USPS Informed Delivery: Collect on Delivery?

[statsman]

In our Informed Delivery email today, we have two tracking numbers. One tracking number for a package we're expecting to be delivered today and is out for delivery.

The second tracking number is unknown to us, and it is not yet scheduled for delivery, Checking the tracking number on USPS, there is a note under Product Information -> Features that indicates "Collect on Delivery".

Doing a search, some have indicated that this is an error in the Informed Delivery system, while others have stated an actual delivery was attempted and payment requested (scam).

Has anyone encountered this before with USPS Informed Delivery?

 

[badatmath]

Not with that but I have rec'd things postage due where the mail carrier left me an envelope and requested 10 cents or something.

 

[statsman]

I forgot to add one more detail. The tracking number itself starts with a "7" (20 digits long), and Informed Delivery has it listed under "Awaiting from Sender". I don't think I have ever seen a tracking number like this.

I'm inclined to believe this is an error in the system, but I guess we should find out for sure by the end of this week since the tracking indicates it being in the system at a major city near us.

 

[cathy63]

Could it be one of the last mile services? SurePost is the name of the UPS-to-USPS service, but I believe there are similar offerings from FedEx and DHL. Usually with SurePost, the UPS tracking shows the delivery address as our local Post Office, and USPS shows something like "awaiting item from sender" until it gets there.

If you want to figure out what it is, try pasting the tracking number into Google search. If it's a number from one of the major shipping services, Google will recognize the format and tell you which one.

 

[statsman]

The tracking number doesn't match anyone's service. Google didn't have a result for it. We aren't expecting any package other than the one we have a known tracking number for and is out for delivery today.

I want to say this is an error in the Informed Delivery system, but that "Collect on Delivery" tagging is a bit disconcerting.

 

[statsman]

The beginning of the tracking number, known as a Service Tracking Code (STC), is 782. According to the document below, 782 is "Parcel Select: Adult Signature Required, Insurance > $500, Hold For PickUp"

Sure sounds like it could be a scam since we are not expecting this type of package. Certainly not one requiring payment upon delivery.

https://postalpro.usps.com/storages/2016-12/782_PUB199IMPBImpGuide.pdf

Note: The above PDF is quite long and detailed.

 

[happy2bretired]

The beginning of the tracking number, known as a Service Tracking Code (STC), is 782. According to the document below, 782 is "Parcel Select: Adult Signature Required, Insurance > $500, Hold For PickUp"

Sure sounds like it could be a scam since we are not expecting this type of package. Certainly not one requiring payment upon delivery.

https://postalpro.usps.com/storages/2016-12/782_PUB199IMPBImpGuide.pdf

Note: The above PDF is quite long and detailed.

My status from Informed Delivery today shows “awaiting from sender” for a couple of Amazon packages
I am expecting. The number starts with a 9.

 

[ivinsfan]

I forgot to add one more detail. The tracking number itself starts with a "7" (20 digits long), and Informed Delivery has it listed under "Awaiting from Sender". I don't think I have ever seen a tracking number like this.

I'm inclined to believe this is an error in the system, but I guess we should find out for sure by the end of this week since the tracking indicates it being in the system at a major city near us.

The awaiting from sender seems to be a new service, very similar to UPS/Fedex listing a number and saying it's in the system and awaiting pickup from the sender. I've found it handy for hubbys RX's from the VA.

 

[ivinsfan]

The beginning of the tracking number, known as a Service Tracking Code (STC), is 782. According to the document below, 782 is "Parcel Select: Adult Signature Required, Insurance > $500, Hold For PickUp"

Sure sounds like it could be a scam since we are not expecting this type of package. Certainly not one requiring payment upon delivery.

https://postalpro.usps.com/storages/2016-12/782_PUB199IMPBImpGuide.pdf

Note: The above PDF is quite long and detailed.

Could be as simple as the wrong code being entered. Where does it say you have to pay money..I see it saying the item has 500 dollars of insurance on it. Collect on delivery could be referring to a signature.

 

[happy2bretired]

The awaiting from sender seems to be a new service, very similar to UPS/Fedex listing a number and saying it's in the system and awaiting pickup from the sender. I've found it handy for hubbys RX's from the VA.

My mailorder prescription orders work that way too. Very handy to look up the status of the order on the mailorder website and see the exact status of the order before it ships. You can tell when the hand off to the post office takes place.

 

[statsman]

Could be as simple as the wrong code being entered. Where does it say you have to pay money..I see it saying the item has 500 dollars of insurance on it. Collect on delivery could be referring to a signature.

True, it could be for a signature and not payment, but we don't have anything expected that requires a signature. Certainly not something worth over $500.

We have one package that we're expecting today, and we have a tracking number for that delivery which matches up with the email we received from the sender.

This second tracking number is coming from an unknown source. I am not sure why it is being explained away as an expected delivery.

 

[ivinsfan]

Get back to us when you get your mail! I find my informed delivery is very seldom wrong.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

Awhile back I had a package delivery that just sat in the informed delivery queue for quite sometime. I couldn't figure out who it was from and I checked all the sites I typically order from and nothing was in the process of being delivered. I had no idea what it was.
It sat there for weeks in the same status-awaiting delivery or something like that. I finally called the local post office and they had no idea what it was. It finally just disappeared-no package delivered and I never missed anything I thought should have been delivered. The guy at the post office thought it was probably just an error and that certainly seems to be the case.

 

[Texas Proud]

Does it say you need to pay anything?

Sounds to me like it is a return receipt requested delivery... maybe a legal notice...

I would doubt that some one can get a scam included in the informed delivery email but who knows for sure..

 

[Tadpole]

I have had several like this. The local post office said to ignore it, it will probably disappear at some point. So far, the unknown packages have, indeed, disappeared after never getting past the "awaiting from sender" stage.

 

[Koolau]

My mailorder prescription orders work that way too. Very handy to look up the status of the order on the mailorder website and see the exact status of the order before it ships. You can tell when the hand off to the post office takes place.

Yeah, mine is amazing. It will say something like "delivered" and, sure enough, it's in my mail box (or locked overflow.)

 

[statsman]

It took a little over a week, but the tracking information disappeared from Informed Delivery for us. That said, the original tracking link is still active, and the "parcel" is hanging out there somewhere, or it is nonexistent and there is an error in the Informed Delivery system, as some here mentioned.

I did contact USPS about this 6 days ago, with an email indicating someone would contact us within 1-2 business days about our inquiry. It's been 4 business days, so I am not expecting any further contact from USPS.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I'm inclined to think this is either an error or an attempted scam. According to the interwebz, a tracking number starting with a 7 is USPS certified mail. I'm not sure what to make of that though. In order to send something certified you almost always have to pay a dollar or two upfront in addition to full postage. Scammers rarely want to spend actual money so that makes me less likely to think it is a scam. But DON'T even think of paying the COD. I don't get the impression you would, just sayin'.

 

[CaptTom]

It will be interesting to see the USPS response.

The first thing which comes to my mind is the scam where the scammer requests a tracking number for something which they never intend to ship. For lots of sellers, like eBay, entering that number starts the clock during which the buyer can't initiate a refund request for 90 days or whatever. The seller doesn't need to actually ship anything, just enter the number and it's considered "shipped."