My friend, painter Greg Strachov, is recovering from brain surgery (that is another story) and he asked me to share the following information with all of you.
From Greg:
Below is an issue that I discovered regarding sending art by way of the post office. They do everything possible not to pay for damage. The note below I sent to various newspapers around the United States. I also wanted the artists to read this as this is an important awareness that will have them use the UPS to send art. FedEx does not insure art at all.
Dear editor, (I used the editors name in each letter)
The following is a very important observation made regarding the US Post Office.
Something needs to be done and reporting to public awareness is my first step.
My name is Gregory Strachov and my career is: strachovstudio.com
It seems that artist’s cannot be covered for damage to their shipments by the USPS because they are the receipt to its cost value.
I am an artist who sent a gift to an avid collector of my work. The gift was a limited edition print which was worth $450.00. Seeing that the recipient did not pay for it, it was insured for production value which was $50.00 by the post office. The print arrived to the collector of my work destroyed. I immediately reported the claim and had the recipient show the damage to their post office. When I contacted the post office, they always had something else for me to do which was only to pass time and move past the deadline. They later claimed that I do not have a receipt for the claim and I told them that I am the receipt. I know the value of the ink and the value of the fine art paper that was used and had this in writing. I am not insuring the retail value but insuring the production cost because it was not purchased.
In this process, I learned that the post office uses every method to stop damage payment and provides cause for claimers to give up. They set up a system where it is impossible to collect for damage on a claim. I learned that my post office has numerous people who tried to process a damage claim and were forced to give up. I am not giving up. I want the United States to become aware of the way the US Post office earns money and keeps from paying legitimate loss claims by their customers.
Below is a copy of the letter that I sent to the post office.
Best regards,
Gregory Strachov
www.strachovstudio.com
We all depend on the Post Office to handle our shipping, can you share the info above?
What have been your experiences?
