As bad as they are they are better than FedEx, they will ship a package to a warehouse within 30 min drive of your house and the tracking will show”on the truck out for delivery” and it will stay like that for two weeks. They will throw in some sort of exception every few days and you cannot get in touch with anybody that will tell you what is going on or where your package actually is.
USPS is terrible.
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GypsmJim
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I have NEVER had a USPS package get lost. When the last UPS package got lost (they never found it) I had the vendor re-ship it, after almost a month of dealing with UPS to resolve the complaint.
When the re-ship finally was approved, I INSISTED that it be shipped with USPS. They complied. When the package arrived, the shipping return label said "XXXX Gun Shop". Then, I understood why the first one got lost.
When the re-ship finally was approved, I INSISTED that it be shipped with USPS. They complied. When the package arrived, the shipping return label said "XXXX Gun Shop". Then, I understood why the first one got lost.
Glad that you've had such stellar experience with the USPS
. As for it being a regional thing....seems reading this thread folks in all regions have had bad experiences. Hope you didn't jinx yourself. Don
And this is the real problem. USPS doesn't mess up very often. In fact, they have a truly outstanding record. The real issue is that when they do screw up, they have absolutely no way of fixing it. Their attitude is like "Oh well, we can still track it, so I guess it'll get there eventually."
Example: my infamous 32 day package, it was only supposed to go about 400 miles from one end of my state to the other. Instead it "Looped" through 7 cities in 4 states multiple times. Every time I tried to get help, the answer was always the same: "We have the tracking. We know exactly where it is."
Ok, but what are you gonna do about it?
Answer: "Nothing, we're tracking it."
BTW: My package finally just appeared mysteriously in my mail box. I checked that tracking number for a long time after. For about 3 months, it showed as being "Enroute to next destination."
In a nutshell:
USPS normally does a good job.
When they do screw up, they won't admit it.
They have no way of fixing a mistake, so they just don't try.
USPS had no idea where my package was, and even their tracking was wrong when they showed it someplace, and it wasn't there! And when it was delivered to my door the tracking showed it was sitting at the seller's post office for 3 days!
This afternoon I got an email reply from the customer service manager. In my last email to him I had mentioned I was concerned about ever shipping anything valuable via USPS again. I mentioned I have a $2500 item that is likely headed back to me in January, and the sender said he can only ship USPS from his small Montana town. I told him I was seriously considering driving 13 hrs. there to avoid losing a valuable item!
His reply to me was to say, "I don't blame you, I think I'd also drive to get a valuable item and not trust the system."
To say I was shocked a customer service manager would make that statement is an understatement! I had to read it twice to assure myself he'd really written what I thought it said.
WOW! That kind of statement from a management person "on the inside" is really an indication of how bad things at the USPS really are.
If one of their own career employees has that low of an opinion about their services, how can any of us be expected to have any confidence in their system?
IME, our government screws up anything and everything they touch.
DO IT!!!!!
Another continuation of my above posts ..... My down jacket continues it tour of the various USPS offices around the country. In my last post it traveled from only 20 miles from me (post office in Seymour, Tn) to Greenville, SC where it stayed for 2 days and then made it's 2nd trip to Knoxville, Tn (only 25 miles from me) and stayed there for 2 days. From there it has now been sent to Atlanta, Ga for the 3rd time.
I went to the local USPS office today and showed them the tracking info. What a waste of time
. The supervisor said there was nothing that could be done and dismissed the problem with a " I don't give a ****" attitude. What a messed up organization. Don
LVSteve
Member
It’s easy to see what has happened there. Some joker probably ordered millions of those small labels and there is no mechanism to return them and get the money back. Then there isn’t the money to order the right ones, either that or nobody with the authority or stones to do so.
Jack Flash
Member
I can't match those horror stories of parcels taking the scenic tour of the country. My USPS deliveries have been successful, if at times a little slow.
I just have a little gripe about sheets of stamps. My wife has a horse and really liked it when I got her a sheet of horse stamps. Myself, I like the endangered wildlife tiger cub stamps. We ran out of both and so I went to the P.O. to get more.
"We're all out of those and do not expect to ever get any more."
Whaaaa ? They are so popular that they sold out, but you're not restocking them?
To add insult to injury, they offered me Buzz Lightyear stamps.
So I bought some flag stamps and went home. Later, I thought "Gee, can't you order stamps by mail, or in this day and age, online?"
Sure enough, the USPS website has as many as you want. Just $2.55 handling charge on an eight sheet order. Probably less than it costs to drive around looking for them.
Why didn't the guy at the P.O. mention that? He works there for gosh sakes.
I just have a little gripe about sheets of stamps. My wife has a horse and really liked it when I got her a sheet of horse stamps. Myself, I like the endangered wildlife tiger cub stamps. We ran out of both and so I went to the P.O. to get more.
"We're all out of those and do not expect to ever get any more."
Whaaaa ? They are so popular that they sold out, but you're not restocking them?
To add insult to injury, they offered me Buzz Lightyear stamps.
So I bought some flag stamps and went home. Later, I thought "Gee, can't you order stamps by mail, or in this day and age, online?"
Sure enough, the USPS website has as many as you want. Just $2.55 handling charge on an eight sheet order. Probably less than it costs to drive around looking for them.
Why didn't the guy at the P.O. mention that? He works there for gosh sakes.
Glynn863
Member
I got your PM and I hope you got my reply PM. I double-checked to be sure I gave you the right address for the padded envelope. Still waiting on USPS it seems.
It would be easier to tell what HASN'T gone to crud. It would be a really short list.
This ^^^^^^^^ Unfortunately
Another continuation of my above posts ..... My down jacket continues it tour of the various USPS offices around the country. In my last post it traveled from only 20 miles from me (post office in Seymour, Tn) to Greenville, SC where it stayed for 2 days and then made it's 2nd trip to Knoxville, Tn (only 25 miles from me) and stayed there for 2 days. From there it has now been sent to Atlanta, Ga for the 3rd time.
I went to the local USPS office today and showed them the tracking info. What a waste of time
Fourth installment of the Odyssey of my Down Jacket. Since the last post it went from Atlanta to Palmetto, Ga which is just south of Atlanta and the most recent tracking shows it is now back in Knoxville, Tn for the 3rd time and is only 25 miles from my location. Keeping my fingers crossed to see if it actually makes it to me this time. What a mess
. Don
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Glynn863... I don't know where they are but I do have a few more I will send probably priority with tracking. We'll see if they can lose more. I bought a small lot at a local auction ...there was a pill bottle with about 40 mostly RCBS Lyman in it. There was a Ohaus 10-10 scale in the flat so I had to buy it. There was also an RCBS Bench Mount priming tool...I sold it for about what I paid for the lot...I'll let you know. probably put the scale on ebay so USPS will have another package to practice with. Surprisingly UPS prices are not a lot higher than USPS now. I even get a small reduction on shipping with UPS Fed EX and USPS on ebay....but I'll bet ebay get's a kickback for all packages they send. Surprisingly I have had no problems with Fed Ex with those who ask for their service. Now for those who say but USPS handles so many millions of pieces of mail every day... Much(very much) of it is (junk)mail that gets sent at reduced prices that we may subsidize ..it gets sent to all mail recipients so no real problems there. Wouldn't bother me if it got lost ...but oh no Mr Bill. I know that most of the junk comes with no stamp other than a USPs mail payer number. Less than you pay for a letter BTW. I still will not make credit card, mortgage (don't have one but), car payments(not yet) ...and taxes to IRS...which got lost this year...So I paid it with their online app. I renewed my DL by mail this year...six weeks before due.. Got the darn thing day before it expired. USPS is just not reliable any longer Carl
BTW the Drivers license took 12 days to go ;ess than 400 miles
BTW the Drivers license took 12 days to go ;ess than 400 miles
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Another continuation of my above posts ..... My down jacket continues it tour of the various USPS offices around the country. In my last post it traveled from only 20 miles from me (post office in Seymour, Tn) to Greenville, SC where it stayed for 2 days and then made it's 2nd trip to Knoxville, Tn (only 25 miles from me) and stayed there for 2 days. From there it has now been sent to Atlanta, Ga for the 3rd time.
I went to the local USPS office today and showed them the tracking info. What a waste of time
Fourth installment of the Odyssey of my Down Jacket. Since the last post it went from Atlanta to Palmetto, Ga which is just south of Atlanta and the most recent tracking shows it is now back in Knoxville, Tn for the 3rd time and is only 25 miles from my location. Keeping my fingers crossed to see if it actually makes it to me this time. What a mess
Final installment of my Jacket's travels around the country. After 20 days from the order being placed and traveling to USPS offices all around the west & southeast (some times going to the same offices 3 times in a couple of occasions & being as close as 20 miles away in one instance) my Down Jacket was delivered to me this evening. Glad it finally made it. I've already commented on my feelings about the USPS so I'll not say anything else about that organization.....I'll let the emoji speak to my thoughts
. Don
Alls well that ends well (other than the wear and tear on your nerves and hairline).
MERRY CHRISTMAS, and a Happy New Year!
MERRY CHRISTMAS, and a Happy New Year!
Mainsail
Member
One of three lost packages arrived at the mother in law's, so we're at 33% now.
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UPS
Item left Birmingham AL yesterday. 8 texts so far, Birmingham to Atlanta to Memphis. Looks like a line right to Raleigh, due Thursday. That’s what one expects.
Item left Birmingham AL yesterday. 8 texts so far, Birmingham to Atlanta to Memphis. Looks like a line right to Raleigh, due Thursday. That’s what one expects.
I have to say this... my sister retired from the PO after 30 plus years. The worst employee she worked with was a veteran who got the job because of his extra points for being so on his civil service exam. He was the laziest, least reliable worker in the office. Nobody liked working with him and since it was next to impossible to fire him, everyone else simply had to suffer though it until he retired. That is what happens when hiring is based on added "entitlements" that gives jerks a job. I don't care what anyone says, being a veteran or a minority or a female or whatever doesn't "entitle" someone a job over another better qualified. But it is what it is.
John
John
The Universe has many black holes. The densest concentration is in the United States at many local US post offices.
