[Jeff Higgins]

My mail lady rocks. So does my UPS dood. Both have delivered here for years. No trouble whatsoever with them. No trouble with UPS at any level, ever. I'm now choosing them or Fed Ex over USPS when given the option.

USPS has now lost at least half a dozen packages since last summer. They have not yet lost any mail, just packages, but much of our mail that is shown as "delivered" shows up two to three days after that change in status. I think someone, or some sort of a systemic problem (software update?) in the mail room is doing this, not my individual carrier. She has delivered to our neighborhood for years, and has done a stellar job. I can't see her changing her habits.

My latest (and the incident that elicited this thread) is some rather hard to find parts for my 1993 Ducati 900 Super Sport. They were shipped last week, and the post office shows them delivered on Monday of this week. Interestingly, they show "Delivered, Front Desk/Reception/Mail Room" on their delivery tracker.

Well, I don't have anything like a "Front Desk/Reception/Mail Room" in my residential home. I would be curious to learn just how such a delivery notation got attached to this. System generated? Some lazy, unqualified gubmint worker hired under even lower standards than previously in place (I find that hard to believe... the possibility that they could have actually lowered them from where they already were... but I digress...)?

Just frustrating. It's not like they lost some run-of-the-mill something purchased at retail, easily replaced by the big box on-line store from whom I purchased. Nope, this time, it's no longer manufactured, pretty niche market stuff. The guy is sending another set (bless his heart), but I know this has to hurt him a bit. Not a super high dollar item (about a hundred bucks), but they ain't making' no more of 'em. Whoever actually winds up with them will just throw them away. Kind of a shame.