What would you do? (My bad handwriting caused shipping problem)

[dragonlady]

This is very long winded, sorry!
Okay I sold a lot of My Little Pony clothes on eBay and I shipped them out Tuesday. Thursday night the buyer that messaged me and said UsPs were unable to deliver the package because I had misspelled her name so badly (I didn't, I guess my writing was just especially bad) I apologized and joked it was probably my atrocious handwriting but also mentioned that this has never happened before.
She messaged me back today and is very unhappy because she had to spend an hour and a half on  phone with USPS to get her package and rightfully chastened me that I should have printed it out if my handwriting is that bad. I apologized again (no jokes this time!) and refunded her the shipping.

Is there anything else I should do? I feel badly; I've had to call USPS  before and it's not fun.

Also has anyone ever had a package not be delivered because the person's name was misspelled/not legible?

Thanks for reading.

[Pokeyonekenobie]

Misspelling a name shouldn't be the issue.  If the address was illegible I could see that being the issue but I don't know of any post office that delivers based on the name of the occupant.  If the package was undeliverable it's been my experience that USPS returns to sender.  It seems weird to me that she called USPS in the first place.  I guess if her tracking number said it was at her local post office then maybe that's how she knew it was there but if it made it that far, it should have made it to her house.  And if your handwriting was that bad, shouldn't they have told you so when you dropped off the package in the first place? 

I would say chalk this one up to experience and next time print the label so there's no confusion but I don't think there's anything else you can do to correct the situation than you've done.

[pinkkittywinks]

I haven’t had this happen.

I used to hand write addresses, until I transposed the numbers in one address I realised when I got home and checked the shipping receipt. Since then I printed addresses out and I have my own printed return to sender labels

[tailrustedtealeaf]

I have a feeling the same thing will happen to me one day, mine is chicken scratch unless I try very carefully. I haven't had anything happen yet thankfully, but I do need to amend my handwriting very soon.
It sounds like you've done what you could to make the situation right.

[Taffeta]

If it's a case of the thing needing a signature to deliver, and maybe if she has to collect it and needs ID...if the name is badly spelt or looks wrong, they might not hand the item over. I know at our depot they've got more sticky about ID for collection, so maybe that's it.

Mind you my first name gets spelt in all kinds of interesting ways and so far it hasn't been a problem.

I handwrite labels but I doublecheck them before I post. I am a messy writer but workign at the library and with the students at the college taught me to write neatly when I need to, thankfully.  But messy writing is meant to be a sign of intelligence. Don't beat yourself up too badly over it. I think you did the right thing to apologise and refund her postage in good faith.

Maybe if you are worried, print labels in future - but it's probably a one off.

[Noasar]

I think you did the right thing and you know now to print it or write super neatly it was a kind gesture to refund the shipping and I’d say that is enough.

[Marlin]

I think you did the right thing and you know now to print it or write super neatly it was a kind gesture to refund the shipping and I’d say that is enough.

I agree with this.

[dragonlady]

Thanks everyone:) I haven't heard anything back from the buyer so I guess everything is okay though they haven't left feedback yet so who knows.

I'm still confused about it being the name that caused all the problem as no signature/ ID was required. I remember back in my early collecting days sending packages to people with their persona's name and it always arrived! Definitely will not make this mistake again

[SaraMari]

Yes I agree that this seems suspicious, if it was undeliverable because of her name written a certain way they'd hold it at her post office and certainly could sort it out there rather than calling. Furthermore I have my name misspelled many times on both national and international mail, my post officers never care about that. My boyfriend and mom have both signed for my packages. As I've observed as long as the address is correct there's no problem with who signs at that address.

Hopefully she was not scamming you, maybe her post office is just bumbling? Anyhow I agree, you were kind to her and hopefully that is the end of it.

[dragonlady]

I can safely say it's not a scammer; when I checked the tracking number it did say it was undeliverable due to problem with the address. I had wondered if I had accidentally messed up the zip code but then I got the message from the buyer. She was pretty mad I misspelled her name but said nothing about the address so I'm inclined to believe it was that.

[Pokeyonekenobie]

You wouldn't believe how many people are obsessed with having their names spelled right.  I used to schedule people for community service and there were some that ranted and raved for up to ten minutes just because I'd spelled their oddly spelled name incorrectly (i.e. their name was Stephanie and they spelled it Stefany).  I'm not sure why, but complaining about the name spelled wrong was usually a sign that they wouldn't work out.

My name has many acceptable spellings and I don't care how it's spelled as long as I know it's meant for me.

[Tulips]

That's really odd, I always thought that the name didn't really matter because anyone can sign for packages so long as the address is correct.

I've actually had an eBay seller address a package to my username instead of the name included in my address on my account, and it still arrived without delay despite a 'Ms. Squiggle' not living at my address lol.

[bluerose9978]

We get junk mail addressed to my father in law all the time here even though he lives in a different city a couple hours away and I have signed for my husband's packages many times and he for mine with no problems.

Honestly, I think she's just upset that either you misspelled her name or she didn't like your writing and she wants to give you a difficult time. Some people complain about anything! Perhaps she wasn't home during delivery and that was the reason her package wasn't delivered in which case she picked up the phone and complained to them. Who knows. I would get more details, honestly, because this smells a little fishy to me.

[banditpony]

Eh. Some post offices can be picky. I could easily see if ANY part of the address was not legible (including the name) they won't deliver it. Misspelling... not so much.

And I have had issues with people not writing my name on a package-- like writing my internet handle-- where my post office gave me a hard time. Same goes for sending them out.

Obviously she had tracking, and she probably would of had an easier time going to the post office with the number and asking them to hand it to her-- then the phone call.

I can see why she's annoyed. I would be annoyed too. You apologized and tried to make it right by a small discount (free shipping).

You did enough customer service to make up for the error. So I'd leave it at that.

[Taffeta]

You wouldn't believe how many people are obsessed with having their names spelled right.  I used to schedule people for community service and there were some that ranted and raved for up to ten minutes just because I'd spelled their oddly spelled name incorrectly (i.e. their name was Stephanie and they spelled it Stefany).  I'm not sure why, but complaining about the name spelled wrong was usually a sign that they wouldn't work out.

My name has many acceptable spellings and I don't care how it's spelled as long as I know it's meant for me.

I personally have given up with correct pronunciation but I do insist on proper spelling in real life situations, because if its an official document of some kind, and I don't want complications in the future. Jobs, dentist, doctors, university, accommodation...all these things I've had to correct spellings. And in emails it;s funny how I always sign my name properly at the bottom and to begin with, they reply with it spelt right - but gradually it becomes more and more generic.

I am sympathetic to the 'Stefany's of this world...ok, at ten minute rant is extreme, but when you've been humiliated in front of your school class multiple times because of the weird pronuniciations or the "sorry, can't pronounce thats", it does start to eat away at you inside.

My name is not even all that complicated. It just has a much more usual generic spelling and pronunciation which I gradually get defaulted to by people. And if I've given them the name correctly, and they're even replying to a document with that name spelt correctly on it, I think they're really rude to not bother to get it right.

I don't rant, I just politely correct. BUT I tend to lose respect for the person on the other side of the equation.

When I was working in the college, and when I was teaching last year, I made a point of learning how to spell and say all my students' names correctly. Because it might not matter in the bigger picture but it matters to a person to have someone take the time to respect what they are actually called. Not what someone else wants to call tthem because it's easier to spell or say.

All of that said - it shouldn't affect mail.

We have the annoying problem here that although sister and I both have our own addresses, sometimes things go home to the parents. And because we have the same first initial, if the person sending doesn't bother to use the middle initial too, or the full name, we don't know who it is for. And you wouldn't believe how many times these same organisations have been asked and have notes on their record...but it doesn't ever change.