I hate USPS

[warlordgarou]

Just a short rant. Package was sent to me back on the 15th, got to Jersey on the 16th, and then vanished off the face of the earth. I'm hopeful that it is not lost, but, given how well the USPS handles our local mail, I'm not terribly optimistic about actually seeing the package.

(And no, it's most certainly not the fault of the other party. The fault is with USPS.)

[kturock]

There's something wrong in Jersey.
I had a package from ebay get to Jersey and sit there for 3 days before it was scanned that it arrived in Jacksonville. It was delivered the next day after it left Jax. It left Mass and got to Jersey in 1 day.
Maybe the weather?
The package was sent standard [parcel post] not priority, so maybe it wen by truck or it didn't get worked as fast.

[warlordgarou]

At first I was worried it was our standard, local USPS problems. My address happens to be on a street that is still considered a rural route. And happens to also be surrounded by urban/non-rural routes. Mail routinely takes an extra day to get here, as opposed to addresses 200 yards away. Apparently the last bit is covered by actual, literal, snail mail.

It's been a lousy summer for mail here anyway - from the USPS driver not delivering parcels if I have parked in our circle drive, to a package that I mailed to Idaho, where it sat for 2 days, before they sent it back to me, without trying to actually, you know, deliver it. I'm just bummed - it has some stuff I am looking forward to getting, and a couple items that I owe a friend.

[Dawink]

Ive never had any problems with them getting the package to me. ive have more problems with UPS when car stuff comes from CA...that takes forever.


Only think I would say about USPS is if you are the sender please please please extra wrap the items.....damn broken bits.

[warlordgarou]

Well, at least USPS is looking into it now. Hopefully I know what happened within a day or two.

[warlordgarou]

No word on that original missing package, but, according to tracking, we had a different package delivered today by UPS. According to reality, no, we didn't.

I hate our local USPS. A lot. And I am beginning to dislike UPS too.

EDIT - did more digging. UPS did the heavy lifting (so to speak), then handed off final delivery to the incompetent $%(*^&$(* at our local USPS. Which claims to have delivered it about 11:30 this morning. We may get it tomorrow. We may not. UPS Smart Post would be a good idea, if our local USPS wasn't so bad.

[warlordgarou]

And, an update. Yesterdays package went to the wrong street. Not a "Oh, this is X Road, and you live on X Lane" (which happens once or twice a month), but confusing Minges and Watkins. Fortunately, the person who got it was honest, and brought it to us today.

The lost package is now the responsibility of my local USPS office. The same ones who assume "Photo Enclosed: DO NOT BEND" means origami practice, who can't tell the difference between Minges and Watkins, and can't tell the difference between house numbers on the mailbox.

[warlordgarou]

And the package is gone. Internal tracking says that it came apart at a sorting machine, marked with "Visible Damage" and then sent to the massive facility where such things go to die. I can't call it a bad trade, since USPS seems to be the problem here, but I'm pretty bummed and steamed about the whole thing.

The good news (such as it is) is that the local USPS is going to force the carrier to bring all of my mail (and several other addresses that have recently gotten confused with ours) to their supervisor every day to ensure that we are actually getting our mail.

[3eland]

Wow, you have the worst luck ever. I would probably move (kidding - but seriously - wow).

[warlordgarou]

Wow, you have the worst luck ever. I would probably move (kidding - but seriously - wow).

Yeah, we're rural route in an area where many of the streets around us aren't.

So, the tl;dr version of this - always ship priority, and, if you don't, get insurance.

[kturock]

Wow, you have the worst luck ever. I would probably move (kidding - but seriously - wow).

Yeah, we're rural route in an area where many of the streets around us aren't.

So, the tl;dr version of this - always ship priority, and, if you don't, get insurance.

Always get insurance; or tracking if the item isn't worth $5-10.

[warlordgarou]

Always get insurance; or tracking if the item isn't worth $5-10.

It had tracking, but all tracking did was let me (and USPS) know where it dropped off the face of the earth. IIRC, priority comes with $50 of free insurance, so I would have been able to recover at least part of it, but tracking alone doesn't really do anything beyond letting both parties know the status of the package. (That's plenty important, but not helpful in cases like this.)

[kturock]

Always get insurance; or tracking if the item isn't worth $5-10.

It had tracking, but all tracking did was let me (and USPS) know where it dropped off the face of the earth. IIRC, priority comes with $50 of free insurance, so I would have been able to recover at least part of it, but tracking alone doesn't really do anything beyond letting both parties know the status of the package. (That's plenty important, but not helpful in cases like this.)

Damn anti-spyware programs.. slowed everything down to a stop.
Anyway, let me try posting this again.

Tracking helped in this case showing that the sender did ship and the receiver didn't receive it; that neither side was lieing.

Also, some items aren't worth paying the cost to ship priority mail; let alone insure; like a few small models. You can add tracking for .90. Note that you get $50 insurance not the 1st $50 insurance. If you insure for $55 it's full cost; not just the cost for $5.

I wanted to post this before but didn't get chance. You said the box broke open/apart. That implies to me that a weak box was used to ship. I don't know how many times I've received boxes that surprizingly held together. GW boxes, shoe boxes and ceral boxes aren't designed to be exterior shipping boxes. Let me say this again. USPS NO LONGER HAS SANTA'S ELVES CARRYING YOU PRIZE PACKAGE ON A VELVET PILLOW. Everything is sorted on or by, machines with motorized conveyor belts. They all move at a speed ov at least 10 mph and have items weight up to 50 pounds next to or on top of, them.

[warlordgarou]

Always get insurance; or tracking if the item isn't worth $5-10.

It had tracking, but all tracking did was let me (and USPS) know where it dropped off the face of the earth. IIRC, priority comes with $50 of free insurance, so I would have been able to recover at least part of it, but tracking alone doesn't really do anything beyond letting both parties know the status of the package. (That's plenty important, but not helpful in cases like this.)

Damn anti-spyware programs.. slowed everything down to a stop.
Anyway, let me try posting this again.

Tracking helped in this case showing that the sender did ship and the receiver didn't receive it; that neither side was lieing.

Also, some items aren't worth paying the cost to ship priority mail; let alone insure; like a few small models. You can add tracking for .90. Note that you get $50 insurance not the 1st $50 insurance. If you insure for $55 it's full cost; not just the cost for $5.

I wanted to post this before but didn't get chance. You said the box broke open/apart. That implies to me that a weak box was used to ship. I don't know how many times I've received boxes that surprizingly held together. GW boxes, shoe boxes and ceral boxes aren't designed to be exterior shipping boxes. Let me say this again. USPS NO LONGER HAS SANTA'S ELVES CARRYING YOU PRIZE PACKAGE ON A VELVET PILLOW. Everything is sorted on or by, machines with motorized conveyor belts. They all move at a speed ov at least 10 mph and have items weight up to 50 pounds next to or on top of, them.

Well, I did say tracking was important, but it doesn't help in terms of recovery. I don't know what box was used, but I have had brand new, well-taped, flat rate priority boxes get shredded by the USPS - it all depends on what is coming down the chute next when a box gets jammed. My wife gets packages from a scrap booking company, and the new boxes often look as though they have been sat upon. (When FedEx handles them, they arrive in decent shape. When it's USPS, or they use SmartPost, we've been having to file damaged items reports.)

Always pack well, get insurance, etc. Use this tale of woe as a cautionary tale, etc.

[kturock]

Over 60% of Fed Ex and UPS are carried/worked/sorted by USPS. I just threw away the postal report showing the actual percentages.
And yes, everything needs to be packed to handle 50 pounds dropping on it.