PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Lori Aspaas is getting into the swing of things with some new golf clubs. She got them after her old set went missing. “[USPS] kept telling me, ‘Just wait. They’ll show up. They’ll show up,’” she said.

Aspaas had taken her golf clubs on a family trip, but she forgot them in the rush to the airport for her return flight. According to a USPS receipt, her family shipped the golf clubs the next day, and they were supposed to be delivered on June 29. “I kept calling them,” she said. “Well, months went by.”

The clubs cost $185 to ship, plus the $1,000 worth of insurance Aspaas had paid on the package. Her claim was denied, so Aspaas reached out to On Your Side.

When On Your Side met Aspaas, her missing clubs had just arrived five months after they were shipped. “The last thing I said was, ‘I’m going to go to the TV stations and see if there’s anything they can do. Did somebody see that and say ok, we’re finding those golf clubs? I don’t know. I don’t know,” she said.

As Aspaas unzipped her long-lost golf bag, we learned the clubs were found at the USPS mail recovery center, the postal service’s lost and found.

A 2020 report shows about 67 million items end up there every year. According to USPS, undeliverable mail is held for 30 to 60 days. If it’s not claimed or can’t be delivered, it’s auctioned off, donated to charities, or thrown out.

Aspaas’ clubs were gone longer than that 30 to 60-day threshold. “They either sat there somewhere for a long time in a corner, got pushed aside or they’ve been all over,” she said. “I don’t know. If only they could talk!”

To ensure your packages, big or small, get to their destination, USPS says it’s important to use a sturdy box. USPS does not recommend reusing boxes, but if you do, completely mark out old markings. Use strong packing tape. Be sure the shipping label is secure, and include a copy of the shipping address inside the package.

Though Aspaas is grateful to have her golf clubs back, she’s frustrated by the experience. “It’s the fact that they just dropped them off. [USPS] didn’t send me a letter saying they found them, didn’t send me a notice,” she said. “I was gone for two weeks. It was in the courtyard, but somebody could have taken them.”

Though the clubs were delivered five months late, the shipping cost is not eligible for a refund. Money-back guarantees are only available on certain priority mail express shipments. If you have a package that’s gone missing, file a missing mail claim.

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