I try to never order from a company is USPS is the only option either. Its just gotten to be to much of a pita to deal with them.

My sister ordered some shoes, tracking shows delivered, even signed for. But not by her! go figure.

Last year I sent a remington 870 bolt to VangComp in AZ for some work. takes 3 weeks. Then Hans calls me and says "The post office f*****d you buddy!" Box had been ripped open, parts taken out, then the box wrapped back up with tape.

quote:

Originally posted by Aquabird:
Our postal system has lost its mind.
I used to say the Post office is one of the few govt. run things that actually works right. Not anymore. Now in our state, they opened a centralized post office for our mail to sent to before they go where they are supposed to.
If I mail a letter in our small town that is to go to our county seat, 5 miles from my house, it goes 90miles south to Columbus before it comes back 90 miles. If I drive 3 miles and mail it, it goes direct. Mail something to an address 6 miles away and it takes 3-4 days.

The Post office is run by literal retards who have never done the jobs that they oversee.

I'm beginning to suspect USPS has lost my package. A Priority Mail package from all of two states away

Yesterday they were still insisting they'd deliver it yesterday, this despite the fact the tracking said it was "in transit to the next facility."

Problem was: The tracking never indicated it ever departed the previous facility.

Now, this morning, they're no longer indicating any expected delivery date at all, and the tracking history shows no change from yesterday.

Put a call into them. I may, someday, receive a return call, at which point I fully expect they'll tell me they have no further information for me.

I guess I'll soon find out just how good is the seller's customer support

There are quite a few mail processing centers that have been effected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Employees have died, some are quarantined, and some have refused to work. Some plants are basically sitting idle with skeleton crews.

Give it some time, our country is basically on hold right now, and it’s causing issues for all supply and delivery chains.

 
I have received packages whose tracking still shows it is in transit to the next facility. Overall, though, USPS works very well in this area, just don't count on the tracking info to be accurate.

Thanks for the reassurances, guys

Yeah, I know things are all screwed up right now It's probably worse for the various carriers. With the increased on-line shopping, they're probably getting hit almost like the Christmas rush. Plus they've got to deal with the more direct results of the spooky wee virus thingy as well. Double whammy.

I just get a little antsy when tracking doesn't reflect what experience tells me it should. Oh well, it'll get here when it gets here--or not.

^^^
Do not blame you for frustration. The stakes are high here with Seniors depending on mail order pharmacies to deliver to their homes. Those shipments seem to be on time from what I am hearing.

I recently received a package that took four days to make it the last 15 miles. They must have walked it over in their backpack.

Well, it's now Day 5 for a shipment that was supposed to take 2-3 days, has shown no movement since Day 2, and has had no tracking update since Day 3. If the package does not magically appear in our mailbox with today's mail delivery, I'm initiating a trace.

I'll also contact the vendor to see what they'll do for me, if anything.

Waiting for a package from AZ. It went from the shipper to pre-acceptance. Then nothing for six days.

Friendly WARNING: USPS is really screwed-up right now (*).

Yesterday, when I called the toll-free number I was told Priority Mail wasn't considered "late" until five (5) days. Call back then and they'd initiate a trace.

Today was Day 5, so I called back. In three calls, trying different menu options, I was unable to get to a human so I could initiate a trace.

So I called the local Carrier Annex. Apologized for bothering them, explained the problem, asked for recommendations. I was told:

• She couldn't tell me anything the on-line tracking didn't (which is what I figured)
  
• Priority Mail was now taking up to ten days
  
• Packages sitting in limbo, location and status unknown and unknowable, was not unusual at this time
  
• Tracking is hit-and-miss. They've seen packages skip all the way from origination to their annex all in one leap, with no intermediate tracking information. Staff are not scanning packages in and out as they should.
  

All just as I've experienced.

I called my vendor. They apologized, said "You shouldn't have to deal with this," and sent a replacement out via UPS at no additional charge. All they asked is I send the original back if it ever arrives. (I told them I'd do so and on my dime.) I recommended to them they remove USPS shipping as an option, for now.

I already have the UPS tracking number and delivery is scheduled for Friday.

(*) Yes, "really screwed-up" as in way more than normal. Worse than Christmas rush screwed-up, near as I can tell.

There were ten people in line today. One clerk. I knew the one clerk and he helped me. Did not have to, he just did. Some carriers have less work because businesses are closed. That is fast changing as businesses are adapting to getting mail delivery elsewhere. It is logistics.It is frustrating for us. Patience is not easy.

A kind word in these times goes a long way.

Ensigmatic,

You do not have to pay to have it returned "on your dime". Do not open the package, mark it REFUSED, and give it back to your carrier. If it was sent first or second class, or has a return endorsement, it will be returned to the sender without any additional postage. Just do not open it, if you do that, you will have to pay for return postage.

All the shippers are intertwined, USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, DHL. It's all part of a delivery network. Whatever the cheapest cost is how they ship it, even among the shipping companies. USPS ships the most daily, by a huge margin.

ZSMICHAEL,

It's not as easy as "businesses are closed, carriers have less work". I'll just use my route as an example. I only have 2 businesses that are physically closed, the rest have mail boxes. Now I have a unique situation, that if I need to use the bathroom, I have nowhere to go, and it's a 25 minute round trip to get to one. We can't exactly "walk in the woods" and use the bathroom. Occasionally one of my businesses might be open for whatever reason, they are closed by the state, but there are days where I may not even wash my hands between 8:30am and 5:00pm. At least I have hand sanitizer...

We still get full coverage mailings 3-4 times a week, which means we still go to every house, every day. Some days, you can "cut" mail for a house, if it's just a piece or two of junk mail, and that can really help, if you can cut 30-40 houses a day. My route is roughly 12.5 miles walking, it takes the same amount of time to walk it, regardless of mail volume.

I've noticed little decline in my mail volume. Some days it is noticeable, but given this time of year, it's about average. My parcel volume is just under Christmas volume, and that is insane for this time of year. That just adds to your day.

We get occasional route inspections and adjustments. It's kind of ironic, my route inspection data shows less than my current mail volume, and they base my route time off my inspection volume. So technically, going by their inspection numbers, I am over 8hrs every day.

I have to play Devil's advocate here. For me, the USPS has been the most reliable service for both Shipping and Receiving. That said, I have had mis deliveries but were quickly resolved with a call to the local post office manager/postmaster. So for me, I go with USPS whenever I can---They just seem to get in right more often than he other guys.

quote:

t's not as easy as "businesses are closed, carriers have less work". I'll just use my route as an example. I only have 2 businesses that are physically closed, the rest have mail boxes. Now I have a unique situation, that if I need to use the bathroom, I have nowhere to go, and it's a 25 minute round trip to get to one. We can't exactly "walk in the woods" and use the bathroom. Occasionally one of my businesses might be open for whatever reason, they are closed by the state, but there are days where I may not even wash my hands between 8:30am and 5:00pm. At least I have hand sanitizer

Thanks for the insight. The story after Katrina may be interesting. I stood in line for 6 hours to get my mail for the last month when USPS opened. Routes no longer existed due to homes being gone. I just noticed for me the mail is getting earlier every day sometimes by three hours. It is my business and it is one of the few open. I would get some of the other businesses have PO boxes. Thanks for your perspective. Oh and BTW the bathroom. UPS drivers carry a bottle in their vehicle and urinate off the back of the truck if in secluded spot. I left those guys use my office bathroom. They would be in trouble if their bosses knew.

Ok, my turn.

Until now, I have always had good service using USPS Priority Mail.

On 04.07.20 we mailed a USPS Priority Mail, flat rate box to our Daughter. It contained her Easter stuff.

It was scheduled for delivery on 04.09.20.

The package was literally going 250 miles straight up I-75, from Cincy to Ann Arbor.

Until yesterday they could not even tell us where it was, other than "in transit to its destination"

Today I received a text that it will be delivered tomorrow 04.18.20 between 11:30 and 3:30

ZSMICHAEL, the "piss bottle". We have had stand up talks about that. Obviously it is not hygienic, but sometimes you don't have options. It also becomes an issue if someone else uses your truck the day before, and doesn't clean it out. I had a female coworker find a Ziploc bag full of piss in her truck. It happens, and sometimes is the only option, but at least have the decency to clean up after yourself. I'm more concerned about "taking a deuce". LOL. Now I am finding discarded gloves left in my truck after Sunday's "Amazon Day", and the supervisors have no clue who used my truck. It's like working with first graders.

P-220. Mail does not go in a straight line, it goes through mail processing plants. If you put a card in your mailbox for your neighbor, it still has to go through the mail processing plant. Maybe your carrier will catch it, and just deliver it, but in theory, once it gets in the mail stream, it will go through a processing plant of some sort.

Also in an earlier post, I had mentioned several processing plants have been shut down. Employees have died, employees are being quarantined, plants are shut down for cleaning, and employees are refusing or are afraid to work. If you recall the mercury spills that happened at a few plants last year, this is much worse at a larger scale. Even Amazon was temporarily delaying non-essential packages. My son's were upset it took them 3 weeks to get new xBox controllers, when it normally takes a day or two. USPS even put a stop to incoming packages from China for awhile.

^^^^^
Thanks. You might want to share some of your funny delivery stores. You know the attacking mockingbird, the Rott tied to the mailbox. The guy with a mailbox eight feet off the ground etc. City carriers vs rural route carriers. Most folks are not familiar with this stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by ASKSmith:
Ensigmatic,

You do not have to pay to have it returned "on your dime". Do not open the package, mark it REFUSED, and give it back to your carrier.

Appreciate it, but, as good as this vendor has treated me I'll happily pay the $10 or so to send it back to them.

And, no offence intended, I will be returning it to them via UPS. USPS appears to be so screwed up atm I do not trust it. (See "Update," below.) I want to ensure they get it and get it in a timely manner.

quote:

Originally posted by rwilli:
I have to play Devil's advocate here. For me, the USPS has been the most reliable service for both Shipping and Receiving.

Normally I would agree with you. In fact I've spoken-up more than once in these pages, allowing as how USPS delivery is normally one of the best for me.

Not right now, though.

Update On My Package

After two days of no update at all, not even the date on the "currently in transit to the destination" status, it all-of-a-sudden appeared at the local Distribution Center at 13:00 today. Normally that would mean it will be here tomorrow.

Eight days to go between two major metro areas two states apart, with no apparent movement for six of those days. Priority Mail, mind you.

Meanwhile, UPS Ground will have gotten it here in two days.

My USPS is really great. I rarely have had any issues on my end. These days thinking the 2 Day Priority will actually be two days is a bit shortsighted.

I recently ordered something and had it go to a "Pre-Acceptance" status for eight days in AZ. While I thought it could be a delay I saw several reviews from this company that claimed the same issue. I think the operation itself is the issue.