USPS fail

[ScoopKona]

I believe USPS financial problems are more than "retiree funding" but admittedly the financing of this quasi-government agency is complicated
Enjoy your low-cost USPS services --- others continue to throw out their physical junk mail

Are you in favor of throwing out the baby with the bath water, and giving UPS and Fedex a duopoly?

 

[tombanjo]

people still fax. We use a fax service that works with email, send an email to a special number, it faxes the recipient, and fax users send to our special fax telephone number and it turns into email.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

people still fax. We use a fax service that works with email, send an email to a special number, it faxes the recipient, and fax users send to our special fax telephone number and it turns into email.

We have this at my work as well. Not sure how much use it get, but it exists.

On a personal note, i have been dealing with my father's estate, he had a number of annuities and other financial products. These all some to come with paper forms when it comes to beneficiary claims. Most you need to complete with live ink, these all have an option to fax the form back. I have access to a good scanner so that the route i have been using but i could definetly see some people choosing to fax.

 

[PigsDad]

people still fax. We use a fax service that works with email, send an email to a special number, it faxes the recipient, and fax users send to our special fax telephone number and it turns into email.

So those recipients don't have access to email? I'm just wondering why the need to convert your email to a fax and send it as a fax, and vice versa.

Kurt

 

[PigsDad]

We have this at my work as well. Not sure how much use it get, but it exists.

On a personal note, i have been dealing with my father's estate, he had a number of annuities and other financial products. These all some to come with paper forms when it comes to beneficiary claims. Most you need to complete with live ink, these all have an option to fax the form back. I have access to a good scanner so that the route i have been using but i could definetly see some people choosing to fax.

There are apps where you just take a picture of the document and it converts it to a PDF. Very useful for those who don't have a scanner.

Kurt

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

The once greatness of the USPS is now far overstated...... Mail which once flew if it was going over 200 miles now no longer flies at all. The USPS has done away with flying any mail at all UNLESS it is being sent via Priority Mail Express (starting @ $28.75 per package).

This has led to a SHARP decline of once stellar service. Letters mailed from the east coast to the west coast would travel in two to three days until 2020. Now you are looking at a minimum of five days or longer. These letters no longer fly but are shoved into trucks all shipped all over the USA.

By the way, when they eliminated the air mail they did not reduce prices for the reduced service; just the opposite. They raised rates and continue doing so. Service levels with the USPS are now disgusting and a total disgrace to all the US Residents.

And by the way, this why your mortgage payments or credit card payments are now routinely late and you are charged either a late fee or penalty because of it. SAD.




.

 

[dioxide45]

The once greatness of the USPS is now far overstated...... Mail which once flew if it was going over 200 miles now no longer flies at all. The USPS has done away with flying any mail at all UNLESS it is being sent via Priority Mail Express (starting @ $28.75 per package).

This has led to a SHARP decline of once stellar service. Letters mailed from the east coast to the west coast would travel in two to three days until 2020. Now you are looking at a minimum of five days or longer. These letters no longer fly but are shoved into trucks all shipped all over the USA.

By the way, when they eliminated the air mail they did not reduce prices for the reduced service; just the opposite. They raised rates and continue doing so. Service levels with the USPS are now disgusting and a total disgrace to all the US Residents.

And by the way, this why your mortgage payments or credit card payments are now routinely late and you are charged either a late fee or penalty because of it. SAD.




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What do you expect for 63 cents. That's pocket change. IMO the price to mail a letter has always been a bargain.

 

[tombanjo]

Some businesses still use fax. Including the US government (unsurprisingly)

Banks and health care as well.

There is more encrypted email - you get an email to alert you of an encrypted email you need to log into to read.

And a real delight is spam faxes still exist. The second lowest form of life uses it.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

There are apps where you just take a picture of the document and it converts it to a PDF. Very useful for those who don't have a scanner.

Kurt

Very true, my employer even has an app to do this, and i was part of the internal testing. Not sure why I didn't mention that...

 

[winger]

Sent a letter with documents that has not arrived after over a week. Filed a search with the USPS and after 3+ days get a email note it's resolved but they have NOT delivered the mail I paid for them to deliver. They have lost it in Delaware apparently - tracking #
9500127029063066110530 . Tomorrow I'll have to go somewhere to fax the documents . Very sad. Last year similar happened but it got delivered finally after my report of issue.

This is what I got tonight-

''I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you. After investigating the package was not received in this office and we are unable to retrieve this package. In Order to file a clam for a lost package please go to www. usps.com/claims.''

<did not read the entire thread>
About five years ago, mailed a substantial check to a out of state bank (I believe Priority Mail) with signature required. Got a signature, alright but my bank never received it. Got in touch with the local branch's supervisor - spoke to over the phone at least twice. Could not locate the check for liitle over two weeks+. My bank eventually received it - but a few months later, the supervisor called me and said the package could not be located.

I can only guess the check was delivered to the wrong address - and it took 2+ weeks for the company to hand the letter back to the mailman, who hand delivered. All the while, no one thought to scan (or notify the local branch) the update on the re-delivery.

 

[Brett]

Are you in favor of throwing out the baby with the bath water, and giving UPS and Fedex a duopoly?

I'm in favor of stopping junk mail !

 

[ScoopKona]

I'm in favor of stopping junk mail !

I'm more concerned about the dozen+ phone calls I get every day more than the grocery circulars in my mailbox. (Locking my credit with the three major bureaus rid me of credit card and car junk mail for life -- try it!) But I'm not in favor of getting rid of telephones and turning all telecommunications over to Western Union.

 

[rapmarks]

I'm more concerned about the dozen+ phone calls I get every day more than the grocery circulars in my mailbox. (Locking my credit with the three major bureaus rid me of credit card and car junk mail for life -- try it!) But I'm not in favor of getting rid of telephones and turning all telecommunications over to Western Union.

This is a good point. I had to get rid of landlines because of the deluge of scammers. I kept it for my husband, but my sister caught him giving his birthday on the phone and I decided it wasn’t feasible any more.
more intrusive forays than junk mail, telephone, email, text.

 

[TheHolleys87]

And by the way, this why your mortgage payments or credit card payments are now routinely late and you are charged either a late fee or penalty because of it.

That’s why we use our bank’s electronic payment service. We tell it what date we want them to pay the mortgage company or the credit card company, and they transfer the money electronically on that date. The bank is liable for penalties if the payment isn’t transferred on time.

 

[dioxide45]

That’s why we use our bank’s electronic payment service. We tell it what date we want them to pay the mortgage company or the credit card company, and they transfer the money electronically on that date. The bank is liable for penalties if the payment isn’t transferred on time.

Most mortgages also have a 15 day grace period. So while the payment may be due on the 1st, it usually is not accessed late fees or penalties until the 15th of the month.

 

[Talent312]

That’s why we use our bank’s electronic payment service. We tell it what date we want them to pay the mortgage company or the credit card company, and they transfer the money electronically on that date. The bank is liable for penalties if the payment isn’t transferred on time.

We use the vendor's & creditor's websites to schedule electronic payments.
That way they will credit payment on a day-certain, and initiate the transfer.
The bank takes a few days to process the draft, which gives me a float.

I write maybe 3 physical checks in a year.
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