peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Mar 31, 2015 8:55:45 GMT -5
I am a bit upset about recent experiences with the post office since I rely completely on U.S. Priority Mail. The alternatives just do not compare. Now I'm worried that USPS has decided that they need not compete on the basis of having a much better service. I noticed when I shipped a package last Tuesday (the 24th) it was no longer called Two Day Priority Mail. It was listed as Three Day Priority Mail. And as I followed the tracking number it looked as if the item was not moved out of the New Orleans post office for several days!
The older medium flat raters were delivered in 2 to 3 days on almost every occasion. This box has not yet been delivered after a week, although I finally got an update saying it will be later today.
It's maybe on the incoming side too. Earlier in the month, I ordered an item from a good seller. They shipped within 48 hours and sent me the tracking number. But...same thing happened. The item was NOT delivered on the scheduled day. After 3 or 4 more days went by, I called the local post office and asked what to do. They said something about snow in New York but they did deliver the item the next day. We did have a recent shooting at New Orleans airport but it was resolved in hours and really should not have impacted mail in the cargo hold. I'm guess I'm saying I don't believe weather in New York or air traffic delays in New Orleans really have anything to do with slow delivery of Priority Mail...I don't know what's going on but I don't like it!!
Are these two unrelated issues that will not happening again? Or are they happening to other people a lot? Really worried as I have no other way really to buy, sell, and swap my stones and other collectibles except by mail.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,687
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Post by Fossilman on Mar 31, 2015 11:01:50 GMT -5
I noticed here in Oregon too..........Sometimes my priority boxes get sent in two days to their destination,some times its five days!!! All in all I will keep using their system as long as they keep the pricing at a reasonable rate,even if it's a few days difference on delivery... A buddy I know had to ship with Fed-Ex,two MFR boxes to me and it cost him $84.00 and some change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Totally out of line on their shipping cost,UPS is not much difference in pricing either!! We can rant and rave(which I do too),but I will stick to USPS......(For now)..Thumbs up
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2015 13:05:38 GMT -5
Envelopes for work taking 5 days. To go 80 miles. Used to be 1 day, maybe 2.
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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 31, 2015 14:26:49 GMT -5
Post Office incompetence is getting to me. Especially packages coming from Florida. For the second time in a month, I've tracked packages "out for delivery" in Miami, when they're supposed to be coming to Aberdeen, SD. I suppose Florida had to hire a bunch of Obama's illegals to sort mail, when not a one of them can read English.
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Mar 31, 2015 14:45:16 GMT -5
Sent a parcel 2 day priority mail, it arrived in 5. At least I got refunded the shipping costs.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Mar 31, 2015 19:19:58 GMT -5
I just called Allstate about a letter and they said it is now running 10 to 12 days for first class mail. I thought they were just making excuses but...now I'm wondering. This has all been in the last few weeks. Maybe I've been spoiled but I was used to super service going with the great price for Priority Mail items.
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Post by snowmom on Apr 1, 2015 6:27:58 GMT -5
USPS has a feedback site online. Every time we ship a package we get a reminder. They are looking for feedback...
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 1, 2015 8:27:38 GMT -5
I've just mailed off two boxes so will know soon. Until now, most have traveled very fast....Mel
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 1, 2015 9:24:30 GMT -5
Never had any problems receiving or delivering packages/letters through USPS. USPS also delivers for FedEx and UPS. I do not care for FedEx or UPS costs for delivery. I have noticed that I have purchased items from evilbay and receive a tracking number for the package, but it may take a day or two for it to appear on the USPS website. I wondered if the delay in showing up on USPS website is because the seller has labels with a tracking number and has not taken the package to the post office for entry into their database. about.usps.com/news/service-alerts/welcome.htm My mother retired after 27 years of service with the USPS as a rural carrier several years ago. They were expected to deliver regardless of weather conditions, and her route was 100 miles each day. One time she had chicken biddies in cages to deliver, lol. When she was a carrier, a letter that was mailed from Cairo, GA to Thomasville, GA would have to be sent to Macon, GA to be sorted and processed before it would arrive to its destination in Thomasville. Cairo and Thomasville are about 15 miles apart. It's about 155 miles from Cairo to Macon, GA.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Apr 1, 2015 9:28:12 GMT -5
USPS has a feedback site online. Every time we ship a package we get a reminder. They are looking for feedback... Agreed. My local post office even called me and asked me to leave feedback about the first delayed package. They never did that before. One of the reasons I suspect a deliberate slowdown. It appears people may be getting laid off and insufficient new employees hired and there's some anger about it? Just speculating? But it seems I don't ever see some of the old familiar faces at the post office anymore so I worry they've been let go? Maybe they want us to give a lot of negative feedback so the higher ups will do something. If it's something happening all over and I need to allow for packages moving more slowly going forward, I would just like to know that for my own information.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Apr 1, 2015 9:31:26 GMT -5
I wondered if the delay in showing up on USPS website is because the seller has labels with a tracking number and has not taken the package to the post office for entry into their database. about.usps.com/news/service-alerts/welcome.htm I'm REALLY worried about my customers thinking I would do that. There is only one lady at my post office who scans in my prepaid packages and gives me the receipt immediately. The rest just put it back on the counter somewhere and God knows when it's been actually getting scanned in. And the lady who was doing immediate scans/giving receipts has (I'm afraid) been laid off or encouraged to resign because I don't think I've seen her in 2015.
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 1, 2015 9:32:13 GMT -5
peachfront, did you mail the letter with signature confirmation? We always mail 'important' mail with signature and delivery confirmation.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Apr 1, 2015 9:44:38 GMT -5
peachfront, did you mail the letter with signature confirmation? We always mail 'important' mail with signature and delivery confirmation. Nope. Just delivery confirmation. Signature confirmation is a real nuisance for me, so I have to assume it causes a lot of problems for others of my customers. Example: Some clueless relative sent me one of those gift baskets of corked wine for Christmas. Honestly, I wish they'd just dumped it in the trash but evidently someone has to sign for it who is over 21 even if it's undrinkable and I myself ended up dumping it in the trash. (I'm ranting now! Sorry!) Anyway. Even though I work at home, even with the post office telling me when the package was allegedly scheduled to be delivered, it was a nightmare of missed drop-off attempts to try to get the package. They would say the time and day it was coming, and of course it didn't, and you have to leave the house sometime if only to buy food, and that's the day/time they would make the delivery attempt and I don't even remember now how I finally got it. Maybe I had to pick up at the post office after being a prisoner in my own home for two or three different days. Argh... I would be willing to do that to take delivery of, say, a package of precious gems but it's hardly worth it for a box of cutting rough. So that's my rant on signature confirmation. I definitely know it can cause HUGE delays so I definitely avoid it.
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 1, 2015 9:51:51 GMT -5
I empathize with you not wanting to fool with delivery confirmation, peachfront, but we use it when mailing important letters or documents. It sets us 'at ease' to know that the letter was received since it contains important information, plus the receiver cannot say they did not receive it.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,687
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 1, 2015 9:53:51 GMT -5
Three times I have raised hell with the Postal Service! I don't go to the local Office-I start at the top of the list,as the old saying goes "Crap rolls down hill"!! I get call backs and apologies when I go that route-keeps them on their toes..I don't really care if I anger them-it's their job to push that mail as good as they are trained to do!!
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Post by jakesrocks on Apr 1, 2015 10:22:20 GMT -5
Well, my misdirected package is now shown as having left the sort facility, hopefully headed in the right direction this time. This is going to add an extra 3 or 4 days to delivery time, all because of P.O. incompetence.
I once had an expensive mineral specimen mailed to me from Utah. The damned package went all the way to an island somewhere in the tropical south Atlantic, sat there for a few days, and was finally sent back up to South Dakota. It took almost a month to get a package which should have arrived in 3 or 4 days. The seller of the specimen was even willing to send an even better specimen. We were both having such a good laugh over the incompetence of the P.O., that I told him to wait until the package finally arrived here.
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booboo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2014
Posts: 147
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Post by booboo on Apr 1, 2015 10:52:38 GMT -5
I recently sent a package from cali to texas using their 3 day express service...it took 2 weeks...wah wah
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spiritstone
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2014
Posts: 2,061
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Post by spiritstone on Apr 1, 2015 11:12:47 GMT -5
LOL...The post office is a entity of its own doing. I sent a trade package to Australia by plane took over 3 months to get there. Someone thought it would be funny to stick it on a boat instead. I tend to look numerous times to see where my packages are with the tracking system, a lot of times it'll come here to where I am located, then they put it back on a plane or truck and send it to Vancouver, then back over the Rockies to my home. lmao. One fantastic operation.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,687
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 1, 2015 12:02:53 GMT -5
Sent a package to Scott a few years ago-he lives in Cali........It went north,than east,than to Texas,than Cali.!!!!
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Apr 1, 2015 18:25:44 GMT -5
The folks in my local post office are actually very kind and helpful. But I am concerned about a change of policy beyond their control. :-( I know it's my responsibility as a consumer to complain when I see something going badly wrong, and I (usually) do, but I will admit I do NOT enjoy the process. From these policies -- and other hints beyond this board -- I am suspecting of a mail slowdown for whatever reason...the politics are not really my place to comment on since I don't have enough information.
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