Anyone else have trouble with the USPS package tracking? I have a Registered package out two days and the tracking # won't show where it is. Going to the office tomorrow to see what's going on.

Funny you should mention that. Just last month I sent a package 90 miles away. No updates until it was delivered at the front desk of the repair biz. Ok, ok. So the guy fixed my part and sent it back priority...from 90 miles away mind you. The tracking info sez 1 day service. So nothing on Friday, nothing on Saturday ( weekend, what the heck). Nothing Monday... I’m starting to worry. So the package shows up at the station 50 miles away at 3:52 am. Wednesday, nothing in the mail...hmmm. But a new message sez it was delivered to the front desk of the repair biz again late Wed pm.

So I called USPS CS line and waited 1hour and 40 minutes on hold. Finally I talked to the lady; she looked the package up and said there is probably something damaged on the label. Everything is automated now, it will read the bar code but not the written address. Mmm ok.

The next morning I called the repair company, and the gent said he just sent it off with the post man again. So I drove to my local USPS and the site manager told me she had been contacted by the CS person, and sent an email to the closer station to keep an eye out for it again. Short story, the package showed up at the repair shop again.

I was surprised to see it arrive back at the closer station 2 days later. One more day, and it got closer, and finally the next it wound up at my house—-10 days to go 90 miles PRIORITY. I looked at the label carefully, and it was perfecto; even the bar code was ok. No other bar codes on the box. And between all this the only updates I got were that the package arrived at the nExt station. After about 7 days, they started putting a city name next to the latest location.

I don’t know what to think; label was fine, my part was not damaged, but it sure has a lot of new mileage on it.

This has been a frequent topic in the past. The long and short of it is that the USPS does not have the technology of the private companies. In addition the mail carrier may scan all the packages at the beginning of a route which saves time. Calling the Post office or going by to visit is generally unproductive.

I can't recall in the past decade even once when the 'postal service tracking number' actually reported anything on my own packages until after the delivery

USPS Tracking is mostly useless. On a rare occasion it will show you something in an almost timely manner.

Thanks everybody who responded. Suspicions confirmed.

quote:

Originally posted by greco:
I don’t know what to think; label was fine, my part was not damaged, but it sure has a lot of new mileage on it.

Was the original label that you used to send the package to the business still on the box?

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
This has been a frequent topic in the past. The long and short of it is that the USPS does not have the technology of the private companies. In addition the mail carrier may scan all the packages at the beginning of a route which saves time. Calling the Post office or going by to visit is generally unproductive.

We have new scanners, with new scanning procedures and a package sorting system that is completely scanner based. We have the same scanners Fedex has (unless they got new ones recently). I scan every single package into my truck when I'm loading now, and we have way points that time roughly when the parcel should be delivered.

I placed an order with WOOT! on Friday (two days ago). It was shipped via USPS and delivered today (Sunday).

Tracking information, step-by-step through the package's journey, appeared to be accurate and up to date.

I've had excellent tracking results with USPS. Depending on the shipper, I get an email when it's delivered to my cluster box. When the tracking information shows the package leaving the hub before 6 pm, I can count on delivery the next day.

I had a guy in California send me a USPSMO. It went to New Hampshire, and came back to Ohio. The PO was as puzzled as we were.