Author Topic: The USPS sucks!  (Read 7062 times)

thebaldguy

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 789
The USPS sucks!
« on: December 05, 2011, 05:59:04 PM »
I got another damaged package in the mail today. I ordered four jerseys for Xmas gifts. I get a damaged package containing three jerseys. So I call the USPS about the problem and basically get an "I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do" response. I have had so many problems with mail delivery over the years. I contacted my local postmaster about delivery problems and I even sent emails to the USPS with no response. I get the impression that they simply do not care.

For the record, I have had no problems with UPS or Fed Ex. I think I know who's getting my business going forward.


41magsnub

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,579
  • Don't make me assume my ultimate form!
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2011, 06:06:27 PM »
Ultimately, isn't it the sender's responsibility to deal with the USPS in such a matter?

CNYCacher

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 4,438
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2011, 06:14:52 PM »
Ultimately, isn't it the sender's responsibility to deal with the USPS in such a matter?

I think so.

The proper direction of grievance is from the receiver to the sender, and then from the sender to the carrier.

Case in point:  I had a computer I ordered from NewEgg misdelivered by UPS to another house up the street.  I know this because the tracking information showed the address it was delivered to, and the signature of the person who received it.  I called UPS who directed me to NewEgg.  I was confused at first but that's really the proper way to go.  Even my local police refused to do anything about the guy who had "stolen" my stuff.  They stated that anything delivered to you is your property legally.  The loss is on the carrier to recoup to the sender.

So, NewEgg floated me a new PC, and then pursued UPS for their losses.  I got my computer and the guy who received the first computer got so spooked by me showing up on his doorstep and "warning" him, that he called UPS and claimed to have received a shipment accidentally, three days after the fact, and after he had set it up and started using it.
On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], "Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?" I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.
Charles Babbage

thebaldguy

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 789
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2011, 06:49:20 PM »
The sender confirmed that he had sent the four jerseys from England. It was the USPS who damaged the package and removed a jersey for whatever reason.

I trust this English guy more than I trust the USPS.

Monkeyleg

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 14,589
  • Tattaglia is a pimp.
    • http://www.gunshopfinder.com
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2011, 06:54:18 PM »
I send everything Priority Mail. FedEx handles shipping for the USPS for Priority Mail, so it's less expensive but still faster than UPS and more reliable. In the thousands of packages that I've sent in the last four years, no items have been lost or damaged that I can remember.


41magsnub

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,579
  • Don't make me assume my ultimate form!
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2011, 06:56:43 PM »
The sender confirmed that he had sent the four jerseys from England. It was the USPS who damaged the package and removed a jersey for whatever reason.

I trust this English guy more than I trust the USPS.

My point is, the sender owes you a jersey.  If he wants to take it up with USPS for a damage claim that is between him and USPS.

Jamie B

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,866
  • I am Abynormal
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #6 on: December 05, 2011, 07:53:30 PM »
And the USPS is a bloated, out-dated, and extremely inefficient monopoly on top of this.
Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength - Henry Ward Beecher

The Almighty tells me He can get me out of this mess, but He’s pretty sure you’re f**ked! - Stephen

Waitone

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 3,133
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2011, 08:00:49 PM »
Quote
And the USPS is a bloated, out-dated, and extremely inefficient monopoly on top of this.
and destined to grow the low cost shipping business.  Low cost shipping is a key component of web commerce and USPS is how it is accomplished.  UPS / FedEx does the long distance transportation to a regional USPS center and they take it from there to the mailbox.
"Men, it has been well said, think in herds. It will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one."
- Charles Mackay, Scottish journalist, circa 1841

"Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it." - John Lennon

Hawkmoon

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 27,199
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #8 on: December 05, 2011, 08:42:30 PM »
The sender confirmed that he had sent the four jerseys from England. It was the USPS who damaged the package and removed a jersey for whatever reason.

I trust this English guy more than I trust the USPS.

Irrespective of whom you trust or don't trust, it is the sender's responsibility to file a claim for a lost or damaged shipment.

Was it insured?
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
100% Politically Incorrect by Design

Jamie B

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,866
  • I am Abynormal
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #9 on: December 05, 2011, 08:48:10 PM »
and destined to grow the low cost shipping business.  Low cost shipping is a key component of web commerce and USPS is how it is accomplished.  UPS / FedEx does the long distance transportation to a regional USPS center and they take it from there to the mailbox.
Please explain. Their high labor costs and lack of efficiency do not seem to meet this new low cost requirement.
Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength - Henry Ward Beecher

The Almighty tells me He can get me out of this mess, but He’s pretty sure you’re f**ked! - Stephen

Gowen

  • Metal smith
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2,074
    • Gemoriah.com
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #10 on: December 05, 2011, 08:58:39 PM »
I've have sent out hundreds of items using USPS and have never had a problem.  On the other hand, I have had nothing but problems with UPS.  It is my understanding that USPS hires seasonal help for Christmas and that is where most of the problems/thefts occur.
"That's my hat, I'm the leader!" Napoleon the Bloodhound


Gemoriah.com

GigaBuist

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 4,345
    • http://www.justinbuist.org/blog/
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #11 on: December 05, 2011, 09:43:50 PM »
Please explain. Their high labor costs and lack of efficiency do not seem to meet this new low cost requirement.

I used to shoot with a bunch of USPS guys.  If they have high labor costs I'd be amazed.  These guys drive beat up vehicles, do not live in fancy houses, and are basically straight up middle middle-class.  You might be thinking of the $85k/year figure I've seen tossed about but that's because Congress mandated that they pre-fund their pension fund in something crazy like 10 years. That's where the inflated labor costs are from.  Guys that won't retire for 10-20 years have to have their pensions pre-funded.  No private company would ever do something like that.

I'm about the last guy in the world to admit that the US government does something right, but the USPS is pretty good.  Granted, the institution is older than the US itself.  In fact it was instrumental in getting support for the revolution.  When word of the Boston Massacre reached King George (months after it happened) he assumed the colonials would have barely heard of it.  Unfortunately, for him, Franklin's post system had gotten word down to Georgia within 48 hours, and people were not happy to hear the news.

All that aside, when FedEx Ground was completely unable to deliver a package to my house (which is all of 6 miles from their depot) even after I gave them directions, I had to go pick up my package.  A day later they sent me a post card, with my address written in hand on the front, asking for my address.  Yeah, USPS got the post card to my house.  Wasn't hard, since it had my address on it, but FedEx couldn't find the place.

GigaBuist

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 4,345
    • http://www.justinbuist.org/blog/
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #12 on: December 05, 2011, 09:46:43 PM »
The sender confirmed that he had sent the four jerseys from England. It was the USPS who damaged the package and removed a jersey for whatever reason.

I'm curious.  If a package if sent from England how do you know nobody but the USPS handled it?  Do we have drop boxes over there or something?

thebaldguy

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 789
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #13 on: December 05, 2011, 09:59:07 PM »
Irrespective of whom you trust or don't trust, it is the sender's responsibility to file a claim for a lost or damaged shipment.

Was it insured?

I will get the cost of the jersey back. That's not an issue. However, I don't think I will be able to find another Liverpool FC jersey at such a low price! Especially this close to Xmas!

I trust this guy more than the USPS. The USPS rewrapped the package with an apology for damaging it. Royal Mail seems to be pretty good as I've never had a problem with Royal Mail.

BridgeRunner

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 4,845
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #14 on: December 05, 2011, 10:03:32 PM »
Royal Mail seems to be pretty good as I've never had a problem with Royal Mail.

What is your ratio of USPS use:Royal Mail use?

thebaldguy

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 789
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #15 on: December 05, 2011, 10:17:16 PM »
What is your ratio of USPS use:Royal Mail use?

For packages it's like a 5:1 ratio. I buy a lot of soccer stuff from England.

Last month I got a jersey sent from England to Minnesota that arrived that arrived in less than five days. That was faster than some packages sent within the US. My damaged package was sent on Nov. 22 and I got it today. 

 


SteveS

  • The Voice of Reason
  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1,224
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #16 on: December 06, 2011, 08:51:20 AM »
My problem is that they seem to get slower and slower for delivery, compared to other services. Priority and overnight make it in a decent amount of time, but anything else seems to take a lot longer than similarly priced services from UPS or FedEx. If I have a choice when I am ordering, I will pick something besides the USPS.
Profanity is the linguistic crutch of the inarticulate mother****er.

BridgeRunner

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 4,845
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #17 on: December 06, 2011, 11:19:08 AM »
For packages it's like a 5:1 ratio. I buy a lot of soccer stuff from England.

And do you really have 5x the problems with USPS? Problems that you can verify are the fault of USPS eg not occurring in shipments handled by both sevices?

 


[/quote]

Monkeyleg

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 14,589
  • Tattaglia is a pimp.
    • http://www.gunshopfinder.com
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #18 on: December 06, 2011, 12:13:59 PM »
Quote
My problem is that they seem to get slower and slower for delivery, compared to other services. Priority and overnight make it in a decent amount of time, but anything else seems to take a lot longer than similarly priced services from UPS or FedEx. If I have a choice when I am ordering, I will pick something besides the USPS.

Far be it from me to give the USPS more credit than they're due. I spend far too much time standing in line.

However, UPS has screwed up royally. As I've mentioned before, they lost a thick cardboard tube that was nine feet long and a foot in diameter. It's never showed up. Christmas before last I ordered my wife's Christmas present on the Thursday before Christmas. I was late, I admit, so I sent it 2nd Day Air. It didn't arrive on Monday (or even Tuesday) as I'd hoped, but on Thursday, after Christmas. That wasn't nice.

brimic

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 14,270
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #19 on: December 06, 2011, 12:54:41 PM »
I've had more problems with UPS than the others.

I remember tracking an order from Midway that checked in at Chicago the next day(good), followed by Phoenix Arizon the next (bad), then the package took a 7 day tour of the rest of the desert southwest before it got routed back north. It only took about 2 weeks for it to arrive. I called UPS the 3rd day and they told me there was nothing they could do because it got loaded on the wrong truck. :mad:
When I had my C&R license, I often had to wait a week, take off early from work, and pick up my package at a local service center. Whenever I ordered a firearm, they always delivered around noon when I was at work. I would call ant they would tell me that they had to make 3 attepts at deliver before they could hold it at their service center. I told them that this was pure absurdity because I wouldn't be home during their delivery hours.
When I finally picked up my packages at the service center I would always get a surly person behind the desk. One old bat picked up a rifle box, threw it on the counter and in a bitchy voice asked "is that a gun?" I had to reply "no its a sex toy."
"now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb" -Dark Helmet

"AK47's belong in the hands of soldiers mexican drug cartels"-
Barack Obama

thebaldguy

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 789
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #20 on: December 06, 2011, 02:47:40 PM »
And do you really have 5x the problems with USPS? Problems that you can verify are the fault of USPS eg not occurring in shipments handled by both sevices?

 




Overall, I really think I have 5x the problems with the USPS than any other carrier. I can verify that the problems were the fault of the USPS as all the lost/damaged/misdelivered mail was mailed from inside the USA.

This was my first problem ever with a package sent from England. I trust Royal Mail to get it here. I trust the USPS to screw it up whenever they can.

The funniest part of this entire mess are the large print words "WE CARE" at the bottom of the "We're sorry we wrecked your package" note. The wife thought that was really funny too!

Angel Eyes

  • Lying dog-faced pony soldier
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 12,258
  • You're not diggin'
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #21 on: December 06, 2011, 03:34:44 PM »
However, UPS has screwed up royally. As I've mentioned before, they lost a thick cardboard tube that was nine feet long and a foot in diameter.

A couple of years ago, the USPS lost a parcel I was expecting.  The box was over 3 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 18" high.  After much haranguing over the course of a month, the post office "found" it.  One of their housebroken orangutans employees had stuffed it into a corner of the building and forgotten about it.  As the contents were worth over two grand, I was not amused.

Every mail/parcel delivery service has its bad apples.  Overall, I've had far fewer screwups with UPS and FedEx than the USPS.
"I make love to men daily, but in the imagination."
                         - Barack Obama

CNYCacher

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 4,438
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #22 on: December 06, 2011, 04:12:38 PM »
When I worked in a custom sign and cabinetry shop, we had a big job with some special-ordered printed vinyl sheets.  The vinyl was rolled and placed in a cardboard tube that was 16' long and 10" in diameter and shipped to us from the printer.  A rather small UPS truck pulled in to deliver it, and we found the tube had been crushed in the middle and folded in half!  The ends of the tube were almost touching.  Of course the middle of these giant banners were all kinked up and they arrived the night they needed to go out on our truck to be installed.

We had to clear and clean a space in the shop about 20' x 60' to lay them out flat on the concrete floor.  Guys in their socks with white gloves walking and crawling around with heat guns on the banners trying to get the kinks out so the truck could leave on time.
On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], "Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?" I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.
Charles Babbage

MechAg94

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 33,622
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #23 on: December 06, 2011, 05:11:36 PM »
A couple of years ago, the USPS lost a parcel I was expecting.  The box was over 3 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 18" high.  After much haranguing over the course of a month, the post office "found" it.  One of their housebroken orangutans employees had stuffed it into a corner of the building and forgotten about it.  As the contents were worth over two grand, I was not amused.

Every mail/parcel delivery service has its bad apples.  Overall, I've had far fewer screwups with UPS and FedEx than the USPS.

I had that happen with UPS once.  They claimed they delivered a package, but not to me.  There was no indication as to where it was delivered and no signature.  After I got the replacement shipment already, UPS said they found it.  They kept trying to hand deliver it to my house when I was at work before sending it back.
“It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones.”  ― Calvin Coolidge

AJ Dual

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 16,162
  • Shoe Ballistics Inc.
Re: The USPS sucks!
« Reply #24 on: December 06, 2011, 05:16:54 PM »
I've had more problems with UPS than the others.

I remember tracking an order from Midway that checked in at Chicago the next day(good), followed by Phoenix Arizon the next (bad), then the package took a 7 day tour of the rest of the desert southwest before it got routed back north. It only took about 2 weeks for it to arrive. I called UPS the 3rd day and they told me there was nothing they could do because it got loaded on the wrong truck. :mad:
When I had my C&R license, I often had to wait a week, take off early from work, and pick up my package at a local service center. Whenever I ordered a firearm, they always delivered around noon when I was at work. I would call ant they would tell me that they had to make 3 attepts at deliver before they could hold it at their service center. I told them that this was pure absurdity because I wouldn't be home during their delivery hours.
When I finally picked up my packages at the service center I would always get a surly person behind the desk. One old bat picked up a rifle box, threw it on the counter and in a bitchy voice asked "is that a gun?" I had to reply "no its a sex toy."

Is that the Elm Grove service center?

I've never had any problems with them. Especially once I started using pre-printed bar codes off the web. They just take any gun stuff I'm shipping, smile and say "thanks!" and throw it on the belt. No hassle.

Anything coming in has to go to my FFL, so that's his problem. Anything ammo or accessory, comes to work to avoid it sitting on my front porch. I suspect senior, more reliable guys get the choice "business routes", or something like that.
I promise not to duck.