Some packages may not make it in time due to shipping delays or because they are lost in transit

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - It’s the busiest time of the year. Even if folks are ahead of the game, ordering gifts online during the holiday season doesn’t guarantee a Christmas Day delivery. Sometimes, gifts could be still delayed or lost.

“So, I kept checking my tracking number, and it stopped giving me updates on Dec. 6, and the last update was that it was waiting to be received here in Denham,” explained Erica Hutchinson.

Hutchinson bought a Christmas gift for her husband on Cyber Monday. She received a notification saying “package acceptance pending” at the U.S. Post Office in Denham Springs. However, it was never delivered. When she went to the post office to investigate, it wasn’t there either.

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Hutchinson isn’t the only one looking for lost packages. Elizabeth Bordelon is in the same boat.

“I had just told my neighbor about it just the other day, and I saw that post on Facebook where someone was asking. It seems it’s all that one location. So, again I don’t know, but it’s like again is it on the Tennessee end or is it on Denham Springs end because we are all in this area,” said Bordelon.

The U.S. Post Office said they have not received Hutchinson’s or Bordelon’s packages. Usually, when this happens it means it’s lost in transit. That means it could be lost in between warehouses or shipping companies.

USPS Spokesperson David Walton said the best thing to do in this situation is to contact the merchant.

“They could also check with the merchant that they order the product from because I know sometimes those might show up in the system, but we haven’t actually taken possession of those packages yet, so I would also recommend contacting the merchant to see if the item actually did ship,” said Walton.

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Walton also said to hold onto the tracking number that way consumers can look up the location through the shipping company, or customers can open up a case number with that delivery company that way they can do a further investigation.

US Postal Services said they are not having delivery problems, but other companies may be backed up this time of year. If you do want to mail something in time for Christmas you will have to do it through their premium service and by tomorrow.

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