gotta vent

[irish]

okay, so i ordered something from a tv shopping channel on december 19. i get an email with the tracking number. so i track the order. it was delivered by UPS to a POST OFFICE in farmingdale ny on 12/21 (as per the vendor instructions, why transferred to USPS i dont know)okay so i'm thinking it will be delivered to me the next day 12/22.. WRONG!! late afternoon 12/23 i still have NOT received the item so i go to the post office and get the song and dance about how they have soooo many packages to sort and deliver etc.etc.so i say to the SUPERVISOR "okay let me get this straight , it took 2 days for the package
to get to NY from TENNESSEE by UPS and more then 3 days to be delivered to my house, less then 1/4 mile away by USPS... SERIOUSLY,ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? his reply "HEY, WHAT CAN I TELL YA". so i say "GOING FORWARD, I WILL NEVER SHIP A PACKAGE USING USPS"his reply "DO WHAT YA GOTTA DO". is it any wonder the UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE is in the shape it's in???
thanks for letting me vent..

 

[pjrose]

I shipped something to a person in Alabama. It was correctly addressed, but the post office clerk transposed two digits in the zip code when entering it into the computer, so the computerized system kept trying to send it to Missouri instead.

Fortunately I spent the 85c for a tracking code, so the recipient and I could watch it bounce around. For about two weeks it bounced back and forth between a sorting center in Missouri and the post-office to which it had been misdirected. My local postmaster telephoned both of the Missouri facilities and asked that it be intercepted and the error fixed. I don't know if that helped or not.

I also sent a few emails to the post office's "contact us" link - each reply assured me that the problem would be fixed.

The third or fourth week it went to Florida. From Florida to Birmingham Ala - yay, almost there, I thought! But the Alabama sorting center saw the code for Missouri so back to the Midwest it went. Then back to Florida, then Birmingham....but then Philadelphia! I thought maybe Philadelphia was an attempt to send it back to us.

I called the main PO number in DC and got someone helpful - she said she could get it intercepted and delivered, and finally after 5-6 weeks the person got it.

Of course errors happen, but then they should be able to FIX the errors once informed of them!

I feel your pain.

 

[Big Matt]

One better.

I had a package that was routed similarly, but it went back to Tennessee from here and back again over a five day period. Not sure if it was intentional.....

 

[IngridN]

I got a tracking number for an item ordered online early last week. Unfortunately, everytime I checked to see where it was, all I got was that it was processed through the Aurora, Colorado processing center :hysterical: . Why bother with a tracking number if they are not going to update the system.

I stopped using USPS to ship packages about 20 years ago when I sent a very expensive camera lens to be repaired. Sent it insured and all the rest. It disappeared and USPS told me that they wouldn't do a thing to trace it until it was missing for 30 days. FedEx or UPS every since.

Ingrid

 

[wackymother]

I ordered a camera from Woot, which was using SmartPost. That means something like UPS or Fedex Ground to get the item to your nearest sorting facility, and then the USPS delivers it to your house.

My camera got as far as the sorting facility, and then disappeared. The mail carrier suggested I call the local sorting facility. (BTW, this was NOT at Christmas time.)

I called and the clerk said, "We have a lot of packages here. You'll get it eventually." I said, "But this package arrived there three weeks ago!" She said, "If you want it faster, you should have paid for faster shipping. Next time don't be so cheap!"

P.S. The camera never did show up.

 

[dioxide45]

okay, so i ordered something from a tv shopping channel on december 19. i get an email with the tracking number. so i track the order. it was delivered by UPS to a POST OFFICE in farmingdale ny on 12/21 (as per the vendor instructions, why transferred to USPS i dont know).

We had a similar experience with a recent BestBuy.com order. It was shipped via UPSMail. What happens is that UPS picks the package up at the BestBuy warehouse and then just drops it in to the USPS mail system. I guess the bean counters have figured out that this can save them a few dollars. One important thing to note is that it is incredibly slow. We had two items in the one order that were shipped separately, the one shipped via regular UPS arrived one week before the one sent via UPSMail. If you want to learn more about the service, Google UPS Mail Innovations.

We didn't have the problem where it arrived to the USPS Post Office and then delayed delivery. I was able to see that it arrived at our local post office and was in our mail box the next day.

 

[sstamm]

I had the same thing happen with a Lands' End package with their free shipping. My order was in 2 boxes- one arrived 1 day ahead of schedule 10 days ago. The other has yet to arrive. According to the tracking, UPS delivered it to the wrong post office, 10 miles from here, on the same day the other got delivered. After that, no more tracking updates. It still said, "Out for Delivery."

Phone calls to that post office got me nowhere. The 800 number got me a person who told me I was being impatient- he was sure it would arrive "tomorrow." Finally, I called Lands End and they sent the order again by 2-day UPS and it arrived yesterday. Later last night, tracking on the original package showed it to have arrived in Greensboro, NC- 350 miles from here!

Gotta love the USPS!

 

[Kay H]

Both my mailman and my usual UPS driver always leave packages at my front door, which is pretty far from the road and not easily visible from the road.

There must have been a new driver for Christmas at UPS because one day he put my package in a plastic bag and hung it from my mailbox (roadside and a few days later he put it on the ground right next to my mailbox. Luckily my neighbor saw it and put it at my front door.

He made it very easy to be stollen. I couldn't find a phone number for UPS in my phone book.

 

[Ridewithme38]

I'd like to welcome another Farmingdale Resident! Merry Christmas!

 

[Sandy VDH]

This is worse.

I ordered a computer 11/24/11 from Costco. It had to be built in China and delivered, when I ordered they said 10-15 business days to deliver. I had a week to spare in buffer, as I needed to depart to FL on the 21st.

12/15/11 it left HP in China, sat there for 4 more days.
12/19/11 sat in Ancorage waiting to clear customs.
12/21/11 delivered at 2 pm

I was 3 hour late leaving. I had the car packed, dog in the car, house locked, sitting in the driveway on a lawn chair, waiting for Fedex.

It was schedule for International Next Day morning delivery. NOT.

So much for that.

 

[pjrose]

. . .

I was 3 hour late leaving. I had the car packed, dog in the car, house locked, sitting in the driveway on a lawn chair, waiting for Fedex.

It was schedule for International Next Day morning delivery. NOT.

I would insist on a refund of the shipping charges!

 

[dioxide45]

I would insist on a refund of the shipping charges!

We were able to get a refund of shipping charges on a Christmas order from Snapfish. We placed an order at the end of November and the order was taking a very long time to be processed. We were concerned we wouldn't receive our item before Christmas. My wife had an online chat with their customer service to find out what was going on with the order since it was in processing status for so long. Of course they didn't know but they did offer to refund her shipping charges as we had paid for two day shipping. We did receive the item on Wednesday, so we got it in time.

 

[beanie]

this year has seen alot of packages . I have been with the postal service for 25 yrs and have never seen so many packages at Christmas. add those and the ones we deliver for FedEx and UPS and it really was overburdening. for the select few in this country who are getting all giddy at our possible demise I can only see things getting worse not better but some will disagree .

 

[pjrose]

this year has seen alot of packages . I have been with the postal service for 25 yrs and have never seen so many packages at Christmas. add those and the ones we deliver for FedEx and UPS and it really was overburdening. for the select few in this country who are getting all giddy at our possible demise I can only see things getting worse not better but some will disagree .

I just can't imagine the demise of the postal service

 

[Sandy VDH]

I would insist on a refund of the shipping charges!

They offered me a refund even before I asked.

 

[Talent312]

Perhaps I've lived a privileged and sheltered life, but I've never had a problem with USPS deliveries. Friday, our carrier walked up to me in our garage and handed me a rather large package we weren't expecting until next week.

But then a letter with gift cards from Harry's arrived postage due. :annoyed:

 

[beanie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5efDMvxO7c

 

[Egret1986]

Thank you for sharing, beanie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5efDMvxO7c

The USPS needs to be able to adjust pricing in order to remain in business. Apparently, there is a lot of leeway between USPS and its competitors.

Hopefully, changes will be enacted in order for the USPS to make the changes needed in order to continue.

 

[dioxide45]

The USPS needs to be able to adjust pricing in order to remain in business. Apparently, there is a lot of leeway between USPS and its competitors.

Hopefully, changes will be enacted in order for the USPS to make the changes needed in order to continue.

The only price that USPS can't change on their own is First Class mail. All their other types of delivery (Express, Priority) don't require congressional approval.

 

[redkayak]

I never had a problem with any package mailed straight from the USPS. But some of these companies that offer free shipping use a service that delivers it to the USPS and they take it from there. I had a package go from Indiana and delivered to their sorting facility in Columbus, OH (I live a little north of Columbus). From their it goes to a facility in KY. KY sends it back to Columbus who turns it over to the Columbus post office. They send it to my local post office who finally delivers it to me. A 2 days trip turned into 5-6. Can't blame USPS though on this one.

Doug

 

[Egret1986]

I can't quote anything.....

The only price that USPS can't change on their own is First Class mail. All their other types of delivery (Express, Priority) don't require congressional approval.

...but I read a couple of months back that if USPS increased the First Class 1 oz or less rate to $.68, then it would alleviate the financial problems its facing with the decreasing volumes of First Class Mail volumes.

Even though I prefer to pay bills online and correspond whenever possible by email, I still find myself using the Post Office quite a bit for First Class Mail. The cost of First Class Mail is a bargain for me when I want or need it. Even at $.68, I would find it a bargain. What would be detrimental to me is the plan to change 1-day overnight First Class Service to 2-3 day service. This is what is being requested in order to consolidate all the mail processing facilities across the country. I like my overnight First Class Mail service.