PITTSFORD, N.Y. – A Pittsford woman who just wanted to send a Christmas gift to two little girls is still waiting for it to arrive at its destination. She mailed it through USPS five weeks ago, and that Christmas gift has seen the world but is still not in the hands of those two little girls.

“I think a lot of individuals see people on landscaping crews and such, especially if they’re from other countries, as invisible,” said Deb Antoniades. Deb and her husband, Mike live in a Pittsford townhome community, and on warm days they love spending long lazy afternoons outside.

“We would often be out on our deck about the time that this mowing crew would come through. And this fellow would always stop the mowing if we were doing something that they thought needed quiet. And so, we started saying hello and I learned a little about his family,” Deb said.

She learned his name is Jose and for half a year he leaves his family in Guatemala to earn money here in the States as a landscaper.

“He has a wife and two daughters in Guatemala. He’s away from them from April through almost November. And he was showing me some photos of them and indicating – we FaceTime when we can, and his eyes teared up,” Deb said.

And it was at that moment, that the gulf separating America and Guatemala, New Yorker and migrant worker, grew much smaller.

“I can’t imagine how difficult that would be, for the whole family,” Deb said. And so, she bought a puzzle, a small gift for Jose’s children, two little girls she’d never met. She wanted it to get to Guatemala by Christmas.

“So, I mailed it a month ahead of time on the 25th of November,” Deb said. But on Christmas Day, it still had not arrived. Tracking records show the package left the Pittsford, NY post office on November 25. From there it went to a distribution center in Rochester, NY, and then to Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The next stop? New York City where it was loaded onto a plane headed to the wrong continent, Asia, where it landed in Doha, Qatar. From there Deb’s puzzle traveled northwest to Yerevan, Armenia. That was December 2. So Deb called USPS customer service.

“I said, Well, now what? She said it will be sent back to the U.S.,” Deb recalled. Tracking records show that’s exactly what happened. USPS sent the package back to New York on December 20. It took nine days to get through customs and area distribution centers then left New York again on the 29, headed not to Central America. No! USPS has taken the package back to Asia. It landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Monday, December 30, and then arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia just before midnight, approximately 11,136 miles away from its intended destination in Guatemala.

“What bothers me the most is that I told Jose that we were sending something for his daughters. And now it’s not there,” Deb said.

News10NBC contacted USPS and a spokesman said they’re investigating the issue but didn’t answer any questions, including if Deb can get a refund if the package never makes it to Guatemala. Deb paid about $33 to send the package first class international.

According to the USPS website, they will not process refund requests online unless you pay more for registered or priority mail. She’ll have to go to the post office and submit the request in person.

Click here for more information on how to get a refund if USPS loses your package.

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