Purchased CPAP supplies from my insurance company's preferred DME vendor whom I already despise. I hadn't ordered from them since '23 and apparently the bastages decided to get worse. They have switched to shipping via SurePost. For those that don't know it's UPS + USPS teaming up and calling themselves SurePost. UPS tracks until drop off at Post Office, USPS doesn't track, and USPS drops it off whenever they feel like it. In this case, 1 day from AZ to Houston and 4 days from Houston to Houston suburb.

Well at least the bastages didn't use DHL + USPS (I don't know what they call this unholy alliance). IMO, this is the reigning champion and title holder for worst shipping arrangement in the US. DHL does whatever they hell they want slowly with no tracking, drops off at Post Office (only tracking notice from DHL), USPS doesn't track, and USPS drops it off whenever they feel like it.

 
In this small town, the various package drivers know just about every one, if not in person, at least where they live.
 
Occasionally we get a "surepost" package directly from the driver, rather than being handed off to USPS. If s/he is in the area, and has a surepost type package for us, they will just leave it with us rather than making the side trip to the PO. It depends on their route for the day.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:
 
In this small town, the various package drivers know just about every one, if not in person, at least where they live.
 
Occasionally we get a "surepost" package directly from the driver, rather than being handed off to USPS. If s/he is in the area, and has a surepost type package for us, they will just leave it with us rather than making the side trip to the PO. It depends on their route for the day.

This is something that I don't understand. The PO is directly across the street from my house!!! yet UPS gives my Surepost stuff to the PO so they can finger-fuck it for a couple of days.

Just ordered some hydraulic bits and selected Surepost because A) it's significantly cheaper, and B) I'm in no rush.

I cannot begin to describe my level of hate for surepost. Surepost sucks so bad it makes my heart blacken with rage.

As stated above, UPS has it, passed off to the government fuckwits, and it takes an extra few days to arrive, if it’s not lost.

If there is any way for me to avoid Shitpost, I will usually pay to do so.

I can’t remember what I ordered a few months ago, but my options were Shitpost for about $3, or Next Day Air for like $50. I reluctantly chose Shitpost.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:
 
In this small town, the various package drivers know just about every one, if not in person, at least where they live.
 
Occasionally we get a "surepost" package directly from the driver, rather than being handed off to USPS. If s/he is in the area, and has a surepost type package for us, they will just leave it with us rather than making the side trip to the PO. It depends on their route for the day.

This is something that I don't understand. The PO is directly across the street from my house!!! yet UPS gives my Surepost stuff to the PO so they can finger-fuck it for a couple of days.

There is probably a policy at UPS, FedEx, et al that requires them to hand off to USPS, which the driver is probably violating by not handing off to USPS. But I can see the driver's point: "I am delivering a UPS package to address A, and I have a surepost package for the house next door, so I leave it and cut time off my route".

Yep, Surepost means an extra 2-4 days.

The part that bothers me the most is the tracking info, especially if you don't know it's coming Surepost. It'll tell you when it will get there, or when it got there. What it doesn't say is that "there" is your post office, not your house. I'd rather NOT have tracking info with Surepost.

All I can say is Yes. 100% Yes.

As much as I dislike Big Tech, wouldn't be interesting to see a company like Amazon take over the USPS?

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
Yep, Surepost means an extra 2-4 days.

The part that bothers me the most is the tracking info, especially if you don't know it's coming Surepost. It'll tell you when it will get there, or when it got there. What it doesn't say is that "there" is your post office, not your house. I'd rather NOT have tracking info with Surepost.

It doesn't even have to be your post office:

The package that started the bitch pitching was considered delivered when it got to the main post office for Houston. The USPS had to transfer to the post office nearest my house.

When I lived in Alaska, several times the post office that UPS delivered to was in Washington State. The crazy thing is due to international cargo, Anchorage International Airport (ANC) was one of the ten busiest airports in the USA, and UPS and USPS were neighbors at ANC.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

There is probably a policy at UPS, FedEx, et al that requires them to hand off to USPS, which the driver is probably violating by not handing off to USPS. But I can see the driver's point: "I am delivering a UPS package to address A, and I have a surepost package for the house next door, so I leave it and cut time off my route".

I'm not sure about that. I have a box at The UPS Store. When I have an incoming SurePost package, the UPS driver will include it in the batch of packages that he's dropping at The UPS Store, instead of taking it to the Post Office.

Maybe this will change the landscape for SurePost

USPS to End Discounts for Consolidators Including UPS, DHL

Change Is Aimed at Boosting Revenue, Efficiencies

https://www.ttnews.com/article...0on%20to%20consumers.

The U.S. Postal Service said Sept. 11 that it is ending discounts that shipping consolidators such as UPS and DHL use to get packages to the nation’s doorsteps, in a move meant to help the Postal Service slow losses but that could see the higher costs passed on to consumers.

Consolidators move about 2 billion packages through the Postal Service each year — accounting for roughly a quarter of its total parcel volume — and the change will boost postal revenues and efficiencies while encouraging shippers to simply use Postal Service services such as Ground Advantage, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told the Associated Press.

He insisted the move is aimed at financial sustainability even though it could boost Postal Service market share and make it more costly for consolidators, which could pass on the costs to consumers.

“I’m not trying to take over the package business. I’m just trying to save the mail business,” he said.

UPS Inc. ranks No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America. DHL Supply Chain ranks No. 14 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America, and DHL Group ranks No. 4 on the TT Top 50 Global Freight list.

The change is overdue, DeJoy said, as the Postal Service seeks to cut losses and deal with changing shipping habits following an 80% drop in first-class mail since 1997. Some consolidator agreements already have been renegotiated while others will be redrawn as contracts expire over the coming year, he said.

“Re-evaluating these business arrangements is the right thing to do for the Postal Service and the American people. And of course, we will make agreements with consolidators who are willing to negotiate deals based upon a more rational use of our network in a fashion that is mutually beneficial,” he said.

The changes are part of the Postal Service’s efforts to boost its own Ground Advantage package shipments and to eliminate cheap access to its vast network for the most costly part of shipping — the final leg in which postal carriers make deliveries six days a week to 167 million addresses across the country, DeJoy said.

It affects shipping consolidators that drop off large numbers of packages at about 10,000 locations across the country. Under the new changes, the number of locations will be cut down to about 500 large hubs that are equipped to handle the volume, he said.

The move, signaled in a June filing with the Postal Regulatory Commission, is part of DeJoy’s ongoing efforts to eliminate budget shortfalls and improve efficiency as part of a 10-year plan to achieve financial sustainability.

It doesn’t affect large shippers such as Amazon that negotiate deals directly with the Postal Service. But it could mean higher shipping costs for all sorts of products that are shipped by consolidators that have saved money by using the Postal Service network for final deliveries. Some of the big ones are DHL eCommerce and OSM Worldwide. UPS is another consolidator through SurePost and Mail Innovations.

The higher costs for tapping into the Postal Service’s vast network is bad news for consolidators, which have to find cheaper options or risk being dropped by businesses that choose to send products directly through the Postal Service and other carriers, said Satish Jindel, a shipping and logistics and president of ShipMatrix, which produces shipping software.

“Their days are numbered,” he said of consolidators.

Change is already afoot for some consolidators.

Pitney Bowes filed for bankruptcy protection effective next month for its e-commerce division. FedEx is eliminating its FedEx Smart Post that utilized the postal network, and converting it to FedEx Economy Ground using its own trucks and contractors.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Purchased CPAP supplies from my insurance company's preferred DME vendor whom I already despise. I hadn't ordered from them since '23 and apparently the bastages decided to get worse. They have switched to shipping via SurePost. For those that don't know it's UPS + USPS teaming up and calling themselves SurePost. UPS tracks until drop off at Post Office, USPS doesn't track, and USPS drops it off whenever they feel like it. In this case, 1 day from AZ to Houston and 4 days from Houston to Houston suburb.

Well at least the bastages didn't use DHL + USPS (I don't know what they call this unholy alliance). IMO, this is the reigning champion and title holder for worst shipping arrangement in the US. DHL does whatever they hell they want slowly with no tracking, drops off at Post Office (only tracking notice from DHL), USPS doesn't track, and USPS drops it off whenever they feel like it.

cpap dot com link is in Houston, ships from Houston, uses UPS and FEDEX. I use them.

It’s just an option, may not be your insurance favorite vendor, but this is an option. If you are in a pinch.

Best wishes to you.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: OKCGene,

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Purchased CPAP supplies from my insurance company's preferred DME vendor whom I already despise. I hadn't ordered from them since '23 and apparently the bastages decided to get worse. They have switched to shipping via SurePost. For those that don't know it's UPS + USPS teaming up and calling themselves SurePost. UPS tracks until drop off at Post Office, USPS doesn't track, and USPS drops it off whenever they feel like it. In this case, 1 day from AZ to Houston and 4 days from Houston to Houston suburb.

Well at least the bastages didn't use DHL + USPS (I don't know what they call this unholy alliance). IMO, this is the reigning champion and title holder for worst shipping arrangement in the US. DHL does whatever they hell they want slowly with no tracking, drops off at Post Office (only tracking notice from DHL), USPS doesn't track, and USPS drops it off whenever they feel like it.

cpap dot com link is in Houston, ships from Houston, uses UPS and FEDEX. I use them.

It’s just an option, may not be your insurance favorite vendor, but this is an option. If you are in a pinch.

Best wishes to you.

Thanks. I've used them in the past, but there are two problems with cpap.com for me:

Insurance reimburses 80% for their preferred DME suppliers and 60% for others. CPAP.com is orders of magnitude more efficient in terms of ordering and prompt shipment, but eventually the net result is I receive the same supplies for 20% more.

CPAP.com's receipts (even the supposed insurance one) get rejected every time for coding. I eventually get reimbursed but it involves several phone calls and at least one resubmission.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.