USPS: No longer reliable for merchandaise. Is it only my area?

Kahoona

Kahoona

Super Member
I have had USPS delivery problems lately and I wonder if it is only me or if the entire system is coming undone. Does anyone know of a way to report problems in the USPS that work?
Twice this year I have ordered merchandise, once from an AK member and once from a eBay seller. The stuff is marked delivered but I never see it. The first time was speaker surrounds and I had to pay again for more. The second time was candle making supplies in a larger box so I know it would have been brought to my door and I was there that day but never saw it. The USPS could say nothing except to promise to call back a couple of times but they never did. After a couple of times they stopped answering the phone when I called (caller id?) I tried for over a week but no one ever answered. Yes I had the right numbers. I did try to work my way up the ladder but the USPS websites have very specific email option systems which won't even allow an email without checking options and none of them covered customer abuse, missing mail or theft. I tried to phone the complaint line after twenty minutes answering repeated questions to a machine I was finally put on hold for someone. I was then disconnected. I tried an email to he Postal regulatory commission and did receive a nice note to email someone else who I had already tried and failed to contact. As far as I can tell there is no one to contact. The Postmaster general has not replied either. At least I am getting the hundred or so pieces of unneeded junk mail for me and everyone else who has ever lived here or lives nearby.
 
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Talk directly to your delivery person. My experience is that they're pretty helpful and will tell you what to do and then personally take a peek at their warehouse.

I get the fastest delivery with USPS now, at the cheapest price. Get to know your carrier a little so that they remember you.

Murray
 
I'm going with the whole system.
On some days the post truck doesn't spend but 5 or 6 seconds in front of our mail boxes. All flags go down and mail goes out but none of the 6 boxes gets any mail. You can always tell when this is going to happen. The truck is really early, like 3 hours before a normal run. When we go online and check the delivery status of packages that said will be delivered today, they now will say tomorrow. I'd bet money the carrier is not feeling well or is just having a bad day and doesn't want to deal with the sorting of mail that day. It happens here about once a month. As far as getting someone else's stuff, Oh that's UPS. I'm sure that driver doesn't speak or read English. At least 50% of the deliveries from UPS are for someone else's house or someone else deliveries it saying UPS left it on their door. I've watched the UPS driver, on his phone, set a package on my doorstep and walk away. No knock, no doorbell, nothing. Both cars in the driveway, someone is home and he knows it. So far the only one I trust any more is FedEx.
 
I've ordered a number of items sent USPS and never had any problems. I prefer them over UPS or FED X. As others have mentioned, try talking to your delivery person.
 
All the services including USPS have been reliable here. UPS seems to be the most brutal with fragile parcels but thats results of a very limited sampling.
 
Never seem to have problems around here. Sounds like a chat with your local postmaster is in order, and if that doesn't fix things, whoever is in charge on a regional basis.
 
They've been good here. Sometimes stuff gets delivered a day after it's supposed to, but the carrier has a tough job and she's really considerate. A cold drink on a hot day or a tip at Christmas/New Year goes a LONG way.

I will say that I wouldn't mind if they cut back to 2X per week with mail and pkgs.
 
I sent an auto part to a friend in Michigan last year via Priority Mail and after a couple weeks they declared it missing. I was told that there was nothing I could do and no recourse at all. Fortunately, about two months later it showed up back at my house.

Glad it wasn't some part crucial to national defense or something!!!
 
I sold something to a guy on ebay, and after being out for delivery it was marked "Available for Pickup". Didn't think too much of it - could have been too big for the mailbox and no place safe to set it. After 3 days I contacted the guy and suggested he pick it up so they don't send it back. He says, "It's right here on my desk". That was 3 weeks ago. Tracking still shows available for pickup.
 
I had that only once, it was saying delivered but nothing in the mail box, well it was worth only 7 dollars so I didn't bother to do a claim but it happens
 
The problem I keep seeing is, on the last leg of the delivery, on the tracking information, it will say "Delivery Status Not Updated". And it will never change from that. I never know if they got it or not. I usually just hope for the best, because the customer could say it never arrived and I would have no way to prove otherwise.

I sent an expensive package ($600) to a buyer, I insured it and had signature confirmation on it. I was biting my nails hoping it would arrive safely, and I got another "Delivery Status Not Updated". I called the post office at the destination, and they guy was helpful. He took my info and called me back. He said it was delivered and signed for. (On a side note, I did not contact the customer at all; I didn't want to give them the opportunity to say "as a matter of fact, now that you mention it, it never arrived! I want a refund!"). He said they use delivery subcontractors for some areas, and they are lousy with scanning packages as "delivered". That's what causes that message. Either way, I think I had $40 in shipping, insurance, and siggy confirmation, and while it was ultimately delivered, I didn't need the hassle.
 
USPS is by far the best of the 'big three' (i.e., relative to UPS and FedEx) for ordinary parcels (boxes) for me, based on our previous residence in MA and now in NH. It may help a lot that we've lived in small towns; the postal staff in both towns actually knew their customers and were/are both pleasant and helpful.

I also have found USPS to be at least competitive in terms of cost for shipping...you know... the kind of stuff we all ship to each other.
 
skippy_ps said:
Talk directly to your delivery person. My experience is that they're pretty helpful and will tell you what to do and then personally take a peek at their warehouse.

I get the fastest delivery with USPS now, at the cheapest price. Get to know your carrier a little so that they remember you.

Murray
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I think that is the problem. We had a regular carrier and things went well but now we have no regular carrier. We get newbies without uniforms, guys who really want to be antiques dealers and reek of liquor and anybody with nothing better to do.
 
Sam Cogley said:
Never seem to have problems around here. Sounds like a chat with your local postmaster is in order, and if that doesn't fix things, whoever is in charge on a regional basis.
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Postmaster is unreachable and won't return calls. Same with regional here so far but I am still trying. I'm betting on the Postmaster generals office. Hope they reply to my submission.
 
did the "signature required" recently. Package arrived ok. Assuming USPS knows there was a signature because I don't.
 
Kahoona said:
Postmaster is unreachable and won't return calls. Same with regional here so far but I am still trying. I'm betting on the Postmaster generals office. Hope they reply to my submission.
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You might also try the United States Postal Inspection service. If things are really that screwed up in your area, there is a decent chance that the persons involved aren't following the law.
 
Institute a small claims action. While they have defenses and can move it to Federal court most times they do not enter any appearance or defense and you get a default judgement that then can be enforced. Just got through the procedure and walk in and take the money out of their till.

I had some clients get the run around years ago about no recourse, etc. We gave it a go and executed on the judgement. The Feds thereafter entered N appearance to claim lack of jurisdiction and a motion to move it to Federal court. The time for appeal jad run and the judge disallowed the motions. The clients collected from $200 to $2500 on each judgement.
 
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