The USPS is a bunch of idiots...really

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Herb G

Herb G

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Joined
Nov 13, 2015
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Location
Southern Maryland
I placed an order from Penn State last week. It was supposed to be delivered Friday, but in their infinite wisdom, the lazy arses at the PO decided to deliver it Saturday instead.

So, I was tracking the package, and instead of being delivered on Saturday, IT WAS SENT BACK TO PHILLY.

I can't believe it. I just can't believe the people working there are so stupid they sent it back to Philly instead of my house.
It takes a special kind of stupid to accomplish that feat, let me tell you.

I guess it's time to write a letter to my Congressman.

GRRRRR....:at-wits-end:
 
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I'm a retired Idiot who just happens to be working the month of Dec. to help out the Laconia NH PO. And yes we are working EVERY day this month including Xmas. I just got out of the shower and getting ready to go in today and thought I'll stop by the IAP and see some either funny or interesting posts. Thank you Herb for setting me in the right frame of mind for at LEAST the day. I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season.
 
Ambidex said:
I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season.
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My holiday season might be ok if I got what I ordered and paid for, and a lot of "Privileged" folks at the PO did the job they are paid to do. Instead, they feel they have the right to screw up, not do their work, and still collect a check.

This is not the first time this has happened, BTW.

I notice we never have a problem getting the bills that come here, only the merchandise. And PSI has lost this customer, because I specifically asked that the package be sent UPS ground.

And as for walking a mile, etc. if the shoe fits, wear it. :rolleyes:
 
Another retired idiot here. I can't believe people are to ignorant. I just wonder how people can be so perfect and I agree everything you have shipped to your house should go UPS. How are you going to send the letter, UPS?
 
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Herb,

I feel for you. My little home town USPS has had the kind of service that makes you want to move sometimes. I know some towns' USPS service is great but for some it is consistently the pits. This is not about a one time incident.

It sure is good for those who get good service, but bad for those who cannot.

Ordering conundrum and USPS:
1. Some (like my) local USPS do not deliver to street addresses, only to PO boxes. (Many small towns in many states are like this.)
2. Some companies do not and will not ship to a P.O. Box, AND will not allow a P.O. Box in the address. Early on, Amazon was like this, but I guess they leaned that they missed some sales due to this quirk.
3. The local USPS will NOT notify a patron of a package if the package does not have the BOX NUMBER written on it. The package will be sent back to the sender.
4. Result is: No Package.

Have a Great Christmas and hope you get your package soon.
 
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I had the exact opposite experience. I ordered from PSI last Sunday night, taking advantage of their free shipping promotion. I received an email Monday that the order was shipped. On Wednesday morning the USPS had the package at my front door.

Considering the time of year, I think that was extremely good service from both PSI and USPS!
 
Try having the Big Brown truck deliver to a P.O. Box. It won't happen. I use the USPS for everything. I prepare myself for an extra day or two for shipping during the holiday rush.
 
All in all I would have to say USPS has been the most reliable for me , more so than FedEX or UPS . They all have a bit of a slow down on shipping times this time of year , and mistakes do happen with them all . Hindsight always makes mistakes seem idiotic and maybe they are but I think the overwhelming majority of delivery service workers do a good job considering the amount of material they move .
 
EBorraga said:
Try having the Big Brown truck deliver to a P.O. Box. It won't happen. I use the USPS for everything. I prepare myself for an extra day or two for shipping during the holiday rush.
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I could accept an extra day. Matter of fact I already did. The package was supposed to be delivered on Friday. It was shipped Tuesday.
It is only supposed to take 1-2 days for Priority mail from Philly to here.
That is according to the USPS own website.

So, Friday was a reasonable expected delivery day.
They decided not to deliver it until Saturday.
OK, fair enough. I expected congestion at the PO during the holiday.

What I didn't expect was the amount of stupidity it takes to send the package back to where it came from, instead of delivering it here.

Now, if you don't see the absolute stupidity in that move, I feel sorry for you. (Not directed at anyone in particular.)

Also, this is certainly not the first time this has happened.
Our local PO is the absolute worst in the region. They have been audited by the Postmaster General & they are currently under investigation for theft by the Postal Inspectors.

On the whole, the USPS is a decent organization. But my local PO is the pits. They steal greeting cards, throw mail in the trash, read my magazines, deliver my mail to the wrong address or just don't deliver it at all.
Yet, they continue to collect a check. :mad:
 
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Mistakes happen in every business. I would be surprised if you got better results from your congressman than the USPS, talk about collecting a check for screwing up.
 
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I understand your frustration Herb, we have the same exact problem.
Only difference would be, there have been several times we never received our bills or other important documents and had to contact the company directly to avoid late fees or to get a replacement document sent.
When we receive magazines, they are folded in half and obviously have sweat marks from being carried in an armpit. Disgusting! The carrier feels our mail is an umbrella and comes completely ruined from the rain, again, we've had to pay to get replacement documents because of incompetence.
We've had packages returned to the sender and that is inexcusable when we are expecting medications and other time sensitive materials.

The carrier we have now is pretty good, however, he takes days off frequently and on those days...no mail at all. Not even the junk mail we get EVERY single day. They simply don't do their job.
Their tracking system is a joke at best.

If given a choice of USPS vs. UPS/FedEx, I will choose the latter every time. The additional cost is justified by actually receiving my package.
We don't send anything through the USPS unless absolutely necessary, which has not been found to be the case. Email for formal and informal contact, pay bills through the automated systems, and everything else in person.

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"
Although it isn't an official oath, creed, motto, or whatever one chooses to call it, it would be nice if pride was taken.
 
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I've been having great luck with the USPS lately, but I've learned over the past few years of ordering a lot of pen supplies and shipping out pens where their strengths are and where their weaknesses are.

I have a list of suppliers that ship USPS that I know if I order by a certain time of the day, I will have my order in 2 days, 3 max. Others, based on their location, and not always getting orders out as timely, will take up to a week.

My only real battle I've had with them in the last few years involved ordering a number of items off of eBay and having the sender try to scrimp on postage. My local PO took it upon themselves to balance the USPS budget by weighing everything that they needed to deliver to their local area and giving the RECEIVER a postage due notice.

I had ordered a pump that the sender tried to scam the PO by putting postage on for a small flat rate box that actually weighed probably 10 lbs and came in a much larger box. The Post Office tried to get me to pay the over $ 20 difference. So it was sent back, but it turns out when the PO sends back an item, it goes into some center somewhere where it may sit for weeks. No updates on when the sender will get it back, nothing. I feel like they shouldn't penalize the receiver of a package for something that's the fault of the sender. They need to screen better on the incoming side and not accept packages, send them all the way across the country.

So, in short, I characterize most people at the PO, as in any organization, as good people just following the rules. But these may be STUPID rules. So, shortsighted management, not people who are idiots.

Gary
 
I share the frustration with USPS, but there are positives; I've shipped almost 1500 packages with IAP mugs and prizes over many years and they have only lost one, and I have an excellent local PO I deal with. I also find their international service top notch related to handling customs forms. However their web services frustrate me to no end, to the point where I use the PayPal USPS shipping interface whenever possible.

But I wish the title of this thread was "Frustrated with my local PO" or something like that.

To classify the whole service as "idiots" might be a little severe. There are definitely some bad apples in the staff at all levels, and some systemic issues that cause problems which are out of individual employees' hands. But the vast majority are good, hardworking people who give a fair day's work for their pay.

My neighbor manages the Cleveland UPS terminal and he's got his share of horror stories. The rate of customer unhappiness is certainly much lower, but that's due largely to the fact that they have better technology. Plus of course they have a much easier time with employee issues. If they had to get a greeting card from A to B for what first class postage costs, and they had to take years to terminate underperforming employees, they'd be in trouble too.
 
Herb, you are probably angry at a computerized machine. USPS is highly mechanized and parcel sorting especially so.

Some days the machines eat boxes.

Most small Post Offices do not sort, that is in main hubs, and the carrier sorts what they are given for the route.

Being in Alaska, we know that one of the primary machines that eats boxes is in Kent Washington.

The Alaska approach is "it is like an airplane, it does not arrive until it gets here".
 
Herb you had a choice in which shipping service to get your package delivered. PSI gives you those options. You chose the least expensive,which is USPS.
I see it as your fault for being cheap when you needed the items fast.
It's only idiots who wait till the last moment to order items or sell something they don't have in stock.
 
Ok, enough name calling - both sides, please.

We do have the right to be frustrated when things happen that we don't like...but we also must respect the fact that not everyone who works for an organization, or belongs to a group, or identifies with X, or lives somewhere, or, or or - should be painted with the same brush.

This is a demanding time of year for most people in most jobs - mail delivery certainly no less than others - and I think they at least deserve our understanding when mistakes happen (as they are bound to when millions of packages are added to their daily norm...)

As well, we should realize that calling someone an 'idiot' because they called someone else an 'idiot' is no less wrong.

"tis the season"...let's try and avoid disrespect all-around, ok?

Thanks!
Andrew
 
Most of the time when I have problems, it was the mailer's fault, myself included. Transpose a digit or two and watch it travel all over the States. With an average delivery of over 500 million pieces a day, I consider their service well above the rate of normal human error. Can you say the same in your profession?
 
I am sure we all have had problems with the USPS. I know I have. I had a package delivered about one month ago from Florida which I got off ebay. My normal delivery person was on vacation. Well this one package read on the tracking info that it was delivered to basically what is known as a doorman on their code system. Last time I looked I did not have a doorman in my home. I was it. So the search went on. Emailed the sender and they did a search. I went to the post office and the head post master was on vacation also so the fill-in knew nothing. Next week when the head post master came back she said she would do a search. Another week and heard nothing. Finally the third week it winds up back with the sender and he sent it out again. About one month latter I got my package. What was I going to do. Yell and scream. That was not getting me the package.

Yes it gets frustrating. I am dealing with this right now with PSI. They are trying to send me replacement jaws for my dedicated pen chuck. This is 3 weeks now. I find myself having to call them once again Monday to see what happened. Bob in the tech dept. keeps asking me my zip code and when I give it he reads my address. I agree and then what happens I do not know. Somewhere along the chain line there is a broken link.

In the mail system there are many links and it only takes one link to make the chain break. The chain is only as strong as the weakest link as they say. Can the system be improved, maybe but it will cost you and we all scream when the price of shipping goes up. The way of the world.

I will not blame the OP for the rant but may call out his choice of words could have been better. But we all have the right to express our disatisfaction. I recently got chastised here for doing that same thing and I did not even use any discolored words. Just adding my 2 ¢
 
thimdles

leehljp said:
Herb,

I feel for you. My little home town USPS has had the kind of service that makes you want to move sometimes. I know some towns' USPS service is great but for some it is consistently the pits. This is not about a one time incident.

It sure is good for those who get good service, but bad for those who cannot.

Ordering conundrum and USPS:
1. Some (like my) local USPS do not deliver to street addresses, only to PO boxes. (Many small towns in many states are like this.)
2. Some companies do not and will not ship to a P.O. Box, AND will not allow a P.O. Box in the address. Early on, Amazon was like this, but I guess they leaned that they missed some sales due to this quirk.
3. The local USPS will NOT notify a patron of a package if the package does not have the BOX NUMBER written on it. The package will be sent back to the sender.
4. Result is: No Package.

Have a Great Christmas and hope you get your package soon.
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My mother-in-law collects Thimbles so last year I sent her an acrelic display of thembles . When she got them the display was broken. They wanted the recietye and the broken display. Never did get anything for it.
 
showcaser said:
Herb you had a choice in which shipping service to get your package delivered. PSI gives you those options. You chose the least expensive,which is USPS.
I see it as your fault for being cheap when you needed the items fast.
It's only idiots who wait till the last moment to order items or sell something they don't have in stock.
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Since we're placing blame here, you obviously didn't read response #4.
As for my choice of words, yeah, I agree it could have been better.

But if you took offense at my statement, you are also part of the problem & not the solution. I have no way of knowing who here is a retired mailman whatsoever. And as for calling yourself an idiot, then wanting to compare IQ's just boggles my mind.

Just to clarify a bit. I do not have a PO Box. I have a regular street address. As for a computer making the mistake, I don't buy that one bit. A living, breathing person had to pick up that box & purposely send it back to the destination, instead of the delivery address.

If you work at the PO & can't tell the shipper from the shipee, then there's not much hope for you.

I posted this because of frustration, and it was not directed at anyone in particular. Yet, I receive a boatload of you know what for expressing my opinion. Whatever happened to the First Amendment?
You know, freedom of speech, etc.?

I will close here with the fact that I will choose my words carefully from now on, because I never realized I was dealing with snowflakes & buttercups.
HAND.
 
It was a mistake, they are only a figment of your imagination. Check back tomorrow the "real" packages will arrive. LOL
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The best part is I got my package of historic Honduran Mahogany wood!
 
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I posted this in my update with the other thread I had going about the slop in my dedicated pen chuck. The info i posted can fit here as well

Yesterday I went to the post office to check on my delayed packages and to see if they had any info. I spoke with the post master there and she educated me. This is what she said and I have no reason not to believe this, but if a person sends a package and it has no tracking info attached to it, this package gets put on a shelf at the hub and is sent after things calm down and are slow. Priority mail will always go out first. That package can sit there for over one month on the shelf before it is processed to be delivered. Now this of course was not what I wanted to hear but I guess I will be testing this theory. I will see if my packages arrive after the holidays and if so it will be well over one month. Just food for thought. :smile:
 
Michael67 said:
Herb G, did you receive the PSI parcel? And, if so, was there anything about the tracking number history that might explain what happen?
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No, I never received it. It was sent Priority mail & was supposed to be delivered in 2 days, according to the USPS website.
It is now 8 days since it was shipped & still no sign of it.
The tracking says it was sent back to Philly, not my local PO.

If it ever does show up, I am refusing it. I called PSI yesterday & got a rash of chit from some uneducated woman there who read me the riot act & blamed me for not getting the package.
I asked for a refund & she basically told me to go "F" myself.
Huh? How is it my fault they didn't send it the way I requested it be shipped? I requested UPS Ground, BTW.
I took to their Facebook page & filed a complaint there also.
They don't have the family jewels to respond to me.

Needless to say, they've gotten their last dime out of me.:mad:
 
Sent back to the shipper isn't so bad. My first Chinese laser engraver was delivered to an address in New York City and I live in Southern California. THAT was not a fun one to fight, but I did eventually get my engraver.
 
linkbelt66 said:
Just received my items from Exotic Blanks today, using Priority Mail, it was right on schedule.
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I plan on making an order from Ed as soon as I get my refund from my credit card. PSI told me they'd charge my card for return shipping if I refused the package.
I told them they'll be going to jail for CC fraud.

I disputed the charge on my CC last night. I bet they'll be pizzed when they have to refund my money & pay for the shipping themselves.
Oh well, plenty of other fish in the sea.
The woman I spoke to actually said my orders didn't matter to the company. :eek:

Just something for you guys to think about before you place your next order from PSI. Remember, your orders don't matter to them. :rolleyes:


Lesson learned for certain. :good:
 
Merry Christmas, everyone!!!

We have sent hundreds of packages in the past few weeks--nearly all of them go priority mail (our default shipping method). Once we give the parcel to the mailman, it is, frankly, out of our control. We have had fewer than a handful of requests for us to track---and we have pursued a couple (Jim Swank reported on one earlier this month). But usually, patience is rewarded---often the package arrives while the tracking still shows no movement. One air package was scanned on a Saturday (I took it to the Post Office and watched them scan it), it arrived to the customer on Monday--the scanning never did show up.:confused::confused:

What about FedEx? Well, we have a package arriving to us, sent FedEx cause we thought we needed it--has disappeared. It'll get here, nearly 80 pounds when it left their dock, I hope it is the same weight when it arrives!!:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

My point is, the "odds" are in favor of your package traveling timely and undamaged. BUT, with tens of millions moving each day---SOME will not go smoothly. Stress is not healthy!! A Christmas gift given a week after Christmas is still treasured--Dawn and I exchange "pictures" of gifts that did not arrive nearly every Christmas--two years later, I can't tell you which were on time and which were "new year" gifts. Who cares??

Merry Christmas----ENJOY the holidays and your friends and family. Don't sweat the small stuff!!

Ed
 
Just got confirmation that a package I sent to Robutacion in Australia got there just fine. USPS tracking/customs tracking until it came ashore down under. Another 4-5 days and it's on George's dinner plate.

In the last 4 months I have mailed about 35 USPS boxes (I'm not a vendor) for the IAP Estate Blank fundraiser; I have not heard of any issues.
 
Herb G said:
Michael67 said:
Herb G, did you receive the PSI parcel? And, if so, was there anything about the tracking number history that might explain what happen?
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No, I never received it. It was sent Priority mail & was supposed to be delivered in 2 days, according to the USPS website.
It is now 8 days since it was shipped & still no sign of it.
The tracking says it was sent back to Philly, not my local PO.

If it ever does show up, I am refusing it. I called PSI yesterday & got a rash of chit from some uneducated woman there who read me the riot act & blamed me for not getting the package.
I asked for a refund & she basically told me to go "F" myself.
Huh? How is it my fault they didn't send it the way I requested it be shipped? I requested UPS Ground, BTW.
I took to their Facebook page & filed a complaint there also.
They don't have the family jewels to respond to me.

Needless to say, they've gotten their last dime out of me.:mad:
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:eek:Herb, I do not know you and you can probably tell me to f off but I am going out on a limb here, you did not go into that conversation with good intent to begin with. It is a package for pete's sake and not some secret codes for a missle. I had a package get sent back to Florida just recently as I mentioned. It was not the end of the world. It arrived eventually. I do blame you and you alone if you waited for the last minute to put the order in if it is time sensitive. This time of the year the volume those people deal with is tremendous and to get every single package to its destination and on time is just impossible so you have to expect delays and at times mix ups. It happens. It is part of life. I bet you are one of these people that sit at a red light and as soon as it turns green you are on the horn for the ten people in front of you to start moving.

I suggest go to the vendors cheers and jeers section and post it with the many others that are either for PSI or against them. You will not be the last. But slow down and take a breath. It is the Christmas season.

You said you will order from Ed. he just said when he puts in the mailbox it is out of his hands. He does not hand deliver. I sure hope there is no screwup with his order.

Merry Christmas and happy turning. :biggrin::biggrin:
 
Hi John.

I'll never tell you fanything but would ask for the sake of us pete's try and use another expression.:wink: I know it isn't as bad as being called the bathroom, butt :rolleyes: perhaps something else for us sensitive types. :smile:

Ho! Ho! Ho!
 
Curly said:
Hi John.

I'll never tell you fanything but would ask for the sake of us pete's try and use another expression.:wink: I know it isn't as bad as being called the bathroom, butt :rolleyes: perhaps something else for us sensitive types. :smile:

Ho! Ho! Ho!
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Sorry Pete. For Gosh sakes. Is there anyone here named Gosh???:biggrin::biggrin:


clipart-yellow-wishing-happy-smiley-emoticon-512x512-04c8.png
 
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With the Optical Readers the post office uses, sloppy handwriting can send your mail to no telling where. Once a piece of mail is barcoded it rarely is handled by a person until it at the delivery post office.

The Postal Service is the world leader in optical character recognition technology with machines reading nearly 98 percent of all hand-addressed letter mail and 99.5 percent of machine-printed mail.
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https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-facts/innovative-technologies.htm
 
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