What would you do if your lappie was in transit for 5 weeks so far?

Let me preface this by saying that I ordered my m9750 from Baghdad, Iraq, and it was shipped USPS Priority Mail on September 20th. USPS mail being sent to my area has been taking about 6-10 days, order to door. Mail has been moving EXTREMELY fast!

Now, Priority Mail is not directly trackable, but there is a tracking website that will bring up some information on PM packages.

Only one of my two AW packages shows up at all. And that one says it was dropped off with the USPS October 10th. I KNOW this is incorrect, because I got my tracking numbers from AW on October 2nd. I actually do trust AW when they say they dropped it off September 20th and got confirmation slips that day.

When I call the USPS customer service line, they can't find EITHER tracking number in their OWN system, even though I can find one of them on USPS' website.

Now, granted.. The USPS is inept. That's a given. That's not really what this post is about. This post is about AW's response to the fact that my laptop has been in transit for 5 weeks, and no one can at least tell me where in the process it might be.

I emailed AW several times asking for some info on where the package was. That's how I got the tracking numbers. I then called USPS and asked them. They said they can't find the packages either, "but don't worry, Sir.. Priority Mail is the most secure way to ship something through USPS. It can't disappear, because someone has to sign for it at every step, and they are personally responsible it until it is signed off to the next person."

If it is the most SECURE way to ship, and someone signs for it at every step, then they damn well should be able to track it from post office to post office, yes?

Whatever. I asked the USPS person, "Well, I think it's had quite long enough to get here. The package is insured. How long before I can file a claim so I can reorder the laptop and get it delivered FedEx?" She told me that "after 45 days" is when the sender can file the claim.

I called AW back, and AW said "According to AW policy, APO shipments are allowed 8 TO 10 WEEKS from the time it reached the shipment center in NEW YORK", and that I would have to wait until then to have them file a claim. I get the distinct feeling that this discrepancy in times between USPS and AW is just so AW doesn't have to file claims on packages USPS take 2 months to ship. The added byproduct is that those packages that get "lost" don't get discovered for MONTHS.

And of course, USPS can't even say that the laptop even made it to New York yet, WTF, over?

So I ask the AW rep, "Well, I am not sure these packages even made it out of Miami yet... Is there anyway an AW shipping rep can go directly to the USPS shipping center and check? And if the packages are still there, to get a shipping refund and reship by FedEx?"

At this point, the AW cust serv rep repeated the whole "the package is allowed 8 to 10 weeks from New York" spiel. I repeat, "Listen, I know that with the way mail service to Baghdad USED TO BE, that's a reasonable time period. But, I'm telling you, packages are now coming within 6-10 DAYS, not WEEKS."

AW rep repeats 8-10 weeks spiel. I give up.

Now, here's my question: You are convinced something has went horribly wrong with your shipment, (regardless of being in Iraq) and the company you are buying it from says you have to wait two more months before THEY WILL EVEN START AN INVESTIGATION.

What do you do? Well, I know what I do... I wait patiently for another 2 or 3 days, and then I call my credit card company to do a chargeback, and IF the laptop ever gets here, I write: Return to Sender on it, and then I let AW get shafted on the shipping charges, because they are not trying to take care of me as a customer. I'm sorry, but "You spent $3500 on a laptop, but you'll have to wait months before we will deign to find out why shipping is taking so long.." just AIN'T gonna cut it with me.

(Patiently waiting for an AW rep to contact me by PM. Countdown to credit card company telephone call: 3 days... I think I gave AW the benefit of the doubt with 4 emails, 2 phone calls.. And they haven't done anything other than give me worthless tracking #s.)

Russ

No doubt... If AW would go ahead and just file the claim at 45 days, I would not have a problem with that... That's only a few days away..But AW is saying they will not fille the claim at 45 days.. And that's the thing I have a problem with... They are saying that I will have to wait a further2-3 weeks before they will even INVESTIGATE IT.

Their shipping person goes to drop off computers at the USPS center probably 2 times per week. All I ask if for that person to check to see if these packages ever made it out of Miami. How angry would you be if you found out after 10 weeks (mandatory wait period) that the package got mislabeled by USPS and never made it out of the sorting facility?

I just want AW to take my word for it that there is a problem with the shipment, and start whatever their investigation process is now. I have been recieving other Priority Mail shipments (the games and other gear I bought to complement this PC) in 6 DAYS recently. And at least two of those shipments came from Florida. (I chose these vendor locations specifically, to test the shipping time)

So, given that the packages I've recieved were coming from the same geographical area, and were shipped weeks AFTER my lappie, and were sent by the same shipping method, might I be justified in getting the ball rolling early?

I mean, heck.. If I am a nuisance to AW, let's just refund my money and I will go elsewhere to spend my large amounts of money.

Russ

Oh yeah.. Forgot to mention.. USPS should be able to track every $3500 package that goes through its' system, regardless of whether that info is available to the recipient/sender. If they cannot locate it in their own system, then by MY judgement, it's ALREADY lost, and AW should be acting in my behalf to get insurance claims filed.

Russ

dt,

Thanks for being positive towards the end of your post. I talked to the local postmaster today, and he said that Priority Mail takes longer to go through the system because it has to be signed for by every mail clerk that lays their hands on it. He was sympathetic, and assured me that the accountability procedures basically ensure that it will not get lost in transit, without some mailclerk being responsible for it. He told me if I have the tracking numbers, that he can put out an email to the other clerks to let him know where in the process it is. I'll probably give it another week before I go that route.

To sum up: If you are deployed in an overseas military environment, and want your laptop as soon as possible (and who doesn't?), then choose the quickest Internation FedEx speed you can, and just pay for the speed.

I understand that USPS has methods for assuring the safety of a package, but unfortuntely, with USPS, speed and security don't seem to be able to mix as well as they do with FedEx.

Russ