USPS Deserves to go down

[andrewg]

I know many here will have wonderful stories (or have family that work there) of the United States Postal Service. As for me? They have been a huge disappointment in recent months.
6 months ago I deposited my weekly bills into an available mail box in front of a post office. About three weeks later I notice that my Chevron gas card isn't working. I call Chevron....they say they have not gotten last months bill so they turned my card off. I was upset and didn't know who to blame. I told Chevron I mailed it and that I even had a copy of the check I'd sent....no dice. I got charged a late fee and it cost me some grief. Now.....forward to last week. I mailed an 8 1/2 x 11" cardboard rim with some documents inside going from Seattle to Florida. Know what? Never arrived! Stupid me didn't even send it registered (not that it would have mattered). I am extremely upset with the postal dolts and will NEVER trust them again! Those documents being lost have caused huge problems in a major financial transaction that involves other parties....and I look like a fool now. I should have know that they couldn't handle a simple mailing being that they are always VERY poor at service (two different offices....same level of 'service'). They are often rude, lazy, and slow. One person at the counter when you've got thirty people in line!
I could go on with many more stories about how crummy they are....but you get the picture.
I hope they go out of business....they deserve it.

 

[John_K]

I understand how you feel. But I can say I had similar experience with UPS (lost, damaged packages, poor customer service, etc.)

John

 

[JOD]

having shipped literally thousands of items, parcels and packages both, I 'trust' USPS hands-down more than UPS or Fed-Ex, particularly if I want the item to resemble what I've actually shipped. And the people in my local post office are actually really friendly.

 

[stephen9666]

I ship 50 to 75 packages a month with USPS and I've never had one lost or not delivered.

USPS works great for me and is far cheaper than Fedex or UPS.

 

[UNC007]

Funny the negative experience OP and one positive poster are both from WA as am I. With over 37,000 positive feedbacks left as a seller on eBay, I have sent a few packages all via USPS most of them 1st class package rate. Many out of the country even. On more than one occasion I have had the post in Italy return perfectly addressed packages the first time as undeliverable, then deliver it the next time. And had the USPS do exactly the same thing in the states.

Very, very few buyers ever report a lost package. Sometimes they tell me it took 30 days plus, but it got there, LOL.

I pay every bill possible online, but have never had a mailed check not get there. Now I do send my oil samples in a Priority mail box to insure it gets to BlackStone.

All-in-all I have to say the system works, but it's the individals in the system that break it. Like the package a buyer just reported that came postage due $4.05, because of an over zealous postman. (If a package is not at least .25" thick it must go Priority mail. The delivering postman interpreted my bubble mailer as less than that apparently - even though it was accepted on this end in WA).

 

[Artem]

I agree about the sometimes rude, lazy and slooooow part but i also have never had any issues with USPS regarding my packages. I've sent hundreds of packages all over the world and everything gets there on time and in good condition.

I've had issues with UPS and Fedex in particular.

Maybe the label you put on got ripped off or something.

Packages do get lost and or damaged. That's why you spend a few extra bucks and purchase tracking info, insurance and delivery confirmation. With insured stamps/stickers on the box, they handle the package very differently.

 

[SteveSRT8]

The fact remains that the USPS is losing money and the taxpayers may want to stop propping up failing business models.

I know I sure do.

If all the private shippers make money why can't the USPS?

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
If all the private shippers make money why can't the USPS?


Do you know how much they charge for a simple envelope? (hint: it is not the 40 something cents you pay) and do they deliver on Saturday?

I have far superior experience with USPS than UPS (stole my item and have to reorder, I know the driver stole it because I'm home within 10 mins of the truck delivery), and way worse with FedEx (lose a 1.5'x1.5'x3' ceiling fan, couldn't find my home and claim address do not exist, etc).

The only one problem I have is the lack of tracking that got lost within the company I work for, they'd claim it is my fault for ordering something that does not have tracking and deliver it to work.

Seriously, postal services around the world all have problem due to email and online payment replaced the usual mail services that was around for ages. If UPS and FedEx are forced to do Saturday deliver and deliver envelops for 49c each, they would be out of businesses in a month.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

The fact remains that the USPS is losing money and the taxpayers may want to stop propping up failing business models.


Postal service is authorized by the US Constitution. It clearly serves markets no business model would support.

UPS and Fedex cherry pick profitable routes and leave the rest for USPS. Not exactly a fair fight.

My local school doesn't make a profit; perhaps people with kids need to send their kids to for profit schools and pay with their own $$

 

[Carbon]

I would suggest going M...F for business areas. Business pay most of the postage. M,W,F (or Tu, W, Sa) for residential areas in most areas. Harder to reach areas (areas where cost to deliver is over 4 times the postage collected for that area) would be on a much lesser schedule.

Maybe customers who want more frequent delivery could be offered more for a fee.

 

[PandaBear]

We should cut delivery to 1 day per week for rural.

3 days a week for the cities.

Contract out small town delivery to private businesses so the owner can refuse service to unruly customers, refuse to accept credit card, etc.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Thank you carbon for at least trying something positive. Pandabear and simplegifts are being simplistic and decided not to contribute.

The facts are simple. We are broke. Now the only real question is what do we pay for, what do we NOT pay for?

I say sell it off on a state by state basis. This would generate a ton of cash for the sale, and let the private biz world have a go at it. Some of the people who live in the boondocks may just have to put up with some changes to their delivery patterns.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
The fact remains that the USPS is losing money and the taxpayers may want to stop propping up failing business models.

I know I sure do.

If all the private shippers make money why can't the USPS?

Exactly. I think you know the answer to your question Steve.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Thank you carbon for at least trying something positive. Pandabear and simplegifts are being simplistic and decided not to contribute.

The facts are simple. We are broke. Now the only real question is what do we pay for, what do we NOT pay for?

I say sell it off on a state by state basis. This would generate a ton of cash for the sale, and let the private biz world have a go at it. Some of the people who live in the boondocks may just have to put up with some changes to their delivery patterns.


and selling off post office state by state is not simplistic and is actually contributing?

a business that is losing money is not worth "a ton of cash".

just 2 fewer deliveries a week move me from "positive" to "simplistic and not contributing"

or is it that you live in the rural and is subsidized, yet still wants the perks of living in a major population center that get 5 days deliver?


those "service office" that postal contract to (aka small businesses) refuse to take credit card when I buy stamps.

 

[urchin]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Quote:

The fact remains that the USPS is losing money and the taxpayers may want to stop propping up failing business models.


Postal service is authorized by the US Constitution. It clearly serves markets no business model would support.

UPS and Fedex cherry pick profitable routes and leave the rest for USPS. Not exactly a fair fight.

My local school doesn't make a profit; perhaps people with kids need to send their kids to for profit schools and pay with their own $$



Bingo.

These crazy folks that think EVERYTHING (including critical public services )can be efficiently run by businesses are insane.

BUT they don't see ANYTHING wrong with corporate welfare for private businesses like military contractors and the like.

Definitely a case of drinking too much elitist Kool Aide.

 

[Dave Hess]

4 days per week delivery to big cities
3 days per week dilivery to medium cities
2 days per week delivery to small cities
1 day per week delivery to rural places

 

[fdcg27]

Steve,
I think you're on to something, but why stop with the mail?
Elections are expensive.
Let's contract them out.
No need for polling places in rural areas.
If you live in a rural area, you may just have to drive forty miles out of your way to vote, or maybe pay a fee to vote locally.
No big deal.
The courts are expensive too.
Maybe they should sold off, with court costs then being set by the private vendors who would provide the service.
Also, the vendors could offer expert express service, where for an extra fee you'd get an actual law school graduate as a judge, along with priority on the docket.
The possibilities are endless.
My point is that government as a provider of essential services is not intended to be profitable.
I don't think that any of us would really want to live in a country where every service now supported in part or in whole through the taxes we pay were required to generate an operating profit.

 

[JOD]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Thank you carbon for at least trying something positive. Pandabear and simplegifts are being simplistic and decided not to contribute.



Huh? because they say something you disagree with they 'aren't contributing?'?

The USPS is one of the few institutions mandated by the US Constitution, and a functioning mail delivery system is one of the fundamental resources which sets apart civilized, industrialized societies;the founding fathers agreed with that (and it's funny how people often consider themselves such adherents to the Constitution--until they aren't...). The whole point of pooled resources is to spread the costs out. People in rural areas will simply never get service, and 'selling it off to the states' is simply not a workable solution. Any volunteers to buy the South Dakota post office?

It seems that anything which is related to anything 'government' is automatically the object of scorn, just like the beginning of this thread: "my CC company lost my payment, so we have to close the post office". Gimme a friggen break...

I'd suggest giving this a read to clear up a bunch of the falsehoods permeating this thread: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/five-things/the-u-s-postal-service/11433/

Regardless of the politics of the post office, when it comes time to ship something, I use USPS almost all of the time, since it tends to be cheaper, faster and more reliable. Over the last 2 years in particular, UPS' main method of shipment seems to be via catapult.

 

[urchin]

Notice how all of the controlled media..ALL of it, has barely uttered a word about the calamity that would have occurred if the little shrub would have gotten his wish.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Steve,
I think you're on to something, but why stop with the mail?
Elections are expensive.
I don't think that any of us would really want to live in a country where every service now supported in part or in whole through the taxes we pay were required to generate an operating profit.

Of course not everything the Government is into can be expected to turn a profit. But what is wrong with cleaning house or eliminating failed Government ventures.

I cite other examples that can't be eliminated but its hard to say they aren't hopelessly mismanaged:

Dept of Transportation
Department of Homeland security (Immigration)
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of the Treasury
Department of (In)Justice

These are Failed Departments by almost any measure that any sane person would apply

I guess many of are so conditioned to Government mismanagement and lack of measurable success wh just assume its "Normal" for it to operate in the fashion that it is.