USPS Starting To Worry Me

pkdmslf

pkdmslf

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Ok, I know the USPS handles a lot of mail and have done a pretty good job. However....over the past 4 months I have had two items lost or misplaced by the USPS and one item delivered/left at the wrong address. First, the post office lost/or employee absconded with a digital camera. I tracked it down to a local post office and even had the post office employee's name who signed for it. Needless to say, the USPS were actually quite rude when I tried to locate the package (never did get resolved). Bought a knife from an individual (was not insured because the value wasn't that much). Never delivered. Seller sent me a package number but USPS couldn't find it or the package, hhmmmmmm. Never did receive it. Then Monday this week, USPS left a box on my front porch! A good size package at that. It had someone else's name and address on it. I was able to contact the correct addressee and while talking on the phone, they had a package for me! We exchanged packages. Thankful for honest people as the package she had contained a couple of somewhat expensive items. I need to find out how to file a complaint because this many mishaps in 4 months is out of line as far as I'm concerned. Tiime to have a talk with the mail courier. This also makes me leary of sending items through USPS. I think will send Fedex or UPS.
 
There is no excuse for misdelivery. I'm speaking as a retired postal service manager. By the way, good going on coordinating with your neighbor and getting each others' packages straight! :)

You should file a complaint about each missing item separately. Get complaint forms from the post office. The advantage in using the forms is that they are multicopy, and higher levels get to look over your local office's shoulder on how well they answer for it.

You could speak to your local letter carrier about the misdelivery. One problem we need to keep in mind is that the regular assigned carrier will not be on the route every delivery day. With 6 day delivery and 5 day work schedules, that's one day off, and adding in the vacation time, legitimate sick days, other leave for military or court or maternity, and you have a third of the time with a replacement on an average route. But even the replacement can read an address.

Finally, if nothing else works and especially since there was loss involved, go to the USPS website at www.usps.com and contact the Postal Inspectors.
 
I've only had good experiences with USPS... they get the packages to the right place, which UPS and others can't seem to do, because the ... location of our house and another house in the neighborhood can make things confusing because we're both 7100's on different streets and right across from each other.

I'd do what Esav said and file complaints.

Glad to hear that lady was a good enough person to not steal your stuff :)
 
I've heard of a few similar type incidents recently also.

On another forum, it was suggested to "double box" items to prevent a small slit in the box and the valuable contents missing scenarios.

That won't prevent the entire parcel from disappearing but it does sound like a good idea.

Peter
 
PS. It is the sellers duty to make sure the item is delievered to you. YOU, do not need to buy insurance. Ebay and the government requires that bought items be delivered to buyers. Insurance protects the sellers not the buyers.
If you have lost items, contact sellers of items, and tell them you want a refund, be it an Ebay seller or other.

When people on Ebay say they are not responsible for items after they are shipped.... well, they are mistaken.
 
Esav, I did notice that the last "wrong" delivery was made by a different mail courier than my normal guy. That could explain it, but I would think that they could read the address on the package.
 
im finding the same also. only within the last 6 months ive ever had any trouble. before that never trouble with recieving or sending
 
pkdmslf said:
... but I would think that they could read the address on the package.
Click to expand...

Exactly. It ain't rocket science. There are a lot of special services and problems with forwarding mail, but straight delivery of clearly addressed mail should be done right every time.

It is easier for the regular carrier because he sees the name and automatically sorts it to the right part of his delivery sequence. A missorted letter may get delivered with a bundle of mail. But packages should never get misdelivered.

peterinct said:
On another forum, it was suggested to "double box" items to prevent a small slit in the box and the valuable contents missing scenarios.
Click to expand...
That would help. But I rarely get an item rattling around in a box. Most of us wrap it thoroughly in bubble wrap or the equivalent, tape it around, and stuff filler in the box around that. Hard to drop an item out of a slit when it's wrapped and padded like that. Before I seal the outer box, I shake the package to see that nothing moves inside.

Another good idea is to put a piece of paper inside the box with the name & address it's going to, in case the address on the outside is damaged.
 
The only problem I've had with USPS is that "First Class" delivery has been pretty slow lately, and "Parcel Post" transportation/delivery might have been done via a 3-legged, blind 67 year old broken-down mule, as it took a package 13 days to get to me here in Washington state from Arizona, about a week ago.:grumpy:.
 
For the most part, I've had good luck with USPS. However lately, things have been just the opposite. A few times Priority mail has been taking 5-6 days, when 2-3 is the norm. Just recently I bought a pistol online from out of state. The seller sent it Priority mail to my dealer. After tracking it the 2nd & then 3rd day, I saw it was mistakenly sent to a town about 1/2 hr. west of where it should have gone. The address, zip code, everything was right on the package, so it's not like the seller made a mistake. After talking to the Postmaster about it to try to find out why it happened, the conclusion was just a dumb, careless mistake by whoever did the processing of where it was suppose to go. I realize everyone makes mistakes, but in my mind there's no excuse for that happening. I mean how does someone look at the town & zip code on a box, & then send it out to a completely different town?? :eek: I agree about their tracking. They should take a lesson from UPS on that one.
 
OK, guys, let's get a sense of proportion here. Fifteen years ago, NYC handled about ten million pieces of mail a day. I can't imagine that's changed much.

Track that. (How?)

USPS does track mail pretty well, except the only mail it tracks is Registered and Express. If you pay for ordinary delivery, you don't get tracking. (If you go to McDonalds, you don't get caviar and champagne.)

Misdelivery by a letter carrier to the wrong addressee is almost always an inexcusable mistake. Misdirection of a package to the wrong town is easier to understand, but you have to know how the system works to see it.

Whether a package is sorted manually and placed in a hamper or sack with other packages going to the same place, it is possible to misread which of a number of ranked pieces of equipment a specific package should go in.

Like my town, with 2 zip codes, 07440 and 07444. Blink and it goes astray, and takes an extra day or two to get sent to the right office for delivery.

Some mail is sorted by a clerk operating a machine. Watch the package go by, hit the sequence of keys to direct it -- and miskey. It can happen, and the post office has another misdirected package to retrieve and redirect to the correct office.

What percentage go astray?
 
I have no faith in the postal service at all.
I have had 2 packages out of 6 "go missing"
There appears to be no checks and measures if the items are sent with USPS.
1 knife was tracked to a postal hub/ sorting centre then never seen again
The other package with 4 knives was supposibly posted in January and I am still waiting......
If a postal worker see's on the package "knives" and decides to take them how would you ever know what happened to them?
The Postal service here is no better unless you pay that much to have registered post that is tracked, then the costs make it unviable for low cost items.
I bought a Ka-Bar recently cost $39 US the postage is $22 US and that is not insured or tracked.
I am having a rethink about the savings of ebay when you look at how much you get ripped off for postage and how its russian roulette when it comes to getting it delivered.
 
I try and use USPS as much as I can; UPS on the other hand has been the very bane of my existence. My driver is so poor, I have his cell phone number as well as the number of his boss's direct line. :mad: Quite often, near the end of the day (my driver is SHOULD BE here around 1:30 PM PST) I will look at tracking numbers and often I will find something marked delivered and I don't have it. "Hey Forrest, How come I don't have this package that you marked it delivered". UUUUHHH, I'll drop it off on my way back to the barn. "Thanks, Forrest, I need that." I usually follow up with a call to his boss, well this has been going on for nearly 3 years now. I guess there absolutely no accountability for the drivers. Maybe one of the last strong remaining unions perhaps? By now, he should know that he's not gonna pull a fast one, he's not smart enough.:jerkit: Smart as a brick, maybe. I have been lucky with USPS, never lost a thing. But USPS will not ship some things. My place is very easy to find, hard to get in and out of because of traffic late in the day, easy when he SHOULD be making the delivery. I got the phone numbers after my 4th trip to UPS in a month. Doesn't the fact that I can call my driver tell you something about UPS.
 
If a postal worker see's on the package "knives" and decides to take them how would you ever know what happened to them?
Click to expand...

Because postal workers work out in the open with galleries overhead for the Postal Inspectors to watch from. Sure there are places along the way where thieves can steal. Thieves also get caught because of the security in place.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
OK, guys, let's get a sense of proportion here. Fifteen years ago, NYC handled about ten million pieces of mail a day. I can't imagine that's changed much.

Track that. (How?)

USPS does track mail pretty well, except the only mail it tracks is Registered and Express. If you pay for ordinary delivery, you don't get tracking. (If you go to McDonalds, you don't get caviar and champagne.)

Misdelivery by a letter carrier to the wrong addressee is almost always an inexcusable mistake. Misdirection of a package to the wrong town is easier to understand, but you have to know how the system works to see it.

Whether a package is sorted manually and placed in a hamper or sack with other packages going to the same place, it is possible to misread which of a number of ranked pieces of equipment a specific package should go in.

Like my town, with 2 zip codes, 07440 and 07444. Blink and it goes astray, and takes an extra day or two to get sent to the right office for delivery.

Some mail is sorted by a clerk operating a machine. Watch the package go by, hit the sequence of keys to direct it -- and miskey. It can happen, and the post office has another misdirected package to retrieve and redirect to the correct office.

What percentage go astray?
Click to expand...


Well, I've used their tracking with Priority mail (pointed out to me by the clerk who took my package) & I think it does in fact leave something to be desired. All it tells is when a given article was accepted at the Post office & when it arrives at it's destination. No info in between. Helpful to a degree, but in comparison to UPS that shows a day by day progression, sorry, no comparison there. UPS wins hands down. And believe me, I'm no big fan of UPS, as I've had my share of problems with them. Frankly, I'll use the Postal system over UPS most of the time. I realize no system is perfect & on whole, I think USPS service is very good. But my feelings are similar to those of the original poster of this thread. It just seems that on balance, lately they're dropping the ball more than what I'm used to seeing. It almost seems like there's been an internal change in the system or something that we're not aware of. From what I've experienced lately, their service appears to be slipping. But overall, I still think they do a good job.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Because postal workers work out in the open with galleries overhead for the Postal Inspectors to watch from. Sure there are places along the way where thieves can steal. Thieves also get caught because of the security in place.
Click to expand...
I hear what you are saying Esav but as you point out plenty of opportunities as they move between points, on and off trucks etc.
I work in the transport game and I can tell you nothing is very secure.
In Oz they have cameras on all the workers in the postal centres, very strict etc etc.
Try posting some cash in a card to somebody for their Birthday or Christmas, chances of getting delivered........Zero.
The security seems to miss alot of things, no different to the security that allows tons of drugs into countries or the security that keeps contraband and weapons out of Jails.
 
Mick57 said:
Well, I've used their tracking with Priority mail (pointed out to me by the clerk who took my package) & I think it does in fact leave something to be desired. All it tells is when a given article was accepted at the Post office & when it arrives at it's destination. No info in between. Helpful to a degree, but in comparison to UPS that shows a day by day progression, sorry, no comparison there. UPS wins hands down. And believe me, I'm no big fan of UPS, as I've had my share of problems with them. Frankly, I'll use the Postal system over UPS most of the time. I realize no system is perfect & on whole, I think USPS service is very good. But my feelings are similar to those of the original poster of this thread. It just seems that on balance, lately they're dropping the ball more than what I'm used to seeing. It almost seems like there's been an internal change in the system or something that we're not aware of. From what I've experienced lately, their service appears to be slipping. But overall, I still think they do a good job.
Click to expand...

USPS does not offer tracking on Priority Mail. It does offer Delivery Confirmation, which means the scan it at entry and at delivery. Sometimes there are intermediate scans, but you are not paying for a tracking service.
 
Sounds like most of the trouble is at your local PO.
Right now mine is very good but their has been some real lazy carriers there in the past.
 
Esav, if the only packages tracked are Registerd and Express, why does the postal service offer priority mail with tracking/ confirmation numbers?

And honestly, while I agree with you that the sheer volume of the mail would make tracking every piece a virtual impossibility, what is so hard about actually building a system which can actually process the information from my scanned box and tell the system, even if it took 24 hours, where the package is, instead of telling us that "no update is available?"

I'm not looking to put you on the spot here, but you did offer yourself as an expert in the field.

I ask because as someone had mentioned Fed Ex - I send stuff via Fed Ex all the time, I know where it is at any point during the shipping process. Their system can tell me 11 minutes after the package is delivered not only that it was received, but also the name of the person who signed for it, or if it was left at the door, etc.

Postal tracking/ delivery confirmation is unable to provide a confirmation of delivery up to 30 days after we have been informed that the package was received.

Seriously, I'm not picking on you, but is there a person/ office within the system we could address en masse about this problem?

Thanks for your insight and willingness to field these questions on behalf of "the best armed branch of the United States Government." ;)
 
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