Contributor
I have pretty good luck with the USPS. Many times packages sent first class arrive earlier than the tracking estimates. I did have a priority mail package this week arrive a day later than estimated, but it was parts for my riding mower that I don't need until spring. I found a really good price for the parts on Ebay (50% off) and no guarantee of that price in the spring.
Contributor
We lived in Laural, MT for many years. Laural is a small town of about 9000 or so and we built a house in a subdivision that had been there for ten years or so, but only had a single house in it. I was amazed over the years how we would receive letters/packages that had missing parts of the address, or simply wrong info in the address. One time we received a letter that only had our last name, along with the city & state. No street, no house number or zip code. We still received it. Our carrier and the local PO were great at getting stuff to us.
I complain about service as much as the next guy, but there are times when I am amazed at the service we do receive.
Moderator
For part of my business it is necessary to ship to residential addresses. USPS is not only faster than UPS in most cases but much less expensive. I am using USPS more and more and find them to be quite competent.
Mike Null
St. Louis Laser, Inc.
Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
Gravograph IS400
Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
Dye Sublimation
CorelDraw X5, X7
Member
I have to agree about having better luck with USPS than other companies. If you are having a problem with a USPS delivery person, go up the chain and nicely let someone know what is going on. I've been very impressed with the management in our local offices. They WANT to know when there is a problem with deliveries and do well in correcting things. I can't say that about UPS....... I once had a fedex lady sign my name for a (signature required) package and leave it in my neighbors mechanical garage.??
Profanity is the futile effort of a feeble mind, to exert itself forcefully.
[OP]
Contributor
The package finally arrived last night. They delivered it to our backdoor on the carport. The person delivering didn't ring the doorbell to let me know it had arrived.
My point for all of this is that it was a 3 Day Priority package. I paid for that and it took 13 days. The longest delay was between Syracuse, NY and Aurora, CO. I can understand how regular mail or packages regular delivery, non-Priority, can get lost or delayed. It would seem that packages that can be tracked would be handled differently. I guess, however, accidents do happen. I am just glad it arrived!
Personally I have better luck with FedEx.
Ken
So much to learn, so little time.....
Contributor
The tracking may only be for the customer. Maybe some wizard will come along and show the powers that be how to set up a program to sound an alarm when a package is "off track."It would seem that packages that can be tracked would be handled differently.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
And shipping was $40?
Contributor
I have equal luck with any of them. The USPS does funny stuff at times tho... Like a week ago last Monday, I shipped 2 nearly identical (small weight differences) "medium flatrate" boxes from here (Utah) to a place in Texas. Both boxes tracking showed they left my house, my post office, and my state at the same time. After that...? One box arrived on Wednesday, the other on Friday. They were NEEDED on Thursday... This customer was one of MY customer's customer (3rd party engraving)- So my customer gives me the "you should use UPS for time-sensitive deliveries!" - well, point #1: UPS wouldn't have delivered until Thursday afternoon, which was too late. Point #2, last monday a customer in Denver needed an ID plate in his hands for a plane ride to Illinois bright & early Thursday, and was willing to pay for overnight service just to be sure. So I sent it UPS regular overnight. FRIDAY morning, my customer, with a later flight, can't locate the plate. So I punch in the tracking number, which IS in their system, but tracking says "no information on this tracking number available at this time"... ??!! $58 to send a padded envelope overnight. and they don't know anything about it, 4 days later? Next step was to make a new plate and ship it overnight to Illinois. About an hour later my customer calls and says the UPS driver just dropped off the plate. At least he got the thing...
I rarely use Fedex, so no current boo-boos from them. There are reasons I rarely use them, but I digress...
Bottom line, they're all businesses with human beings as bosses and employees. They're all going to screw up once in awhile...
Last edited by Kev Williams; 12-13-2015 at 4:33 PM.
========================================
ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
FOUR - CO2 lasers
THREE- make that FOUR now
ONE - vinyl cutter
CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle
Member
IMHO the USPS is incapable of doing a good job. Their service is lousy.
Contributor
I sure hope UPS is refunding your money for an overnight delivery taking three or four days. USPS Express mail is somewhat worthless if you really need something there overnight. There are large areas of the USA where Express mail is two days.
Contributor
Well,earlier in the thread I said nice things about USPS, now it is different. I got notified that two packages were delivered today...but.....guess what....no packages. Was not my regular postman and who kn o as where they are or if I will see them. It was from Amazon..so they will replace them. Not happy......grrrrr
My big problem is with the economy shipping services and how some vendors will not accept certain addresses.
UPS/FedEx/DHL all offer a service where they move it most of the way and then drop it off to the USPS for final delivery.
The vendor will NOT take a PO Box for an address and I have never in 20+ years had a street mail box, always a box at the local PO.
This at least delays delivery by a day, and is some cases, the return of the item to the vendor as "Undeliverable".
I try to sneak the PO Box in as a second line, but some vendors do not allow even that.
ARG!!!
Howard Garner
Contributor
That sure is a pain. Do you have an independent mailboxes parcel shipping place? If so, could you use their physical address without costing too much? I can understand why a service designed to deliver to a front door has problems. Where is the P.O. Box's front door?Originally Posted by Howard Garner
Last edited by Curt Harms; 12-14-2015 at 8:24 AM.
Guest
Dunno how lucky you are!
Estimated delivery Thursday, Dec 10, 2015 - Thursday, Dec 17, 2015
✓ Postage info received
✓ In transit
Delivered
Time and date Place Message Monday, Dec 7, 2015 6:53 PM LOS ANGELES , CA DEPART USPS SORT FACILITY Sunday, Dec 6, 2015 9:42 PM LOS ANGELES , CA PROCESSED THROUGH USPS SORT FACILITY Sunday, Dec 6, 2015 9:42 AM ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS) ARRIVED AT INTERNATIONAL SERVICE CENTER Wednesday, Dec 2, 2015 4:15 AM SPOKANE , WA Departed USPS Facility Tuesday, Dec 1, 2015 8:20 PM SPOKANE , WA PROCESSED THROUGH USPS SORT FACILITY Tuesday, Dec 1, 2015 7:05 PM SPOKANE , WA ORIGIN ACCEPTANCE Tuesday, Dec 1, 2015 2:14 PM SPOKANE , WA PRE-SHIPMENT INFO SENT TO USPS Tuesday, Dec 1, 2015 8:32 AM SPOKANE , WA Shipping Label Created Tuesday, Dec 1, 2015 12:00 AM
Well it's the late evening of the 14 December... almost the 15th and no sign of it yet!.
Hasn't even made it to this nation yet if you believed the tracking info!
Then it has to go thru customs... and then to a delivery contractor... unlikely to be here before Xmas I reckon - will get buried in Christmas parcel mail this end most likely!
Part was a rubber gas tank fill hose.. for the wifes old toyota camry shopping trolley, all of a whopping US$17.86! Can't buy it in Oz - Toyota don't carry them & a leaking gas tank (if you make the mistake of filling it) is a bit of a safety issue so have to have one (even if it is all the way from USA)!
US$35 postage! yeah twice the cost of the rubber part!
Thats not the bad news.
$17.86 USD 1 $17.86 USD
Shipping and handling $35.00 USD Insurance - not offered ---- [COLOR=#333333 !important]Total[/COLOR] $52.86 USD [COLOR=#333333 !important]Payment[/COLOR] $52.86 USD Payment sent to northwestautosalvage@gmail.com From amount $75.18 AUD To amount $52.86 USD Exchange rate: 1 Australian Dollar = 0.703176 US Dollars
Yep = over $75 bucks for a $17 dollar part (worth half a bowl of rice in China where it was probably made)!
But don't sweat it - we signed a free trade agreement with the USA, to encourage bilateral trade!
The fact USPS (and UPS etc) turned that into a defacto trade tariff with "excessive postage rates" should not concern anyone.
So ahh - just how is that $18trillion deficit workin' out for ya'll?
Can't figure why you can't trade your way outta trouble?
Sorry, I have no idea!
Last edited by Dave Anderson NH; 12-14-2015 at 12:21 PM. Reason: Removed political remark
Contributor
Most likely they were delivered, then someone came along and picked them up. Had that happen to me one time.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
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