Anyone here have used this shipping from them, Ground Advantage? I'm trying to see if it's just the lazy asses at Houston USPS that delay the shipping, or if this is just typical of their garbage service, SOSDD.

This package goes out to the recent Karma winner. Handed it to them last Tuesday. Tracked it all week, and it remained immobile in Houston and didn't start moving until this morning. I know I should be used to these lazy assholes by now, but damn still!

Should have used regular mail, and it could have been delivered by now.

I’ve come to much prefer USPS for reliability. I use pirateship.com for better rates.

quote:

I’ve come to much prefer USPS for reliability. I use pirateship.com for better rates.

Same for me. Pirateship is great. Sometimes their UPS rates are lower than USPS. In Nashville it depends on the substation where the package is dropped off.

Seems like USPS packages get shipped around half the country before they arrive while we have good service from UPS.
I do not send many packages, I'm referring to stuff I order on line.

Only method I would ship with is Priority through USPS. When I worked for them, those packages were prioritized (Express, too, of course).

We could have dozens of tubs full of packages but the priority packages were the ones that we would sift through the tubs to pull for delivery when volume got too high and we had to decide what to deliver before the end of the day.

USPS in Houston area is terrible. I only use thrm when UPS is unreasonable or when shipping handguns. I always use USPS Priority though (and mist times it's not much of a priority).

quote:

Ground Advantage? I'm trying to see if it's just the lazy asses at Houston USPS that delay the shipping, or if this is just typical of their garbage service, SOSDD.

Q, It' not just Houston.
I think they put things on a truck, drive around the parking lot, pull back in, unload it and repeat the next day.

Not a gun, but a package I'm currently waiting for:
Moving Through Network

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

SAINT LOUIS MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

January 9, 2024, 6:07 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

SAINT LOUIS MO NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER

January 9, 2024, 4:59 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

SAINT LOUIS MO NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER

January 8, 2024, 11:36 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

SAINT LOUIS MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

January 8, 2024, 11:00 am

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

SAINT LOUIS MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

January 7, 2024, 9:11 pm

Departed USPS Regional Facility

KANSAS CITY KS LOGISTICS CENTER

January 7, 2024, 1:11 pm

Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

KANSAS CITY KS LOGISTICS CENTER

January 7, 2024, 5:19 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

BIRMINGHAM AL DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX

January 6, 2024, 2:56 pm

Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility

BIRMINGHAM AL DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX

January 6, 2024, 2:08 am

Departed Post Office

BIRMINGHAM, AL 35216

January 5, 2024, 5:22 pm

USPS picked up item

BIRMINGHAM, AL 35216

January 5, 2024, 4:06 pm
Hide Tracking History

USPS Houston is terrible. I have no idea how they can be consistent ass clowns, lazy, incompetent ass clowns. Hell they alone give the USPS the bad reputation it has they are so bad.

I dread when anything I send, or order goes through Houston USPS, because I know it will add a couple of extra days, or a week more. It's ridiculous.

ARman

USPS Priority going out of Houston is no better than shit. I had a package coming from Primary Arms, yeah that's just cross-town, that took a week. Once had a package that's supposed to go AZ, dropping it off at their PO. I was delievered shockingly fast, the next day, in my mailbox. That right there had to be the worst of their worst, in terms of incompetence. Too many other stories that you can write a book. The only reason I abandoned Priority is, there is no reason to pay more for the same level of shit service.

Even their Express service is only marginally better. When they screwed up, they tried to fight you to not refund the guaranteed shipping fee.

Yep. sucks.

Ordered a car part from a place that is 35 mins from my house. Used free USPS shipping. Figured it would take a day or two.
They shipped next day. USPS took it one state east then back to my main post office.
Then sent it to the wrong neighborhood post office. It went back to distribution center. Then it went one state northwest. Then back to distribution center. Then to my neighborhood post office. In total, it took 11 total days to get to me.

Next time I needed something from there, I had them hold it and I drove up and picked it up.

A Christmas gift for my wife recently disappeared into the USPS lost mail void. It arrived at my local post office, then got shipped to several other distribution centers. It was investigated by the post office but couldn't be found. Thankfully, I was refunded by the seller.

I needed to do something different, so I looked at the average delivery times between USPS Ground Advantage and USPS Priority Mail.

Ground Advantage is just a rebranding of small packages that would previously go First Class Mail. (Think something like a padded envelope that would include something the size of a DVD case.)

This was for items shipped between Cyber Monday and December 22. The sample size was sufficient for both GA and PM.

Shipments were from the West Coast to all over the USA.

Some larger orders with a higher ticket price ship via PM by default.

Ground Advantage
I tossed out about 1% of the orders as they were probably extreme ship-time outliers. Most (not all) of these orders were likely held up in-house for various reasons. Some of them certainly got temporarily lost or delayed within the USPS system.

Average Ship Time = 5.18 Days

Average Shipping COST - $4.30
Average Shipping WEIGHT - 4.65 Ounces

Shortest Time = 1.76 Days
Longest Time = 9.87 Days

87% of orders showed up in 6 days or less.
76% of orders showed up in 5 days or less.
57% of orders showed up in 4 days or less.
31% of orders showed up in 3 days or less.

Priority Mail
For these orders, I did not toss out any orders as outliers. Some of them were certainly delayed in-house.

Average Ship Time = 4.49 Days

Average Shipping COST - $9.63
Average Shipping WEIGHT - 8.2 Ounces

Shortest Time = 1.6 Days
Longest Time = 11.8 Days (Certainly an outlier.)

Priority Mail claims 2 to 3 days for shipping, and 52% made it within the 3 days. (Not very good.)
23% made it within 2 days.

YMMV, but looking at these numbers for the first time, if your package can go GA, you will not get there much faster than USPS Priority Mail. Note both PM and GA feature tracking if you're a business shipping products using a tool like Shipstation or Stamps.com.

I have learned when I see shipped by Ground Advantage to add a day to expected arrival and then expect the shipment delayed email for a total of 2 days after the projected date,
happens 90% of the time.
It's the price of free shipping.

each carrier has regional problems,
USPS Richmond hub works great, or not, it is hit or miss,
lucky for me, mostly hit,

Fed Ex in this area is great for Express and has improved greatly for ground
(they are 2 seperate operations)

UPS is generally good,


I have customers in other parts of the country that will say otherwise and request a specific carrier,


Ground Advantage has worked for me, however I also have to purchase my own boxes, (Priority has free boxes on the USPS website)

12131, I appreciate this thread. I too have been amazed at the quality and complete lack of service provided by the USPS. I was amazed at the lack of tracking data..like it just completely disappeared. It's finally making some progress.

"IF" USPS did what they were supposed to do there would not be FedX, UPS, DHL, etc.

~however~

They don't.

UPS Mail Innovations isn’t any better. Over the weekend I placed an order with Midway. Package was received by UPS on the 8th. Estimated date of arrival is the 16th. Prior history of this method of shipment is two additional days of transit time as it will go to Detroit, then another location outside of Detroit, to Lansing and then to my local P.O. which is just about in between Detroit and Lansing.

One way drive time from here to there is twelve hours or so.

They're too busy delivering Amazon packages to worry about delivering actual mail.

USPS released this statement yesterday regarding why many packages & mail in Houston are in limbo.

As part of its 10-year Delivering for America plan, the Postal Service is working to modernize our mail and package processing network. For decades, our outmoded network has created significant financial losses, increased deferred maintenance costs, deteriorated workplace conditions for our employees, and failed to efficiently integrate mail and package processing and delivery. The transformation of our network is necessary and fundamental to our continuation as an organization and a service to the American people and our business customers.

In the Houston area, network adjustments are ongoing. We have initiated the complex transition of the North Houston Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC) to a Regional Processing & Distribution Center (RPDC). Under our 10-year plan, we are combining and centralizing mail processing operations in approximately 60 new RPDCs nationwide over the coming years, which will handle originating mail and all package processing. Many of the RPDCs, such as North Houston, will be developed from existing postal facilities. The entire USPS geography is being assessed to determine the most appropriate mix of facilities within each regional ecosystem.

These new RPDCs will allow USPS to better use resources — including space, staffing, processing equipment and transportation — to take advantage of state-of-the-art technologies that process mail and packages more efficiently, while also creating brighter, cleaner, and more modern workplaces for postal employees.

As part of our network transition, we are also establishing Local Processing Centers (LPC) throughout the nation. The Missouri City, TX facility is designated as the South Houston LPC. Nearly all LPCs will be developed from existing postal facilities. It’s anticipated that up to 180 stand-alone LPCs will be opened in the next few years. The LDCs will process destination mail and transfer mail and packages to delivery. The LPCs will be modernized with standard designs in workflow and refined operations, with benefits similar to the RPDCs, including repositioning of machines to improve mail flow, removing obstructions from the workroom floor, improving overall visibility (i.e., lighting), and improving employee common areas.

This process, as with any such transition, takes time. The Postal Service will adhere to all legal, statutory, contractual, and regulatory requirements as network modernization continues in the coming years.

As with any transition, some unintended and temporary disruptions may occur. We are taking steps to ensure packages are processed as quickly and efficiently as possible and apologize to any customers who may be experiencing issues with delivery of their items. We strongly encourage customers who have concerns to contact us either online or via our toll-free number.

When customers reach out, they can provide vital details to our customer service staff. A number will be assigned to each case, which allows the Postal Service to fully research the situation and provide a suitable resolution for our customers. Customers may call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777), or visit our website at www.usps.com/help .

kinda related,

USPS, despite their issues, if a package needs signature, you get a tag on the door or mailbox, and you go get it,

simple, been that way for years, if not always


UPS, was expecting a letter (shipped Next Day Air) for delivery yesterday,

first, delivery window 11-3,,, then changed to 1-7

at 6,, when I close, I called to see what was what, and supposedly the driver could not find my address, (odd,, mailbox has big numbers)

no worries, can you deliver tomorrow (that would be today)

sure, no problem says UPS,,

driver drops off a package today, no envelop, so I call again, and it is on the managers desk,,,, different person, full of excuses, and was not happy when i explained to her the crap from yesterday,

so, since i am on the road to a gunshow tomorrow, and they don;t deliver Sat/Sun or MLK day,,, I will get that letter , on Tuesday,,,,,

needed to hand it to someone on Sunday,,,