Frustration and anger !

There was a rash of people stealing packages over the holidays. You are toast.

 

USPS needs serious HELP!!!

Case #1 Sent a large box full of Christmas items to my BIL in Spokane WA. USPS claims it was delivered on the 16th of Dec, needless to say he never got the package. There is nothing they will do since they claim to have delivered it.

Case # 2 I personally dropped of a customer’s item at the post office on the 30th of Dec, the tracking number still doesn't show in the USPS database. Where in the heck is it then? I dropped it off myself...

 

Moral of the story...

Don't ship with USPS!


Insure it and send it with UPS or FedEx, will full description and replacement value.


Think of it this way, the government owns USPS, and the government doesn't care about the little guys, so don't expect them to honor any type of package guarantee or delivery time. I found that out the hard way as well.

 

I had a similiar problem with UPS.

Black Friday I ordered an xmas gift for a niece to be shipped to my house from Amazon.
I was emailed a tracking #.
14 days later - nada.
Checked UPS web site - it said packaged delivered. Some more poking around -
Delivered to Ridgewood, NJ. No name, no address, just delivered to some other city & state address.
Checked the original address supplied to Amazon- it's my address.
Checked the UPS site - says to contact the vendor.
I called Amazon: they tell me to contact UPS.

I raise a stink w Amazon & Amazon sends out a replacment and I get it in 3 days.

Two weeks later, the original package shows up with the correct address on it, though the label looks like it was peeled off & re-applied. No sign of the Ridgewood NJ address.



Moral of the story: raise a stink. Even with USPS. You can file an official investigation request with the postmaster. Speak to them in person. The package may still show up.

 

Oh man. I feel sorry for you. That really sucks. But I hope the package is still there and be delivered it to you or even a "refund"?

 

Never ship anything important USPS - FedEx or UPS only - and properly insured.

Sorry for the loss - hopefully it shows up.

Erik

 

The USPS has gotten increasingly unreliable for important items. Certainly never rely on them for a timely delivery of anything time-sensitive, regardless of their guarantee.

Sorry for your experience. The article may show up at any time, so don't lose hope.

 

Sent 3 packages over the holidays USPS 'Priority Mail' ( supposedly delivered in 2-3 days ) and charged extra for Priority service. Packages sent to different locations and tracked but lost in transit.Almost two weeks go by and they finally show up.

 

As long as he has proof he sent it, I don't think paypal will side with you. It can't hurt to try. I agree, it should have been sent a more secure method.

Good luck.

Erik

 

I always pay the extra for a "Required Signature".....Mark

 

Let's not get ahead of ourselves - not all American's would agree the USPS isn't the way to go.

In 2010 they processed 171 Billion pieces of mail - I'd say quite a few still rely on them.

My personal opinion (as well as others here) is that I prefer UPS or FedEx - I don't think you can blame the shipper for not trusting the worlds largest shipping/postal company.

http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-facts/welcome.htm

Maybe this particular individual has never had a bad experience with USPS?

I'm not saying either of you are wrong, but it's not unheard of to ship with USPS.

Erik

 

And here's one from the "good samaritan" files:

i just received a phone call (today, 11:15am) from a guy whose company buys old USPS totes and bins. I suppose they use them for warehousing or something. The guy says "Hey, we just got a batch of bins from the postal service and it looks like something from your company was accidentally left inside."

Ricambi America packaging materials have a lot of contact info and 'backup" data printed on them for exactly this reason... in case a primary UPS/FedEx/USPS label gets torn or damaged.

Anyway, this guy has found a parcel that went missing in early November. We already sent the customer a no-charge replacement as soon as it was reported, and then simply wrote-off the lost package as write down of inventory.

This guy said "I feel really bad that your customer might have never gotten his item, or that you had to replace it without any USPS help. Can I send it back to you?" How cool is that?

I just shot him a pre-paid return label, and the stuff is coming back. So, just when you think something is totally lost in transit, a Good Samaritan comes along and brightens your day.

 

Hopefully it makes it this time.

 

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I sell a ton of stuff on ebay and have used USPS pretty much exclusively for the last 5-6 years... knock on wood, not a problem yet. I totally trust Priority Mail. UPS & FedEx may have better tracking systems, but they destroy and lose FAR MORE packages than the USPS!!!

FYI, those of you who still think the USPS is owned and operated by the US government... not true, it has been a private company since 1982.
More fun facts for today, the federal reserve and the IRS aren't US government owned or operated companies either!

 

Been there.. done that. Same experience. Shipped FOBS to gobble with overnight shipping USPS.. 3 days later package is still undelivered and had to go to post office to pick it up in person. In general 3 day priority works well (Thanks Daniel!) as it is most cost effective.

Just tell them that it "may" have some toxic components you failed to mention on the shipping and "may" release toxic gases if left in the heat too long. ;-) THEN they'll find it in a flash.. ;-)

 

171 Billion pieces of mail were shipped by USPS in 2010 yes. But count the small percentage that are actually packages and not regular letter size mail.

By comparison, USPS is far inferior to UPS or FedEx in all aspects except the fact that UPS or FedEx does not deliver the regular mail. If UPS or FedEx decided to start delivering regular mail, I'd ban USPS from bringing me my stuff. Their delivery drivers are rude, they shove packages in your mailbox that barely fit or have to be squashed to fit and from personal experience, they hire unreliable thief types to sort your mail at the local post offices. (yes, they arrested 2 people in my local post office for stealing and attempting to cash stolen payroll checks)

There is a reason their tracking system is so unreliable or days/weeks behind on real updates. They don't give a damn, they get paid by the US Government, where we pay them with our tax money, they are in a postal carriers union that demands delivery drivers make upwards of $20/hour just to drive your mail to your house.

 

UPS are true scammers for anything that crosses the border. They can charge 50$ of brokerage fees for an item that costs 40$. I mean, they have no shame....

They've been to court over it and there is basically nothing the customer can do but pay it or go get the package cleared yourself which is time consuming and a hassle.

Fedex also isn't shy of tacking on brokerage fees but they are much more reasonable. USPS and Canada Post almost never charge anything.

When I get packages sent to me from the US, I always ask for USPS or FEDEX. If the seller only uses UPS, I won't deal with them at all.

I also have an online business and I send hundreds of package to the US every year. I get maybe 1-2 losses every year. Not a bad success ratio and zero brokerage fees.

 

I've had the same experience with UPS - IMO they are a bunch of crooks.