What to do if your package is ever lost- PLEASE read this for important info!
Hi there! Please please take the time to read this- it’s likely relevant for other small businesses as well.
A lost package happens very very rarely for us (knock on wood)- we’ve shipped thousands of cinches and thousands of supply orders, literally. Of those, NONE have been lost forever. That is not an exaggeration- zero. We have not had to make one claim in all the time we’ve been in business. A lot of this has to do with making sure things are packaged and labeled well- we go through a lot of packing supplies for sure to make sure things arrive safely!
That said- MOST of the issues happen on the delivery end, not our end. Once a package is out of our hands, we really can’t do all that much. When we get an email, without a hello, only saying “where’s my stuff” without any other details or explaining what steps someone has taken so far, to be very honest it immediately halts our day. A lost package or goods goes to the top of our concern list, and this is where we need your help, because there have been a growing number of times that people think we can magically pull packages out of thin air! (Wish we could, it’d make it easier!)
Domestic (within the US) deliveries- IF your package doesn’t arrive, PLEASE contact your local post office first. We aren’t able to contact your local branch in person. 99% of the time, a delivery person has placed the package somewhere out of the norm- we can't control that. Check with your neighbors/kids/spouse/etc- we’ve gotten some scathing (no joke) emails from folks demanding we find their package 2000 miles away, only to find out “oops, my hubby grabbed it after all and forgot it in his truck.” As a small business doing their best to provide good customer service, it’s pretty hurtful when this happens.
Once you check with your postal worker, post office branch, etc, and it doesn’t turn up, you can use your tracking number to file a claim. At that time and once you file one, please keep us updated. We CAN’T do those first steps for you though, and those first steps are what typically resolve the issue. If it comes down to making a claim and we are needed to verify anything, we would be happy to do so- we want a good outcome just as much as you do!
For international shipments, first two steps still apply as far as contacting your local branch/neighbors/family, but in this case we ARE required to file the claim on our end. Please do contact us if need be!
Like I said, we’ve never had to file a claim and have always found a solution. But please do everything you can to make the first steps in locating the package, because if you contact us before doing that, we will ask that you go ahead and do it anyways. We can't help you until you take a few steps locally in person.
Other steps that help ensure a safe delivery is making sure the address you plug in is correct. Also, if you know your delivery driver is notorious for not delivering things, please consider using a friends address etc- we have ALSO had folks come to us very upset when something isn’t delivered, and then admit that their driver doesn’t consistently deliver things in the same spot…. knowingly shipping things to an address that isn’t consistent isn’t something we can accept liability for.
Thank you folks for your continued support- again, we just share all this in an effort to make sure you makers get your orders as quickly as possible; as makers ourselves we know how frustrating it is to need something on a certain timeline and not have it arrive- but again, this is typically caused by the shipping service versus supplier, so we are limited in how many hiccups we can prevent ahead of time.
As a latch ditch effort, bringing cookies to the post office helps too if you ever need their help, we've done that before! Like most things, showing a little kindness in someone else's day usually has a higher chance of leading to a good outcome!
Tracy (and Dana)