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International Mail


REMINDER

International Inquiries and Claims

As noted in the article titled "IMM Revision: International Inquiry, Claims, and Postage Refund Processes" in Postal Bulletin 22172 (1-19-06, pages 20 and 45-50), effective January 17, 2006, customers should call 800-222-1811 to inquire about the status of registered, recorded delivery, and insured or ordinary parcel post items.

Customers must allow sufficient time for delivery of the mailpiece to the foreign country and must initiate inquiries within the following time limits:

• For articles sent by Global Express Guaranteed® service or Global Express Mail® with Guarantee service, not earlier than 3 days from the date of mailing but not later than 30 days.

• For articles sent by Global Express Mail service, not earlier than 3 days from the date of mailing but not later than 90 days.

• For registered letter post, recorded delivery, or insured and ordinary parcel post sent by airmail, not earlier than 7 days from the date of mailing but not later than 6 months.

• For registered letter post, recorded delivery, or insured and ordinary parcel post sent by economy (surface) mail, not earlier than 30 days from the date of mailing but not later than 6 months.

Prior to the new process of making inquiries by telephone, customers were required to go to their local Post OfficesTM to complete PS Form 542, Inquiry About a Registered Article or an Insured Parcel or an Ordinary Article. PS Form 542 is now obsolete and is no longer part of the inquiry process. However, if a customer presents an already completed PS Form 542, the retail associate must add the customer's telephone number to the form and send the completed form to the following address:

INTERNATIONAL INQUIRY CENTER
PO BOX 39955
DENVER CO 80239-0955

For further information about international inquiries and claims, please review the following "Frequently Asked Questions" and their answers.

1. The new international inquiry procedures are effective for packages mailed after January 1, 2006, but how do customers file an inquiry on packages mailed before that date?

Even if a package was mailed before January 1, 2006, customers should call 800-222-1811 to initiate inquiries for mail sent to or from all foreign countries within the time limits listed above.

2. How will customers be notified of the results of their inquiries?

The International Inquiry Center will notify customers of the results of the inquiry via telephone or letter.

If an inquiry results in a determination that the item was lost, damaged, or rifled (i.e., if contents were missing), the International Inquiry Center will send the customer PS Form 2855, Claim for Indemnity - International Registered, Insured, and Express Mail, with instruction to complete the form and return it, with supporting documentation, to the St. Louis Accounting Service Center (ASC).

If the claim is for a Global Express Mail article, the International Inquiry Center will include in the claim package PS Form 2861, Express Mail International Service Inquiry, and, if applicable, PS Form 3533, Application and Voucher for Refund of Postage, Fees, and Services.

3. How does the customer file the claim?

A customer can file a claim in either of the following situations:

• After making an inquiry for mail sent to or from any foreign country.

• After receiving a damaged article mailed from a foreign country.

If the claim is a result of an inquiry, the customer must file the claim by completing PS Form 2855. The customer must attach evidence of insurance, evidence of value, and any other documentation to support the claim and return the claim form to the following address:

ST LOUIS ASC
PO BOX 80146
ST LOUIS MO 63180-0146

If the customer received a damaged article mailed from a foreign country, the customer may file a claim at a local Post Office by requesting PS Form 2855. The customer must present the article and mailing container, including the wrapper, packaging, and any other contents that were received. To support the claim, the customer must also present evidence of insurance or ordinary indemnity coverage, and evidence of value.

4. What is the new ordinary parcel indemnity coverage?

Indemnity for ordinary (i.e., uninsured) parcels became part of the air and economy parcel post service effective January 1, 2006. The ordinary indemnity is based on the weight of the package (not the value of the contents). In POS ONE and IRT offices, this calculation is done automatically. In manual offices, personnel perform the calculation based on the table in International Mail Manual (IMM) Exhibit 281.4. This table was also published in the article titled "IMM Revision: Changes in International Mail" in Postal Bulletin 22169 (12-8-05, pages 18-25 - the table appears on pages 19 and 20).

5. What is the difference between ordinary indemnity and insured service?

The difference between the new ordinary indemnity and insured service is that ordinary indemnity is provided at no additional charge and is based on the weight of the package, which may or may not reflect the value of the contents of the package. A customer may still purchase insurance to many destinations - check the individual country listing in the IMM for service availability. If the customer purchases insurance, the ordinary indemnity does not apply.

— International Products,
Product Development, 2-16-06