How can a mail package be remedied?

Question

I have been speaking to a friend of mine recently. He mentions in our conversation how the United States Postal Service is the courier of a certain package he got in the mail, and yet it was returned to the original sender. Apparently he got something that one of his parents did not like, so it was sent back. My friend is wondering what the "return tracking ID/number" is, so he visited his local post office and a postal worker there said that there is no sort of return tracking ID/number involved for this mail package. The worker said that the original tracking ID is all that is needed; this worker checked the package's history and saw that it was delivered to my friend's house with the original tracking ID, yet no return tracking ID was used in the entire process. My friend is lost for words. What should he do now? I mean, is there any method available to discover what happened during the course of the mail delivery back to the original sender?

Answer 1

It's hard to answer a question when the information given is third-hand. You didn't actually see any of this. You got it from someone who didn't return the package himself. So we can't know exactly what occurred.



Just guessing here...one of two things happened. His parents guessed that there was something inside they didn't want him to have, and they refused the package. Once it was scanned by the carrier and 'Refused' was entered as the reason for non-delivery, the sender would be able to learn the return status (USPS can access that information internally) but the addressee can't.



Or, his parents opened it and saw what it was. Which is a lot more likely. Once something is opened, you can't refuse it. You can return it, at your expense, and with payment of new postage, and new tracking, if you want it. Don't buy tracking, and you don't get it.



If his parents did refuse it and the carrier took it back, your friend needs to deal with the company that sent it. If his parents had no right to do what they did, he needs to deal with them.

Answer 2

If the package was REFUSED at time of (attempted) delivery then the tracking # will remain the same.

However, if the package was delivered and then was returned to the PO to return to sender, the tracking # is then null and void. If a tracking # is required then another one would have needed to be purchased by the returner. This is done to eliminate the probability of fraud of sending a package that could have been opened. Returned mail sometimes takes a little longer because it is handled differently. It can not be electronically read because of the hand written inscription to RETURN TO SENDER. Also, depending on the mail service used to mail the package (priority or standard mail) the length of time can be longer.

Answer 3

He should give it to his parents and let them handle it. It is their package, right?