USPS stinks

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
You should send it UPS.
UPS is using the Post Office for the final leg of delivery in rural areas.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I think members have to learn how to titrate their TBN AT HOME. You could do a KV at home too.

 

[SuperSalad]

Originally Posted By: CT8
The excessive retirement benefits is why the Post Office is failing . Just like all government jobs huge retirement costs. Some day the taxpayers will wake up ... never mind Californis is really in bad shape because of the retirement costs.

The USPS is not funded by tax money at all. It is a self funded governmental organization that employees and the organization fund the retirement accounts for without tax dollars. Congress actually forced the USPS to unnecessarily "pre-fund" the next 30 years of retirees for the past decade which is why they were losing money over the past decade. That policy is now completed as far as I know which means the numbers should look much better going forward.

USPS Inspector General: Be Careful What You Assume

On the flip side, they do however receive large subsidies to reduce tax burden and costs, but those subsidies make a lot of sense if you ask me since they are still a federal organization and plenty of private industries are subsidized too.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I rarely see an issue with any of the 3 major package/parcel delivery services. Our local post office is running 2 vehicles on each route-one for package deliveries and one for regular post office mail. The local postmaster is running our area in her pickup and shows up at our house around 6:30 AM when we have post office delivered packages.

I received a package via FedEx yesterday and it was a day earlier than estimated.

Any time you ship anything around this time of the year you should plan on possible delays. Not only because of volume, but weather can cause an issue as well. A snowstorm on the east coast can cause shipping delays in the Midwest.

Originally Posted By: opus1
Originally Posted By: pbm
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
They seem to be overwhelmed by all the Amazon traffic, especially during Thanksgiving/black friday and Christmas time. This is the time of the year when they miss the expected delivery dates the most, in my experience.



UPS and FedEx do the same heavy volume and are far more efficient than our government run post office....I wonder why?
For starters, because they hand off the undesirable deliveries to the USPS. Next time you get an Amazon or UPS package delivered, check who *really* did the final delivery.

They also don't deliver weekends. USPS does.

I'm currently waiting for a UPS package that was supposed to be delivered by 12/1. UPS' reason for the delay, a late trailer - one late trailer and almost a week's delay? So they're not all that and a bag of chips either.


And to add to that, congress also oversees the US Post Office and sets policies, rates, wages, job appointments, transportation, pay increases and labor-management relations. They don't oversee other carriers at the same level.

 

[SuperSalad]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
You should send it UPS.
UPS is using the Post Office for the final leg of delivery in rural areas.

UPS and FedEx contract massive amounts of business to the USPS because they have a more efficient organizational structure and infrastructure for less money.

Wall Street Journal: USPS' FedEx & UPS Contracts

 

[aquariuscsm]

I have a really good usps experience to share. I bought an album (12 inch vinyl lp) of a Spanish mid 60s rock band from a seller in Peurto Rico. Seller said it could take up to three weeks to arrive. I got it in 5 days!! And postage only cost me $4.

 

[cheech279]

Ramblejam, if your letter from Blackstone remains in effect, I stand corrected. But it is an undated letter, and USPS mailing standards and regulations change on a regular basis. The Postal Service is very sensitive to liquids that can spill inside a mail processing facility. Sometimes entire operations are shut down in the event of a materials spill.

I still argue that the best advice is to securely repackage the Blackstone sample bottle in a small box and mail it either First Class Mail or Priority Mail. If you have a USPS account, you can still mail small parcels via First Class Mail if they're under 14 ounces. In that case FCM is cheaper than Priority Mail.

 

[3800Series]

USPS has been nothing but reliable to me. I've only ever had 1 package go up missing and that was between the seller and USPS. They said they sent the package out and USPS said the never received it. Since the postal service never scanned the package I kind of believe them over the seller.

The seller just seemed dishonest and wanted me to go file paper work so they could claim the insurance.

 

[Andrew1972]

I love how usps now delivers my amazon packages on Sunday......

 

[Anduril]

Originally Posted By: 3800Series
USPS has been nothing but reliable to me. I've only ever had 1 package go up missing and that was between the seller and USPS. They said they sent the package out and USPS said the never received it. Since the postal service never scanned the package I kind of believe them over the seller.

The seller just seemed dishonest and wanted me to go file paper work so they could claim the insurance.

I ordered a small electronic item and had this happen once. Seller refunded my money, but said he personally dropped the item off at the post office and suspects a postal employee stole it before it could be scanned.

 

[dlayman]

Originally Posted By: MotoTribologist
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
You should send it UPS.
UPS is using the Post Office for the final leg of delivery in rural areas.

UPS and FedEx contract massive amounts of business to the USPS because they have a more efficient organizational structure and infrastructure for less money.

Wall Street Journal: USPS' FedEx & UPS Contracts


Both of your posts on this topic are spot one. Nice to see some informed input, rather than reactionary rhetoric that has little if any factual basis.

 

[umungus1122]

Originally Posted By: Anduril
My experience is that the USPS is both faster and cheaper than UPS and FedEx.
Yep, that's true. Especially if you're sending a small item or something heavy in a flat-rate box.

 

[SuperSalad]

Originally Posted By: dlayman
Originally Posted By: MotoTribologist
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
You should send it UPS.
UPS is using the Post Office for the final leg of delivery in rural areas.

UPS and FedEx contract massive amounts of business to the USPS because they have a more efficient organizational structure and infrastructure for less money.

Wall Street Journal: USPS' FedEx & UPS Contracts


Both of your posts on this topic are spot one. Nice to see some informed input, rather than reactionary rhetoric that has little if any factual basis.

My father has been a carrier for 40 years, so I get to hear a lot of the truth behind all the sensationalist stuff that gets spread around.

I'm not saying it is perfect because there are a ton of problems, but the fact that it is federal organization that congress can't seem to keep their fingers out of that can fund its own operation, make a profit, employ such huge numbers of civilians and perform such an essential duty deserves some credit in my opinion.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: CT8
..The excessive retirement benefits is why the Post Office is failing . Just like all government jobs huge retirement costs. Some day the taxpayers will wake up ... never mind Californis is really in bad shape because of the retirement costs.


It's not so much the excessive benefits, it's the fact they are forced to keep their benefit 'fund' over-funded. I forget by how much, it's either 1.5x or 2x. My father retired after 35yrs and I have two brothers and a SIL who are USPS employees. Anyone hired in the past 20yrs or so doesn't have nearly the benefits earlier hired do.

They've restructured their main hubs over the past few years which does some strange routing in some areas. Cost savings for the USPS supposedly, but does delay things for the end user.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

Originally Posted By: CT8
Originally Posted By: pbm
I mailed a used oil analysis sample 2 weeks ago (11/22/16) from NY to Ohio and it is still "In Transit" according to USPS tracking.

The First Class receipt said "Expected delivery on 11/25/16"....and as of today it still hasn't arrived....is it any wonder the USPS is FAILING....
The excessive retirement benefits is why the Post Office is failing . Just like all government jobs huge retirement costs. Some day the taxpayers will wake up ... never mind Californis is really in bad shape because of the retirement costs.


You do know that the Bush Administration demanded the USPS pay Congress an amount equal to it's entire future Pension Obligation, right? That was the reason of the last few postal rate increases, as the USPS was showing an annual profit otherwise. Of course, Congress just spent the money as it came in, so the taxpayer is still on the hook for those pension obligations. But it's not the USPS's fault ...

Also, for parcel delivery, the USPS contracts with the usual private corporations to move the cargo and in some cases do the actual delivery. So your USPS carton often goes on (for example) a FedEx plane and is transported right beside all those FedEx (or UPS, or DHL, as the case may be) boxes. No difference. I have an address in North Dakota I often ship to where all packages ... including USPS ... are delivered to the door by UPS.

 

[opus1]

Originally Posted By: opus1
Originally Posted By: pbm
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
They seem to be overwhelmed by all the Amazon traffic, especially during Thanksgiving/black friday and Christmas time. This is the time of the year when they miss the expected delivery dates the most, in my experience.



UPS and FedEx do the same heavy volume and are far more efficient than our government run post office....I wonder why?
For starters, because they hand off the undesirable deliveries to the USPS. Next time you get an Amazon or UPS package delivered, check who *really* did the final delivery.

They also don't deliver weekends. USPS does.

I'm currently waiting for a UPS package that was supposed to be delivered by 12/1. UPS' reason for the delay, a late trailer - one late trailer and almost a week's delay? So they're not all that and a bag of chips either.


And the latest on my wayward package: it received a "destination scan" at the hub that my deliveries come from on 12/5. Nothing for 12/6. Another destination scan this morning (12/7) and it's now allegedly out for delivery, a week after the promised date. Tell me again how efficient UPS is? And save the "well one data point doesn't prove anything" argument because this is not the first time UPS has done this to me.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: opus1
Originally Posted By: pbm
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
They seem to be overwhelmed by all the Amazon traffic, especially during Thanksgiving/black friday and Christmas time. This is the time of the year when they miss the expected delivery dates the most, in my experience.



UPS and FedEx do the same heavy volume and are far more efficient than our government run post office....I wonder why?
For starters, because they hand off the undesirable deliveries to the USPS. Next time you get an Amazon or UPS package delivered, check who *really* did the final delivery.

They also don't deliver weekends. USPS does.


Yes, they do. I got a package from Amazon recently...delivered by UPS on a Saturday!

 

[JHZR2]

I am usually pleased with USPS, and find them better in general than the for profit carriers. This weekend I was rather annoyed. I have a light (
Went to the post office, to ship from NJ to Germany they wanted nearly $50. I was amazed. There is no more post "by ship" apparently. The cheapest option to send a $30 item of such low mass was $50. So I left, saying that Id try the other shippers, and the clerk told me that Id be back...

Went on to Amazon, looked to have the item shipped directly - $10.99. Done.

 

[pbm]

My used oil analysis sample still hasn't been delivered....I'm assuming it's lost at this point.

 

[gman2304]

I ordered a package from Phoenix AZ recently. It left Phoenix the day after I ordered it, and then I tracked it to Oakland, Ca. It then was delivered to my doorstep in NC two days later. IDK why it went West from Phoenix to Oakland the first day, but I'm OK with 3 day shipping from 2,000 miles away. The purchase was With free shipping as well.