AI sent an order of two dozen cookies via USPS on Tuesday with two-day priority mail with an arrival due Thursday. They have not arrived yet. She needs them for her daughter's first birthday party tomorrow. My question is- if the cookies do not arrive in time what you think I should refund her? Should I refund the whole amount plus shipping, part? I have no idea. I'm so frustrated!

ADo you have proof of posting?

Go to the UPS website and check the tracking number to see where it is..and there should be an estimate of how much longer until delivery. 

AI've been stalking the tracking. It hasn't been updated since yesterday at 1:26am in Illinois. They were going from NY to Virginia.

AThat is something I'd hate to have to deal with.

ANo kidding- I don't get it. I did find out it left the sorting facility yesterday at 2:45pm. My hope is they arrive tomorrow. If they don't how much should I refund? I feel like I should refund it all, but it just annoys me because it was a waste of my time and money.

Find out the postal policy for late deliveries with priority mail. And find out why your package went to Illinois (is it a hub or did they send it by mistake?) If this was my problem, and they refused to make it right (by refunding your customer's full amount), I would go down to the post office and vent.

You will have to refund your customer if the cookies don't arrive for the party. And yes, it is quite annoying when these things happen, but that's the downside to being in business. The upside is, um, is, ... will someone help me out, here? 

AThe upside is you have a reason to start drinking in the morning.

I am wondering whether you offer to send orders by mail or whether this was a special request?

If it is a standard service that you advertise then I think you need to offer a refund.

If the customer approached you and asked you to mail the biscuits and it is not a standard service that you advertise then they made that request knowing that once they left your hands (provided that you sent them allowing for the longest advised delivery timeframe) that it was up to the mail delivery service to get them there on time not you. I don't think that a refund would be warranted in this circumstance and I wouldn't expect one if I was the customer.

If I was going to be sending items via postage I would certainly be including a disclaimer with the order contract that once they are sent, as long as they are sent on time, that you cannot in any way shape or form guarantee that the goods will arrive on time or undamaged as you are not associated with the postal service.

Postage is never going to be 100% reliable and when people want things delivered by mail they need to understand that.

I never use the postal service for anything that has a time frame.  Once I was going on a cruise and could not find my birth certificate, I paid for 2 day service and 5 days later I still did not have it.  I tracked it and could see where the court had turned it over to them but, never got it.  I had my brother to go down and get it for me and Fed Ex to me.  Use UPS or Fed Ex from now on, worth any extra money you may pay.

AKeep checking the delivery scans, sometimes they don't scan it until it's going out for delivery.

Postal delivery isn't guaranteed unless you pay for priority express, so regular priority is an estimate. It's either two or three day delivery, but if they put two day on the label and it takes three they won't refund since it's considered an estimated time.

If you told her it would get there and it didn't you should refund the entire amount and write it off as a loss...