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Thread: Usps

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Usps

    I have to give the USPS some credit for dealing with this Covid chaos. I think they’ve done a pretty decent job given the increase in online deliveries, holding mail for thousands of closed businesses, all with reduced staff.

    Occasionally, though, things do go a bit awry. I have one package I ordered from a company in Maine that has done a bit of traveling. I ordered it May 8. Tracking said it would arrive May 11. No show so far, but it has accumulated some good mileage. It went from Maine, to Mass, then to Pontiac, MI (which is the distribution center for my area). Then, oops, it went to Chicago, then to Pennsylvania, and has now been in Detroit for the past 5 days. Today, tracking says it is in transit to the next facility. Wonder where that will be?

    I also had an order back in early March that I assumed got lost. The company refunded me at the end of April. Lo and behold, it arrived last week, a bit travel worn (I did contact the company and offer to repay).

    Part of the new order, maybe.

  2. #2
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    I just had one go from NJ to Rochester (the nearest city to me) to Pittsburgh and then back to Rochester before getting to me.

    Of course that is nothing compared to a couple years ago when the cheapest air fare from Rochester to Phoenix had 8 stops over 3 days, one of which was Seattle. We chose a more expensive one stop.

  3. #3
    Well, if things go as planned the Post Office will be out of business before the election, and we can concentrate on the foibles of Big Brown and FedEx.

  4. #4
    I can't imagine anyone making the decision to shut down the USPS.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  5. #5
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    Much of the time, when a package bounces around like that, there's an issue with the coding on the label; either something is incorrect or something is messed up so that the sorting systems can't properly read it. And yes, I'm also very happy with USPS...as well as Big Brown and those FedEX folks. They, along with various incarnations of Amazon delivery contractors are pretty much here every day it seems. LOL
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin Jenness View Post
    Well, if things go as planned the Post Office will be out of business before the election, and we can concentrate on the foibles of Big Brown and FedEx.
    Like the song says, "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone."

    Sometimes it seems like maybe all of those requests for more information to be sent via mail should be filled out to help support the USPS.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Mueller View Post
    ...
    Occasionally, though, things do go a bit awry. ...
    An Amazon order for 3 dozen small plastic bottles I needed for filling with hand sanitizer was late. After a few weeks Amazon suggested I request a refund since the package was probably lost. Tracking showed it had made it through several transfers, then nothing.

    I called the post office with the tracking number and after some sleuthing the guy said my package was one of 150 packages on an entire PALLET that went missing in Nashville TN. No clue to why, stolen, accidentally routed to Pittsburgh, abducted by space aliens, fell into a time warp...

    I did get a prompt refund but I would have preferred to get the bottles. Currently listed on Amazon as unavailable.

    JKJ

  8. #8
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    I had the same thing happen back in march. A package started in Kansas, went to Pittsburgh then back to Kansas and finally all the way to me. Total travel time was 9 days.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Schierer View Post
    I had the same thing happen back in march. A package started in Kansas, went to Pittsburgh then back to Kansas and finally all the way to me. Total travel time was 9 days.
    I guess that’s what they mean by taking the scenic route!

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Henderson View Post
    I can't imagine anyone making the decision to shut down the USPS.

    Mike
    Pretty sure they just got a significant bail out, it's too bad it will never make up for the poorly managed pension fund they have squandered away.

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Some wanted to force the USPS to quadruple the price for parcels as part of any loan/bailout. That would pretty much mean the USPS would be out of the package business as the rates would be far higher than anyone else.

    The USPS has all kinds of rules it has to deal with that private carriers are not subject to. Just about anything they want to do to cut expenses or raise revenue needs special approval. Many small post offices are expensive to run and the USPS would like to consolidate a lot of them. I believe that requires Congressional approval and most small towns don't want to lose their post office.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Elfert View Post
    Some wanted to force the USPS to quadruple the price for parcels as part of any loan/bailout. That would pretty much mean the USPS would be out of the package business as the rates would be far higher than anyone else.

    The USPS has all kinds of rules it has to deal with that private carriers are not subject to. Just about anything they want to do to cut expenses or raise revenue needs special approval. Many small post offices are expensive to run and the USPS would like to consolidate a lot of them. I believe that requires Congressional approval and most small towns don't want to lose their post office.
    Obviously FedEx and ups can manage to operate and make a profit, it stands to say that the government can't actually run anything and at least cover its expenses. I bet the private sector would figure something out.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Darcy Warner View Post
    Obviously FedEx and ups can manage to operate and make a profit, it stands to say that the government can't actually run anything and at least cover its expenses. I bet the private sector would figure something out.
    The government doesn't run the Post Office. Congress does have legislative power over the Post Office. FedEx and UPS can raise their rates without Congressional approval.

    The USPS must go by every mailbox on every route every day. Other carriers do not. In other words, the Post Office has much more "last mile" expenses than any other carrier. The USPS is required to fully cover all of its routes. Somedays UPS doesn't even drive on our road. The only reason FedEx does is the driver lives two doors down from me.

    The Post Office has restrictions on advertising to which other carriers do not.

    The USPS has one price for a one ounce letter anywhere in the U.S. You will not get that from UPS or FedEx.

    Ask UPS or FedEx about flat rate packages. They will likely laugh you right out of their place of business.

    To my knowledge none of the other carriers have people with an agenda to put them out of business.

    Pretty sure they just got a significant bail out, it's too bad it will never make up for the poorly managed pension fund they have squandered away.
    A bill passed in the House. It has been stalled by inaction in the Senate.

    A search on > USPS pension fund squandered < turned up almost nothing. The USPS has to prefund retirement medical. Private businesses do not.

    The biggest problem for the Post Office is more communication they used to handle is now being done online. My household used to mail out 10-15 checks a month. Now it is one or two. We used to mail cards and letters. Now we send email. On the other side of that is we used to go to a pharmacy for prescriptions. Now we order online and have them sent to our mailbox.

    You won't see many UPS delivery drivers in their 40s or older. Before he retired my former mail carrier was turning 70.

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 05-28-2020 at 1:43 AM.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  14. #14
    Join Date
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    Right now, UPS is a week.. maybe 2 of sitting locally, as they have a covid outbreak going on. Fedex is consistently 1-3 days behind. The USPS, on the other hand, can get a record to me (media rate.. ie 4th class) from Brooklyn to Tucson at the height of the epidemic there.. in 2 days.
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

  15. #15
    We are seeing shipments from Fedex that were 2 business days taking 5-7 days easy. Just got 20 gallons of finish in that would normally be ordered on a Monday and land to us on Wednesday and they split the 4 pails (all shipped at the same time) and dropped one the following Friday and the other three all dribbled in the following week on separate trucks. We had an outgoing shipment on UPS with printed labels from their system that have always been flawless and left the shop with a to be delivered date of 2 days later, which was a Friday. UPS bumped the to be delivered to Saturday, then to Monday, then to Tuesday. Tuesday two of the three cartons landed to the customer, the third was MIA. The third showed up late that day. All three had gone on such a hayride they were damaged. They had clearly gone round the horn several times and been abused.

    My local UPS driver says this has been far worse than their holiday push ever is and that UPS is putting warm bodies in trucks that are usually never out driving. Local truck rentals have told us there will be no cargo vans available well out into the summer because UPS and Fedex have them all locked up.

    I think the USPS does a phenomenal job though with online bill pay and so on I can imagine they are hurting. One place I think they are losing their shirt is by giving away flat rate boxes. I see shipments coming in all the time where people are going and getting free corrugated and envelopes from the post office and using them for packing inside other carriers shipments. USPS should be charging for those boxes the instant they leave the P.O.. Take them back, fill them, label, and drop them off or stick them in your box for pickup.

    The loss in all those boxes that never are returned to be shipped has got to be astronomical.

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