# USPS Gone Bad



## Daniel (Apr 17, 2010)

Well folks, USPS Priority mails has been a reliable service for many years. In fact I was starting to think they where making UPS and Fed Ex look look bad. It has become the standard for many of us. Recently they have started showing some problems though and those do not seem to be getting better.
I know of several instances which this is just an example of.
Package going from Reno To Sacramento (2 hour driving distance) was sent to Alaska and required approx two weeks to deliver. I have several other instances like this just as bad.
Delivery time is going from 3 days to 5 days or more. Basically you are paying premium prices for First class service.
Priority Boxes are still free so keep that in consideration.
Otherwise I have been searching for solutions.
1. Simply ship First class if packages is less than 1 lb.
2. A 1 lb packages with dimensioins of 12X12X8 inches will ship Fed Ex for $7.05 according to their online quote generator. (you will have to provide box)

The longer time issue does not effect the mailing of wood and tools but it does effect a long time standard expectation of getting things in three days. So if getting it there on time is important. I no longer recommend USPS to get the job done.


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## DCBluesman (Apr 17, 2010)

I understand the frustration, but airport-to airport delivery is Fedex's responsibility.



> WASHINGTON – The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., have agreed to a new contract for domestic air transportation of postal express shipments. The new agreement continues through September 2013, and supercedes the current contract which was set to expire in August of 2008.
> 
> In 2001 the Postal Service and FedEx Express signed a seven-year contract for airport-to-airport delivery of Priority Mail, Express Mail and First-Class Mail within the United States. The contract announced today replaces the final two years of that contract and adds five additional years of service.
> 
> ...


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## jbl1510 (Apr 17, 2010)

We do not use USPS unless there is no other way to send something. Over the past year my wife needed to send a certified letter with receipt, she either got back a card that was not signed or not received a card at all. The post office will not refund any money due to their negligence, they will only look into the problem with no response. This has happened 4 times in the last year. I personally don't care if the post office goes to a 5 day work week, or better yet close altogether and save the taxpayers millions of dollars.


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## OldGrumpy (Apr 17, 2010)

*Defense*

My USPS Priority packages ALWAYS arrive on schedule.  For my opinion, there is not a better deal anywhere than USPS Priority.


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## Whaler (Apr 17, 2010)

Where I live I have no option other than on line purchasing. The best delivery service I get is about even between USPS and Fed X, UPS sucks.


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## cnccutter (Apr 17, 2010)

I'll have to second Jimmie. i have had great "luck" with USPS. since i have started shipping my center finders the packages have been making it coast to coast in three days... sometimes two. my troubles with them are shipping to Canada, two weeks if I.m lucky. I'm sure it makes me look bad as a business.

Erik


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## its_virgil (Apr 17, 2010)

I too have not had one problem with USPS priority service...incoming or outgoing. They have always arrived on time, in excellent condition, and well...I'm a happy customer. Of course, I may not ship or receive the quantity that some others here do. :wink::wink: If the number of shipments increase I suppose so does the probability of bad experiences. But at the moment I will not consider any shipping changes.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


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## Chuck Key (Apr 17, 2010)

I purchased four aluminum rods from an eBay seller. He put them in a flat rate envelope taped it up and sent it out on March 3. I receive the package on March 13 with a large hole in the seam of the empty envelope. I called the USPS 800 number and explained the situation. USPS said they would get back to me within 48 hours. A couple days later someone from my local post office called and asked me about the situation. The person looked around their little cubie and said they did not see my item. I said the package was sent from Arizona it could be anywhere between there and VA. She said yes, we will let you know if we find them. I am still waiting.

I filed a dispute with ebay. As expected they ruled against me because there was a trackable package sent and delivered. Ebay told me to check with my neighbors etc and although they believed me there was nothing they could do.

I contacted the seller a couple more times and he finally agreed to send another package which arrived around April 10th with no problems.

Chuckie


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## rbooher7526 (Apr 17, 2010)

jbl1510 said:


> We do not use USPS unless there is no other way to send something. Over the past year my wife needed to send a certified letter with receipt, she either got back a card that was not signed or not received a card at all. The post office will not refund any money due to their negligence, they will only look into the problem with no response. This has happened 4 times in the last year. I personally don't care if the post office goes to a 5 day work week, or better yet close altogether and save the taxpayers millions of dollars.


 
Well it won't save tax money - they don't receive tax money. Haven't since the late 70's. Now it might save tax payers like you and others money, but it would be your money and not tax dollars.


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## MesquiteMan (Apr 17, 2010)

Chuck Key said:


> I purchased four aluminum rods from an eBay seller. He put them in a flat rate envelope taped it up and sent it out on March 3. I receive the package on March 13 with a large hole in the seam of the empty envelope. I called the USPS 800 number and explained the situation. USPS said they would get back to me within 48 hours. A couple days later someone from my local post office called and asked me about the situation. The person looked around their little cubie and said they did not see my item. I said the package was sent from Arizona it could be anywhere between there and VA. She said yes, we will let you know if we find them. I am still waiting.
> 
> I filed a dispute with ebay. As expected they ruled against me because there was a trackable package sent and delivered. Ebay told me to check with my neighbors etc and although they believed me there was nothing they could do.
> 
> ...


 
Chuck, you problem was poor packaging by the seller.  He should have stood behind it since he packed it inadequately.  Putting strange shaped objects into a flimsly envelope is asking for trouble.  This includes pen blanks!  Way back when, I used to ship pen blanks straight in the envelope.  I had a couple that showed up empty wtih a hole in the envelope.  After that, I started using the small box inside the envelope.  Now that they have the small flat rate box, this is not necessary.

I ship everything USPS and am very happy with it.  My wife also has an online business and she uses USPS exclusively.  Between the 2 of us, we probably ship 25-30 packages a week and have not had any real problems.


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## ROOKIETURNER (Apr 17, 2010)

rbooher7526 said:


> Well it won't save tax money - they don't receive tax money. Haven't since the late 70's. Now it might save tax payers like you and others money, but it would be your money and not tax dollars.


 
Actually the federal gov't has bailed out the USPS many times.

Postal bill 
The committee also debated but delayed its vote on S 1507, the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Funding Reform Act. The bill reduces the amount the Postal Service must pay into its retiree health benefits fund. 
A House version of the bill suspends those payments for three years; Postal Service officials have said they can’t make the current payment schedule with a $7 billion deficit projected this year. 
Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., said the Postal Service desperately needs the influx of cash. 
But Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said the Postal Service “has a failed business model” and has failed to keep up with technology and what customers demand of the mail. He said management, unions and employees need to be willing to make cuts and change the way the Postal Service operates if it hopes to succeed. 
“If we keep trying to fix things thinking the formal model of the Postal Service is going to work, we’re never going to fix things,” Coburn said. 
The committee did adopt several amendments to the Postal Service bill, including one offered by Coburn to allow arbitrators to consider the Postal Service’s fiscal state when arbitrating with unions."


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## jaywood1207 (Apr 17, 2010)

Still a lot better service compared to shipping anything outside of Canada.  A pen from Ontario to Netherlands took 8 weeks.  That sucks and is difficult to keep the customer calm and try to explain that it isn't lost.  I can't even get a tracking number  for a pen in a padded envelope if shipping outside Canada for under $25.  It is normally closer to $30.


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## ed4copies (Apr 17, 2010)

Since we are mailing quite a few parcels every week, I can say the USPS delivers with over 99% acceptance.  Fewer than one in a hundred complain or ask for verification.  When they do, we provide it.  The package nearly always arrives.

International is more of a problem.  And, when an international package is NOT delivered, we are out the product and the postage and we are expected to replace both.  So far, not enough has "disappeared" to cause great heartburn, but it is causing us to evaluate options for international.  Canada is a special case--they are often slow as sin, but so far they all seem to GET there.

Just our experiences, based on a pretty good volume ("statistically relevant sampling" as my "theory of probability" instructor would have said.)


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## toolcrazy (Apr 17, 2010)

The only issue I have had with USPS is international. So far, knock on wood, all my packages have arrived without a hitch, both ways. The one package that did get lost was going to the UK and we just sent out another package. The other we got back a month later with the address unreadable. The package had gotten wet. I now put tape over the address on all my packages.


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## Texatdurango (Apr 17, 2010)

I guess for every horror story there are a few success stories and personally I have never had a problem with USPS other than receiving empty packages but that was when someone stuffed pen blanks into a flat rate envelope and the thin cardboard tore, spilling out the blanks somewhere along the way. Just this week I got a priority mail package that departed Virginia Tuesday the 13th and arrived here in Texas on the 15th. 

Delivered, April 15, 2010, 12:49 pm, AZLE, TX 76020
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




Out for Delivery, April 15, 2010, 8:10 am
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



Processed through Sort Facility, April 15, 2010, 2:08 am, FORT WORTH, TX 76161
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



Processed through Sort Facility, April 13, 2010, 9:00 pm, STERLING, VA 20166
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



Electronic Shipping Info Received, April 13, 2010

*Two days......Not bad for a 1350 mile trip!*

I think I'll stick with the USPS especially since they come to my house to pick up my priority mail packages.


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## DennisM (Apr 17, 2010)

Texatdurango said:


> I guess for every horror story there are a few success stories and personally I have never had a problem with USPS other than receiving empty packages but that was when someone stuffed pen blanks into a flat rate envelope and the thin cardboard tore, spilling out the blanks somewhere along the way. Just this week I got a priority mail package that departed Virginia Tuesday the 13th and arrived here in Texas on the 15th.
> 
> Delivered, April 15, 2010, 12:49 pm, AZLE, TX 76020
> 
> ...



Yup, heres one..

850 odd miles. 2 days..

Detailed Results:
                        Delivered, April  16, 2010, 2:52 pm, WOODBRIDGE, VA 22191
         Out for dellivery  or Available at PO Box, April 16, 2010, 8:50 am, WOODBRIDGE, VA 22191 
                        Sorting  Complete, April 16, 2010, 8:20 am, WOODBRIDGE, VA 22191
                        Arrival at Post  Office, April 16, 2010, 6:33 am, WOODBRIDGE, VA 22191 
         Processed  through Sort Facility, April 15, 2010, 11:48 pm, STERLING, VA 20166    
         Processed  through Sort Facility, April 14, 2010, 9:58 pm, CHICAGO, IL 60701   
         Acceptance,  April 14, 2010, 10:58 am, FOX LAKE, IL 60020


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## tdjumr (Apr 17, 2010)

Texatdurango said:


> *Two days......Not bad for a 1350 mile trip!*


 
I think I got that beat.  Shipped a box 4/9 (dropped off in the evening) to Austalia, got an pm from the recipient on 4/14 saying he recieved the box.  Shipped via first class mail.  1lb 10oz.

6 Days and 9000+ miles.


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## MesquiteMan (Apr 17, 2010)

Remember, on international, it is not always the USPS fault for slow delivery.  The package has to clear the customs office of the country it is being delivered to.  That is out of the control of the USPS.  I had a very large blank order that was shipped to Austria.  After being patient for nearly a month, my customer contacted me and asked me to check on it.  I tracked it through the USPS website and it showed that it had left New York and was being processed in Austrian customs.  It only took 4 days from the time I sent it to the time Austrian customs got it.  Then they played with it for nearly 3 weeks.

I called the USPS and asked them to put a trace on it.  They said they would have to send a dispatch to Austrian customs and that they had up to 3 weeks to respond.  Then USPS would get back to me within 1 week for a total of 1 month wait.  Mysteriously, it was delivered 2 days later!  It was obviously Austrian Customs fault but when they got the USPS dispatch, I guess they got off their butt and got it cleared and delivered.  I was sweating a little, though!


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## Glenn McCullough (Apr 17, 2010)

I ship all my packages (6-8/ month) USPS priority...not once have I had a problem, usually two days delivery. For international shipping, it took less than ten days to get a package to Singapore as well as Taiwan and Australia. I wont change either,  until I have issues.


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## Rick_G (Apr 17, 2010)

When ordering from the US I always specify USPS. I figure on 3 - 6 weeks.  Sometimes it's faster (not often).  The delay is usually customs in Canada.  If you can't or won't ship USPS I don't order.  If the item is shipped by UPS or one of the other couriers as they hand you the order they also hand you a bill for $40 - $60 for brokerage fees and this for a $25 item.   It might be slow but I have always got the item.


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## simomatra (Apr 17, 2010)

Been receiving parcels for some years now sent USPS and never lost any and most times delivery to Australia in 7 days the longest being 10 days. It can take this long to post internally in Aussie. I always ask to have it sent USPS


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## Displaced Canadian (Apr 17, 2010)

Having lived and worked in a remote area I'm glad that there is a post office. You have to laugh ( or cry) when a company tells you it only ships UPS and you pay for UPS and your package shows up in your mailbox because UPS mailed it to you because they don't deliver to your area. I paid $22 in shipping for a bandsaw blade. When I worked for a cargo airline (Air North) sometimes we would have packages sit for a week waiting to clear customs so we could send them to their final destination. People would call and all we could tell them was that it had not cleared customs yet.


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## NewLondon88 (Apr 17, 2010)

rbooher7526 said:


> Well it won't save tax money - they don't receive tax money. Haven't since the late 70's. Now it might save tax payers like you and others money, but it would be your money and not tax dollars.



Don't know about that .. they're borrowing about 3 billion a year from
the US Treasury. That's stocked with taxpayer dollars. Even though they
call it a loan, when they need a bailout, that's a taxpayer subsidy, no matter
what you call it.


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## bitshird (Apr 17, 2010)

I've had excellent results shipping with USPS, I do ship a lot in Flat Rate Envelopes, but I also tape and reinforce the hack out of them, I saw a lady get a package delivered with nthe end flap opened and zilch zip nada inside, I don't trust the Post Office Adhesive on any of their boxes or envelops, The tyvek envelopes are nearly indestructible though, in about 15 years of shipping I've only had one package lost, that I shipped, and really only had one serious screw up by the Post Office on a package shipped to me, it look like they dragged it behind the truck from Jacksonville FL to me. 
I ship quite a few tools to Canada, and have gotten worried several times, but as has been said Canadian Customs. I ship to Australia and Europe with no problems, International tracking is a joke, I've had tracking show that electronic notification has been received that a package is to be mailed Yadda Yadda Three days after the package was delivered to Canada. I'll stick with the Post Office until something better more efficient and less expensive comes along.


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## Mark (Apr 17, 2010)

The timing of this thread is impeccable. I was watching the progress of a package from Neil (Woftat). It finally updated as out for delivery. Then it's updated that a Notice left.

3 hours later, I get home. No notice to be found. My wife and two kids were home all day. 
Sounds like someone wanted to make an early day of it, or they tried to deliver it somewhere other than my house... Now I'll spend several days tracking it down and probably picking it up at the post office.


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## nava1uni (Apr 18, 2010)

I only have good things to say about USPS.  I get all of my packages priority and get all of my packages via priority.  The service is great, quick and they supply the packaging.  Not a bad deal and a very reasonable fee.  
I got a package from Australia and it cost the person over $20 to send it to me and it was the same size of a priority box.
I hope that they don't close, because then it will only be FEd EX and UPS and they will be able to charge whatever they want for us to ship things.


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## DurocShark (Apr 18, 2010)

nava1uni said:


> I hope that they don't close, because then it will only be FEd EX and UPS and they will be able to charge whatever they want for us to ship things.



This is my biggest concern. 

I agree that the market has changed drastically since the Internet. Priority Mail is the USPS's only real profit maker. Reducing home delivery service to 5 or even 4 days per week would not break my heart. All I get are my PM boxes and junk mail with the occasional bill thrown in. 

Fix number 1: Junk mail and magazine mail are both priced at a loss. Charge 1st class rates for all mail.

Fix number 2: They're already working on this... Find a way to take care of the pension payments and reduce the current pension plan to a shared contribution 401k or similar. 

Fix number 3: Get rid of Saturday delivery. We really don't need it. (They're doing this already too.)

Those three things would get USPS on track again. Don't close offices, don't do layoffs. Keep the daily delivery. 

They've worked wonders in this changing market, and are just getting beat up by pension plans that were created during the USPS heyday.


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## capcrnch (Apr 18, 2010)

I shipped about 250 packages OUT last year.
Appx 5 Fed Ex, 5 UPS.. Aside from high costs, 9 of the 10 were good. The 10th was a 6"x4" box, well packed, well taped. When it arrived to the recipients house, it was about 3x3. UPS mangled it. But, they also replaced the item and refunded my shipping.

I ship through Fed Ex for work.. CONSTANT problems. If it were my company, i'd have dropped Fed Ex years ago.

About 240 were with USPS.. Fair costs, for the most part, no problems. I've had a few that the boxes had crushed edges, and 2 were ripped envelopes with (shocker) the contents missing. I usually ship with insurance on anything of value and that was both of those 2 I mentioned. USPS offered no help at all. Matter of fact, I found myself wondering why I paid for the insurance.

Overall, I'm happy with USPS. Their costs are good, the priority service is good and the large majority of the time, the delivery is problem free.


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## TellicoTurning (Apr 18, 2010)

Having worked in the logistics and shipping industry for over 40 years, I have a pretty good understanding of how UPS, USPS, FEDEX, DHL, and all of the other carriers work... including customs delays and problems... as a general rule, USPS does excellent service considering the volume and mix of the mail that they handle.  Some of the mailings are very low rate postage, i.e., much of the junk mail you receive... it's paid for in a per pound postal rate... some printer will deliver several tons of paper with all the coupon, flyers, etc.. that the postperson must carry around and leave one in each mail box... they get very little revenue for that.

The only problem that I can remember having lately, I received a package that was supposed to be an envelope of set screws for my Barracuda chuck... instead I received a set of house keys.  The envelope had been torn open, my screws obviously fell out and it's likely that the set of keys fell out of another torn envelope... the keys and my envelope were likely found close together and an assumption was made that they belonged together.... somewhere there's a person who's locked out of their house and car and waiting for a mail delivery to get in.... I took the keys back to the post office and explained the situation, but it's unlikely the keys ever got to destination.... no way to trace them.  My contact also resent the screws to me and I received the second mailing in 3 days... but I put them where I wouldn't lose them in the shop and haven't found them since..


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## Gofer (Apr 18, 2010)

cnccutter said:


> I'll have to second Jimmie. i have had great "luck" with USPS. since i have started shipping my center finders the packages have been making it coast to coast in three days... sometimes two. my troubles with them are shipping to Canada, two weeks if I.m lucky. I'm sure it makes me look bad as a business.
> 
> Erik



Erik,

When I order things from the US regardless of shipping method I EXPECT it to take at least 2 weeks.  Canada customs will sit on one package for 5 minutes and 3 weeks on the next, I have never been able to figure out how they pick and choose.  I was happy with the products you sold me and the speed of delivery so delivery longer than 2 -3 days does  not make you look bad at all in my book.

Have to agree with the majority here, I like shipping with USPS when I get the odd chance to.  The flat rate boxes show just how badly Canada Post gouges us up here.  I sent 2 med and 2 large boxes in the states plus 1 medium and 1 large to Australia with USPS for 75% of the cost of shipping just the medium box by airmail to Australia with Canada Post.

Bruce


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## dogcatcher (Apr 18, 2010)

The postal service could almost deliver 6 days a week and twice a day if they were allowed to charge a rate for everything they deliver based on what the others such as UPS, DHL, FedX etc. charge.  Or if the could charge what other countries charge for postage.  If you don't like it try some of the other companies.  Cheapest in the world and the most reliable.


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## Jgrden (Apr 18, 2010)

Well said Dogcatcher.


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## zig613 (Apr 18, 2010)

cnccutter said:


> I'll have to second Jimmie. i have had great "luck" with USPS. since i have started shipping my center finders the packages have been making it coast to coast in three days... sometimes two. my troubles with them are shipping to Canada, two weeks if I.m lucky. I'm sure it makes me look bad as a business.
> 
> Erik



Erik...

No we realise it is not the vendor, we just get a little impatient and fustrated with the postal system for taking so long... both Canada Post and the time it takes to go through customs for US orders.  A happy Canadian customer re Erik's center finders.

Wade


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## BigShed (Apr 19, 2010)

dogcatcher said:


> The postal service could almost deliver 6 days a week and twice a day if they were allowed to charge a rate for everything they deliver based on what the others such as UPS, DHL, FedX etc. charge.  Or if the could charge what other countries charge for postage.  If you don't like it try some of the other companies.  Cheapest in the world and the most reliable.



I second that.

Express Post envelope from US to Australia - 4 lbs = $US13.95

1.75-2kg parcel from Australia to US = $A51.30 ($US47)

time taken about the same  5-10 days.

I'll swap your US Postal Service for ours any day of the week.

When I send a pen swap parcel to the US, 1 pen and say 8-10 blanks, up to 750gr, it costs me $A21.30 ($US19.50), you guys can send up to 4lbs for a lot less.


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