Can you sue the post office?

Question

(I don't know what category to put this question under)

I mailed some documents Priority Mail and with Delivery Confirmation on August 16th and August 18th to San Francisco from Los Angeles.

They have still not arrived; the usps.com website says that the piece mailed on the 16th was accepted at the post office I sent them from on the 16th; the piece mailed on the 18th was received on the 18th at a post office 20 miles away.

There is no further update.

They were time sheets and other irreplaceable documents. I didn't insure them, but if the place I sent them to doesn't get them soon, I could lose out on an educational grant worth $4,500.

So can I at least take the Post Office to Small Claims Court?

Answer 1

You can take them to court but their liability is very limited.

You should have sent it UPS or Fed Ex.

The accuracy rate of the USPS is about 84%. Both UPS/Fed Ex are >97% for a timely delivery.

Also a delivery confirmation is very different than a UPS or Fed Ex tracking number. It's either delivered or not delivered. A tracking number shows you every step of the way where your pkg is.

Answer 2

You can not sue the post office. I am basing it on the fact that your statements are unclear and not very precise. You do not state your case well at all.

As for the percentages listed above they are erroneous. Priority Mail deliveries are generally in the range of 94% or better.