Cashiers Check May be Lost - SO FRUSTRATED! - Advice please

[Anonymous]

Will try to keep this high-level so as to not make this a really long post.

here is my situation:

-Tenant is/was behind in rent for 2 months - October and November.

-House is in another state.

-We got an attorney involved in mid-October to help recover the outstanding amount and/or get them evicted. Full disclosure: This is not the first time this tenant has done this and has figured out how to work the system, knowing that eviction takes a while. Their lease is up in 8 months, thank GOD!!

-Because we have had checks from this tenant bounce MANY times in the past, we required that rent be paid this time around via certified funds.

-Tenant delivered a cashiers check to our attorney last Wednesday, Nov 30th (6 days ago) and the check was for Oct, Nov and we also asked for December's rent because of the obvious timing of the transaction.

-Attorney promptly put the check it in the mail, via USPS Certified Mail - and this is where the real issue started.

I have the tracking number. Was tracking it all weekend. It was supposed to be delivered to us on Saturday. We know this because Tracking info from USPS said "OUT FOR DELIVERY".

Well, the package with a sizable cashiers check in it was never delivered and I am so angry and frustrated. It basically stopped moving on Saturday and the last tracking update which was posted at 1am on December 4th says "Delivery status not updated"

So here it is December 6th. Cashiers Check for 3 months rent is somewhere in the USPS joke of a system. Technically the rent has been paid as these are certified funds, so its not like I can have the tenant evicted for non-payment at this point.

I am so angry! Angry with the situation in general, with the tenant, with our attorney for using USPS, just angry all around! I don't want to be irrational about this so I am holding off on picking up the phone and handing our attorney his ass but my patience is just about up. Walk me away from the ledge, calm me down and give me advice on what I should do now.

Please!

[Anonymous]

Make the attorneys office escalate it with USPS. Someone needs to find that letter.

[Anonymous]

Go to the post office and have them help you. A verified letter usually needs a signature so if someone came by and you weren't there it went back into their deliveries. Regardless someone at the actual post office can help you track this down.

[Anonymous]

Did your attorney scan a copy of the check? Banks can usually put a stop pay and reissue checks if you can provide them the info.

[Anonymous]

Sorry- I meant certified not verified

[Anonymous]

Call your local US Post Office. I was able to find a misplaced packaged this way, but it wasn't pretty. It took a lot of time on hold, as you can imagine.

Also call your attorney. I think he should have to pay for using such an insecure method to send a cashier's check, but I don't know the law on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go to the post office and have them help you. A verified letter usually needs a signature so if someone came by and you weren't there it went back into their deliveries. Regardless someone at the actual post office can help you track this down.

No an attempt to deliver was never made. I wish that was my issue here.

The issue is that it seems to be stuck in the system somewhere - argh! so pissed right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call your local US Post Office. I was able to find a misplaced packaged this way, but it wasn't pretty. It took a lot of time on hold, as you can imagine.

Also call your attorney. I think he should have to pay for using such an insecure method to send a cashier's check, but I don't know the law on this.

OP here. Yes, that is why I want to call the attorney and hand him his ass for using USPS to begin with! And this is a sizable check - $19K. dumb-ass.

With regards to me calling the local post office. since he is the one that sent it, don't you think that he would have more luck tracking it down? or does it not make a difference at this point since I have a tracking number?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did your attorney scan a copy of the check? Banks can usually put a stop pay and reissue checks if you can provide them the info.

OP here. I don't know if he made a copy. That said, I researched a bit last night on what happens if you lose a cashiers check. apparently you have to wait 90 days for the bank to reissue?

anyone have knowledge of this? because 3 months is way beyond unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

First of all, you posted at 6 a.m. on Dec. 6. There's no mail at 6 a.m.

So basically no check came on Monday is what you're saying.

If it requires a signature and you weren't home to sign for it, it wasn't delivered. Usually they leave a slip, but maybe not.

Can you go to the post office and see if it's there?

I don't know how far away this is, but if it went in late Wednesday's mail, it didn't start the journey until Thursday... Then Friday and Saturday. No mail Sunday. And it didn't come Monday, you say. But that doesn't mean it's lost. Stop freaking out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First of all, you posted at 6 a.m. on Dec. 6. There's no mail at 6 a.m.

So basically no check came on Monday is what you're saying.

If it requires a signature and you weren't home to sign for it, it wasn't delivered. Usually they leave a slip, but maybe not.

Can you go to the post office and see if it's there?

I don't know how far away this is, but if it went in late Wednesday's mail, it didn't start the journey until Thursday... Then Friday and Saturday. No mail Sunday. And it didn't come Monday, you say. But that doesn't mean it's lost. Stop freaking out.

Thanks PP. While I appreciate your commentary and input, you don't know the hell I've been through with these people so please don't say that I am "freaking out". You would be too. I did not write all the details of this situation because this would have turned into a foot-long post easily.

You may not be understanding what I wrote. The update from the post office shows that it has stopped moving and who knows where it is.

So the update from USPS on Saturday at 11am was OUT FOR DELIVERY

It never showed up. Since then, the last update happened saturday night/sunday morning at 1am. That status was "DELIVERY STATUS NOT UPDATED"

Clearly it is no longer OUT FOR DELIVERY.

I apologize if I am coming across a bit strong but you told me to stop freaking out....and I really hate that when you have no idea what our situation is.

[Anonymous]

If you are absolutely convinced that this is lost then make your tenants put a stop payment on the check and have it re-issued. In reality, the funds can't transfer until the check is deposited. Previous banking experience. Also USPS sucks. Double check and triple check that their system has not been effing up, because that happens often. Next time make them ship FedEx.

[Anonymous]

OP- you are freaking out, probably for no reason, and there's a very good chance the check will be delivered today. Just because the status hasn't been updated, doesn't mean that the check is lost. the PP who told you not to freak out pointed out the timeline... which makes total logical sense. USPS is not in the business of losing things.

[Anonymous]

Instead of posting here call the post office and work with them. I completely get why you are frustrated, but remember the post office folks will be more willing to help you if you are polite. It's just human nature.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely go to your local Post Office in person and have them track it down. That said, I have had several weird statuses for USPS deliveries and all ended up being delivered so I think it will show up this week.