7 On Your Side helps couple after U.S. Postal Service loses package

SAN LORENZO, Calif. (KGO) -- A San Lorenzo couple mailed a package to North Carolina, but the U.S. Postal Service lost it.

Cindy Smith bought a prized possession at a garage sale. Her boyfriend Philip Cardiasmenos spends time looking through lists of upcoming sales, mapping out where he'll find his next possible treasure.

The couple often resells their finds and uses the money to help support their five grandchildren. "They always need help and we like to be there to help them," Cardiasmenos said.

When they tried to send a sweater to a buyer in North Carolina, the package was undeliverable.

The person who bought the sweater moved and didn't leave a forwarding address.

Cardiasmenos and Smith didn't learn that until the buyer contacted them a month later, so he called the post office asking why the package wasn't returned to him. "Someone in North Carolina put a return label over part of our return address, so all they could do is send it back to the post office in our general area," Cardiasmenos said.

Cardiasmenos asked the post office to send him the package, but no one could find it. Records indicated it was somewhere at the Richmond post office. The post office bounced Cardiasmenos around from person to person until someone finally suggested he file a claim. "I don't want to file a claim, I just want my package returned," he said.

Cardiasmenos said he finally filed a claim two days before the 60 day deadline, but the post office told him it had no record of it.

When he filed his claim again, it was denied because he missed the deadline and that's when he contacted 7 On Your Side. "We shouldn't have had to go to 7 On Your Side, but they forced me into doing that," he said.

The post office told 7 On Your Side if you file a claim online, you will receive an email confirmation. And if you don't get one, file again.

The post office released a statement saying: "In the rare instance when an employee is directly at fault, we hold him or her accountable. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Smith and Cardiasmenos received a check to replace the lost package. "7 On Your Side has been very good to me and my girlfriend," Cardiasmenos said.

The post office is also in the process of refunding Smith and Cardiasmenos for the postage.