Surprise Surprise - Yes, the USPS Sucks

[Jeff Higgins]

I took delivery of an empty, opened box yesterday that landed in my mailbox from the illustrious USPS. They had applied two stickers to this open, empty box when it arrived at my local post office. The stickers have three boxes that can be checked, "received possibly damaged", "received without contents", and "received unsealed". The last two of the three were checked. Someone had obviously cut the packaging tape neatly along the seam in the box lid and had removed the contents.

I understand that they are required to deliver it anyway, just to demonstrate it was not lost. Fine, I get that. So I tried calling the post office and wound up on some endless mobeus strip of dead end "if you... press..." commands. So I drove to my local post office, where the package had been labeled, only to find out they don't handle inquiries there, and I had to drive across town.

Arriving at the main post office, I spoke with a supervisor who told me I had to go on-line to file a claim. I asked whether they had flagged the tracking information themselves, to indicate at which point during their possession it showed up empty. Turns out they don't do that. No permanent record on their part - just a couple of stickers on the box.

Really? So how do I convince the shipper that the USPS delivered an empty box? "Oh, that's between you and the shipper." Wow. All the USPS felt obligated to do, on a tracked and insured shipment, was to put a couple of labels on the box and throw it over the fence to the customer?

One would think that if nothing else, for their own edification or investigative purposes, they would want to record where packages show up empty. I guess not. Can't be bothered.

Oh well, I'm working it out with the shipper, who is being completely understanding about it. He will not be using USPS in the future. I never do, and will not under any circumstances. Those lazy incompetent uncaring bastards can't go under fast enough. I cannot imagine any other shipper treating their customers like this.

[sammyg2]

It is illegal for any other company or organization to deliver first class mail. Congress gave them the monopoly.
how much motivation do we expect them to have?

[Gogar]

Well thank goodness for the insurance I guess.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

That's nothing. I shipped a 3.0L crank to Canada in a heavy duty tube with pressed in barbed metal caps that had to be destroyed/pried out by hand with a screwdriver. Customer, Pelican, never got it, I got an empty tube back. Didn't have insurance, really dumb on my part.

Had to buy another crank and ship it, that one made it.

[Danimal16]

Not USPS, but UPS. I sent a M1 Garand Barrell and they bent it. I mean bent the damn thing. But I was insured. AS$ hats would not pay at first. They did after a bit.

[Jeff Higgins]

Wow, Shaun, that really sucks. Makes my box of a couple hundred pieces of .348 Winchester brass look like peanuts. The only thing I was worried about was, because these are very limited production, I was going to miss out - there wouldn't be enough left in stock to replace them. Turns out there was, and they are already on their way.

I guess it would be easy enough to brush it off as "no skin off my nose", since neither I nor the supplier are losing anything. Insurance is covering it. But, still, it's the whole idea that the USPS does not even have a system in place through which they can record where these losses occur.

Maybe that's just their pragmatic business model. It would be too expensive to implement and ensure usage of such a system. It would probably be wildly unreliable anyway, what with having to ask their employees to show some discipline and motivation enough to actually input the data. Probably cheaper to just absorb and write off the losses. I guess not a big deal on easily replaced commercial items, but imagine if it were some heirloom type of a thing, with a good deal of sentimental value.

Oh well. I'll continue to use UPS and Fed Ex when I ship things. I get all of my bills, statements, and most correspondence on line and via email. Unless someone ships to me via USPS, about their only role in my life is to deliver part of my weekly recycling. It never even makes it into the house - straight into the bin from my mailbox. Like I said, they can't go under fast enough.

[Don Ro]

I worked for the gov't for 9 yrs. I quit when I was 31 for the reasons substantiated in your USPS story.
I feared early dementia.
"A great loafer's life." - - A gov't co-worker

[CurtEgerer]

Was dropping off packages at USPS last week. The sorting area is in clear view of the lobby. The kid "sorting" packages was throwing them into various bins 10-20 feet away like a basketball game And this was only the first point of contact with USPS. Pack like your item will be run over by a fork truck and it should survive.

[Don Ro]

I would have reached for my iPhone (video) about that time.

[drkshdw]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

Was dropping off packages at USPS last week. The sorting area is in clear view of the lobby. The kid "sorting" packages was throwing them into various bins 10-20 feet away like a basketball game And this was only the first point of contact with USPS. Pack like your item will be run over by a fork truck and it should survive.

UPS and FedEx do the exact same thing only it's done with machinery instead of people. In fact, your packages are dropped from floor to floor within the warehouse. If you write 'fragile' on the box, they throw it even further and it automatically goes into an empty cart for all the heavier boxes to use as cushioning when they land on top.

[pitargue]

Ever try to use the passport services of the USPS? Pretty clear where the term "gone postal" came from. Can not believe that type of behavior is allowed by the Postmaster General in a civilized first world nation.

[Jeff Higgins]

Their behavior is pretty typical of any business that has no competitors and therefor does not have to compete for its customers. We see the same thing from any government agency. With the recent deaths of my mother and then my father in law, we have had far too many dealings with Social Security, the IRS, the Veterans' Administration, Medicare, and, yes, the post office - my father in law worked for them. Incredibly frustrating in every instance. They don't have to care, they don't have to help, and you have nowhere else to turn.

I find it astonishing that so many people are so eager to turn over so much more in the way of oversight and authority to people like this. Personally, I would rather see them all die in a house fire, desperately waiting on hold on 911 after trying to press "1" for english and having some recording say "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that, I thought you said "'I would like a building permit'"...

[tabs]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

I worked for the gov't for 9 yrs. I quit when I was 31 for the reasons substantiated in your USPS story.
I feared early dementia.
"A great loafer's life." - - A gov't co-worker

Btw where is Fint?

[74-911]

Originally Posted by tabs

Btw where is Fint?

My thought exactly after reading Don's post..

[bell]

I had that happen with 2 jbl amplifiers i sold.
Empty box showed up.
Filed the claim, got nothing. Sent a deception and serial numbers through the claim center.
6 months later I see it sold on eBay.
Contacted the seller and found out that every lost piece of mail goes to a center in Georgia, guy bought a "lot" of items and resells as a business.
5 months later the second amp showed up at my place.
Lesson learned put your address on the items individually and they cam be re boxed/ sent should the usps sorting machines destroy your box lol

[Shaun @ Tru6]

My new Grizzly drill press was supposed to arrive on Monday via UPS Freight. Took me until Wednesday to call. Set an appointment to have them deliver yesterday. Didn't arrive. Called today, they have lost it. Have not called me back on finding it yet. 283 lb drill presses are pretty hard to lose.

[asphaltgambler]

Followed this truck down a secondary road on my way to work yesterday...........while not UPS / USPS - it was a delivery truck. The stiff inside was just just rolling around, I was waiting for it all to spill out........but didn't at least until I turned off.

[KNS]

Went to the post office a few days ago to pick up the mail we had on hold while on a weeks vacation. The gal behind the counter couldn’t find it anywhere in the building, said that it will probably be delivered to your box. I told her that mail delivery has already resumed and that there was a note that said there was too much mail (on hold) to deliver and to come to the PO to pick up. I spent quite a while with her discussing where on earth my mail could possibly be.

I came back two days later to see if they could find it because we still didn’t get it delivered. The man behind the counter disappeared to the back to go look. The gal that helped me a couple days before was standing at the next counter.

The guy comes back a few moments later with our bundle of mail. I mentioned that she (I pointed to the genius next to him) couldn’t find it anywhere. He said it was in plain sight in the usual spot for mail on hold. “Didn’t you look there?” he asked. She looked straight at him (but wouldn’t look at me) and said “I don’t remember helping him, I don’t recall looking for any vacation mail”.

You lying *****, I thought. What’s to be gained by lying or are you simply too stupid or senile to remember me standing in front of you two days before.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by pitargue

Ever try to use the passport services of the USPS? Pretty clear where the term "gone postal" came from. Can not believe that type of behavior is allowed by the Postmaster General in a civilized first world nation.

This thread is bizarre, based on my personal experience in Los Angeles and Minneapolis. I'm NOT doubting anyone's story, just saying that I've never had these problems. With UPS or the Post Office. And I buy a lot of stuff online, packages are in my mailbox or doorstep every other day, practically.

What happened w your passport? When I needed to renew mine in 2017, before an overseas trip, I simply went to my neighborhood PO, (Nat King Cole branch on 3rd and Manhattan Pl.), handed in the form they gave me w a new photo and a check and my new passport was in my mailbox a couple weeks later. It actually showed up a lot quicker than promised.

EDIT: Come to think of it, I think it was delivered by DHL or FedEx w signature required (?)