The USPS SUCKS

[jlhoots]

Mail is delivered later & later. 6 p.m. today. I guess we should be thankful it at least gets delivered at all.

[Ken Dryden]

I like our FedEx driver, but one day we got a package for a neighbor four or five doors away. Maybe someone subbed for him that day, I think he would have remembered my name after several conversations with him.

 

[Dan Gould]

It's just a Christmas gift so not a huge deal on the 1st of December, but I still find this deeply annoying:

It arrived yesterday at the local distribution center before 12 pm.

It never made it on the delivery truck to the local PO.

And to be clear, this is a first class package, no media mail.

F-in lame.

What is really, really lame lately is that there is a new postwoman who refuses to leave her truck to deliver boxes to our door.  With the right-hand drive truck, she's realized she can drive to the rear of the house, come alongside the house and throw boxes onto our small covered concrete pad at the back door. Nothing has broken yet but we've just never taken the time to get to the local PO and log a complaint in the strongest terms possible. Lucky I am not buying any 78s lately. (And this package to be delivered isn't something fragile either).

[Kevin Bresnahan]

1 hour ago, Dan Gould said:

What is really, really lame lately is that there is a new postwoman who refuses to leave her truck to deliver boxes to our door.  With the right-hand drive truck, she's realized she can drive to the rear of the house, come alongside the house and throw boxes onto our small covered concrete pad at the back door. Nothing has broken yet but we've just never taken the time to get to the local PO and log a complaint in the strongest terms possible. Lucky I am not buying any 78s lately. (And this package to be delivered isn't something fragile either).

I had a mail delivery person (also a woman) who refused to leave her truck and when I complained to the postmaster, he said that that is actually allowed by rule (union contract maybe?). He said that technically, they are not required to leave the truck. Most do it as a courtesy... and because they're not an ass.

[Dan Gould]

2 minutes ago, bresna said:

I had a mail delivery person (also a woman) who refused to leave her truck and when I complained to the postmaster, he said that that is actually allowed by rule (union contract maybe?). He said that technically, they are not required to leave the truck. Most do it as a courtesy... and because they're not an ass.

That is disturbing to hear, I must say. My wife's desk is right next to the porch but usually at best she hears the package land or the truck gun its motor when leaving - and the dogs are usually slow on the uptake too since she doesn't linger. We may have to figure out a way to block her from throwing anything - or at least put a note up asking for it to be brought to the door.

[Dmitry]

I remember when mail was being delivered twice a day, morning and afternoon newspapers. Mail carriers also delivered monthly pension disbursements [in cash!], and telegrams. Packages, however, had to be picked up at the post office. When I was in my teens, I used to order LPs by mail directly from the Melodiya record label's catalogue, and pay for them when they came to our local post office. That was in the old country. 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

14 minutes ago, Dmitry said:

When I was in my teens, I used to order LPs by mail directly from the Melodiya record label's catalogue, and pay for them when they came to our local post office. That was in the old country. 

The USPS still allows "COD" ("Collect on delivery" or "Cash on delivery") too. That brings back memories. I wonder if anyone still uses that?

[JSngry]

Gender is not relevant. Lameness is.

Refusal to leave a truck to ensure safe delivery with no perceived/expressed/documented safety concern is lame, as is a supervisory refusal to clear up the perception/issue.

[Ken Dryden]

I think that I mentioned the lazy postal employee who stuck a mailer with an out of print LP between my mailbox and its flag on a hot summer day instead of taking a ten second (at most) walk to my porch. The LP was warped beyond belief and I have never found another copy. 

[JSngry]

We have a fine crew here, drivers, counter clerks, everybody, sorry to hear not everybody does. It's to be expected, I suppose.

Like any other organization, I would wager that it filters down from the top.

[Dan Gould]

8 minutes ago, JSngry said:

We have a fine crew here, drivers, counter clerks, everybody, sorry to hear not everybody does. It's to be expected, I suppose.

Like any other organization, I would wager that it filters down from the top.

That would logically filter down from the top of the local hierarchy.

And I am not sure about that, we've experienced several fine postal delivery people in the nearly five years in Plant City.  What I learned quickly though was that the local post office was awful for counter service and usually has an inoperative kiosk, so my wife and I drive to the next one to the west for any mailing that has to be done. So poor workers on counter service (and limited hours) and now a poor driver who thinks its cool to throw anything out the window onto a hard concrete floor.

[JSngry]

Some people do their best work away from their office! 

[Justin V]

I have it lucky.  My mailman is a super nice guy and my toddler likes to shadow him as he makes his way to our house.  In a year of isolation, a friendly face goes a long way.

[Dave Garrett]

9 hours ago, bresna said:

The USPS still allows "COD" ("Collect on delivery" or "Cash on delivery") too. That brings back memories. I wonder if anyone still uses that?

As it so happens, I just ran across an article about that very subject earlier this week.

The Payment Comes After

[jlhoots]

Mail person keeps putting mail in the wrong boxes. We then have to shlep it around the neighborhood to the correct address. 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Some weird shit going on with a gas cap I ordered from Amazon. Shipped on Monday, Nov. 30th. Showed as departing the carrier facility in Phoenix, AZ on Dec. 2nd. Showed up as "out for delivery" in Maine on Monday Dec. 7th. Now showing as "Package arrived at carrier facility" in Phoenix, AZ on Dec. 9th. Did it ever leave Phoenix or was that weird "Out for delivery" message an error? If that is what happened, it still doesn't explain why this package has sat in Phoenix for 11 days.

[Dan Gould]

33 minutes ago, bresna said:

Some weird shit going on with a gas cap I ordered from Amazon. Shipped on Monday, Nov. 30th. Showed as departing the carrier facility in Phoenix, AZ on Dec. 2nd. Showed up as "out for delivery" in Maine on Monday Dec. 7th. Now showing as "Package arrived at carrier facility" in Phoenix, AZ on Dec. 9th. Did it ever leave Phoenix or was that weird "Out for delivery" message an error? If that is what happened, it still doesn't explain why this package has sat in Phoenix for 11 days.

Bresna in contention for the "weird USPS tracking" award for December. But there's a lot of month left and a lot of packages to be shipped. 

 

[jlhoots]

I have an Amazon order that shipped on Dec. 4. It's Dec. 11 & tracking says USPS awaiting shipment. Supposed to be delivered Dec. 15. Amazon won't do anything about it until after that date.

[jlhoots]

Just went to mailbox in the dark. Mailman is there wearing a light on top of his hat - &  not a Christmas light!!

[Justin V]

I live in the Cleveland area.  I have a package that was picked up and arrived at the post office in Kansas City on November 30th, with an expected delivery date of December 4th.  On December 3rd, it arrived at a postal facility...in Kansas City.  It left Kansas City that day and arrived in Cleveland on the 7th.  4 days later, it has not left the facility.  I get a daily text telling me it is in transit and running late.  

[jazzbo]

I'm also in the Cleveland area and similar things have been happening to packages to my address as well, both with USPS and UPS.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

21 hours ago, bresna said:

Some weird shit going on with a gas cap I ordered from Amazon. Shipped on Monday, Nov. 30th. Showed as departing the carrier facility in Phoenix, AZ on Dec. 2nd. Showed up as "out for delivery" in Maine on Monday Dec. 7th. Now showing as "Package arrived at carrier facility" in Phoenix, AZ on Dec. 9th. Did it ever leave Phoenix or was that weird "Out for delivery" message an error? If that is what happened, it still doesn't explain why this package has sat in Phoenix for 11 days.

I called the parts department at the dealer who sent my gas cap and he said that because of the high holiday volume, the Phoenix sorting center is out of capacity, so they ship some packages to a New Jersey sorting center, then they get sent back to Phoenix to get shipped out. W. T. F!

[Big Beat Steve]

1 hour ago, bresna said:

I called the parts department at the dealer who sent my gas cap and he said that because of the high holiday volume, the Phoenix sorting center is out of capacity, so they ship some packages to a New Jersey sorting center, then they get sent back to Phoenix to get shipped out. W. T. F!

Phoenix AZ to New Jersey? Just around the corner, eh? WTF indeed.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

So it gets better... I open the mailbox today and what do I find? My gas cap! USPS "tracking" is such a joke, I don't know why they even offer it.

[jcam_44]

I feel with the lack of activity in this thread we’ve all just given up. Haha