USPS Network 'Severely Disrupted,' Suspends Guarantee

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https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2021/02/ ... guarantee/

Sellers are still dealing with the ramifications of late deliveries caused by a brutal holiday-season shipping logjam, and now they are dealing with another nationwide shipping disaster.

The USPS said its national transportation network has been severely disrupted by winter weather events, leading it to suspend its Priority Mail Express Money-back Guarantee.

The suspension is retroactive, running from Friday, February 19, through Thursday, February 25.

Monday’s announcement follows:

“The national transportation network has been severely disrupted by the multiple winter weather events across the country. The situation has affected USPS transportation and processing capabilities. Therefore, according to the Domestic Mail Manual Section 604.9.5.5 Priority Mail Express money-back guarantee is suspended nationwide as of Friday, February 19, 2021 through Thursday, February 25, 2021.”

UPS suspended its service guarantee a year ago (March 24, 2020) due to the pandemic. Last week, it too warned of service disruption due to recent storms, stating, “Although your location may not be impacted by weather, the movement of packages in the network may be impacted by weather conditions in other areas.”

FedEx had also suspended its money-back guarantee due to COVID-19, and an announcement on its website today also warns of weather-related pick-up and delivery delays, and warned scanning and tracking information may also be delayed.

As we reported on Friday, eBay and Amazon advised sellers of what steps they were taking to manage buyer expectations and protect sellers’ performance records.