I had to stop shipping via USPS and may never offer again. Because of COVID and around the holidays every year USPS takes anywhere from 5 days to 6 weeks to deliver. Distance doesnt matter. I could mail to my neighbor and it could take a month (and has happened). In fact I personally deliver most packages within 10 miles
USPS closed the Toledo HUB about 7 years ago (GENIUSES) and now flood the SE MI (Allen Park - Priority Mail & Pontiac - First Class Mail) hubs. When things get busy around the holidays they bring in empty semi trailers and fill them to deliver after the holidays. 4-6 weeks of mail gets stuffed into these trailers. We ship 30,000 packages a year now and I have the local Postmaster's cell phone number. Not to find packages, that is IMPOSSSIBLE in spite of all the calls asking if I have some "secret" information hotline, but to find out HOW BAD things are. My guys says all the big city hubs especially IL, NY, NJ, NC, TX, CA, are in the same boat. Just warehousing packages until the the rush subsides. Said about twice as much mail is coming in as going out?!?!
So I am only shipping UPS (FedEx is nearly as problematic as USPS.. I cant use them). Even UPS is running a couple days behind but at least the tracking and delivery is reliable. I liked the recent news story where UPS told a bunch of major retailers that they weren't going to handle their packages and instead focus on small to medium sized business probably because its more profitable than the rock bottom rates the big guys negotiated.
Anyone else seeing similar issues. I've been talking to other vendors and resellers all over the country and have been hearing the same story. I have noticed a few companies I have been purchasing from (not Mopar parts) are only offering UPS or FedEx also. No USPS.
I have not noticed a difference in my USPS package deliveries here in Nashvegas, but i have noticed a decline in the number of places offering USPS as an option.
Sounds like a symptom of what you are saying.
I have had good luck with USPS and UPS, but FedEx is beyond horrible here. In fact the only orders I have had completely lost and I had to get a refund from was lost by FedEx.
I hope I haven't jinx myself
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: IMGTX]
#2857085 12/08/2002:28 PM12/08/2002:28 PM
Ive been over 20 days recently on some important packages via usps. Gonna start doing alot more fed ex since it seems to works well in my area recently.
1) NO letters or charge $5 for a letter and jack up junk mail rates. Just parcels and compete with UPS and FedEx. This is 2020. We dont pump our gas anymore either. I've been waiting on my home loan payoff letter for weeks now. They MAILED it.
2) Instead of home delivery have some sort of mega PO box system. Even automate it (with some human oversite and GUARDS). Home delivery model is so 1776. Its dangerous; dogs, postal workers jacked, etc. Porch theft is out of control and here in EE MI is brazen and has become a career. Postal workers in the new stealing, burning, throwing away mail. I know its just a few bad apples but ONE bad apple is too many. USPS costs me thousands every year. Some years they lose 1% of shipments. ONE PERCENT. 3 packages a day! UPS has lost one package this past year.
FedEx - I used to get Hello Fresh, home delivered meal kits. They were coming A WEEK LATE. Had to stop that. I ordered a bed cover from 30 miles away. Took over 2 weeks to get delivered. This was back in July. Had an NOS part I ordered from NY that took 2 months. Thought it was gone for good THAT was the last straw.
Jim - I share your frustrations with the USPS. Seems the government doesn't care. It gets worse by the day. Just had a priority package take 11 days to go 90 miles.
I just signed up with UPS this month for the first time. So far, service has been pretty good.
I sure hope the USPS gets fixed up after the administration change. If I drop a local letter off directly at my post office...it get's sent 60 miles away to be sorted...then sent right back to the same PO I dropped it at to be delivered to the end user. What kind of efficiency is this????? So, it's 3 days minimum for delivery of a local letter that is less than 1 mile from the PO. The tracking system is nearly useless. I'm waiting on package from IL that was dropped off by seller on 12/4. The tracking doesn't even show it was received yet. Who knows when it will arrive.
70 Road Runner 383-4 4 speed FJ5 & black guts 70 Charger R/T 440-4 4 speed FJ5 & white guts
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: 71TA]
#2857098 12/08/2002:48 PM12/08/2002:48 PM
Recently I had one package from LA take a long trip of about 10 days but every thing else here in MD has been running fine. It seems like all the package delivery companies are having some issues keeping up due to Covid.
USPS around here is a crap shoot to say the least, And as mentione,you mail a letter,it goes 40 miles one way to be sorted,then sent back here. Our local PO has a hiring freeze now. A local guy who is a rural carrier,says he might not get any days off if the sub quits. I do know for the amount of work he does he gets paid very well plus benefits.
Need your rear end checked out? Contact Grizzly!!
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: 71TA]
#2857120 12/08/2003:15 PM12/08/2003:15 PM
yet i sent my sister two packages via USPS priority 3 day delivery [pa to virginia] late friday afternoon, and she got them monday morning. so
I have had some MIRICLES too. Not all bad. Had a package ship from MI to the state of Washington in just SEVEN DAYS. Back in the good ole days 10 years ago that would have been 5 days
I believe problems with USPS are regional, not systemic. I have no complaints about their service; usually have accurate tracking on packages and even have a daily delivery notice come via e-mail. (informed delivery, daily digest)
I believe problems with USPS are regional, not systemic. I have no complaints about their service; usually have accurate tracking on packages and even have a daily delivery notice come via e-mail. (informed delivery, daily digest)
i agree, other than the one package I have no complaints here either. Funny thing is I had a case of oil shipped from TX using FedEx and I was fully expecting for some of the quarts to be leaking oil but the box was dry as a bone. Miracles do still exist.
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: 71TA]
#2857171 12/08/2004:26 PM12/08/2004:26 PM
I have had excellent luck with the USPS with only a few hiccups. UPS is fine but when the nearest pickup point is 75 miles away..... And FedEx? Did I happen to tell you I hate FedEx? How much time do you have to listen to a rant?
"We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".
Haven't noticed any changes here in NY, New England. Less than a week for my 1st class mail and Priority to reach their destinations.
I suppose the following might take this thread towards a Lockdown, but it's not the USPS that's broken - it's the Government.
The Government can "break" any agency by micromanagement and budget controls... Imagine if you had to run a company, but were told by the owner you couldn't charge more than a certain rate - told you couldn't increase rates - told what you had to pay your employees - told you had to provide minimum vacation, healthcare and retirement benefits - told you had to keep an office in every town in the country - you get the idea.
Despite that, the USPS charges less than most other carriers, and US citizens pay less than citizens of other countries.
Knock on wood, FedEx is doing fine for me delivering all my stuff to customers - they are usually right on schedule. Leave MI. Monday, arrive to CA. or OR. on Friday.
So Allen Park is the big home for mail overload then - I figgered. One of my daughters orders quite a lot of sewing supplies & the orders usually ship USPS. Fairly often, she has stuff coming in that is unreasonably delayed. When she tracks them, the road always leads to Allen Park & then no estimates as to when delivery will be. One package was there for over 3 months, then like magic it arrived one day. We are maybe 60 miles from Allen Park. An F5 tornado direct hit might fix that place.
Last Friday, we mailed three identical packages from New Jersey to Long Island, Boston, and Seattle via USPS Priority Mail. The Long Island package arrived the next day (Saturday), Boston on Sunday (surpising there was a Sunday delivery), and Seattle on Monday.
Of course, the other side of the coin happened a couple of months ago when it took 3-1/2 weeks for a package to get from NJ to IL. I started filling out online tracking forms at the beginning of the third week, and three days later the package magically appeared at its destination.
For me, the moral of the story is that the USPS is unpredictable.
I sure hope the USPS gets fixed up after the administration change. If I drop a local letter off directly at my post office...it get's sent 60 miles away to be sorted...then sent right back to the same PO I dropped it at to be delivered to the end user. What kind of efficiency is this????? So, it's 3 days minimum for delivery of a local letter that is less than 1 mile from the PO. The tracking system is nearly useless. I'm waiting on package from IL that was dropped off by seller on 12/4. The tracking doesn't even show it was received yet. Who knows when it will arrive.
Believe it or not, that is the most efficient way of doing it. Same as LTL's in trucking. LTL's (Less-than-A Load) rely on the same system. You gather up all of the mail or freight and take it to a central location where it gets unloaded, sorted and reloaded onto trucks going to a certain geographic area. The sorting terminals are huge and require lots of sorting machinery, manpower, trucks and docks. You can't have sorting equipment and machinery at every PO in the country. If you did, postage would probably cost 4 times what it does.
I have had horrible service from usps, long before covid too. For my part usps should be privatized and everyone above the status of mail carrier let go.
I ordered some supplies from McMaster Carr on Monday for my business. I usually receive my orders from them the next day via UPS. Well, to my horror, McMaster shipped via Fedex, and i know now that there is no way in heck I will get that package this week. Fedex and USPS are pretty messed up right now.
I thought I saw a news report that UPS is restricting shipping from some of their big customers to ease the situation for other customers.
I have had horrible service from usps, long before covid too. For my part usps should be privatized and everyone above the status of mail carrier let go.
Then you can complain that it costs $5 to mail a Christmas card.
Have never had a problem with usps. Not now or in the past. If I can ship usps thats all I use. Shipped a pkg to the west coast took 3 days, I still have some bills that I have to pay by mail. Sent it out on Wednesday before Thanksgiving and they had it on Monday.
Have never had a problem with usps. Not now or in the past. If I can ship usps thats all I use. Shipped a pkg to the west coast took 3 days, I still have some bills that I have to pay by mail. Sent it out on Wednesday before Thanksgiving and they had it on Monday.
Here. Try this. Send 200 packages every day like we do. Put a $100 bill in each one so you know how I feel when it gets lost. Then report back.
Just got off the phone with the owner of a big Camaro parts reseller (not in Detroit). He said he quit using USPS 2 years ago. Said they lost hundreds of packages the year before and cost him thousands. And here I thought it was just me. I asked what about guys that just want to buy a 95 cent part. He said they'll pay $13 to have it shipped but will actually get it and have real tracking.
A company in Ohio that I buy some of our store fixtures and literature hangers and stuff from only offer FedEx. No USPS.
Also learned there are companies that will monitor your UPS (and FedEX) shipping history (you have to be doing over $250k in shipping) and will get money back from them for lost packages or missed deadlines or any erroneous charges like incorrect shipping "adjustments". They split the savings and said I could expect a 5-10% savings just by letting them go after UPS for us.
USPS stuck a bogus charge on my account a month or two ago. After my inquiring, got a call that it was a mistake and I needed to pay it, then they would refund my payment in 30-60 days. LOL NO F'ing WAY!!!!
They won't remove it from my cart so I found an alternative method to ship my relay kits. I'm not a big fish, but regularly send $250-500 of postage a month. Not anymore. Screw them.
I have a different account now to use for shipping internationally. Otherwise, not gonna send anything with them.
My brother work in the main Post Office in St.Louis doing the maintenance on the sorting machine, he been there about 17 years.
I could tell you what he has described as the problems, but the problems aren't anything that could be posted on a public forum.
Lets just say that there are issues with who they are required to hire by the selection process the Post Office uses for hiring.
Packages get routinely lost/massively delayed at whats called the Hazelwood Sorting Facility. It's in North County, right by Ferguson MO. That should tell you a lot.
The funny thing is that my brother says that Hazelwood building isn't actually a sorting facility.
I believe problems with USPS are regional, not systemic. I have no complaints about their service; usually have accurate tracking on packages and even have a daily delivery notice come via e-mail. (informed delivery, daily digest)
Agreeable... no issues here, I ship/receive USPS and UPS (frig FedEx) customers items from around the country and overseas, no major delays/issues
USPS / UPS / FedEx and even Amazon have all been pretty good to me. Ok, only a handful of packages per month but pretty much the same general experience with all of them. I also allow for the dynamics of our current reality. This covid disaster has been a gold mine for online retail and a disaster for shippers. I see alot of Penske rentals with FedEx logos on them. Mix that with holiday peek and a 100 million or so mail in votes and something is gonna have to sit around and wait.
I bought some parts out of California, they shipped USPS to PA. The tracker said it was still in CA 2 wks later so I contacted the vendor. After getting past his "USPS is broken" story he went off to yell at the post office. The package showed at my local regional facility the next day. I'm gonna guess coincidence and they just got around to unloading that trailer. Thought I dodged a lost package bullet until I opened the package - received (2) drivers side parts instead of one for each side. Vendor was uber cool about it and just tossed another one in the mail stream. So far it's taken 10 days to get across country. 3 days ago it was scanned leaving the regional post office headed for my local delivery post office. That trip generally takes a couple hours.
Could be worse - I could be working for the post office.
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: bigdad]
#2857565 12/09/2011:45 AM12/09/2011:45 AM
I have never had any problems with USPS .. service is always great .. tracking system is a bit archaic
Same here. I had to send something FedEx Saturday and it would have cost $62 to send a 2.5lb small box from Jersey to Cali by their equivalent of priority mail. Ouch!
Ride eternal, shiny and chrome
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: ]
#2857569 12/09/2011:50 AM12/09/2011:50 AM
In the last two years I've had several problems with usps, hence my ill will. I bought a rifle part from a guy in E. TN, I live in W. KY. The part came to Memphis and sat there for a couple days, then to Nashville for a couple days, then back to Memphis, then to Evansville Indiana and finally to me. I understand they have routes and hubs for those routes but there is no excuses for packages sitting for days.
I bought a rifle from a shop in Colorado and he requested a certified check. I sent it certified mail and sent him the tracking numbers so he could keep up with it's progress. When I mailed it I was told it would be there in 3-4 days. After 15 days I had to have the check stopped, (a $20 charge) and have another issued. I shipped it two day FedEx at a cost of $32. Both checks arrived the same day. The shop put the first check in the box with the rifle and shipped it. When I opened the package the rifle was in the original envelope containing the first check was sealed in a plastic bag with a large portion of one corner torn off and forklift tracks all over it. Upon opening it a corner of the check was gone along with part of the routing numbers. When I showed it to my postmaster she said, " I don't see why it couldn't be cashed". What an idiot!
I've learned that when checking the tracking if no progress is shown for a couple days and it says, "your package is in transit to it's next destination". Be prepared for a at least a delay. If publicly ran companies operated with the level of incompetency that the usps does they wouldn't stay in business for six months.
Here I am blaming Year One. You would think for the amount they charge they would use a different vendor than the post office. Two weeks so far for 1 emblem and a neutral safety switch wire.
original envelope containing the first check was sealed in a plastic bag with a large portion of one corner torn off and forklift tracks all over it. Upon opening it a corner of the check was gone along with part of the routing numbers. When I showed it to my postmaster she said, " I don't see why it couldn't be cashed". What an idiot!
I had a similar situation ~ 10 years ago. Dad sent a check, it got mangled and run over. The local Post Master CALLED me, I have no idea how he got the number. I was summoned to the Post Office where they showed me a photostat of the envelop and the check. They claimed to have DESTROYED the original documents and wanted a signature from me. I don't know why but I told them no way, I'm NOT your customer, I'm the recipient. You want a signature you can ask Dad for it. You won't enjoy that conversation, he still had his volcanic temper then. squared ; I never heard another word about it. Dad figured out how to transfer money after that episode.
Have never had a problem with usps. Not now or in the past. If I can ship usps thats all I use. Shipped a pkg to the west coast took 3 days, I still have some bills that I have to pay by mail. Sent it out on Wednesday before Thanksgiving and they had it on Monday.
Here. Try this. Send 200 packages every day like we do. Put a $100 bill in each one so you know how I feel when it gets lost. Then report back.
Just got off the phone with the owner of a big Camaro parts reseller (not in Detroit). He said he quit using USPS 2 years ago. Said they lost hundreds of packages the year before and cost him thousands. And here I thought it was just me. I asked what about guys that just want to buy a 95 cent part. He said they'll pay $13 to have it shipped but will actually get it and have real tracking.
A company in Ohio that I buy some of our store fixtures and literature hangers and stuff from only offer FedEx. No USPS.
Also learned there are companies that will monitor your UPS (and FedEX) shipping history (you have to be doing over $250k in shipping) and will get money back from them for lost packages or missed deadlines or any erroneous charges like incorrect shipping "adjustments". They split the savings and said I could expect a 5-10% savings just by letting them go after UPS for us.
Can only comment on my personal and professional experience but it's not a small number. Before retiring in May I worked for an insurance company. We mailed thousands of letters, checks and estimates daily. Never had any problems except in Chicago(my job took me to different states , I worked as a Catastrophe Rep). In Chicago it was routine for mail to take a week to 10 days to deliver locally. Never had that issue anywhere else, not even California when I worked the Paradise Fires and Chico was overwhelmed due to the influx of people and companies.
My brother only uses usps for his eBay store( sells enough to support a family of 6 and pays cash for everything) . He says usps is the cheapest and fastest. On a slow day he sends out 100 pkgs daily a typical day is 200 plus.
I believe as others have stated it is more of a regional thing. I also have better luck with fedex than UPS. Thats me others experience may be different.
In the under a pound market USPS really has no competitors, it's just so much cheaper than any other alternative. Was having a lot of problems mid-year with USPS (they lost a car title, that sucked) but they have been better lately. Most of my USPS packages have been 4-5 days for deliver for First Class mail which is about normal. I ship about 50-60 packages a week, Monday was a record for me as I had 30 in one day.
Rocket Restorations
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: 71TA]
#2857717 12/09/2004:56 PM12/09/2004:56 PM
USPS was supposed to deliver a package to us on the 3rd. Now it's status is "delayed" with no tracking updates. Amazon has been an absolute train wreck the last few weeks for us. Ordered some stuff that we had to have in 10 days, showed up in 12 despite me chatting online with a rep on the 10th day who promised to cancel the orders when they still had not shipped.
When I opened the package the rifle was in the original envelope containing the first check was sealed in a plastic bag with a large portion of one corner torn off and forklift tracks all over it.
I've gotten deliveries from USPS where the original, not fit to travel alone, envelope was stuffed in to another one. Not often, but it's happened. Back in the 90s I was a vendor for FedEx and I had limited access to some of their systems. At that time it was still an IBM main frame so less than easy to navigate. I did happen to find a page where they auctioned off damaged packages to employees. Some of it damaged and they paid the claim, some just missing the address label so no clue where it was coming from or going to. Yeah, back in the dark ages before bar code stickers. It was a pretty long list then and I doubt it's gotten any shorter as the quality of their management has slid.
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: ]
#2858372 12/11/2008:38 AM12/11/2008:38 AM
Our biggest issue with USPS is theft. We have documneted at leasr five packages that either disappeared entirely at the recieving post office or had the status changed while they looted the box. The post master does nothing.
In my experience USPS employees will rob you blind with no recourse. That said we only ship UPS.
Damn guyz ... i sure don’t send out 200 packages a day like big bux T&A does but I get quite a few media mail packages weekly by so called PONY EXPRESS! .. almost ROCKET SHIP delivery here !
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: dOrk !]
#2858431 12/11/2010:51 AM12/11/2010:51 AM
Damn guyz ... i sure don’t send out 200 packages a day like big bux T&A does but I get quite a few media mail packages weekly by so called PONY EXPRESS! .. almost ROCKET SHIP delivery here !
Damn guyz ... i sure don’t send out 200 packages a day like big bux T&A does but I get quite a few media mail packages weekly by so called PONY EXPRESS! .. almost ROCKET SHIP delivery here !
ANutter half baked response from pOrNo pOtO ...
I just got last week a DVD and cd bulk purchase mailing from northern Indiana.... pony express media mail ....
Our biggest issue with USPS is theft. We have documneted at leasr five packages that either disappeared entirely at the recieving post office or had the status changed while they looted the box. The post master does nothing.
In my experience USPS employees will rob you blind with no recourse. That said we only ship UPS.
I might send a check via regular mail lol.
Talk to anyone who has worked in a UPS distro facility, and you'll find they're not much different regarding theft, and regarding the care with which they treat your packages.
UPS guy I know said the theft was through the roof every time iphones or game stations came out. Said they have a million cameras now.
I ordered something from Georgia. Shipped Priority Mail on the 4th headed to Michigan. I see tracking info that is was accepted on the 4th. Nothing else. I called the seller to chew his [censored]. I said do you know that I should have had that in a couple days according the majority of the guys on Moparts that said they received a Christmas card and a fruitcake from their grammy in 2 or 3days. It's the 11th. Still waiting. Must be an anomaly [rolling eyes].
Heres a recent 2-3 day Priority Mail from MI to TX.
Your item was delivered at 12:19 pm on December 11, 2020 in ODESSA, TX 79762. The item was signed for by P POSTMAN. December 11, 2020, 7:10 am Out for Delivery ODESSA, TX 79762 December 11, 2020, 4:33 am Arrived at Post Office MIDLAND, TX 79711 December 10, 2020, 4:52 pm Departed USPS Regional Facility MIDLAND TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER December 10, 2020, 1:46 pm Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility MIDLAND TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER December 10, 2020, 4:39 am Departed USPS Regional Facility LUBBOCK TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER December 9, 2020, 7:58 pm Arrived at USPS Regional Facility LUBBOCK TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER December 9, 2020, 12:45 pm Departed USPS Facility IRVING, TX 75059 December 9, 2020, 5:41 am Arrived at USPS Facility IRVING, TX 75059 December 8, 2020 In Transit to Next Facility December 4, 2020, 6:27 pm Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility DETROIT MI NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER December 4, 2020, 5:12 pm Accepted at USPS Origin Facility WARREN, MI 48089 December 4, 2020, 2:02 pm Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending WARREN, MI 48089
I got a package that was going to be delivered in Nebraska today and was tracking fine, now it says its in Las Vegas at there distribution center and this in RED.
Alert: USPS is experiencing unprecedented package increases and limited employee availability due to the impacts of COVID-19. We appreciate your patience and remain committed to delivering the holidays to you.
I got a package that was going to be delivered in Nebraska today and was tracking fine, now it says its in Las Vegas at there distribution center and this in RED.
Alert: USPS is experiencing unprecedented package increases and limited employee availability due to the impacts of COVID-19. We appreciate your patience and remain committed to delivering the holidays to you.
Sure blame it on COVID!
no NO pOto ... that package is suggesting you move to Vegas iNsTeAd of living in spudsville!
I had a box with a nos grille that was going to cost me $165 (60x13x15) 18 lbs to send out Monday and I was told probably 12-14 days priority, called ups for a pickup, $117 and 4days later the fella near Detroit got it today safe and unbroken.
I grew up outside of Detroit so I can honestly say nothing about that whole ghetto state would shock me.
STOP POTATO HATE!
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: TJP]
#2858755 12/11/2009:56 PM12/11/2009:56 PM
FedEx here in the Detroit area is terrible. We have basically the FedEx version of a black hole. A hub in the city of Oak Park. It's nationally famous. Wife and I work 23-1/2hrs a day so we were getting Hello Fresh meals delivered for a couple years. In the spring of this year our meals started coming about a WEEK late. These have meat and vegetables in them. They were spoiled. After 3 weeks and 3 refunds from the Hello Fresh company I had to stop deliveries. Then I ordered a bed cover from a company maybe 40 miles away. I didn't have a couple hours to waste driving to the other side of town so I ordered one to be delivered. FedEx took 3 weeks!!!. Our regular delivery guy thought it was funny. Every day (after a week) he would say not today with a chuckle. Told me about stories of meal kits like the ones we were getting sitting around for a week while the workers laughed about it. Real funny.
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: 71TA]
#2858758 12/11/2009:59 PM12/11/2009:59 PM
I hate it for you and other business owners, me its just hobby/ebay junk and I think im done till the 1st of the year.
Its down right SCARY. We rely on these companies. I bet I fielded 20 calls MYSELF today, "where is my package". LUCKILY 99.99% of my customers are decent, level headed, hard working, understanding GREAT Mopar guys. I tell them the truth, deliveries are taking 10-14 days or longer. I even RESHIPPED a couple things, UPS, for guys that "had to have it", and told them to just refuse the first USPS shipment and it would, hopefully, be returned.
One guy on a USPS review site said he would leave negative reviews for companies that used USPS to ship stuff to him..........
I would give USPS 0/10 if I could. The bad service I e had especially over the past year has only gotten worse, if that’s even possible. The delivery time is the worst. What used to take 1-2 days now wonders around the US for 10-14 plus days. I actually had a package that I traced from Utah to my post office in Illinois and figured oh yeah I’m gonna get the package tomorrow didn’t and traced it to St. Louis and then to another couple of states before it got back to my post office in Illinois. Insane! The company I ordered from re-shipped the items and I receive them quicker than the original shipment. This isn’t because they’re on able to get packages delivered in a reasonable amount of time it’s because they’re just incompetent and don’t care. Their service is horrible. Now I can’t even get any tracking information until it’s ready to be delivered which can take 10 to 14 days from anywhere in the US. I'm going to start writing bad reviews about the companies that use USPS as their shipping provider. Choose a different shipper.
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: 71TA]
#2858908 12/12/2012:06 PM12/12/2012:06 PM
I still have not received the on-line pharmacy order my doctor called in on November 5th. The firm our company shipped it with sent it USPS. It was listed as delivered last Monday, then it changed to In Transit. It now claims to be out for delivery today - Saturday.
Since then, the doctor resent the scripts to my local pharmacy (out of pocket to me) and last night the company pharmacy partner just FedEx overnight a 20 day supply (which just arrived today - Saturday) -to hold me over. What a transportation nightmare the USPS is. Hell - we cannot even get our carrier to deliver all the mail to the right homes in our area. Every week, I either get a neighbor dropping things off or 40% of the mail has "Delivered to the Wrong Address" written on it.
What a S#!t S$0% they have going. You can complain to the post office, send in forms on their website - but nobody cares - things will never change for them.
I am not rich...but I get off my ass everyday to make sure I am not broke!
Can we get the Mexican cartels to help us with our supply chain issues? They don't seem to have any trouble getting stuff from one place to another.
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: RobG]
#2858919 12/12/2012:18 PM12/12/2012:18 PM
Rob...I have a high dollar package that was supposed to be delivered on the 11th. I went to the PO and asked where it was and gave the postmaster the tracking number. Since Wednesday,it has been on rote to the next designation. I left a few nice words about the post office and went on my way.
The entire business model for so many businesses is changing at such a rapid rate that it is incomprehensible.
I have a rather simple prescription for eyeglasses. I have nieces that go to Warby Parker to get glasses. So I decided to try them. I went to one of their stores on a Monday evening in the last month. By that Friday afternoon I had my multiple glasses delivered by USPS at my house. Very good quality for a bargain basement price. No need for me to go to a local optometrist to get glasses any more. Too bad for the local guy.
I used to have to ship out overnight packages several times a week for my office. "When it absolutely has to be there overnight." I have not had to overnight a package for years. It now costs basically nothing to instantly send information including very large files. A huge market has dried up for the FedEx's of the world.
USPS, UPS, FedEx; all basically the same shipping results for me. USPS being the most convenient and reasonable cost for a home shipper.
Don't like one of them or all of them? Be careful of what you wish for. The Amazons of the world are going to take over their own shipping. Pretty soon merchants will have to be part of their network to ship things, and they will have to pay to be in the network. If you are a small shipper your costs will be multiples of the costs large shippers will pay. Then you will really hear some griping from the small shippers. Plus small towns will eventually have 2nd or 3rd rate service compared to urban areas.
I'm very grateful for the local USPS staff. They put up with big time griping all the time. They are always pleasant. And it is a job that pays no money. I do not see how anyone can live off the pay scale workers there have.
I had ordered some emblems from Year One back in 2017 (68 GTS fender emblems). They were on major backorder, but finally shipped at the beginning of this year. I was in the process of moving, and had just put a forward in. The emblems were already shipped to my old address, but I figured they'd be sent to my new one. I watched the tracking, said out for delivery to my old address, then hit the forward, then "disposed of by USPS". They threw away my package because "the shipper didn't pay for forwarding, and the seller didn't want them back." I asked them if they had thought that maybe I wanted them, they could have asked me to pay for forwarding! I asked where they threw them away, I'd go dumpster diving for them! They wouldn't let me. Thankfully Year One customer service came through and sent me a replacement the next week. I couldn't believe it!
I used to have to ship out overnight packages several times a week for my office. "When it absolutely has to be there overnight." I have not had to overnight a package for years. It now costs basically nothing to instantly send information including very large files. A huge market has dried up for the FedEx's of the world.
Do ya remember back in the dark ages when a thing called "faxes" was the way to send pages fast?? Would ya believe FedEx lost a boat load of money on that. Yeah, no doubt hit the overnight document segment pretty hard but I'm thinking R & D dollars. A few years before fax machines became affordable office machine, FedEx poured a pile of money in to a thing call the "Zap Mailer". Schedule a pickup before 10 am, have it delivered same day. Courier picks up yer doc, goes back to the service center, feeds it through a custom built machine, comes out miles away and gets delivered. No thermal imaging here - the system was built around an HP LaserJet that had been tweaked to scan as well as print.
As for my replaced door handle shipped USPS 11/25 out of San Jose, CA: Arrived in Allentown, PA on 12/5. Usually delivery time from there is next day, it arrived yesterday.
I wonder how many doses of covid vaccine will fall in to the black hole next week.
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: ]
#2859220 12/13/2009:39 AM12/13/2009:39 AM
I sent a part to a friend that lives about 120 miles south of me. Priority mail USPS flat rate. I mailed it on the 8th of Dec. and tracking says its being held for delivery in a post office 20 miles south of him. I may have mentioned that I pissed off the postmaster when I told her the pony express was faster.
I don't think so. When I ran the tracking number,it said on the top of the page there may be a delay due to Covid or a shortage of employees. Just an excuse.
I don't think so. When I ran the tracking number,it said on the top of the page there may be a delay due to Covid or a shortage of employees. Just an excuse.
There are trailers of mail stacked 3-4 deep at the main CLE post office because of COVID-related absences.
Except that was a mail carrier not doing their job. This is mail that they can't get to fast enough because there aren't enough workers to sort the mail and deliver it.
Buddy of mine works for the post office. He says most of the covid absences occur during the weekend at the large mail distribution centers. The employees have the union covering their azzes..
Yep, but no one likes to talk about that for some reason. It really doesn't matter what the occupation is, though. If you have sick time, you're allowed to use it.
There are trailers of mail stacked 3-4 deep at the main CLE post office because of COVID-related absences.
My last gig was in a distribution center that had almost 200 docks. Summer was peak and not uncommon to be 150 trailers behind on the inbound side. The fun part for the trailer jockeys was digging out the one we needed to complete an outbound order. Wonder how many they've got parked at the overflow lot?
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: ]
#2859388 12/13/2002:02 PM12/13/2002:02 PM
I bought a new phone this week and since I'm rough on them I ordered a new otter box for it Wednesday night. It was supposed to be here tomorrow, Monday, it showed up today, Sunday, via Fedex.
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: ]
#2859390 12/13/2002:04 PM12/13/2002:04 PM
I seen it posted and its seemingly true that they in some areas are even short on route drivers. Mid last week I was tracking a semi pricey insured usps box to the buyer and seen it was out for delivery then at noon was back at that po. So I was amazed I found a number and called and the guy told me it was... "In a pile on the floor waiting for a route driver to finish there normal route and go do these" even with $700 insurance on it and many fragile stickers on it. I am done till after Christmas, too much stress wondering if ones gonna punt a costly package to a porch.
I purchased something. Was sent from Indiana to Detroit, MI to Ann Arbor, MI to Pittsburgh, PA. I live an hour north of Detroit. USPS says delays due to COVID. Well, delays are fine, but it's getting sent all over.
That video seems to suggest this sort of handling is out of the ordinary. In fact that's pretty normal and has been for years.
Years ago I was working for IBM and we were having terrible problems with service parts getting broken in shipment. You can imagine a customer having their mainframe down, a customer engineer out to fix it who has to order a part which then arrives damaged. Talk about a pissed off customer!
Everyone was convinced all we needed to do was put 'fragile' or 'this side up' labels on packages and things would be better. I bought a device with accelerometers and recording capabilities. Packed it up just like a replacement part, put all the recommended labels on it and shipped it to a number of locations around the country. I would ship it to someone who would then relabel it an ship it back to me.
Virtually every trip the unit made, it came back with at least one drop from over 36" and upside down. Many times a drop of over 55" was recorded.
Maybe you can send that driver to somewhere south of Des Moines to pick up my package that was due Friday? Tracking shows it left Des Moines on the 10th and is somewhere in between hither and yon.
there is a postal worker here that delivers mail wearing shorts most of the year, even in the winter. he knows ALL the town gossip, so maybe that's the secret to good delivery service ?
I have a package that left Des Moinse on Friday! It's on it's way to the destination and I am 3 1/2 hrs north! The post office scores an all time low....
I'd like to have sympathy for the postal service because as we are all well aware of the conditions that are currently faced with (Covid, political turmoil, High shipping season) but... if you had been watching them operate prior to these conditions not much would be different. Their lack of efficiency and just plane old don't give a crap is now highlighted. In teh past I have seen a package ship from Albany OR to Byron NY go from Albany> Seattle>Los Angles Back to Albany > St Paul> Columbus> University Park PA >Syracuse NY > Rochester NY, where t had to rest for 4 days, then to Byron. Mind you Syracuse and Rochester are both to the east of me while the rest are mostly West (university Park PA is almost Due South. I mention this example because they are always in need of federal help $$$ but seemingly do nothing to fix it. Every time they touch the shipment it should add value (get it Closer to the destination) but I see this frequently, a lot of times I see Roch to Faiport back to Roch..for a package(s) that came from OH. Again a city (Roch) to a small town Fairport) both of which are East.Ok rant off...Yes I am waiting on a package that was shipped on the4th from OH and has been it transit to the next destination since the 6th...BTW they also said its going to be late... 2day Priority, but wnat they dont tell you which 2 days it will be a priority.
'01 P1500, Blown/Inj BAE,/Veney ,Bruno/CS2,Dana 60 '01 Dodge 3500 S Cummins Auto, Fresh air kit, 4" Exhaust, '05 Dodge Magnum R/T - Too Much to list '60 Willys CJ5 '01 International LPX - Project,DT466, Allison '64 Plymouth Valiant, Inj 528 Hemi, 2spd
Maybe you can send that driver to somewhere south of Des Moines to pick up my package that was due Friday? Tracking shows it left Des Moines on the 10th and is somewhere in between hither and yon.
Tracking shows my package in Memphis, Tn as of 2:43 this morning. So 5 days on the road from Des Moines to Memphis. Is Memphis closer to D/FW than Des Moines? Eh, about 260 miles closer, in FIVE days. Mebbe by Christmas
FedEx and UPs have announced that they are limiting the # of packages they will take from each small shipper over the holidays. This is how private industry responds when they do not believe it is worth the risk to invest in infrastructure when the future outlook is unsettled. Good for them, they are managing their risk. Right now there is such a surge and it is unclear if the volume will still be there in August or September when more people have taken the vaccine. Small businesses relying on them are in a jamb for shipping though.
My sister sent me something that was shipped from Canton, MI to where I live in Lake Orion, MI, which is quite literally only 40 miles away. It took USPS 13 days to deliver it.
Bought something the other day and it arrived today on a Sunday by USPS. They are massively inconsistent.
It used to be here in Lake Orion, our local post office would never deliver your packages on time (you'd get "receptacle blocked" despite living on a street where basically no one parks on the street and I live on a corner anyway, and then have to pick your item up at the post office) because they just wanted to go home. But that stopped about 2 years ago thankfully.
Have always been happy with UPS. FedEx is usually OK for me also.
About a year ago, I shipped a pair of long Corvette sidepipe mufflers to a guy in Calgary, AB. Normally takes about 10 days to ship air & clear customs, etc - I ship all out of country orders with the USPS. About 20 days later, the guy contacts me & says they have not arrived yet, so I track the box. It shows a normal course & shows delivered to a Canada postal hub, then no more info. So he's stopping by his local post office every day, & they tell him they don't have it & don't know where it is. This goes on for another 2+ weeks - no answers. He is just about to order another set of mufflers & I was going to file a lost claim, when he gets a call from his post office from someone he does not know, & they ask him when he is going to come & get his box that has been sitting there for almost a month! WTH?
Maybe you can send that driver to somewhere south of Des Moines to pick up my package that was due Friday? Tracking shows it left Des Moines on the 10th and is somewhere in between hither and yon.
Tracking shows my package in Memphis, Tn as of 2:43 this morning. So 5 days on the road from Des Moines to Memphis. Is Memphis closer to D/FW than Des Moines? Eh, about 260 miles closer, in FIVE days. Mebbe by Christmas
I'm rapidly losing hope my package will make it by Christmas. It arrived in Memphis 5 days ago, on the 15th, 5 days later on the 20th, it's still in Memphis. The originally scheduled delivery date was December 11th.
Maybe you can send that driver to somewhere south of Des Moines to pick up my package that was due Friday? Tracking shows it left Des Moines on the 10th and is somewhere in between hither and yon.
Tracking shows my package in Memphis, Tn as of 2:43 this morning. So 5 days on the road from Des Moines to Memphis. Is Memphis closer to D/FW than Des Moines? Eh, about 260 miles closer, in FIVE days. Mebbe by Christmas
I'm rapidly losing hope my package will make it by Christmas. It arrived in Memphis 5 days ago, on the 15th, 5 days later on the 20th, it's still in Memphis. The originally scheduled delivery date was December 11th.
That's usps code for we don't know where the package is located.
UPS has been GREAT. My regular UPS guy said this has been the easiest Christmas season EVER for him and he's been there 25+ years. He said they just built a massive automated facility here in SE MI. He used to drop off and then pickup. Now he just picks up and they have another truck or even UPS employees using their personal cars dropping off. I don't care but SOMETHING is working. He said management mentioned restricting incoming volumes from some of the big box stores. Said why would they take on more volume than they know they can handle. Finally someone in the C suite using the brains they are being paid to use. To you and i this is called common sense and we just scratch out a living making the same common sense decisions
My packages have been arriving ON TIME. Thanks UPS! I just looked at my shipping program to see some typical delivery times. MI to NY in 2 days. MI to TX a little longer, 5 days. BUT THEY ARRIVE. And the tracking is reliable.
I have many USPS packages that are now taking 2 to over 3 weeks. I will NEVER ship by mail again. They have cost me THOUSANDS this year. Lost (stolen, thrown in dumpsters, burned?), upset customers directing their frustration at me and are demanding refunds or replacements, return postage on packages that arrived weeks late, etc. There are a thousand stories like mine all over the internet. I quit shipping via USPS (for good) about 2 weeks ago and hoping I'm at the tail end of this hell. Now I get occasional "why is your shipping so much on a small item? That would ship in an envelope" complaints. They'd have to walk a mile in my shoes to understand. Luckily 99.99% of they people, myself included, are grateful that UPS packages arrive in 2-5 days. I bought 2 last second gifts, early this week. I selected UPS ground shipping and BOTH arrived within 2 days!!! I was floored.
"The current delays are significantly impacting small businesses as customers demand refunds for disappearing packages. For example, eBay told sellers it is "updating estimated delivery dates" and is giving packages 10 extra calendar days (which isnt NEAR enough) after the buyer marks an item not received to see some movement in the package's tracking history before a refund is issued. But in some of the most backlogged facilities, 10 days isn't enough. Independent e-commerce sellers often get refund requests much sooner. Meanwhile, the USPS is still telling customers any package ordered by December 18 will arrive by Christmas"
“The delays are bad. They are real bad. The delays are running about three weeks for me,” said Summer Rothrock, owner of Leo and Lynn Jewelry in Pittsburgh"
- In Cleveland, HUNDREDS of trucks waited up to 20 hours to deliver or pickup mail at the processing and distribution center. A spokesperson for the Northern Ohio District of USPS told Cleveland.com that the processing center has "faced challenges."
- People waiting on packages in Louisville said they have seen items scanned into the Louisville distribution facility only to disappear for weeks. E-commerce sellers are having similar difficulties getting packages out of the facility to be sent around the country.
- The Greensboro, North Carolina processing facility—which happens to be in Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's hometown—is experiencing similar problems as Louisville, with packages inside for weeks.
Ordered some parts out of WI on the 14th, they shipped UPS on the 16th. Got an email from UPS saying out for delivery on the 19th and here's a spiffy little interactive map so you can follow our truck around. Fell for that once before, discovered I'm somewhere near the end of the route. Checked late in the day and watched my box drive back to the depot. Oh well, it's out again today.
Maybe you can send that driver to somewhere south of Des Moines to pick up my package that was due Friday? Tracking shows it left Des Moines on the 10th and is somewhere in between hither and yon.
Tracking shows my package in Memphis, Tn as of 2:43 this morning. So 5 days on the road from Des Moines to Memphis. Is Memphis closer to D/FW than Des Moines? Eh, about 260 miles closer, in FIVE days. Mebbe by Christmas
I'm rapidly losing hope my package will make it by Christmas. It arrived in Memphis 5 days ago, on the 15th, 5 days later on the 20th, it's still in Memphis. The originally scheduled delivery date was December 11th.
That's usps code for we don't know where the package is located.
Today, they can't even tell me where they think they left it!
This service is currently unavailable.
This service is currently unavailable.
We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.
I ordered something on the 14th that is supposed to arrive by the 23rd.(California to Iowa) It was accepted at a facility in Ontario, CA on the 15th. It then went to City of Industry, CA and was processed through there 3 separate times on the 15th and 16th. Now the package is in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: burdar]
#2863027 12/21/2005:00 PM12/21/2005:00 PM
I have to agree. Up until recently, I've had great luck with USPS. I still pay many of my bills the old fashioned way by putting a check in the mail. I sent my CC payment out on 12/12. It is due today. I figured 9 days to get to Phoenix from CA should be plenty. Nope! Payment still has not been posted as of this morning. I had to call my CC company and tell them what was going on. Since I'm never late, they are waiving any fees or interest if the payment doesn't make it today.
It's a stark contrast to earlier this year when I sent a letter to the original owner of my Belvedere and it took only a couple of days for my letter to go from CA to PA.
'67 is an abbreviation of 1967 67' is an abbreviation of 67 feet They are not interchangeable.
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: 71TA]
#2863041 12/21/2005:42 PM12/21/2005:42 PM
Gotta do what ya gotta do when demand overwhelms capacity. A few years back we had to rent a temp warehouse either because the overflow parking lots were full or the carriers were screaming for their trailers back.
Re: USPS is broken
[Re: ]
#2863100 12/21/2008:34 PM12/21/2008:34 PM
After my exit from California a little over a year ago, I took a part time job at the post office in my new little town in Oklahoma about 7 months ago while I figure out my next career move.(not a lot of demand for film industry workers in rural Oklahoma. lol)
Once the new post master was inserted we had a "stand up" talk one morning where we watched a short video on how he was going to start sending all the trucks from the distribution centers whether they were ready(full) or not. Things were bad before this but shortly after we began to notice things really starting to fall apart at our station. It upset the day to day balance significantly. Our daily driver gives us updates every morning. Every day the number of full semi trailers sitting in Tulsa grows. I think it is now at 31 trailers of mail sitting and waiting to be processed. He is estimating we will catch up at the end of January. It will get worse before it gets better.
He also told us that the distribution center hired a few hundred new people in anticipation of the first covid era Christmas rush and approximately 80 of them are left. Couldn't hack it. Every day we find more and more ridiculous mistakes made at the distribution center that slows us down. I found mail to be delivered in our town that was addressed to central America today. We also got a package in that literally smelled like rotting flesh. Turns out some moron had mailed a few lobsters from the east coast. More insanity. lol.
We also deliver all amazon for our town. This is another factor. I cant believe this crap people order on amazon rather than go to the store. Giant boxes of toilet paper, cases of bottled water, 40 pound bags of dog food, you name it. And, of course, we have fully functional grocery stores and a Walmart minutes away. Its insane.
I had Sunday off but worked 15 days in a row before that. I'll have Christmas Day off and then will probably go another two to three weeks straight. At least Ill have some money to get my race car ready by spring, I guess.
Seems like its the perfect storm of poorly planned changes in distribution, Christmas, and the covid thing. I agree with you guys that the post office hasn't planned appropriately for this mess but its also completely unprecedented with all these crazy circumstances. Thankfully all the people in our little town are very supportive despite their obvious frustration. Not trying to blame any one thing specifically, just thought id share my experience. lol. Thanks for listening.
UPS has been GREAT. My regular UPS guy said this has been the easiest Christmas season EVER for him and he's been there 25+ years. He said they just built a massive automated facility here in SE MI. He used to drop off and then pickup. Now he just picks up and they have another truck or even UPS employees using their personal cars dropping off. I don't care but SOMETHING is working. He said management mentioned restricting incoming volumes from some of the big box stores. Said why would they take on more volume than they know they can handle. Finally someone in the C suite using the brains they are being paid to use. To you and i this is called common sense and we just scratch out a living making the same common sense decisions
My packages have been arriving ON TIME. Thanks UPS! I just looked at my shipping program to see some typical delivery times. MI to NY in 2 days. MI to TX a little longer, 5 days. BUT THEY ARRIVE. And the tracking is reliable.
I have many USPS packages that are now taking 2 to over 3 weeks. I will NEVER ship by mail again. They have cost me THOUSANDS this year. Lost (stolen, thrown in dumpsters, burned?), upset customers directing their frustration at me and are demanding refunds or replacements, return postage on packages that arrived weeks late, etc. There are a thousand stories like mine all over the internet. I quit shipping via USPS (for good) about 2 weeks ago and hoping I'm at the tail end of this hell. Now I get occasional "why is your shipping so much on a small item? That would ship in an envelope" complaints. They'd have to walk a mile in my shoes to understand. Luckily 99.99% of they people, myself included, are grateful that UPS packages arrive in 2-5 days. I bought 2 last second gifts, early this week. I selected UPS ground shipping and BOTH arrived within 2 days!!! I was floored.
"The current delays are significantly impacting small businesses as customers demand refunds for disappearing packages. For example, eBay told sellers it is "updating estimated delivery dates" and is giving packages 10 extra calendar days (which isnt NEAR enough) after the buyer marks an item not received to see some movement in the package's tracking history before a refund is issued. But in some of the most backlogged facilities, 10 days isn't enough. Independent e-commerce sellers often get refund requests much sooner. Meanwhile, the USPS is still telling customers any package ordered by December 18 will arrive by Christmas"
“The delays are bad. They are real bad. The delays are running about three weeks for me,” said Summer Rothrock, owner of Leo and Lynn Jewelry in Pittsburgh"
- In Cleveland, HUNDREDS of trucks waited up to 20 hours to deliver or pickup mail at the processing and distribution center. A spokesperson for the Northern Ohio District of USPS told Cleveland.com that the processing center has "faced challenges."
- People waiting on packages in Louisville said they have seen items scanned into the Louisville distribution facility only to disappear for weeks. E-commerce sellers are having similar difficulties getting packages out of the facility to be sent around the country.
- The Greensboro, North Carolina processing facility—which happens to be in Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's hometown—is experiencing similar problems as Louisville, with packages inside for weeks.
I understand your frustration with USPS but here's something to consider when shipping outside of the US with UPS.
UPS charges a brokerage fee, at least in Canada, for delivering a package. The fee is approximately $100. Someone could order $50 of gaskets from you, then will get hit with a $100 brokerage fee. You will definitely get customers complaining over that.
Please offer USPS as a choice to those customers outside of the US. If they choose UPS, it's on them that they should have known about the brokerage fee.
Absolutely unprecedented. I love to bash them but their success rate is really good. In 50 years I can recall very very few failures.
Management, sometimes the most obvious idea to improve things is the worst ever. If you want things to run better, talk to the guys who are doing it and find out what they think. It doesn't take much to figure out who's genuinely interested and has good insight into making things better vs. the guy who's trying to feather his own nest. And never take advice from a bean counter, he'll save you pennies until you're flat broke. 2¢
I understand your frustration with USPS but here's something to consider when shipping outside of the US with UPS.
UPS charges a brokerage fee, at least in Canada, for delivering a package. The fee is approximately $100. Someone could order $50 of gaskets from you, then will get hit with a $100 brokerage fee. You will definitely get customers complaining over that.
Please offer USPS as a choice to those customers outside of the US. If they choose UPS, it's on them that they should have known about the brokerage fee.
Mike.
I have only been offering UPS worldwide Expedited. I negotiated some new rates cause since I stopped shipping USPS I'm spending $5000/week with UPS now. $10 brokerage fee max (if any), FAST (less than a week), about the same price as our Priority Mail (starts at about $35) and best of all I don't get customers calling every day asking where their package is for 3 weeks. UPS is so fast that customers have actually been contacting me to tell me how FAST their package arrived. I will never ship something international via postal again. Every global postal system is the same or worse (if thats possible) than ours. SLOWWWWWWWWWW and theft. I have basically limited any international to Canada, Northern Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. 5% of my business is international so I'll let my distributors handle those sales. Only countries its EASY to ship to is Australia and New Zealand. They have a de minimis like the US where we dont pay any taxes on imports upto $800 in value. Canada and many European countries is $20. Ouch.
Absolutely unprecedented. I love to bash them but their success rate is really good. In 50 years I can recall very very few failures.
Management, sometimes the most obvious idea to improve things is the worst ever. If you want things to run better, talk to the guys who are doing it and find out what they think. It doesn't take much to figure out who's genuinely interested and has good insight into making things better vs. the guy who's trying to feather his own nest. And never take advice from a bean counter, he'll save you pennies until you're flat broke. 2¢
UPS is up against the exact same issues and somehow THEY have manged to find a way to deal with it. Not a single problem. USPS is a mess and needs an overhaul. RAISE THE PRICES to slow down unnecessary mail; junk mail, birfday cards from granny, paper copies of receipts, local flyers, PHONEBOOKS, etc. Our box company MAILS a 7 page copy of the boxes and bubble wrap I ordered and copies of the signed shipper. I order about twice a week. IS THAT NUTS. We have email now. Yep I told them. Must be an 90yo that owns the company.
American Autowire sent me a harness 2-day priority mail from NJ to Frederick, MD on 6 Dec. On the 6th, it went from south Jersey to north Jersey. On the 8th, it showed up in Hyattsville, MD. They sent it to Dulles, VA where it arrived that same day. There it sat until today (23rd) when it showed up in Baltimore. Latest tracking shows it departed Baltimore. Who knows if it's coming here or going on a scenic trip through the midwest. My wife ships a lot for her employer. Many of her packages are being sent to people who live within 5 miles of the post office. Somehow, some of her packages still go through Ohio before coming back. Things are definitely AFU at the USPS.
From what I see, the problems are with the northeast. I sent a brake booster to a buyer in New Jersey on December 8th. The last tracking entry was St. Louis on the 16th. I fear that my package is now in either purgatory or the Bermuda Triangle. But I have still, overall, had the best luck with the USPS.
"We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".
So UPS is working for me. Today I got THREE calls just to let me know their package arrived FAST in spite of the holidays and COVID!!!! That sure beats "WHERE IS MY PACKAGE!!!!" and threats to me life, literally, like I am personally in control of the USPS. I mean I don't blame the girl behind the counter when my $29 Target dress shoes fall apart. I know I took a gamble and should have bought Ferragamo's at Nordstroms and its not her fault Only a few more packages that haven't been delivered since LATE NOVEMBER then I'm off the hook.
I just asked another Mopar parts vendor how his USPS shipping was going. He sent me tracking links to packages taking weeks.
Seems like the biggest problems are NY, NJ, NC, FL, TX, MI, OH, IN, IL, AZ, CA, WA & OR. Basically all the hubs in very big city.
Well I can say we ship often with USPS but I take everything to the Post Office myself. We have been having a LOT of issues with regular postage of both incoming and outgoing mail taking WEEKS. It is so bad now that I take a lot of our outgoing bills to the post office and Priority mail them to make sure they get where they are going. Some of our incoming mail is taking weeks from the time it is sent. What can you do? Todd
Maybe you can send that driver to somewhere south of Des Moines to pick up my package that was due Friday? Tracking shows it left Des Moines on the 10th and is somewhere in between hither and yon.
Tracking shows my package in Memphis, Tn as of 2:43 this morning. So 5 days on the road from Des Moines to Memphis. Is Memphis closer to D/FW than Des Moines? Eh, about 260 miles closer, in FIVE days. Mebbe by Christmas
I'm rapidly losing hope my package will make it by Christmas. It arrived in Memphis 5 days ago, on the 15th, 5 days later on the 20th, it's still in Memphis. The originally scheduled delivery date was December 11th.
Another 4 days, still in Memphis. Wonder if it's seen Graceland yet?
From what I see, the problems are with the northeast. I sent a brake booster to a buyer in New Jersey on December 8th. The last tracking entry was St. Louis on the 16th. I fear that my package is now in either purgatory or the Bermuda Triangle. But I have still, overall, had the best luck with the USPS.
Update: After spending a week in St. Louis (Dec 16-23), my package is finally on the move.
"We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".
From that news story... "But it's not just Philadelphia that's dealing with the historic volume of packages. Union presidents and postal workers across the US -- in Illinois, Michigan, California, Florida, Maine and New York -- say they, too, are seeing record volumes of packages and backlogs"
But angry customers that call say its just me. That their feminine hygiene products arrived on time
PS Priority Mail make no difference. Thats just throwing money away. It gets the same poor treatment. I can show literally thousands of shipments this falls where Priority Mail took weeks. And not just stuck in Detroit but every large city hub they went through.
Had a Christmas present take two weeks to arrive. Tracking showed it stuck at a distribution center. I don't mind as I can understand the circumstances, but the damn thing reeked of cigarette smoke. It was an Amazon order and had plenty of time to air out. Can only surmise it happened on the last leg of delivery.
Maybe you can send that driver to somewhere south of Des Moines to pick up my package that was due Friday? Tracking shows it left Des Moines on the 10th and is somewhere in between hither and yon.
YAY! After 12 days my package is leaving Memphis! I hope it's headed about 500 miles west , but who knows...
As of today (27 Dec), this is the only information available on my part... at least it made it to KC only 300 miles away, but has entered the Bermuda Triangle for the last nine days.
December 22, 2020 In Transit, Arriving Late Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.
December 18, 2020, 10:47 am Arrived at USPS Regional Facility KANSAS CITY KS NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 17, 2020, 5:40 am Departed USPS Regional Origin Facility GRAND RAPIDS MI DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX
December 17, 2020, 5:36 am Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility GRAND RAPIDS MI DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX
December 15, 2020, 6:00 pm Departed Post Office OKEMOS, MI 48864
December 15, 2020, 4:21 pm USPS picked up item OKEMOS, MI 48864
December 15, 2020, 1:37 pm Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item OKEMOS, MI 48864
I mailed a package via USPS Priority Mail from central New Jersey to Saint Joseph, MO on December 10th. It got delivered today, after spending nearly 2 weeks in the Kearny, NJ sorting center. There is no excuse for this. Maybe if the Postal Service had to give refunds for slow delivery they'd find a better way to get thngs done.
I mailed a package via USPS Priority Mail from central New Jersey to Saint Joseph, MO on December 10th. It got delivered today, after spending nearly 2 weeks in the Kearny, NJ sorting center. There is no excuse for this. Maybe if the Postal Service had to give refunds for slow delivery they'd find a better way to get thngs done.
Shipped a package from Maryland to Kentucky on Nov. 24th, it just got delivered today Dec. 28th and it was Priority mail. I could have driven there in 6 hours.
I love the smell of Deer guts in the morning, it smells like... VICTORY!
The USPS doesn't normally pay overtime. They decide how long it should take a carrier to do a route and theoretically design the routes so that they can be done in a normal workday. The management is notorious for withholding mail from any carrier whose route is going to be audited so that it can be done easily in the allotted time. Then, after the audit's over, release the backlog and make the poor SOB work whatever hours it takes to get it delivered while being paid only his/her basic pay. They held huge amounts of mail during the holiday season when they do pay overtime so they could hold down the OT bill. That mail is now being released on to carriers who will work overtime without overtime pay to get it all delivered. Sale flyers/coupons that expired weeks ago suddenly showing up in your mailbox are indications of this underhanded management.
I had the misfortune of having the cheesy plastic dipstick handle break off the other day in my 09 Challenger. I went to Rock Auto Sunday to order a new one, and their standard shipping was USPS, but with the problems I’m hearing I spent the extra $2 for their optional lowest grade Fed Ex, which promised delivery Wednesday. They don’t offer UPS. Just showed up 15 minutes ago! Best $2 I ever spent! Now if only getting the remains of the broken dipstick out of the tube was that easy, hope I’m not back on Rock Auto soon ordering a new tube also! Note to self, if dipstick getting harder and harder to remove over time, go spend $12 on a new one before the old POS breaks!
The USPS doesn't normally pay overtime. They decide how long it should take a carrier to do a route and theoretically design the routes so that they can be done in a normal workday. The management is notorious for withholding mail from any carrier whose route is going to be audited so that it can be done easily in the allotted time. Then, after the audit's over, release the backlog and make the poor SOB work whatever hours it takes to get it delivered while being paid only his/her basic pay. They held huge amounts of mail during the holiday season when they do pay overtime so they could hold down the OT bill. That mail is now being released on to carriers who will work overtime without overtime pay to get it all delivered. Sale flyers/coupons that expired weeks ago suddenly showing up in your mailbox are indications of this underhanded management.
My brother has been a mailman for years, he works for as much overtime as he can get. They have to pay them, it's in the CBA. He gets double and sometimes triple time. They are actually mandated to work overtime right now.
The USPS doesn't normally pay overtime. They decide how long it should take a carrier to do a route and theoretically design the routes so that they can be done in a normal workday. The management is notorious for withholding mail from any carrier whose route is going to be audited so that it can be done easily in the allotted time. Then, after the audit's over, release the backlog and make the poor SOB work whatever hours it takes to get it delivered while being paid only his/her basic pay. They held huge amounts of mail during the holiday season when they do pay overtime so they could hold down the OT bill. That mail is now being released on to carriers who will work overtime without overtime pay to get it all delivered. Sale flyers/coupons that expired weeks ago suddenly showing up in your mailbox are indications of this underhanded management.
Audits (mail counts) are done at the slowest time of the year, I believe late February. And yes, they are manipulated to screw carriers.
If the results don't match the theory, change the theory.
Maybe you can send that driver to somewhere south of Des Moines to pick up my package that was due Friday? Tracking shows it left Des Moines on the 10th and is somewhere in between hither and yon.
Tracking shows my package in Memphis, Tn as of 2:43 this morning. So 5 days on the road from Des Moines to Memphis. Is Memphis closer to D/FW than Des Moines? Eh, about 260 miles closer, in FIVE days. Mebbe by Christmas
Package was shipped December 7th, originally scheduled for delivery December 11th. After a 12 day tour of Memphis, it arrived in Dallas yesterday. Got to my local post office this morning @9:00 AM and is already out for delivery. So it didn't make Christmas, but it's making New Years!
Maybe you can send that driver to somewhere south of Des Moines to pick up my package that was due Friday? Tracking shows it left Des Moines on the 10th and is somewhere in between hither and yon.
Tracking shows my package in Memphis, Tn as of 2:43 this morning. So 5 days on the road from Des Moines to Memphis. Is Memphis closer to D/FW than Des Moines? Eh, about 260 miles closer, in FIVE days. Mebbe by Christmas
Package was shipped December 7th, originally scheduled for delivery December 11th. After a 12 day tour of Memphis, it arrived in Dallas yesterday. Got to my local post office this morning @9:00 AM and is already out for delivery. So it didn't make Christmas, but it's making New Years!
FUNNY!
My local mail person at the business said he would be off next week the said "I don't know what pickup or delivery will be while I'm off. It is what it is" and LAUGHED. Told him (sarcastically) I'm trying to lighten your load and not ship as much through the mail (like 3 items in 3 weeks now). He said he didn't care. He gets paid the same. This LOSER should be fired. He misdelivers our mail. I get packages and checks meant for other businesses weekly. An then to be so cavalier to say that their services are probably gonna be WORSE than usual next week?!?!?
When I worked for "the man" if a customer called on weekends, or after hours or at 2AM I HANDLED whatever was thrown at me. I always put my best out there because I was representing and selling ME. The company I worked at for way to long like the Island Of Dr Moreau. No one gave a damn. I used to ask all the sales guys from suppliers that I dealt with, "do you deal with any GREAT companies where the employees are excited, do a great job, are motived?" They would scratch their heads like I was CRAZY and say "No". At 57, looking back, I wish I had a life coach to have told a younger me, "What are you doing working for this company. YOU wouldn't even hire them!" I couldn't even imagine working for the USPS.
Jim, I like your style. To me it is just one more thing in society that you used to count on that has become a shell of its former self propped up by an iconic brand image. A house of cards ready to fall down any day. How you can run a shipping business into the ground is beyond me.
From what I see, the problems are with the northeast. I sent a brake booster to a buyer in New Jersey on December 8th. The last tracking entry was St. Louis on the 16th. I fear that my package is now in either purgatory or the Bermuda Triangle. But I have still, overall, had the best luck with the USPS.
Update: After spending a week in St. Louis (Dec 16-23), my package is finally on the move.
Update: After taking over a week to travel from St. Louis to Chicago (Dec 23-31) my package is in Chicago. This is close to the delivery point but I'd guess when it is all said and done, this will have taken a month.
"We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".
As of today (27 Dec), this is the only information available on my part... at least it made it to KC only 300 miles away, but has entered the Bermuda Triangle for the last nine days.
December 22, 2020 In Transit, Arriving Late Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.
December 18, 2020, 10:47 am Arrived at USPS Regional Facility KANSAS CITY KS NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 17, 2020, 5:40 am Departed USPS Regional Origin Facility GRAND RAPIDS MI DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX
December 17, 2020, 5:36 am Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility GRAND RAPIDS MI DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX
December 15, 2020, 6:00 pm Departed Post Office OKEMOS, MI 48864
December 15, 2020, 4:21 pm USPS picked up item OKEMOS, MI 48864
December 15, 2020, 1:37 pm Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item OKEMOS, MI 48864
Update: it finally arrived yesterday. 12 days to be processed in KC, then the usual one day to get it here... Doesn't say anything about it being late any more, of course
Quote
December 31, 2020, 11:32 am Delivered, In/At Mailbox WEST PLAINS, MO 65775 Your item was delivered in or at the mailbox at 11:32 am on December 31, 2020 in WEST PLAINS, MO 65775. December 31, 2020, 8:18 am Out for Delivery WEST PLAINS, MO 65775 December 31, 2020, 8:07 am Arrived at Post Office WEST PLAINS, MO 65775 December 31, 2020, 7:49 am Arrived at USPS Facility WEST PLAINS, MO 65775 December 31, 2020, 5:28 am Departed USPS Regional Facility SPRINGFIELD MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER December 31, 2020, 4:06 am Arrived at USPS Regional Facility SPRINGFIELD MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER December 31, 2020, 12:43 am Departed USPS Regional Facility KANSAS CITY KS NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER December 22, 2020 In Transit to Next Facility December 18, 2020, 10:47 am Arrived at USPS Regional Facility KANSAS CITY KS NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
I mentioned this when dropping off a return at the UPS Store in town, and the clerk said the post office has had major covid problems in the KC distro center with 2/3 of the staff out sick... Which is actually believable.
FED EX is no better now. I have been waiting for 11 days for a package and I still don`t have it yet.
FedEx and UPS have been having weather related delays. Packages going down around Texas or up to Washington/Oregon have had multi day delays. I have had customers in TEXAS complaining about shipping taking a few extra days. They must not watch the news cause if I'm not mistaken they got a dose of Michigan weather and it really messed things up.
Heard a news story that drones can deliver tampons the same day. And McDonalds is testing a canon to shoot food in your car as you drive by and pay by Snapchat. Is it just me or has the media CONVINCED people that things should happen instantly OR FASTER? Could you even IMAGINE a 10 year old now a days assembling a model car that took a day for the glue to setup on one sub assembly before you could continue? People just have no ability to plan ahead, have a backup plan or cant fight the need for instant gratification. I was at a Tim Hortons and a guy in front of me burned rubber leaving. I asked the gal what that was about. She said he was mad his coffee was going to take 30 more seconds and didn't want to wait?!?!?! He was literally at the window for maybe 2 minutes.
Just had one take 11 days to NYC from Nebraska, and another to DC that took 8, I gave them their money back, they were sent 2-day. When Ebay and PayPal got together is when the instant expectations started.
FED EX is no better now. I have been waiting for 11 days for a package and I still don`t have it yet.
FedEx and UPS have been having weather related delays. Packages going down around Texas or up to Washington/Oregon have had multi day delays. I have had customers in TEXAS complaining about shipping taking a few extra days. They must not watch the news cause if I'm not mistaken they got a dose of Michigan weather and it really messed things up.
Heard a news story that drones can deliver tampons the same day. And McDonalds is testing a canon to shoot food in your car as you drive by and pay by Snapchat. Is it just me or has the media CONVINCED people that things should happen instantly OR FASTER? Could you even IMAGINE a 10 year old now a days assembling a model car that took a day for the glue to setup on one sub assembly before you could continue? People just have no ability to plan ahead, have a backup plan or cant fight the need for instant gratification. I was at a Tim Hortons and a guy in front of me burned rubber leaving. I asked the gal what that was about. She said he was mad his coffee was going to take 30 more seconds and didn't want to wait?!?!?! He was literally at the window for maybe 2 minutes.
Aint that the truth.
I've been using the fedex one rate boxes with really good results recently. USPS can KMA with the website locking me out of my account and they refuce to help. Screw USPS which sucks for international folks buying things.
squared ; I never heard another word about it. Dad figured out how to transfer money after that episode.
It really doesn't matter what the occupation is, though. If you have sick time, you're allowed to use it. 
from up north must be saddled with all the nare do wells of the USPS 
