USPS Woes

We got a call a few days ago from a distraught mother. She had sent a rather large package full of winter clothing to her daughter in Syracuse, NY but it had never arrived. After a few weeks and no sign of the package she got worried and checked the tracking number.

The records for the package showed it delivered to Batavia, NY (nowhere near Syracuse - different postal code). The person who signed for the package did have a Japanese last name, but not the same last name.

So the USPS managed to take a rather large package and find someone in the same state who might have heritage for the same country and that was good enough for delivery???

I spent yesterday and today on the phone with the USPS. First they had me call a number in Albany, NY which is on perpetual answering machine, then, when I called back, they sent me to their international division, which said we had to submit a claim from Japan - which we tried to do and they said it had nothing to do with them, since they had delivered the package correctly to the USPS.

I tried to look up the last name in Batavia that had received the package and found no listings. I tried to look up my student's last name in Batavia, but again found no listings. I tried to look up my student's street name in Batavia, and it doesn't exist.

How did this even happen????

Update:
After submitting inquiries/complaints in about 5 different places and at different levels of the system, I got an email from the distribution center lady in Albany, NY who asked for the tracking information and promised to get on it. After as week I contacted her again and she told me the package had been found and had just arrived in Syracuse. Hooray for the USPS! It is nice to have a mail service that will (eventually) set things right. I'll take it.