Rage Against the Post Office

**W.j.christy** · 11-30-2016, 10:24 AM

Well that's just ducky.....

1 month 2 packages and a whole lot of swearing and what do I have to show for it? NOTHING BUT EMPTY POCKETS!!!!

I bought a CPU on ebay from a guy in oregon, nice guy very helpful, but it got stuck at ORIGINATING post office! That's right, dropped at the counter, then gone forever... They are "looking for it right now" and will "let him know by friday" if they find it. Right. there is about as much hope of them finding it as there is of Fat Albert seeing his shoes.....

I bought a some stuff from a fellow Pentax Forums member in De. The package made it to Philly PA and there it has stopped. Arrival scan on Monday, no departure scan..... The package is supposed to be here on Thursday for a shoot on saturday. Again Fat Albert - shoes.

The worst of it, there are literally millions of stories just like mine all over the internet. Look at consumers affairs.com not offical but they get 1 star. 1!!! And there is nothing that can really be done to stop it!

Boycott? No they will get bailed out as they always do as they are a government entity.

Sue? No they are the government and they have immunity

Complain? No one there cares

There is literally nothing that can be done to fix them aside from getting our reps to address the issue. Again I allude to Fat albert and his shoes on the chances of that happening.

ARRRGGGGG!!!!!!!!
SOOOO upset.

Ok rant over, but I still upset. I need tea, or whiskey or both......

lightbox · 11-30-2016, 10:33 AM

I'm expecting a package from USPS but they did not scan at the origin location. The first update I got (on the 3rd day) was that it arrived in Philadelphia. Very helpful tracking feature...

Oh and I did try calling the origin post office to inquire about the package. They put me on hold and then hung up. When I called back I could not get a ringtone. It sounded like they had connected a fax machine to the line.

**monochrome** · 11-30-2016, 11:23 AM

I've shipped hundreds of USPS Priority Mail packages all over the USA, Australia, EU and even to Russia and never even once had a problem. They even pick them up at my door and I get an email confirming the pickup.

I think there is wide variance between service levels depending on the region and individual Post Office. Mine are both very good.I do have a verified commercial account and I laser print my labels, conform to their requirements and do everything on line, if that makes a difference.

One of our members is a postal employee. I'd bet he'll chime in here.

vonBaloney · 11-30-2016, 11:33 AM

I've shipped and received hundreds as well. Once only has a package totally disappeared, never to be found. (Within the U.S. -- I've had at least one go missing after it arrived in another country.) A couple of others disappeared for a week but were then delivered. Maybe 3 or 4 arrived with severe packaging damage (in a bag that says "SORRY!" from the USPS). So the rate of problems is maybe 1% or less. It will never be zero of course. Around the holidays I've never had trouble per se, but I have noticed that the tracking is sometimes lacking once we get into December. It seems they prioritize getting those packages there on time over scans at every stop. They have always delivered on their stated holiday deadlines though. (Once in a while a big storm will delay things to/from a particular place though.)

**W.j.christy** · 11-30-2016, 12:01 PM

I hate to say it, but these aren't the first two i have had problems with, Most of the issue is with timing, mostly them not arriving when they are supposed to....

My number may have just been up, or perhaps they are prioritizing the onetime bit for the latest package.

But the CPU? That is certified lost by the office of origination and it is also almost a week late.....

I have a slim sliver of hope for the package coming through philly but its slim at this point....

**MJSfoto1956** · 11-30-2016, 12:05 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by monochrome

I've shipped hundreds of USPS Priority Mail packages all over the USA, Australia, EU and even to Russia and never even once had a problem. They even pick them up at my door and I get an email confirming the pickup. I think there is wide variance between service levels depending on the region and individual Post Office. Mine are both very good.I do have a verified commercial account and I laser print my labels, conform to their requirements and do everything on line, if that makes a difference.

I've had one item lost in 15 years of sending things via USPS -- and that was international.
Overall, I'd give them a B+. For that matter, I would give Fedex and UPS a B+ as well as they too are far from perfect.

So if the rant is to suggest that government employees are worse than private employees, then I will simply have to disagree: they seem to be about the same to me -- not bad, but not supermen either.

Michael

lightbox · 11-30-2016, 12:07 PM

For most things I guess it's fine and good if they don't scan for efficiency's sake. When it creates a problem is when there's a signature required at delivery and the recipient is unable to determine when they need to be there or make arrangements.

It also leaves the buyer wondering whether or not they got scammed when the status says "label created" for 2-3 days after the seller said it was dropped off.

**W.j.christy** · 11-30-2016, 12:17 PM

Originally posted by MJSfoto1956

I've had one item lost in 15 years of sending things via USPS -- and that was international.
Overall, I'd give them a B+. For that matter, I would give Fedex and UPS a B+ as well as they too are far from perfect.

So if the rant is to suggest that government employees are worse than private employees, then I will simply have to disagree: they seem to be about the same to me -- not bad, but not supermen either.

Michael

Not ensuing that gov't employees are worse, however, I will say that USPS as a whole is terribly inefficient and the service is severely lacking (at least at most of the post offices i have been to).

UPS and Fedex maybe the same, however, that is not my experience. I have had no problems with either of those when the item shipped does not include the final delivery being performed by USPS.

The main problem I have is the seeming lack of ability that I, the customer, have for holding the post service accountable for their actions.

If the offence was egregious enough to warrant a lawsuit Fedex and UPS could be sued.

Also if UPS or Fedex's service was bad enough, they would go bankrupt.

Unfortunately, as USPS is a government entity, funded at least in part by Government money, they will not go bankrupt nor can a lawsuit be filed against them. I can complain, but that will fall on deaf ears.

At least with others there is some (all be it small) recourse of action, with USPS you get none, and for a service as important as the one USPS offers that is unacceptable.

**csa** · 11-30-2016, 12:35 PM

I've never had problems with any shipments via postal; either sending or receiving. I live in a rural area with my mailbox being 2 miles away. Even though the carrier doesn't have to; she doesn't leave a package that won't fit inside the mailbox, rather hauls it back to town, leaving a notice in my box. The staff at the post office have always been extremely helpful & courteous, when I've had to visit there.

One other thing; not saying that is the case here, but sometimes labels come off, get torn so that they are unreadable. That goes on the shipper, not the post office.

**W.j.christy** · 11-30-2016, 12:39 PM

Well it appears its not all bad for everyone who has used USPS, unfortunately, as I have mentioned, my experience has been wildly different. If any of y'all are ever in texas, go hang out at the richmond post office for a bit....... its great fun.

p38arover · 11-30-2016, 01:02 PM

Are you sure you blokes are talking about the USPS and not Australia Post?

AP's CEO gets $4.8M a year to run that organisation.

vonBaloney · 11-30-2016, 02:04 PM

I have heard that getting USPS to pay a claim on insurance is pretty iffy. When I sell from ebay, I use their "ShipCover" insurance if I'm buying any. On the one package that did go missing, they paid off the claim immediately with no questions asked. (It was not a high amount though.)

noelpolar · 11-30-2016, 03:03 PM - **2 Likes**

Who'd want to be a postal service...... everyone pays cheap and complains expensive.

I had a K85/1.8 go misssing for a month with USPS last year..... was coming home from DCShooters..... it got delivered back to DCShooters with a damaged label eventually...... was a bit worried about that one....so there may still be hope.

---------- Post added 01-12-16 at 08:35 AM ----------

Originally posted by p38arover

AP's CEO gets $4.8M a year to run that organisation.

A million dollars isn't what it use to be..... poor fellow......

p38arover · 11-30-2016, 03:29 PM

I had $1200 of car parts (coil springs, etc., that couldn't get damaged in transit so I didn't insure them) go missing.

I eventually found they were on a post office truck that caught fire. The PO only paid back the postage.

**gaweidert** · 11-30-2016, 05:38 PM

I used to be in field service. I once had a part that got stuck on a FedEx plane and had quite an adventure. It made four round trips between Memphis, Tennessee and Paris France before somebody finally intercepted it and got it on the way to Saratoga Springs, New York.

Here is a little video showing 24 hours in the life of FedEx.

You Tube

11-30-2016, 10:24 AM	#1
W.j.christy Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Texas Photos: Albums Posts: 558	Rage Against the Post Office Well that's just ducky..... 1 month 2 packages and a whole lot of swearing and what do I have to show for it? NOTHING BUT EMPTY POCKETS!!!! I bought a CPU on ebay from a guy in oregon, nice guy very helpful, but it got stuck at ORIGINATING post office! That's right, dropped at the counter, then gone forever... They are "looking for it right now" and will "let him know by friday" if they find it. Right. there is about as much hope of them finding it as there is of Fat Albert seeing his shoes..... I bought a some stuff from a fellow Pentax Forums member in De. The package made it to Philly PA and there it has stopped. Arrival scan on Monday, no departure scan..... The package is supposed to be here on Thursday for a shoot on saturday. Again Fat Albert - shoes. The worst of it, there are literally millions of stories just like mine all over the internet. Look at consumers affairs.com not offical but they get 1 star. 1!!! And there is nothing that can really be done to stop it! Boycott? No they will get bailed out as they always do as they are a government entity. Sue? No they are the government and they have immunity Complain? No one there cares There is literally nothing that can be done to fix them aside from getting our reps to address the issue. Again I allude to Fat albert and his shoes on the chances of that happening. ARRRGGGGG!!!!!!!! SOOOO upset. Ok rant over, but I still upset. I need tea, or whiskey or both......

11-30-2016, 10:33 AM	#2
lightbox Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 599	I'm expecting a package from USPS but they did not scan at the origin location. The first update I got (on the 3rd day) was that it arrived in Philadelphia. Very helpful tracking feature... Oh and I did try calling the origin post office to inquire about the package. They put me on hold and then hung up. When I called back I could not get a ringtone. It sounded like they had connected a fax machine to the line. Last edited by lightbox; 11-30-2016 at 10:44 AM.

11-30-2016, 03:03 PM - 2 Likes	#13
noelpolar Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Goolwa, SA Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,310	Who'd want to be a postal service...... everyone pays cheap and complains expensive. I had a K85/1.8 go misssing for a month with USPS last year..... was coming home from DCShooters..... it got delivered back to DCShooters with a damaged label eventually...... was a bit worried about that one....so there may still be hope. ---------- Post added 01-12-16 at 08:35 AM ---------- Originally posted by p38arover AP's CEO gets $4.8M a year to run that organisation. A million dollars isn't what it use to be..... poor fellow...... Last edited by noelpolar; 11-30-2016 at 03:21 PM.

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11-30-2016, 11:23 AM	#3
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	I've shipped hundreds of USPS Priority Mail packages all over the USA, Australia, EU and even to Russia and never even once had a problem. They even pick them up at my door and I get an email confirming the pickup. I think there is wide variance between service levels depending on the region and individual Post Office. Mine are both very good.I do have a verified commercial account and I laser print my labels, conform to their requirements and do everything on line, if that makes a difference. One of our members is a postal employee. I'd bet he'll chime in here.

11-30-2016, 11:33 AM	#4
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	I've shipped and received hundreds as well. Once only has a package totally disappeared, never to be found. (Within the U.S. -- I've had at least one go missing after it arrived in another country.) A couple of others disappeared for a week but were then delivered. Maybe 3 or 4 arrived with severe packaging damage (in a bag that says "SORRY!" from the USPS). So the rate of problems is maybe 1% or less. It will never be zero of course. Around the holidays I've never had trouble per se, but I have noticed that the tracking is sometimes lacking once we get into December. It seems they prioritize getting those packages there on time over scans at every stop. They have always delivered on their stated holiday deadlines though. (Once in a while a big storm will delay things to/from a particular place though.)

11-30-2016, 12:01 PM	#5
W.j.christy Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Texas Photos: Albums Posts: 558 Original Poster	I hate to say it, but these aren't the first two i have had problems with, Most of the issue is with timing, mostly them not arriving when they are supposed to.... My number may have just been up, or perhaps they are prioritizing the onetime bit for the latest package. But the CPU? That is certified lost by the office of origination and it is also almost a week late..... I have a slim sliver of hope for the package coming through philly but its slim at this point....

11-30-2016, 12:05 PM - 1 Like	#6
MJSfoto1956 Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Boston Posts: 1,305	Originally posted by monochrome I've shipped hundreds of USPS Priority Mail packages all over the USA, Australia, EU and even to Russia and never even once had a problem. They even pick them up at my door and I get an email confirming the pickup. I think there is wide variance between service levels depending on the region and individual Post Office. Mine are both very good.I do have a verified commercial account and I laser print my labels, conform to their requirements and do everything on line, if that makes a difference. I've had one item lost in 15 years of sending things via USPS -- and that was international. Overall, I'd give them a B+. For that matter, I would give Fedex and UPS a B+ as well as they too are far from perfect. So if the rant is to suggest that government employees are worse than private employees, then I will simply have to disagree: they seem to be about the same to me -- not bad, but not supermen either. Michael

11-30-2016, 12:07 PM	#7
lightbox Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 599	For most things I guess it's fine and good if they don't scan for efficiency's sake. When it creates a problem is when there's a signature required at delivery and the recipient is unable to determine when they need to be there or make arrangements. It also leaves the buyer wondering whether or not they got scammed when the status says "label created" for 2-3 days after the seller said it was dropped off.

11-30-2016, 12:17 PM	#8
W.j.christy Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Texas Photos: Albums Posts: 558 Original Poster	Originally posted by MJSfoto1956 I've had one item lost in 15 years of sending things via USPS -- and that was international. Overall, I'd give them a B+. For that matter, I would give Fedex and UPS a B+ as well as they too are far from perfect. So if the rant is to suggest that government employees are worse than private employees, then I will simply have to disagree: they seem to be about the same to me -- not bad, but not supermen either. Michael Not ensuing that gov't employees are worse, however, I will say that USPS as a whole is terribly inefficient and the service is severely lacking (at least at most of the post offices i have been to). UPS and Fedex maybe the same, however, that is not my experience. I have had no problems with either of those when the item shipped does not include the final delivery being performed by USPS. The main problem I have is the seeming lack of ability that I, the customer, have for holding the post service accountable for their actions. If the offence was egregious enough to warrant a lawsuit Fedex and UPS could be sued. Also if UPS or Fedex's service was bad enough, they would go bankrupt. Unfortunately, as USPS is a government entity, funded at least in part by Government money, they will not go bankrupt nor can a lawsuit be filed against them. I can complain, but that will fall on deaf ears. At least with others there is some (all be it small) recourse of action, with USPS you get none, and for a service as important as the one USPS offers that is unacceptable.

11-30-2016, 12:35 PM	#9
csa Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Montana mountains Posts: 10,133	I've never had problems with any shipments via postal; either sending or receiving. I live in a rural area with my mailbox being 2 miles away. Even though the carrier doesn't have to; she doesn't leave a package that won't fit inside the mailbox, rather hauls it back to town, leaving a notice in my box. The staff at the post office have always been extremely helpful & courteous, when I've had to visit there. One other thing; not saying that is the case here, but sometimes labels come off, get torn so that they are unreadable. That goes on the shipper, not the post office.

11-30-2016, 12:39 PM	#10
W.j.christy Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Texas Photos: Albums Posts: 558 Original Poster	Well it appears its not all bad for everyone who has used USPS, unfortunately, as I have mentioned, my experience has been wildly different. If any of y'all are ever in texas, go hang out at the richmond post office for a bit....... its great fun.

11-30-2016, 01:02 PM	#11
p38arover Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Western Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,084	Are you sure you blokes are talking about the USPS and not Australia Post? AP's CEO gets $4.8M a year to run that organisation.

11-30-2016, 02:04 PM	#12
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	I have heard that getting USPS to pay a claim on insurance is pretty iffy. When I sell from ebay, I use their "ShipCover" insurance if I'm buying any. On the one package that did go missing, they paid off the claim immediately with no questions asked. (It was not a high amount though.)

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11-30-2016, 03:29 PM	#14
p38arover Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Western Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,084	I had $1200 of car parts (coil springs, etc., that couldn't get damaged in transit so I didn't insure them) go missing. I eventually found they were on a post office truck that caught fire. The PO only paid back the postage.