The Postal Service

Keith Montgomery

Keith Montgomery

Feedback: +0 / =0 / -0
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
29,205
I think the Postal Service deserves kudos. A knife was sent to me from Indiana via USPS Express Post Last Friday, and it got to me in Canada this morning. This is the kind of service that I regularly receive from the Postal Service.
 
I'll second that! I sent a money order out from Toronto on Monday and it arrived in Los Angeles today (so Dan at Plaza in turn sent out my Strider this afternoon:):p:thumbup:;):D!). I figured it would've taken at least a week. Hats off to our posties.
 
Yeah, considering the prices USPS has on those flat rate boxes, it just doesn't seem economical to use UPS.

I sent some knife parts up to a guy in Canada via USPS on 3/31. They just arrived today. As far as I can tell, it was all the Canadian Customs' doing.

I'm just lucky they were gifts, otherwise I might've gotten strung up for a 3 week delay beyond my control.
 
Canada Customs can sometimes hold onto things for a very long time. One time Customs had a knife of mine for 2 weeks and when I got it, it had not been opened for inspection. The only explanation I could come up with was that they must have been really busy.
 
I have never had a problem with knives shipped to me by USPS, whereas UPS has sent them all over the place. Back when Busse shipped UPS, one knife addressed to me at my Alabama address ended up at the Georgia State Capitol building. Now that Busse uses USPS I have had no
shipping problems.

Years ago my mail carrier left a box with a $1,250 knife
in it hanging by a rubber band from my mailbox flag. I asked her to take the boxes back and leave a yellow slip rather than doing this, and she now does so when we are not at home. This is after she gets out of her car, carries the box to our door and rings the bell to see if we are at home. This is a smaller formerly rural post office serving a growing suburban area, and they are the best PO with which I have ever dealt.
 
I prefer USPS simply because I prefer to receive a knife at the mailbox instead of having it left on my porch. The tracking available with UPS is vastly superior, though. I just ordered an sweet Casio G-Shock and can use UPS tracking to watch it travel towards me. USPS could learn a lesson there.

Trivia: the lowest seniority UPS pilots are paid $180,000 per year. Link.
 
USPS seems like the only Government service that still works hard for they're living! :thumbup:

They do a fine job the majority of the time, no question. :cool:


Anthony
 
brokenbrains said:
Yeah, considering the prices USPS has on those flat rate boxes, it just doesn't seem economical to use UPS.
Click to expand...

Anyone that uses USPS for shipping pays the same as the next guy in line.
With UPS you get discounts depending on how many packages you send a week/month.

(no I'm not affiliated with UPS or USPS)

Flat rate USPS Box is $4.80 with delivery confirmation.
UPS with real tracking, confirmation and $100 insured is $4.00.
If you go to one of their stores or a "Mail-Away" place you will get published rates or higher. I'm guessing $5.00-$7.00

I do tend to use USPS when sending out things I have sold personally as it is usually easier for the receiver.
For our business though, I wouldn't even consider USPS as an option because of the limit of .lbs, insurance, tracking etc..
For an individual, it is the best route.

All-in-all I've had good luck using both.
Only 1 indecent with either one and both were taken care of.
USPS damaged a package almost beyond recognition and ruined the contents.
UPS lost a package, never to be found again.

mike
 
Last week I bought a pair of money orders at the PO and sent them out priority mail with delivery confirmation. While I was filling out all of the necessary text I BS'ed a little with the fellow behind the counter.

That evening I came home and got a message on my answering machine from the guy, indicating that I hadn't been charged for the actual postage (but everything else was paid for), and could I come in by 5pm to take care of it?

Well unfortunately I got this message at 6pm and so wasn't able to make it back there until noon the next day. I had visions of the envelopes still waiting for postage sitting in a bin somewhere, or even worse on their way to my residence returned for "insufficient postage".

Turns out Ray (the guy behind the counter) paid the $10 out of his own pocket to send them off for me. I gave him a 10-spot and a big THANK YOU as soon as I saw him! Offered to take him to lunch but he had already eaten. :o

Moral of the story: everyone has their share of horror tales about the USPS, but considering the volume they handle and tedium they must have to endure, I think they do a pretty bang-up job. :thumbup:
 
sunnyd said:
USPS seems like the only Government service that still works hard for they're living! :thumbup:

They do a fine job the majority of the time, no question. :cool:


Anthony
Click to expand...


Technically, the USPS is not operated by the government. The best way to put it is they are independent contractors working for and given responsibility by the U.S. Government. Therefore, since there is less government bureaucracy, they are able to provide more efficiency. :D
 
I love my new letter carrier chick named Tina. She was able to get my mailbox moved from its old location on the other side of a busy street, to next to my side door. The old turd that she replaced would never give me that kind of love.

:thumbup:
 
bluejaunte said:
Moral of the story: everyone has their share of horror tales about the USPS, but considering the volume they handle and tedium they must have to endure, I think they do a pretty bang-up job. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Actually, I've never had a single problem with the USPS. Maybe someday, but as of now they have done a great job of getting me my stuff.
 
My only complaint about the USPS is sometimes they don't tell you that they attempted delivery, and if you don't pick up the package within 7-10 days they send it back. Happened with one of my knives.

Other thing is shipping things to a business address. But that's a different story.

Past that, I find it easier to ship USPS then UPS because USPS has all those ready-ship supplies. Don't need to buy other things for mailing. :thumbup:
 
They do well most of the time, I've only had one knife get "lost" and i got my money back after a bit of a hassle and a long wait.
 
In the past 5 years I have sent and received countless items from all over the world. The only time I have ever had issues is with UPS / FED EX / DHL! Every time I use the United States Postal Service, it has been flawless. And a real big thumbs up for the New Baltimore branch here in Macomb County Michigan. They bend over backwards to help me when I ever I need them. :thumbup::D




:)
 
Live in a older part of a very small town - had to get a PO Box since they won't deliver to the house (long story). Box has been great -friendly - helpful people who do care about their jobs and their patrons.Only drawback is that PP goes ballistic on PO boxes - so have to use a street address that isn't actually deliverable in order to keep them happy.
 
When I worked for UPS many years ago, I asked the Center Manager why they didn't get into the mail business like the USPS.

He told me that they would not be able to handle the volume as efficiently as the Postal Service and would not be able to deliver at their prices. In fact, he said that they would have to increase the cost on package delivery.

Everyone that I worked with at UPS was always very positive regarding the level of service that the USPS was able to deliver at the volume that they operate.

Sure, like in every business, there are problems, but all told, they do a pretty darn good job at the USPS.
 
USPS has done very good by me. I ship a lot of heavy flat rate boxes all over the world
and with no probs.

I accidently sent two over weight boxes to Canada and they were held at the larger PO 23 miles away. My Post lady from my small PO drove there after work and paid the extra $100+ out of her pocket because I told her the boxes had to go and I couldn't get there to pay. Next day I tried to give her a little extra but she wouldn't take it, said she should have caught it before they went out.
 
In 2006, I shipped a Mad Dog ATAK II to a buyer in Texas via USPS registered, insured mail. The package never arrived and it took six months before the USPS paid the insurance proceeds. Someone, somewhere, got a very nice “free” knife. :(

einsteinjon said:
Technically, the USPS is not operated by the government. The best way to put it is they are independent contractors working for and given responsibility by the U.S. Government.
Click to expand...

The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the U.S. government (see 39 U.S.C. § 201). USPS postal inspectors are federal LEOs.

Daniel said:
When I worked for UPS many years ago, I asked the Center Manager why they didn't get into the mail business like the USPS.
Click to expand...

The U.S. government maintains a strict monopoly on the "mail business." The Private Express Statutes (PES) are a group of United States federal civil and criminal laws placing various restrictions on the carriage and delivery of letters by all organizations other than the USPS. Congress originally passed the PES in 1792, ostensibly under the provision in the Constitution empowering it to "establish Post Offices and Post Roads". The PES created a governmental monopoly (not mentioned in the Constitution) on the carriage and delivery of letter mail, and ensured this monopoly can be enforced. The PES consists of 18 U.S.C. § 1693–1696 and 39 U.S.C. § 601–606. These forbid all carriage and delivery of letter mail by private organizations, except for "extremely urgent" letters which may be shipped by commercial carriers such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. The PES only cover "letters" and not other mailable items such as parcels.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top