And this is why the post office is going bankrupt...

[enyawd72]

So, I have a package coming from Union, KY to Ashtabula, OH. Distance: 5 hours 11 min. from Ashtabula.

First it goes to a sorting facility in Des Moines, IA. Distance: 8 hours 55 min. from Union, KY.

Then it goes from Des Moines to Ashtabula, another 10 hours 58 min. away.

According to P.O. tracking, it was sorted at the P.O. in Des Moines at 7:44 A.M. yesterday and is still there,
despite the fact it was delivered to me yesterday morning at 8:15 A.M.

So, a package that started out only 300 miles from it's destination was shipped 1100 miles (and gas isn't free) and the tracking was totally out-of-date and useless.

[thunderbolt]

Oh, we mail stuff in town here in Winter Haven and it goes to Tampa and comes back.

[megocrazy]

Yeah the PO is a joke. They screw up all the time. I've been fortunate in my past jobs to be able to visit a couple of UPS facilities and have friends that work at PO facilities in both Boston and Providence over the years, so I've seen the insides of there too, and it's 2 completely different deals. It's like comparing the NFL to a touch football game. If UPS ever decided to get into residential deliveries, like regular mail, they would put the PO out of business in a week. They should sell the PO to a private company and just get away from the losses. UPS will never drop their rates for residential and truthfully right now they would be stupid to do so. They realized from the start the best money is made when you can drop multiple pieces at one location or pickup multiple pieces at one time, ie: businesses and distribution. The UPS stores don't help things either as they jack up the fees for their percentage, so for now the PO, with all their inabilities is still the best option overall for ease and cost.

[Gorn Captain]

A batch of posters from the UK (distance about 250 miles), took a month to get here. I think they kept that tube to temporarily replace a broken table leg...

I got another package from the US. It said "$30 value". They sent a letter "what is the value?".
I answered "$30". They then said "ok" and charged me $18 administration cost to send me that letter.
I'm basically paying them to harrass me. If someone wants to kick me in the leg, there's $20 in it for you....

[Hector]

The Postal Service has been going out of business since the 80's, what else is new, lol.

[mvanis]

I sent 2 packages a while back- one to Oklahoma and one to Seattle. The one to Seattle showed up the next day as delivered in the town next to ours, and the one to Oklahoma showed up as delivered 3 days later in California. Got a message from the guy in Seattle and he was accosting me of scamming him by shipping it to my friend in the next town over... He got the item the next day. I reached out to the one in Oklahoma just to see what happened, and he said it had arrived with no issues. Called the post office and they said 'weird, must have been a duplicate tracking number- let me look into it and I'll call you back' - never got a call back =)

[johnmiic]

A batch of posters from the UK (distance about 250 miles), took a month to get here.

A batch of posters from the UK (distance about 250 miles), took a month to get here.

Gorn Captain, you're talking about the UK PO not the USA PO?

They told me at a USPO that standard procedure in shipping overseas from the US is to wait until the bin for international packages fills up-then they are allowed to send the items out. They do hold back packages for shipping until they have enough in a group to send them out. Also everything is Airmail only now. They no longer ship out of the country via surface. Even a package to Canada, which is on the same continent as the USA, only goes via air, which does sound silly.

I have no explanation for why these things happen or policies that seem not to make sense, but I still hold the USPO in high regard. The volume of stuff they get right far exceeds the quirky things that they do wrong.

[Zemo]

The Postal Service has been going out of business since the 80's, what else is new, lol.

And before that, Because the government runs it. They have already proved that they can't even run a house of ill repute. Fact

[FETT1]

...ahhh yes ...try good ol CANADA POST...although their tracking info. has improved for 2013...oh but wait ..cost's went up again!!!

I see the result's of the US po rates on my packages over the last couple of month's....WOW BIG INCREASE !

[Gorn Captain]

Gorn Captain, you're talking about the UK PO not the USA PO?

Yeah, shipping from the UK to Belgium usually takes about 8-9 days, which is long. We're neighboring countries. Packages from the US often take much less, often 5 days. I've worked in the Belgian Postal Offices (way back), and I know how sloppy they are. I left in disgust.

But I have to say, I've only had two packages go missing in 14 years, and I'm certain of it that one seller never sent it. So that's still pretty good, IMO...

[spacecaps]

My Post Office literally hates me when I walk in the door. Everytime I'm there its like an episode of Ground Hog Day. They always tell me that I can ship online to which I reply, yes but the ink to print the lables costs money. I live in the town of Iselin but since I'm on the border, I'm closer to the Colonia Post Office. Iselin is 3 miles away and 3 painfull traffic lights away and Colonia is close enough that I can walk and every time, they ask me why I don't go to the Iselin Post Office. They close at 7 and if I show up any time after 6:30 they tell me to come back tomorrow, even if I only have a few packages. Cashiers have left their post because I walk through the door with an arm full of boxes and if I have 1 or 2 packages going overseas, and like 15 packages to ship in the US, they make me stand off to the side and fill out the customs forms before they start on any of my packages even though I can easily have the forms filled out by the time they've done all the other ones. Every single person that works there is one miserable, lazy SOB. Dear God are they lazy. I have no idea why the USPS got rid of the little green tracking tickets you could stick on to your package and now just include it on your receipt but several times I've gone in there, specifically asked for tracking only to find later on that they totally ignored me.

[enyawd72]

My Post Office literally hates me when I walk in the door. Everytime I'm there its like an episode of Ground Hog Day. They always tell me that I can ship online to which I reply, yes but the ink to print the lables costs money. I live in the town of Iselin but since I'm on the border, I'm closer to the Colonia Post Office. Iselin is 3 miles away and 3 painfull traffic lights away and Colonia is close enough that I can walk and every time, they ask me why I don't go to the Iselin Post Office. They close at 7 and if I show up any time after 6:30 they tell me to come back tomorrow, even if I only have a few packages. Cashiers have left their post because I walk through the door with an arm full of boxes and if I have 1 or 2 packages going overseas, and like 15 packages to ship in the US, they make me stand off to the side and fill out the customs forms before they start on any of my packages even though I can easily have the forms filled out by the time they've done all the other ones. Every single person that works there is one miserable, lazy SOB. Dear God are they lazy. I have no idea why the USPS got rid of the little green tracking tickets you could stick on to your package and now just include it on your receipt but several times I've gone in there, specifically asked for tracking only to find later on that they totally ignored me.

No way I would put up with that. First of all, if you get there at 6:30 and they tell you to come back, tell them NO, you have half an hour and you will take care of me NOW. They are there to serve YOU, and you need to remind them of that. People like you are what keeps their sorry butts in business, so for them to treat you like that is absolute B.S.
Next time you go in there, lay down the law. You tell THEM how it's gonna be.

[piecemaker]

My Post Office literally hates me when I walk in the door. Everytime I'm there its like an episode of Ground Hog Day. They always tell me that I can ship online to which I reply, yes but the ink to print the lables costs money. I live in the town of Iselin but since I'm on the border, I'm closer to the Colonia Post Office. Iselin is 3 miles away and 3 painfull traffic lights away and Colonia is close enough that I can walk and every time, they ask me why I don't go to the Iselin Post Office. They close at 7 and if I show up any time after 6:30 they tell me to come back tomorrow, even if I only have a few packages. Cashiers have left their post because I walk through the door with an arm full of boxes and if I have 1 or 2 packages going overseas, and like 15 packages to ship in the US, they make me stand off to the side and fill out the customs forms before they start on any of my packages even though I can easily have the forms filled out by the time they've done all the other ones. Every single person that works there is one miserable, lazy SOB. Dear God are they lazy. I have no idea why the USPS got rid of the little green tracking tickets you could stick on to your package and now just include it on your receipt but several times I've gone in there, specifically asked for tracking only to find later on that they totally ignored me.

Wow and i thought my Post Office was bad.I refuse to even go in the place anymore,they are very rude and it seems like they dont want to be bothered to do their job.I haven't sold anything in quite awhile but when i have i'll just buy postage online to avoid the hassle and if i have a bunch of packages to send in the future,i have been thinking i will just call and schedule a pickup.The carriers are all nice,but the people in the the P.O.,forget it.I just checked the tracking on a package i have coming from New York,i live in Illinois and have a major sorting facility less than 10 miles from my house.The package went 200 miles PAST me to Des Moines,IA sorting facility and then it will go back 200 miles to the sorting facility near me,then to my P.O.,to finally be delivered.Yeah they are going to continue to lose money.