explain why, if RM only reimburses to a maximum of 100 pounds for a lost check, that their agent - knowing the contents of the envelope I was mailing - sold me 250 pounds worth of insurance?

Received a very nice email in response from the office of the CEO, from a specific person, and they are looking into it. Their records say it was bound for JFK. It was not scanned in at JFK, so the USPS is saying it never arrived there and that it's with the Royal Mail still. 

They are also forwarding my email to the CEO of the Post Office, who they say is an independent company, to explain why their clerk sold me insurance for an amount on the mailing that they will not cover.

It will be interesting to see how this turns out now.

F a F'ing Duck!

Royal Mail now says, oh, gosh, they are confirming that it is lost. So they're sending a cheque for 30 pounds as a "goodwill gesture".

APPARENTLY, they don't insure cheques. AT ALL.

I specifically told the clerk at the Post Office I was mailing a cheque, and she sold me the maximum amount of insurance - 250 pounds. So if the Royal Mail now says they don't insure cheques, it's on the P.O.  The head of which is supposed to be contacting me to discuss the matter and apologize. Which I freaking doubt.  If this was the USA, they'd be paying me 250 pounds as we had a contract. I assume that's not the case here, even though their employee mis-sold it?

F a F'ing Duck!

Royal Mail now says, oh, gosh, they are confirming that it is lost. So they're sending a cheque for 30 pounds as a "goodwill gesture".

APPARENTLY, they don't insure cheques. AT ALL.

I specifically told the clerk at the Post Office I was mailing a cheque, and she sold me the maximum amount of insurance - 250 pounds. So if the Royal Mail now says they don't insure cheques, it's on the P.O.  The head of which is supposed to be contacting me to discuss the matter and apologize. Which I freaking doubt.  If this was the USA, they'd be paying me 250 pounds as we had a contract. I assume that's not the case here, even though their employee mis-sold it?

You can likely file a complaint with the FCA. They misrepresented an insurance product and that's incredibly bad.

FCA?

It's even more annoying because I told her it was a check that was worth just over 500 pounds, but at least the 250 coverage would handle all the FedExing of paperwork that would have to happen if it went missing....

https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/how-complain

Because its insurance I believe it falls under this, but I could be wrong.

So, the FedEx'd form (I had them send it to the Houston mail forwarding, as they said that would cut about 6 weeks off the process) that I need to sign and send back to Sacramento arrived today. So, why they couldn't have emailed that I don't know, but I'm $30 poorer for the FedEx and am about to send it back. My thought is that I'll  send it tracked mail (while wincing), as sending it FedEx is impossible (and expensive anyway) because it has to go to a PO box.

So, it'll go out tomorrow. I've checked tracking and I've checked my bank account one last time each, and there's no sign of the lost "tracked" Royal Mail envelope. On the way back from the PO I'll stop at the bank and deposit the check from Royal Mail (30 pounds).

When the duplicate check arrives at the Houston mail forwarding, I'll pay another $30 to have it FedExed to me, and will then just deposit it in my RBS and take the hit. On the good side, the dollar/pound this morning was down to $1.29. 

Person at Royal Mail said I'd be hearing from the person at Post Office. So far I haven't heard a damned thing. I'd like to know how they plan to compensate for selling me insurance that can't be collected on. (Their clerk knew I was sending a check to a bank.) I think if I haven't heard from them by Monday I'll start rattling some cages.

The stop payment request tracked envelope hit San Fran 25th July. It hit Sacramento 26 July. It has been "In Transit to Next Facility " since then.
The original check's tracking still shows nothing. I got an automated email saying they still haven't located it (from the USPS). No response from the Post Office.

Eventually they will receive the request to stop payment. If it has been cashed there will be more paperwork - I'll have to sign and send back to them. If not, they will stop the check and issue a new one to my Houston address.

Sigh

CAFTB received their form back from me on August 1st, says USPS tracking.

I phoned today to see if there was any movement on it. The guy said nothing was in the system saying it'd been cashed, but that the Comptroller's was looking at if the check had been cashed. He said it takes six to eight weeks from the time they received my request (the form) to issue another. He said if I haven't heard anything by October to call back.

Sigh.

Ok, maybe it'll come before then. If it turns out to have been cashed, they have to send me more paperwork - which will go to Houston and I'll have to have forwarded over here. That I sign (an affadavit) and it becomes a fraud case. They would then issue a new check. If I don't hear anything by October the guy (Eric) says they can then go into their system and request a replacement immediately for me. Which will go to Houston, and then have to be forwarded over here (another $30 for FedEx, so it's tracked).

So yeah, it may well be almost Christmas.

Well, oddly, I received a piece of mail from the CAFTB in my Houston mailbox. I had them scan it, and it's a replacement check. So it's FedExing over now.

We had hoped to go back to SoCal to visit. Since teh check is good for six months, I believe I'll hold off cashing it here to see if I can hand-carry it to my bank. That will depend on my driver's licence coming through as to timing. I definitely want to be there and back before March 29.