I am having what I hope is an unusual problem that I would like to
share with the group in the hopes of getting some advice.  I recently
bought some original Violano rolls which were properly packed and
shipped to me through the US Postal Service (USPS).

When I opened the apparently un-damaged package, I was shocked to find
that two of the rolls had been flattened, which is amazing considering
the fact that the old Violano roll cores are a heavy-gage steel.  One
of the rolls had been reduced to a pile of paper chips, and the second
was bent in half.  This second one was on top and must have been
cushioned by the totally destroyed one underneath.

I went to the local Post Office immediately to show them the damage and
start the process of filing a claim on the insurance.  I found out some
things that I am hoping that there is some way around.  The clerk told
me that any items that were claimed as damaged became the property of
the Post Office.  I was hoping to at least salvage the core flanges for
some other rolls I have and was told that this is not possible.

I told him that, because these were antiques, it would be a shame to
have them end up in a dumpster.  He agreed but stated that it was out
of his hands.  I also found out that the shipper needs to initiate to
claim, which seems bizarre since he has no way to examine what arrived
at my end.

After mulling over my conversation with the Postal clerk, I went home
to try and salvage the bent roll.  I removed the paper off the spool,
and it appears to be repairable.  The spool is beyond repair.  I am
going to attempt to claim the complete loss of one roll and the second
spool.  If they won't let me do this, I will just claim the totally
destroyed one.

Has anyone got any advice for how I should proceed?  Is the local Post
Office clerk correct, or is there some way to salvage what I can from
this package?

Jack Breen
Southboro, MA

 [ Your message is disturbing, Jack, because the shipping container
 [ shows no damage, such as crushing.  Therefore it's possible that
 [ the damage did not occur during shipment via USPS.  What does the
 [ sender say?  What sort of insurance was purchased by the sender?
 [ What is the cost to replace the articles which the sender placed
 [ in the parcel?
 [
 [ If the parcel was insured you can file a claim for insurance.  At
 [ http://new.usps.com/cgi-bin/uspsbv/scripts/front.jsp is the new
 [ U.S. Postal Service web site.  I searched for key word "damage" and
 [ found Pub. 122 - Filing Domestic Insurance Claims or Registered
 [ Mail Inquiries, which says: "The sender or the addressee may file
 [ a claim for damage or loss of contents of a registered, COD, insured,
 [ or Express Mail article."  This PDF document may be downloaded at
 [ http://new.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub122.pdf
 [
 [ -- Robbie