(To put the following in perspective. We mailed an insured, etc. birthday box to Dara on Feb. 11, 2009. It was delivered on Feb. 13 - and signed for my an illegible signature. Within a few days we realized it had not been received by Doug and Dara and we were soon on the phone to postal employees at Pflugerville, TX. Jim filed an initial claim which was turned down because they had a signature. We then filed an official claim and it was also turned down because the post office had a signature - needless to say - not of Doug or Dara.)

Today we received an explanation?? from the postal consumer advocate - located in Washington, DC.

"I am pleased to inform you, in view of the circumstances surrounding your case, I am making a one-time exception and asking the Saint Louis Accounting Service Center to process your claim for payment of $382.38. This includes $375.28 for the article and $7.10 for postage. The St. Louis Accounting Service Center will certify payment and issue you a check at the above address within 7 to 10 working days. I regret any delays and inconvenience this matter may have caused. This office is the final level of postal authority concerning claim appeals."

We have learned several things from this experience that took four months to "resolve."
1) Anyone can sign for a package that is insured - and the post office feels they are in the clear.
2) Persistence pays off as I think most people would have not kept trying to get the negligence resolved.
3) It is important to keep all receipts - we had the one for the piece of jewelry and the last mailing, but I did not have a receipt for the musical birthday card, and no way to verify the mailing of Doug's book on CD.
4) I am sure that enough people are deceitful, that businesses have to treat all people as deceitful.
5) Would you like to take bets as to the next time we use the USPO as a means of mailing a package?

B.