Am I right to file a complaint?

JD Mandrell

JD Mandrell

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I shipped a knife for some custom work to CA, from Il. on the 1st of Feb. I paid for 2-3 day Priority Mail, with Delivery Comfirmation.

The package did not arrive until today, 8 days later.

I filed an online complaint with the USPS asking for a refund, (yeah I know that ain't gonna happen), but it ticks me off to pay extra rates for something and they totally took longer than if I had sent it first class.
 
Hell yeah you're right to file a complaint! But know there just going to tell you that priority mail is not guaranteed.

I would file a complaint every day tell i got a refund, or just to get on there nerves!
 
The Last Confederate said:
it ticks me off to pay extra rates for something and they totally took longer than if I had sent it first class.
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How do you know it would have gotten there faster via first class? Did you send another package using fist class mail to the same destination on the same day?:confused:
 
I can tell you that shipping first class has gotten my packages to their destinations just as quick as priority. No, not 100% of the time. But then neither is priority service. It never was gauranteed 2/3 days delivery. Especially after the events of 9/ 11. It is when a package passes a certain weight that it goes priority automatically. The postal clerk will tell you this at time of weighing. I do not know how the Postal system actually works internally (as opposed to policy) but I was told on seperate occassions by clerks, handlers and route workers that first class and priority is all the same at the end! :eek:

To answer the original question, you do have a right to file a complaint. Do it on paper and not just verbally with the branch supervisor (write his/ her name down). And that will establish a record/ paper trail. In the future, any other legit complaints can be checked with your past complaints. And when they check your shipping records (keep ALL paper receipts!), they can then determine your bonifides. Will you get a refund (eventually)? Not necessarily. But... you may be surprised. As an example, a few years ago I was happily refunded with cash by the branch supervisor due to a next day service package arriving to its destination in 3 days.

N.
 
I ship alot of packages Priority and most do get there in 3 days. But it is not a guaranteed service. You are not going to get a refund, unfortunately.

I have been happily refunded for "next day" service which took longer. More than once!

Most of my packages are insured and I don't take out a DC which is duplication.
I just moved and my new PO is not computerized, I hope this doesn't cause me problems!

Win
 
It got there intact, I am guessing? All forms of mail delivery estimates are just that, estimates. Priority mail SHOULD get there within 3 days, Next Day air SHOULD get there tomorrow etc. I wouldn't have sent that complaint, because now, your postal carrier might have to sit down with his boss, the post office you mailed it out of might have to have a conference with their bosses etc. This may make a few people a little surly, endangering your mail. No, I don't work for the Post Office, but I know people who do, and I have had the same thing happen to me, I've gotten magazines months after their replacements arrived, and they were opened, read and some were in pretty bad shape. These went straight into the trash can! As long as it got there, let it slide. You have no recourse anyway. If it ever went to court, which I am sure you wouldn't go that far, you would be told to use a courier in the future and you would be told that delivery times are just estimates. If it's something extremely valuable or breakable, use either Fed Ex or a reliable courier, and add insurance.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
It got there intact, I am guessing? All forms of mail delivery estimates are just that, estimates. Priority mail SHOULD get there within 3 days, Next Day air SHOULD get there tomorrow etc. I wouldn't have sent that complaint, because now, your postal carrier might have to sit down with his boss, the post office you mailed it out of might have to have a conference with their bosses etc. This may make a few people a little surly, endangering your mail. No, I don't work for the Post Office, but I know people who do, and I have had the same thing happen to me, I've gotten magazines months after their replacements arrived, and they were opened, read and some were in pretty bad shape. These went straight into the trash can! As long as it got there, let it slide. You have no recourse anyway. If it ever went to court, which I am sure you wouldn't go that far, you would be told to use a courier in the future and you would be told that delivery times are just estimates. If it's something extremely valuable or breakable, use either Fed Ex or a reliable courier, and add insurance.
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And people wonder why government SERVICE agencies never impove.
 
The fact of the matter is that Priority mail isn't guaranteed, they try to get it there faster, and most of the time they do, but It's a risk you take.
 
BH said:
The fact of the matter is that Priority mail isn't guaranteed, they try to get it there faster, and most of the time they do, but It's a risk you take.
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Not according to the person I spoke to earlier, 2-3 days is expected, with 4 days being within a margin, but 8 days was unacceptable and they took down all the information and are looking into why it took so long. I guess I'll see what they say, but I will say that whoever I spoke to was good to deal with.
 
The Last Confederate said:
And people wonder why government SERVICE agencies never improve.
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USPS is not a government agency.

It is a private corporation run for profit. It is just run as a government run program under government rules and regulations.
 
pyrguy said:
USPS is not a government agency.

It is a private corporation run for profit. It is just run as a government run program under government rules and regulations.
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Sort of, it is not a true "Private corporation", this is from the USPS history.

"The United States Postal Service® is an independent establishment of the Executive Branch of the United States Government. It operates in a businesslike way."

It operates as a business, but it is a branch of the government.
 
i would complain, but keep in mind that USPS does not guarantee 2-3 day delivery with Priority. they just make it seem that way.

abe m.
 
Express Mail has a guaranteed delivery date. Priority Mail does not. Express Mail moves through the system in a separate mailstream from ordinary mail. Priority Mail hitches a ride with Express Mail between destinations, but is delivered as ordinary mail once it reaches the delivering post office.

Your post office, postmaster, and letter carrier have nothing to do with delivery of mail you send out. They turn it over to a sorting unit that directs it to the delivery unit at its destination. Where along this path, with the mail going through many steps and many hands, it went astray, delaying delivery, is beyond any chance of tracking.

The Postal Service appreciates written complaints, though. These are recorded, and the problem areas analyzed, to find which parts of the mailstream to which destinations are generating problems.

If Express Mail fails to arrive on time, you are entitled to a refund. With Priority Mail you are not. My own experience with Priority Mail has been extremely positive. If yours has been too, but one instance went astray, look at the overall picture.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
I wouldn't have sent that complaint, because now, your postal carrier might have to sit down with his boss, the post office you mailed it out of might have to have a conference with their bosses etc. This may make a few people a little surly, endangering your mail.
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Your postal carrier has nothing to do with your outgoing mail, and neither he nor anyone in his chain of command would be asked about it.

If you think postal personnel are surly and interfering with your mail because of a complaint, you need to complain to the Postal Inspectors. This is not a routine problem and should not be accepted as the way of the world.
 
I will say that I have always had a positive relationship with my local mail carriers, and a few years ago I called to report reckless driving by a mail carrier, they took the report, called back and verified the identifying number on the vehicle and thanked me for calling. A few days later my mail carrier dropped off me mail, while I was working in the yard and asked me if I was the one who reported a driver. I told her I did, and she told me that within 30 minutes of my call, this same driver hit a vehicle with his mail truck and he was fired. She actually thanked me for reporting him, and I never have felt that I was somehow being targeted by the Post Office. I always here people talking about that kind of stuff, but wonder if it's not mostly paranoia.
 
I hear what you're saying, and I hope that they do something for you. Best of luck!! One of the things I hate the most is shipping delays.
 
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