Im ready to rip USPS's head off... [Archive]

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Trace63

06-30-2009, 06:49 PM

Yes, this is a rant...
This has been a very crappy month. My summer session at school is going blah. I lost my favorite pair of sunglasses the other week, which is another expense for my upcoming Costa Rica trip. My girlfriend had to have a minor surgery after finding out she has Celiak's disease. And amongst other things, my phone has been crapping out on me for a while now. I finally decided to ship it to Nokia for repairs. Well, I kept putting it off and my warranty expired 2 DAYS before I made the decision to return it. Just my luck. Despite this fact, i sent it in hoping for the best.

Go to the post office on June 23rd. As usual there is a line out the door since all the employees are fcking around in the back laughing and the only two window ladies are taking their sweet time. Screw it, straight to the automated machine. Much easier and quicker anyway.

Hmmm...well packaged box. Wrote the address ON the box and ON the printed label I had just purchased. Got certified mail with an emailed return receipt. Yes, costs double than what I would usually pay, but this is an EXPENSIVE phone. For some reason, my mind assumed insurance comes with certified mail. Mistake numero uno. Other than the employees being total asses, never being informed that I missed a package, etc. shiiping stuff has never been a problem. So, down the hatch it goes.
Priority mail = 2-3 days ---> I shipped to AL.

It is now the 30th and the tracking number is still giving me "accepted" in Brooklyn. Called them to file a complaint. Yata Yata Yata, past all the BS, most likely they lost my package, and I just lost my phone and hundreds of dollars!!!

How the !@#$ do you LOSE a package?!?!?!?! I just do not understand that! And HOW, is USPS not responsible in the least bit? So what that I didnt get insurance? I payed you for a service. A service that you only did not COMPLETE, but royally messed up on!!

I am beyond furious right now. I have no idea what to do....

[/rant]

Barteur

06-30-2009, 07:18 PM

I would have a VSG tres mystique if I were you;)

Sorry to hear this, I hope they find it and that your phone company pass it under warranty.

Frenchie

stevieray

06-30-2009, 07:24 PM

Well, being a Postal employee I was going to offer help and advice but seeing that Postal employees are all asses I'll just keep my mouth shut..........

BlackDog

06-30-2009, 07:30 PM

Well, being a Postal employee I was going to offer help and advice but seeing that Postal employees are all asses I'll just keep my mouth shut..........
Can you quote the sentence where the OP says ALL postal employees are asses, as opposed to just the ones in this particular office?

gettysburgfreak

06-30-2009, 07:43 PM

I got the impression he was talking about the particular ass clowns in the post office that he went to.

Sorry to hear about your troubles man, hopefully things will work out for you in the end but in the mean time have a cold beer and a nice cigar and think about something good going on in your life.

DougBushBC

06-30-2009, 08:01 PM

Well, being a Postal employee I was going to offer help and advice but seeing that Postal employees are all asses I'll just keep my mouth shut..........

Give the guy a little break, he is emotionally stressed about a lot of stuff which he mentioned before he started. I think everyone can understand his frustration and any help you may be able to offer would be greatly appreciated.

Barteur

06-30-2009, 08:09 PM

Give the guy a little break, he is emotionally stressed about a lot of stuff which he mentioned before he started. I think everyone can understand his frustration and any help you may be able to offer would be greatly appreciated.

:tpd:

stevieray

06-30-2009, 08:10 PM

Can you quote the sentence where the OP says ALL postal employees are asses, as opposed to just the ones in this particular office?

I can't......I guess some words jumped off the screen at me and rubbed me the wrong way.

To the OP.....

First, while I understand that you paid for priority service, 2-3 days is the average delivery time...not a guarantee. If you mailed it on June 23 it's only been 7 days. I would not think that it's "lost". Just held up in the system right now. I know that might not be what you want to hear....but it's probably reality.

Right now the Postal Service is undergoing major consolidations at many of the processing plants nationwide. Mail that was dispatched and processed down the street is now being shipped say 90 miles away due to consolidation. In my area this has just started this week. New procedures = mistakes. It's not something that you will hear your local PO say...but it's true. Perhaps your piece was missent to another state. Sometimes these things happen. The letters and parcels are read, coded, and sorted by machines. If a machine reads the zip code starting with a 9 instead of a 0 it's going for a coast to coast trip to California instead of Connecticut. If your package was missent you won't see an arrival scan until it hits the correct office.

9 times out of 10 parcels and letters that people think are lost show up within a 10 day period. I would not give up hope that your package will be delivered.

As for not buying insurance......that's on you. No insurance means Post Office not liable. There is no way around that. I have never seen the PO pay someone for a package that wasn't insured.

Hopefully some of this info helps. Who knows...maybe the package will be delivered tomorrow. Good luck.

One more thing to add....If this package was going to a large company things are handled a little differently than residential delivery. Sometimes a company only picks up their mail on certain days of the week. Usually they wait until there is enough to fill a truck and then they pick up. Perhaps this article is sitting at the destination PO and waiting to be picked up. You might want to do a search on the net and find the phone number of that office and try calling them. It might help.

Sauer Grapes

06-30-2009, 08:12 PM

SeanGAR

06-30-2009, 08:26 PM

Well, being a Postal employee I was going to offer help and advice but seeing that Postal employees are all asses I'll just keep my mouth shut..........

:r:r:r:r

Trace63

06-30-2009, 08:29 PM

I would have a VSG tres mystique if I were you;)

Frenchie

None of those in my humi. :/ I do have the last stick of my BTT to fire up when I have time though.

Give the guy a little break, he is emotionally stressed about a lot of stuff which he mentioned before he started. I think everyone can understand his frustration and any help you may be able to offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks man. Cheers to you.

I can't......I guess some words jumped off the screen at me and rubbed me the wrong way.

To the OP.....

First, while I understand that you paid for priority service, 2-3 days is the average delivery time...not a guarantee. If you mailed it on June 23 it's only been 7 days. I would not think that it's "lost". Just held up in the system right now. I know that might not be what you want to hear....but it's probably reality.

Right now the Postal Service is undergoing major consolidations at many of the processing plants nationwide. Mail that was dispatched and processed down the street is now being shipped say 90 miles away due to consolidation. In my area this has just started this week. New procedures = mistakes. It's not something that you will hear your local PO say...but it's true. Perhaps your piece was missent to another state. Sometimes these things happen. The letters and parcels are read, coded, and sorted by machines. If a machine reads the zip code starting with a 9 instead of a 0 it's going for a coast to coast trip to California instead of Connecticut. If your package was missent you won't see an arrival scan until it hits the correct office.

9 times out of 10 parcels and letters that people think are lost show up within a 10 day period. I would not give up hope that your package will be delivered.

As for not buying insurance......that's on you. No insurance means Post Office not liable. There is no way around that. I have never seen the PO pay someone for a package that wasn't insured.

Hopefully some of this info helps. Who knows...maybe the package will be delivered tomorrow. Good luck.

One more thing to add....If this package was going to a large company things are handled a little differently than residential delivery. Sometimes a company only picks up their mail on certain days of the week. Usually they wait until there is enough to fill a truck and then they pick up. Perhaps this article is sitting at the destination PO and waiting to be picked up. You might want to do a search on the net and find the phone number of that office and try calling them. It might help.

Thanks a lot! I just figured it was lost since the tracking # doesnt say anything but accepted. On top of that the guy who called me today from the PO gave me this whole lecture, making me believe it was lost.
I'll give it a few more days. Hopefully it shows up.

Plus he's a new yorker... he's already been dealt a bad hand. :r

Dont be jealous, im just the badass you wish you were :p :banger

stevieray

06-30-2009, 08:33 PM

If you want to PM me the certified number I'll run it through my computer at work tomorrow. Can't promise anything but maybe I can see something that somebody else can't.

skullnrose

06-30-2009, 08:42 PM

Don't give up hope. I sent a package a month or so ago. Although I addressed it correctly it was returned to me over a month after I mailed It and marked undeliverable. The DC # showed it went to the correct PO but somehow delivery was never made. My local PO wasn't very helpful and had no explanation why it wasn't delivered. Luckily i'm only out the cost of shipping. Hope things workout for you.

TheTraveler

06-30-2009, 08:43 PM

Plus he's a new yorker... he's already been dealt a bad hand. :r

Dont be jealous, im just the badass you wish you were :p :banger

Ha! Don't let the massholes hear you say that - in Red Sox country they might take that as a challenge! :r

RGD.

06-30-2009, 08:47 PM

. . . .

Thanks a lot! I just figured it was lost since the tracking # doesnt say anything but accepted. On top of that the guy who called me today from the PO gave me this whole lecture, making me believe it was lost.
I'll give it a few more days. Hopefully it shows up. . . .

Best bet at this time is just to give it a wait and see. You know I can mail a package from Virginia to say California and it gets there in 3 days. Heaven help though if I mail to one state away - it's going to take every bit of 10 days to get there.

I think we have all been where you are right now at some point. If I have to send something to Verizon I triple photo-copy the receipts - get a Justice of the Peace, Circuit Court judge and 7 non-related eye-witnesses to verify that I sent it via sworn affidavits. And Verizon will still claim they never got it - :rolleyes:

I know it's hard - especially when you are already having a bad month - but hang in there and give it some more time.

Ron

Trace63

06-30-2009, 09:20 PM

Ha! Don't let the massholes hear you say that - in Red Sox country they might take that as a challenge! :r

Hey, for all I know I might be a Masshole myself within 2 years. Hoping to move to Boston for grad school :)

alley00p

06-30-2009, 10:07 PM

Kamil, I have my fingers crossed, wishing you good luck on this!! :tu

Keep the faith, brother and keep us posted here!!! :D

:dance:

Azpostal

07-01-2009, 02:01 AM

Sorry about your bad month and sorry about your package being misplaced. I know it sucks when it happens to you personally. I too work at the P.O. and overall we do a dang good job getting the mail where it needs go 99% of the time. The 1% that doesn't is horrible. Give it time and the package will show up or maybe they already have it and the COMPANY is at fault!

WildBlueSooner

07-01-2009, 07:40 AM

kaisersozei

07-01-2009, 08:05 AM

Sorry about your shipping problems, Kamil--good thing it was just an expensive phone and not something really important like cigars. :ss

Hope July is better for you than June was!

Noodles

07-01-2009, 10:50 AM

Yes, this is a rant...
ship it to Nokia for repairs. Well, I kept putting it off and my warranty expired 2 DAYS before I made the decision to return it. Just my luck. Despite this fact, i sent it in hoping for the best.
[/rant]

and after all the aggravation you went through, Nokia won't honor your warranty.

best thing about this is you get to buy a new phone :wo

Trace63

07-01-2009, 11:52 AM

and after all the aggravation you went through, Nokia won't honor your warranty.

best thing about this is you get to buy a new phone :wo

My spendings on phones are higher than cigars. :hn

Noodles

07-01-2009, 12:04 PM

My spendings on phones are higher than cigars. :hn

You either have a very expensive phone or you don't buy enough cigars. Hang out here long enough, that will change.

TheTraveler

07-01-2009, 12:13 PM

You either have a very expensive phone or you don't buy enough cigars. Hang out here long enough, that will change.

I'm almost willing to trade my phone for cigars! :D

Trace63

07-01-2009, 09:25 PM

You either have a very expensive phone or you don't buy enough cigars. Hang out here long enough, that will change.

Ive been with CA and CS for quite a while now.

I just have an expensive taste in phones.

kydsid

07-01-2009, 09:36 PM

^Lol must be a N series fan. Just like me.

Silound

07-01-2009, 10:19 PM

Out of curiosity, I missed what kind of phone you had (or at least what provider).

Was just wondering, I have collections of old phones laying about, but I think almsot all are Verizon.

kgoings

07-01-2009, 10:29 PM

I never ever mailed anything USPS till I joined cigar boards :r it is still a learning process for me to buy insurance. I am so used to shipping UPS and getting automatic X amount of insurance...and they always make it a point to ask if you need more insurance.

Trace63

07-01-2009, 11:18 PM

^Lol must be a N series fan. Just like me.

Ding ding ding ding ding.

This was the Nokia N95 8gb

kydsid

07-02-2009, 05:42 AM

Ding ding ding ding ding.

This was the Nokia N95 8gb

Wow that new of a version and broken already?

*Knocks on wood that his 2 yo + N95 is still working like a champ*

And on a related note. As someone who has worked in hubs for UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL (before going boom), and at airport, seaport and truck freight terminals a LOT of things are possible with just one package. I got stories that would blow your mind about what happens behind the scenes and none are particular to any one of the settings. **** happens everywhere.

ChasDen

07-02-2009, 06:03 AM

And on a related note. As someone who has worked in hubs for UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL (before going boom), and at airport, seaport and truck freight terminals a LOT of things are possible with just one package. I got stories that would blow your mind about what happens behind the scenes and none are particular to any one of the settings. **** happens everywhere.

That's for sure, the difference is how each company deals with it.

I will go out of my way to avoid UPS since they treated me like a felon when they damaged a shipment and acted like they did nothing wrong.

The whole "insurance" crap at the PO drives me crazy too.

You take your car to get an oil change and while the guy is performing a paid service to you car he drops a wrench on the hood of the car and puts a deep scratch in it. Does he lean in the window and say "my bad did you buy the insurance?" While the cable guy is mounting the new HD dish on the roof his tool belt hits the window on the way down the ladder and breaks the window, does he shrug his shoulders and say "bet you wish you bought the insurance now".

Good gig they got going I guess, what other service business can get away with damaging or flat out misplacing your item and not be responsible?

Chas

PS Hope it all works out, I'm on my way to get a new phone for the wife tonight since she dropped hers in the toilet last night and I am 2 months shy for the new phone. I know where thats going tonight :(

Silound

07-02-2009, 04:25 PM

That's for sure, the difference is how each company deals with it.

I will go out of my way to avoid UPS since they treated me like a felon when they damaged a shipment and acted like they did nothing wrong.

The whole "insurance" crap at the PO drives me crazy too.

You take your car to get an oil change and while the guy is performing a paid service to you car he drops a wrench on the hood of the car and puts a deep scratch in it. Does he lean in the window and say "my bad did you buy the insurance?" While the cable guy is mounting the new HD dish on the roof his tool belt hits the window on the way down the ladder and breaks the window, does he shrug his shoulders and say "bet you wish you bought the insurance now".

Good gig they got going I guess, what other service business can get away with damaging or flat out misplacing your item and not be responsible?

Chas

PS Hope it all works out, I'm on my way to get a new phone for the wife tonight since she dropped hers in the toilet last night and I am 2 months shy for the new phone. I know where thats going tonight :(

Very cynical! I like the way you think brother!

Unfortunately, I would bet my wooden nickel the reason they assume no liability and offer insurance is to keep the costs down so that we can afford to ship 30 cigars to someone across the country for 10 dollars.

If they assumed liability, the overall claim rate would probably force the price up to something absurd like $200 for a flat rate box. It would also mean a LOT more people playing funny business to defraud the system.

blugill

07-02-2009, 04:32 PM

First question I'd ask is why did you send it USPS?
UPS and Fedex for me from now on.

I had another bad experience at my local post office and it was similar to yours, one person working the counter, three others back behind and laughing it up, twenty people in line while I'm tight on time.....

I'm all for privatizing the post office now.

WildBlueSooner

07-02-2009, 04:34 PM

blugill

07-02-2009, 04:43 PM

Unfortunately, I would bet my wooden nickel the reason they assume no liability and offer insurance is to keep the costs down so that we can afford to ship 30 cigars to someone across the country for 10 dollars.

A great way to keep costs down is by competition. If you have a monopoly on something like mail then you are able to be as unaccountable as you want to be.

There is a reason the post office loses tons of money each year.
I'm not a hater, just someone who got fed up with bad service and won't do business with them anymore than is absolutely necessary.

ChasDen

07-02-2009, 05:15 PM

Very cynical! I like the way you think brother!

Unfortunately, I would bet my wooden nickel the reason they assume no liability and offer insurance is to keep the costs down so that we can afford to ship 30 cigars to someone across the country for 10 dollars.

If they assumed liability, the overall claim rate would probably force the price up to something absurd like $200 for a flat rate box. It would also mean a LOT more people playing funny business to defraud the system.

Fair statement, but the other shippers found a way to build the price into the rates.

For comparison sake lets say a 3 lb package (since all round up) mailed from the mid west to CA.

UPS Ground 4 days - $10.48
FedEx Ground 4 days - $9.43
USPS Priority 2-3 days - $11.95 ($11.41 if done online)

The only real savings with priority is 1 pound maybe 2 and under.
Once you hit 2-3 pounds, its almost always the same with UPS and FedEx.

Depending on the distance ground will get there in the same amount of time.

UPS and FedEx include up to $100 in liability included in the price.

UPS is the only service I have had to deal with a claim and they do make it very difficult to collect. I assume if I would have endured the process I would have gotten my money but I said screw it and gave up.

Chas

stevieray

07-02-2009, 05:33 PM

A great way to keep costs down is by competition. If you have a monopoly on something like mail then you are able to be as unaccountable as you want to be.

There is a reason the post office loses tons of money each year.
I'm not a hater, just someone who got fed up with bad service and won't do business with them anymore than is absolutely necessary.

The reason the monopoly was created is to provide universal service to every U.S customer. If mail service was privatized, UPS/Fed Ex/Joe Blow's Mail service would only pick up major metropolitan areas....while snubbing rural areas. For that reason alone you will never see Congress lift the first class mail monopoly. Also, the Post Office hasn't lost "tons of money" each year. Up until 2006 the Postal service wasn't allowed to make a profit. It was a break even operation. In 2006 new laws require the Postal Service to pre fund the retirement fund to the tone of 5 billion a year. That means a 5 billion payment each year required by congress gets dumped into the US general fund. Do you think Congress is going to give that up for the sake of competition?

ChasDen

07-02-2009, 05:43 PM

The reason the monopoly was created is to provide universal service to every U.S customer. If mail service was privatized, UPS/Fed Ex/Joe Blow's Mail service would only pick up major metropolitan areas....while snubbing rural areas. For that reason alone you will never see Congress lift the first class mail monopoly. Also, the Post Office hasn't lost "tons of money" each year. Up until 2006 the Postal service wasn't allowed to make a profit. It was a break even operation. In 2006 new laws require the Postal Service to pre fund the retirement fund to the tone of 5 billion a year. That means a 5 billion payment each year required by congress gets dumped into the US general fund. Do you think Congress is going to give that up for the sake of competition?

UPS delivers to every address :confused:

If that was true they would probaly not do it now. A quick Google search returned:

UPS ground service reaches every address, urban and rural throughout the 48 contiguous states.

Chas

stevieray

07-02-2009, 05:44 PM

ChasDen

07-02-2009, 05:49 PM

True :tu

But being a believer in the free market, if they had a larger portion of the market you should see that shrink or diminish all together.

Chas

kydsid

07-02-2009, 05:58 PM

UPS delivers to every address :confused:

If that was true they would probaly not do it now. A quick Google search returned:

UPS ground service reaches every address, urban and rural throughout the 48 contiguous states.

Chas

I will let the residents of Alaska, Hawaii, USMI, and Puerto Rico know that they are SOL now. :fu

Seriously though it is a government service. Ask for a manger when you have a problem. I only have good experiences with the Postal Service and even if I didnt' a free, orderly and efficient mail service is a conerstone of our democracy as much as the right to bear arms. You don't need a search warrant to open a package at UPS or FedEx. :2