TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa mom said UPS wouldn't refund her thousands of dollars when the new laptop she shipped her son in college disappeared.
In September, Beth Gazeta got a call from her youngest son, Nico, who was away at college in North Carolina.
"His computer died and he needed a new computer so it was kind of like need it right now thing," Gazeta recalled.
Gazeta spent almost $2,000 on a Macbook and took it to the UPS Store #1070 off Northdale Boulevard in Tampa.
"UPS created a tracking number," Gazeta said. "We were tracking it pretty closely and he was very excited to get it."
Every time they checked the tracking, the same message popped up saying UPS never received the package. Gazeta showed ABC Action News the receipt, which showed she shipped the laptop on September 12, but almost three months later, it's missing.
"I've never had this happen, I've never had a package lost," Gazeta said.
Gazeta thought she had done everything to protect herself, so she bought UPS insurance to cover the full cost of the laptop. She even paid for a service the store promoted on its front window: the "Pack and Ship Guarantee." UPS advertises this as "We pack it. We ship it. We guarantee it." The company's website includes a disclaimer that if an "item is damaged or lost in transit, you'll be reimbursed."
"The store said to me I can't believe you're making such a big deal about this because it just one lost package. So they've really dismissed the whole thing and responsibility," Gazeta said.
Gazeta filed a claim with UPS and expected a resolution, which the company's website says should happen in eight to ten days. Instead, three months passed, and with no results, Gazeta emailed Susan Solves It.
"I feel like I've done everything I could do," Gazeta added.
ABC Action News took her concerns to the local store owner and to UPS' corporate office.
The local store owner did not respond.
A corporate UPS spokesperson said they launched an investigation to find out what happened to the laptop and agreed to ship a reimbursement check to Gazeta the next day.
UPS wrote in a statement, “We appreciate the customer’s patience as we investigated the lost package and reviewed the claim. We apologize for the delay. The customer’s claim has now been resolved.”
Gazeta still wants to know how a laptop she brought to the store to be packed and shipped simply disappeared. While she doesn't have all the answers she wants she's happy with the solution and hopes UPS will honor its guarantee for other customers.
"To me it's not just one lost package, it's a lot of money," she said.
It's important to know a carrier's shipping policies. Many require drivers to keep a log of high-value shipments.
UPS drivers must maintain logs for items valued over $1,000; customers can request a copy of the report.
Gazeta said she asked for the high-item value log but still hasn't seen it.
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