USPS Sham

[SumpChump]

I've always lived the proud USPS eagle but I think I reached my limit with poor service. On Geb 14th I sent two UOAnalysis samples to blackstone. It has taken 7 days and it is still in transit. This was not during their storms. I can understand perhaps 2 whole days extra. But 5 days past the promised priority Mail date?? Rediculous.

Further research has shown that on of the sorting facilities it must go through in Allen Park, Michigan is notirious for damage, days delayed sitting lost in building. Worst of all, this sorting facility in Michigan is the one that serves Blackstone almost exclusively. Blackstone themselves posts images of the rediculous damage and repacking from that sorting facility.

Beware! 2 day became 7 days and still ticking. Now that it's the weekend I will likely not get results from Blackstone until 12 days after shipping date rather that the four days total it should have taken.

Does anyone do their job anymore? Are ther any craftsmen? Does anyone know what they are doing?



Whew, needed that.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I've had UOA samples lost/delayed by USPS in the past too. However, this time, the delay you're experiencing is probably weather related. Other carriers such as UPS and FedEx are also affected. Last Saturday, I shipped a package via UPS to NY area. It was supposed to get there on Wed. It is now Friday, and it's still not there.

 

[dparm]

Dude, it's the post office...what did you expect? They're just flat-out incompetent.

I always send my samples Priority Mail which means they don't take their dear-sweet time with it. First Class has gone to [censored] lately, I've noticed. Everything First Class is taking forever.

 

[matrass]

Sorry to hear abut the issue. I have had the same issue recently. never received my Xmas card from my mom who lives 45 minutes from me. never received my W2 from my employer who sent it 3 weeks ago. stopped by the Post Office yesterday and the clerk gave me attitude when I asked where my mail can be. " we can not track every piece of mail " is what I was told. ended up talking to a supervisor to ask where the lost mail goes. suppose to get a call back but have the feeling I will not. now I have my W2 out in limbo ( with all of my personal info on it ) and nobody knows or cares where it is. my employer has not gotten it returned to them and either has my Mom gotten my Xmas card back like USPS said should happen.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Does anyone do their job anymore? Are ther any craftsmen? Does anyone know what they are doing?




Well in general Id say no since weve become so good at offshoring jobs and telling people that they hold no value.

But the USPS cant be offshored, so its probably weather and government furloughs. Per the other thread above, UPS and Fedex are excessively overpriced for a regular consumer, but USPS is likely excessively underpriced, and their increases are held hostage by law. Not sure how they can do business in the age of substantially higher medical and fuel costs. Something has to give, and its probably the equipment upkeep to sort and pass parcels to the right distribuion points... Plus running a smaller skeleton crew.

 

[Oil Changer]

I just went through this myself and I was not nice. Same as you, my package, "departed the Allen Park sorting facility" never to be seen again. Then they wouldn't do anything for 30 days. After 30 days, I was told that under federal law they are not responsible for anything. That was it.

Amazon took care of me. Nothing but great things to say about Amazon. USPS? They can go bankrupt for all I care. Screw 'em.

 

[jcwit]

Considering the number and amount of pieces of mail they handle daily I'm amazed they are able to do the excellent job they do.

Anyone out there that thinks they could do better, hey, have at it!

I almost always get my packages from anywhere in the U.S. within 3 days, once in a while a couple of days longer.

Worst service is when the shipper uses Fed EX Smart Post, that usually adds a week for delivery till the USPS gets it.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Are ther any craftsmen? Does anyone know what they are doing?


No. People who are expert in a craft cost money and are not easily replaceable. Products and services manufactured or performed by "people who know what they're doing" might make for a healthier, sustainable community, but that is not how things work: People want cheap garbage.

 

[montero1]

Originally Posted By: SumpChump
I've always lived the proud USPS eagle but I think I reached my limit with poor service. On Geb 14th I sent two UOAnalysis samples to blackstone. It has taken 7 days and it is still in transit. This was not during their storms. I can understand perhaps 2 whole days extra. But 5 days past the promised priority Mail date?? Rediculous.

Further research has shown that on of the sorting facilities it must go through in Allen Park, Michigan is notirious for damage, days delayed sitting lost in building. Worst of all, this sorting facility in Michigan is the one that serves Blackstone almost exclusively. Blackstone themselves posts images of the rediculous damage and repacking from that sorting facility.

Beware! 2 day became 7 days and still ticking. Now that it's the weekend I will likely not get results from Blackstone until 12 days after shipping date rather that the four days total it should have taken.

Does anyone do their job anymore? Are ther any craftsmen? Does anyone know what they are doing?



Whew, needed that.


I can't speak for all the other peoples' mishaps with the Postal Service, but as far as shipping your analyses to Blackstone, you'll yield way better results putting them in a small box rather than shipping through their black canisters. My turnaround time with Black canisters was 10 days to 3-4 weeks, with putting them in a box-5 days.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: montero1

I can't speak for all the other peoples' mishaps with the Postal Service, but as far as shipping your analyses to Blackstone, you'll yield way better results putting them in a small box rather than shipping through their black canisters. My turnaround time with Black canisters was 10 days to 3-4 weeks, with putting them in a box-5 days.



Use a flat-rate USPS envelope/box. You can put a couple of sample containers in there and have it delivered to Blackstone in 2-3 days for $6.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: uc50ic4more
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Are ther any craftsmen? Does anyone know what they are doing?


No. People who are expert in a craft cost money and are not easily replaceable. Products and services manufactured or performed by "people who know what they're doing" might make for a healthier, sustainable community, but that is not how things work: People want cheap garbage.


To expand on this, the USPS probably had such a wizard at one point and they got him to write 1000s of pages of SOP manuals. Then USPS went through years of wrangling with a contractor to automate their best process, then hired or reassigned drubs to work machines that came with incomprehensible manuals from the gov't contractor. Though they "trained" these employees, there was a mishmosh of conflicting info from between USPS brass and the machine guys. Of course every process was crafted to remove decision making from the proles and have them follow pre-configured checklists, with predictable close-but-not-quite-right results.

This is all pure speculation.

USPS is saddled with stuff the for-profit companies don't have to deal with, like reaching every house even in rural Timbuktu, that "smartpost" thing to "help" UPS and Fedex with the "Last Mile", public service stuff like Media Mail and Books on Tape for the blind. As a regular joe I find their package pricing as good as the others, but locations way more convenient.

 

[901Memphis]

Must be your part of the country. I don't think I've ever had problems around here near Cincinnati international airport

 

[MinamiKotaro]

[censored] happens, deal with it. UOA results aren't life or death.

 

[BearZDefect]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
... Not sure how they can do business in the age of substantially higher medical and fuel costs. Something has to give, and its probably the equipment upkeep to sort and pass parcels to the right distribuion points... Plus running a smaller skeleton crew.

I have the impression that for years now they have been hiring only part time with no benefits, as their full time employees gradually retire. Human resources much be a large part of their costs. I think they have improved their equipment and process in recent years, but cheapened their workforce a great deal - for better or worse I can't say. USPS causes me trouble now and then. My main complaint is that when they do, I have nowhere to turn for help.

 

[Oil Changer]

Next time it might be a blood sample. Screw the USPS.

Originally Posted By: MinamiKotaro
[censored] happens, deal with it. UOA results aren't life or death.

 

[jcwit]

Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
Next time it might be a blood sample. Screw the USPS.

Originally Posted By: MinamiKotaro
[censored] happens, deal with it. UOA results aren't life or death.


Not sure they'd use the post office for such as that. I have blood drawn twice yearly at Fort Wayne and it is sent to Mayo Clinic for lab work. It's picked up every evening at the air port and flown to Minn. Same goes for blood drawn in Goshen Indiana. Plane stops by every afternoon.

 

[Kruse]

Twenty-plus years ago, I had to do a monthly bulk mailing for a club that I used to belong to. I had to take the mailings to the center of a large metropolis and wait..and wait..and wait for service. The employees there moved like sloths and couldn't care less about speed because they really couldn't get fired for being slow.
Fast forward to today and a lot of the local postmasters are getting their hours cut and the jobs that are now available at the post office are not permanent jobs.
While I have had no problem with the USPS and my current mail carrier is a great postal employee, I can see why the service can be bad in certain parts of the system.

 

[dlundblad]

Speaking of UOA's, I wonder if Blackstone would just let me drop it off at their lab. Its in my hometown.

But yes USPS is a joke. Packages sent via USPS seem to have double to triple transit time compared to UPS and FedEx. Did your package come with a tracking number? You can forget using that too. If I can avoid anything being shipped through them I most certainly do it.

 

[SumpChump]

Good news, Blackstone came through for me. USPS finally got it there an they did the UOA and posted results in literally a few hours. On a Friday!

 

[SumpChump]

Originally Posted By: uc50ic4more
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Are ther any craftsmen? Does anyone know what they are doing?


No. People who are expert in a craft cost money and are not easily replaceable. Products and services manufactured or performed by "people who know what they're doing" might make for a healthier, sustainable community, but that is not how things work: People want cheap garbage.


Agreed. Totally!
Speaking of craftsman, I was browsing YouTube and found a guy from a transmission shop who made videos of tranny tear downs. He narrated the parts, cited metal colors, wear, mentioned typical flaws or upgrades... It was beautiful to see someone AWAKE doing a job. I know this sounds anal but even oil drain bolts have torque specs and yet I see dealership guys just cranking down on those things on new cars. Not life and death stuff but hey what does that say about their work when the tear apart a dashboard when doing a stupid recall job on an airbag wire or something. I've see photos from folks who had dealer guys just mar and mangle their new interiors to do a warranty fix.