This is why I NEVER use the post office to ship unless it fits in an envelope.

[Carbsandcaps]

I live 10 minutes outside of Philadelphia. I ordered 2 capacitors FROM philly. It would have taken me 20 minutes to go pick it up if they offered local pickup. Totally forgot I even ordered them then they showed up a month later. Come along on this little package’s adventure with me would you? (Starting from bottom).



It went from Philly to New York back to Philly, back to New York, back to Philly, back to New York, back to Philly, then back to New York where it was seized for counterfeit postage, yet somehow ended up at my door. Maybe the postal police are running a sting on my house right now who knows. Anyway this isn’t the first time this has happened.

In my opinion fedex hires whoever can kick a package the farthest. So far ups has been the best although they’re damage claims office is all but useless.

 

[GChief]

It always surprises me when people are surprised about this.

They are mostly underpaid, understaffed contract workers.

 

[Carbsandcaps]

It always surprises me when people are surprised about this.

They are mostly underpaid, understaffed contract workers.

I can’t agree more. The people in my local post office are amazing and I hate to knock them but the whole thing is underfunded and overworked

 

[Ross6860]

I used USPS for years with great results, until they "lost" a $1200 guitar... Yes, it was insured, which was completely meaningless and worthless. Never again.

I guess it's FedEx, if I ship anything valuable again. It's still a gamble.

 

[DeadRock]

Thankfully up here (at least where I live) our national postal service is still considered a "go to" proposition for shipping.

 

[OBMG74]

I wouldn't trust an envelope, either.
It took 11 business days for a certified letter to get to the IRS in GA from my post office in Illinois.

I had to file a complaint to get it to move from the post office in GA to the IRS.

Tracking showed my post office to the post office in GA only.

Miraculously, the day it arrived, tracking showed 6 additional scans.

Next time, I will pay triple and use Fedex.

It's a shame.

 

[GChief]

It's a shame.

You get what you pay for. It's a low priced economy "shipper" with underpaid over worked people.

 

[dosmalo]

Yet my bills continually show up every month, same week, same day like clockwork.

 

[dly66]

From one who has done stints package handling at UPS along with Fedex Ground and Express at least two main scenarios come to mind. I live near the USPS Greensboro NDC (Network Distribution Center). From what I have seen with their contractors they do like Wal-mart trailers are labeled for specific routes. Unloads are generally not scanned but outbound packages normally get scanned before loading. Does not mean package actually got loaded or put where it was supposed to go.

Amazon must do the same thing last year had a package showing going back and forth between Colfax and Concord for a number of days like clockwork. Several days after its expected arrival date Amazon sent message that if it did not arrive on a certain day they would give me a link to ask for a refund. Sure enough that was the day the package finally made it. Figure until a package gets scanned again system tracks the trailer movement. Could have gotten misplaced could have been laying on the floor or under/behind something in Concord or Colfax.

Turnover is high, those in the positions loading bulk trailers probably the most physically and mentally abusive. If volume is heavy just endlessly stacking packages around 8 ft high typically trying to quickly figure out the stacking hopefully not crushing some of the packages and the contents inside. Fedex Ground here was expecting a scan and load rate of 350 packages an hour sustained over several hours. Injury potential is high.

A few years ago had an Ebay item come USPS from south of Denver CO to Greensboro via Fargo ND.

 

[Jalousie]

OP (original problem) sounds like the barcode got smeared or obscured or something just enough to blow the systems mind. No conspiracy or incompetance, you just hit the one-in-a-millon bad shipping lottery. Unfortunately it doesn't pay anything.

 

[blhagstrom]

Who told you USPS is underpaid and overworked!?!?

They are UNION AND GOVT.

Meaning, they are well paid with every benefit there is and cannot get fired no matter how lame they are.

Why do you think they lose money all the time? UPS and FedEx don’t lose money but they don’t go to every house 6 days a week.

I’ll give the devil its due. They move a LOT of mail daily. You are not the center of their world.

 

[GChief]