Unreal slow delivery service from USPS

Doc_J

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Would you believe a USPS shipped Ukulele has only made it from a Chicago suburb to the Chicago distribution center in 7 days? I doubt that is 50 miles.
It was supposed to be delivered to Atlanta in 6 days. Now that the original estimated delivery date is past, the USPS does not even give an estimate when it will be delivered.

I continue to recommend that no one use USPS basic Parcel Post to ship anything of value.
USPS Priority Mail is a different service ( from Parcel Post) and usually has service comparable to UPS and FedEx ground.

Would you believe this (USPS Parcel Post) was a recommended shipping means on Reverb? If the shipping cost was only $20 I would understand crappy service. But, the shipping charges were $50. Another reason to only use FedEx or UPS or USPS Priority Mail for shipping things of value.

The Christmas and Covid peak volumes are over. Why so slow? Clearly the USPS is cutting back on service.
 
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I had a flute do something like that recently. Took over three weeks when initial estimate was 2-day Priority.
 
Trump appointee postmaster general deJoy has ordered the post office to slow our mail down and raise prices. I'm mailing out Mom's Mother's Day present tomorrow, but I doubt if she'll get it by May 9, 1200 miles away....
 
USPS effs up all time, as do other services. Ordered something from across town once, east side (I live on the west). It went from there to a town 60 miles west to a regional center, back to town to regional center, back to 60 miles west regional center, to another town in between, then delivered. Took 10 days to go about 5 miles. So yeah I can believe it...but they all screw up, just depends on if your package is an unlucky one.
 
Trump appointee postmaster general deJoy has ordered the post office to slow our mail down and raise prices. I'm mailing out Mom's Mother's Day present tomorrow, but I doubt if she'll get it by May 9, 1200 miles away....

It's really important to understand the reasons behind things like this. State-run postal service doesn't have to be awful. Many great examples across Europe.

Ps. Sorry for bringing in politics to the discussion but I didn't start it. :D
 
It's really important to understand the reasons behind things like this. State-run postal service doesn't have to be awful. Many great examples across Europe. Ps. Sorry for bringing in politics to the discussion but I didn't start it. :D

The problem is it's run by dolts and controlled by the workers, the "lunatics are running the asylum."

Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
8 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 10 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 36)
•Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
•Member The CC Strummers: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
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I ordered an awning from a sales center in Benicia (6 miles north of me). Just across the river
It was shipped to Sacramento (60 miles north /East of both of us)
Then to Vallejo (15 miles west of both of us)
Then to a Distribution Center 3 miles from me
Then delivered to my home

The algorithms are perplexing.
 
The problem is it's run by dolts and controlled by the workers, the "lunatics are running the asylum."
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Humorously?
Temporary or probation employees are not issued uniforms. So when I see someone wearing jeans and a t-shirt rummaging through the back of the postal van, I assume they are authorized and not a thief.
 
Use a service like goshippo.com or similar, and you'll get a range of heavily discounted rates to choose from across multiple carriers. You should be able to get a fast service with a reliable delivery estimate for cheaper than you paid for parcel post.
 
USPS has been terrible for a long time. I avoid using it when at all possible. I like UPS in the areas where I've lived. FedEx is OK, but I've found their people hard to deal with. I think that relates to their background as a business oriented service. Dealing with individuals isn't their forte. I think our government ought to put the postal service out to bid, and let a private operator run it.
 
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USPS has been terrible for a long time. I avoid using it when at all possible. I like UPS in the areas where I've lived. FedEx is OK, but I've found their people hard to deal with. I think that relates to their background as a business oriented service. Dealing with individuals isn't their forte. I think our government ought to put the postal service out to bid, and let a private operator run it.

*sigh* The constant degradation of USPS over the years has been intentional so that people would, erroneously, come to this exact conclusion. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, don't fall for it. Privatization is not a magic bullet.
 
*sigh* The constant degradation of USPS over the years has been intentional so that people would, erroneously, come to this exact conclusion. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, don't fall for it. Privatization is not a magic bullet.

:agree:

The USPS *should* be a public service; a way to provide for communication and information to every single home and business in the entire country.

A private business has no such mandate, and is primarily concerned with profit.


For too long the people running USPS (into the ground) have treated it as if it is somehow both of these things at once.


It is in no way profitable to actually provide regular to-the-door service in vast swaths of the rural US, but we do it with the USPS for the good of every single person in this country, not just for the good of some stockholders.




Oh, also we have been trained by large corporations (such as Amazon) giving us "free" shipping to believe that physically moving an object thousands of miles has no intrinsic value when in truth the cost (financially, environmentally, and in actual person hours) is still quite high. This also de-values what the USPS does. Couple that with the farcical mismanagement of the USPS and you end up with a situation where many are more than happy to simply toss it in the bin.
 
The United States Constitution dictates the creation of a Federal Postal Service. This was to be a fair and equatable system for all the people. Monied interests for years have been making it harder to run. They would love to take over this system and Damm the Constitution.
 
The United States Constitution dictates the creation of a Federal Postal Service. This was to be a fair and equatable system for all the people.

The USPS *should* be a public service; a way to provide for communication and information to every single home and business in the entire country.
:agree:Wow! Two great quotes! A slight shift in thinking about the USPS as a service, and remembering the Constitution ... I have no idea where this could lead.:agree:
 
I am still waiting for some books I ordered for a class. They were print-to-order, and shipped on February 2nd from Cedar Rapids, IA via FedEx Sure Post , which uses Last Mile delivery by USPS.

Or, at least it would be, if it had ever been delivered TO the USPS.

FedEx has no idea what happened to the books, and frankly doesn't care. The printing company, Lulu.com, didn't care either. As far as they were concerned, they printed the books, and shipped them.

Luckily, the publisher cared. One of their reps had copies of the books, and sent them USPS Priority to me From Florida. She also contacted Lulu.com, who printed up another set, sent me a snarky message that I should have chosen a different shipping method, and sent me the books FedEx 2 day, from Cedar Rapids. While they never gave me a tracking number on the reship, the books did show up. Three days after they were shipped.

I really do prefer USPS. Hate FedEx, especially FedEx Ground which has screwed up 90% of the deliveries sent that way. (FedEx Ground is a group of independent carriers, who contract with FedEx to use the name. I'm sure there are some good drivers still there - those I knew who cared have all left, and gone elsewhere.)

-Kurt​
 
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:agree:Wow! Two great quotes! A slight shift in thinking about the USPS as a service, and remembering the Constitution ... I have no idea where this could lead.:agree:

:agree:

The USPS *should* be a public service; a way to provide for communication and information to every single home and business in the entire country.

A private business has no such mandate, and is primarily concerned with profit.


For too long the people running USPS (into the ground) have treated it as if it is somehow both of these things at once.


It is in no way profitable to actually provide regular to-the-door service in vast swaths of the rural US, but we do it with the USPS for the good of every single person in this country, not just for the good of some stockholders.




Oh, also we have been trained by large corporations (such as Amazon) giving us "free" shipping to believe that physically moving an object thousands of miles has no intrinsic value when in truth the cost (financially, environmentally, and in actual person hours) is still quite high. This also de-values what the USPS does. Couple that with the farcical mismanagement of the USPS and you end up with a situation where many are more than happy to simply toss it in the bin.

Thanks for posting these other opinions. I have been a proud USPS employee for 35 years, and most employees are horrified by the actions of our alleged "leadership" over the last several years. Since the Post Office Department became the US Postal Service under the Postal Reorganization Act, there have been many misguided attempts to somehow correct what is considered the most trusted government agency. The pandemic has definitely changed many folks idea of what an "essential worker" is, and perhaps now we see the importance of delivery drivers, gas station attendants, grocery store workers, farm workers, teachers, etc.

Are we perfect? No, but most of the postal workers I know care very much about the service that we provide to our country's citizens. Sure, the letter or package that takes weeks (or years) to deliver makes the news, but on a daily basis our workers have been putting their lives on the line (just like many of you have at your jobs) to make sure the mail gets delivered. Privatizing what is an essential government service will leave many communities unable to afford the mail service that is now provided to every address in America. Imagine a large company trying to figure out how to make delivering a letter to a rural address more profitable. My guess is it won't be 55 cents.

We might all have a horror story about a letter or package that took a week to deliver, a several hours wait at the Motor Vehicle Department, bad service at a chain restaurant, auto mechanics, hospitals - the list goes on and on. Perhaps a little more patience for people and with people would help. Off my soapbox for now.

Bill
 
A two for one solution

How about a solution that would raise USPS revenue while reducing junk mail volume?

Like it? All they have to do is charge junk mail senders First Class postage rates.
 
I'm not an expert, but I imagine the reason for "junk" mailing is the relative low cost. Increasing the price of direct mail marketing could drive advertisers to find an alternative way of reaching consumers. There have been some interesting ideas floated about increasing revenue for the USPS, like postal banking and offering other service (similar to post offices in Europe and other locations). The struggle continues.
 
Considering all the complaints about FedEx and UPS that float around all the time it seems that private shippers are not doing it any better or any cheaper.
 
Hope you get it soon Hodge!

Not to always bash USPS, I had something shipped from HI on a Sat and delivered to my house in CA on Mon! Once in awhile, they get it right. :D
 
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