I asked this same question just yesterday at the bank. I got a $15,000. Cashiers Check from the bank for our final mortgage payment (required for all mortgages) and asked the bank as to what would happen if the check got lost in the mail.

They said it takes 90 days to befunded for the lost check. Make sure you/someone save's the check receipt for proof. I'm half expecting the same problem as you! Our USPS is crappy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still stuck on the fact that the OP is mad specifically that the attorney used USPS certified mail...which is usually very good.

Would FedEx have been better? Genuine question.

In my experience, FedEx is much more reliable for things like this. I sent a check via USPS certified mail... and I was able to track it many steps along the way. But then the tracking just stopped. When I went to the P.O., I was told that sometimes the USPS staff neglects to scan the envelope as it comes through. In such cases, the ability to track vanishes. I generally prefer USPS for its lower rates, but for the half-dozen things I send each year that I care about, I use FedEx and have never been disappointed.

I'm a lawyer and I would never send a check to a client via USPS. That's just dumb.

Anonymous wrote:I'm still stuck on the fact that the OP is mad specifically that the attorney used USPS certified mail...which is usually very good.

Would FedEx have been better? Genuine question.

In my experience, FedEx is much more reliable for things like this. I sent a check via USPS certified mail... and I was able to track it many steps along the way. But then the tracking just stopped. When I went to the P.O., I was told that sometimes the USPS staff neglects to scan the envelope as it comes through. In such cases, the ability to track vanishes. I generally prefer USPS for its lower rates, but for the half-dozen things I send each year that I care about, I use FedEx and have never been disappointed.

Anonymous wrote:I'm still stuck on the fact that the OP is mad specifically that the attorney used USPS certified mail...which is usually very good.

Would FedEx have been better? Genuine question.

I think a priority or rush service from any of the major carriers would have been fine. We've had far more issues with UPS than USPS but it varies in different areas. This letter was probably treated as first class mail which can take several days.

I'm still stuck on the fact that the OP is mad specifically that the attorney used USPS certified mail...which is usually very good.

Would FedEx have been better? Genuine question.

This issue probably lies with your letter carrier. At some point s/he needs to come to your door and s/he may not choose to delay doing that depending on his/her schedule or mood. The solution would have been to pay extra for rush delivery. Your absolute best bet is to contact your local post office and let them know you are waiting for this. Either they have it or your letter carrier does. I would not immediately panic that it is lost.

Landlord here who dealt with professional deadbeat tenants in the past. Are you in MoCo perhaps? I could provide some tips.

Anyway, the attorney sent certified since that's how legal documents are normally sent to have proper proof of delivery by the intended recipient. However, they should have uses USPS Express Mail, it (unlike certified) has guaranteed 1-day delivery, and it tracked much better since it's in those big cardbard envleopes and goes via a separate "stream" in the sorting process (as does Priority Mail). Certified Mail goes via the usual first class stream.

Go to your local post office, ask to speak to the postmaster, and they can contact the carrier on your route and find out waht's up. USPS tracking for Certified Mail is highly inaccurate. For Express Mail and Priority Mail, it's quite good.

USPS is not all that unreliable, but they can be slow. There is a VERY good chance the post office is holding the certified letter until you show up to sign for it. What was missed is probably the little slip in you mailbox telling you they are holding it until you show up. GO TO THE POST OFFICE.

Anonymous wrote:Why didn't OP's attorney have the check deposited in the bank or have money wired? I would NEVER have a large check mailed. I once had a $750,000 closing check lost by FedEx via DC going to Richmond overnight to Suntrust bank, lost in Nashville because apparently at the time that was their regional service center. It literally got lost behind some machine. Without that check, we couldn't close a multi million dollar deal, and the issuer wouldn't reissue. We had to find someone who actually worked on the floor of the FedEx sorting facility in Nashville to look for it, it was insane.

Never, NEVER mail large checks, ever. IMO fault is on OP.

I had a settlement company miswire 800K TWICE last year. Electronic transactions not fool proof either.

I have used online tracking (granted, it was for Amazon that delivers USPS) and it has worked out well.

OP, it will likely show up today or tomorrow. You can't trust the online tracking.

FedEx just lost a filing I sent to the State Review Office, out for delivery last Tuesday then disappeared, and switched from "out for delivery" to "exception". They are doing an "investigation" but I don't have much hope. Just saying that I think mailing services are swamped right now and none of them are better than the other.

It will likely show up today, OP. I've had those "out for delivery" messages and have had something delivered a day later. An imperfect system but I have rarely had a tracked item lost completely.

Why didn't OP's attorney have the check deposited in the bank or have money wired? I would NEVER have a large check mailed. I once had a $750,000 closing check lost by FedEx via DC going to Richmond overnight to Suntrust bank, lost in Nashville because apparently at the time that was their regional service center. It literally got lost behind some machine. Without that check, we couldn't close a multi million dollar deal, and the issuer wouldn't reissue. We had to find someone who actually worked on the floor of the FedEx sorting facility in Nashville to look for it, it was insane.

Never, NEVER mail large checks, ever. IMO fault is on OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Not to mention that this is a rather busy time of the year for the Post Office.

Exactly. This time of year everything is a bit delayed, and the USPS statuses always seem to be behind.