Narrative Summary

I ordered $150 worth of specialized craft supplies for my Etsy shop. I live in a neighborhood with cluster mailboxes, and tracking updated to "Delivered to Parcel Locker." Normally, the mail carrier leaves a numbered locker key inside my personal mailbox so I can retrieve the larger package. This time, my mailbox was empty. I waited three days, asked the local post office, and eventually filed a claim. USPS denied it, stating the "Delivered to Parcel Locker" scan meant their responsibility was fulfilled.

The Resolution Strategy

When a package is scanned into a locker, USPS assumes it is secure. Fighting this requires proving a break in the carrier's chain of custody.

Using an Authori-generated appeal letter, the resolution focused on POM Section 645 to demand a physical audit of the cluster box unit, alongside the GPS scan data. The appeal pointed out that a "Delivered to Parcel Locker" scan is incomplete without the corresponding procedural step of securing the key in the correct recipient's box.

By formally citing the manual, the local delivery unit manager was required to go out and physically inspect the parcel lockers. They discovered the carrier had placed the package in Locker 2, but accidentally dropped the key into a neighbor's mail slot. The neighbor had moved, and the key was sitting untouched. The formal procedure forced USPS to locate the package rather than rely on the blind scan, recovering my inventory.