USPS Issues

[Jim Watson]

I live in town, actually on a sidewalk, mail delivery is generally good. I even warn the regular carrier that a "heavy package" is on the way.
He isn't perfect, last month I got a double bill with one month's charges marked overdue. I looked back through my checkbook and sure enough, I had not paid them the previous month. I figured I had discarded the bill with junk mail and sent in the double payment. But then I got an envelope from the next door neighbor written on "So sorry, we did not realize it wasn't ours and opened it. We did not read it." But they had sat on it for a month.

[Duelist]

BIL is a rural route carrier in Utah, has been a postal employee for like 15-20 years. No college required was a big draw. He’s very smart, but not patient enough for college.

I’ve never been one of his delivery customers, so I don’t know how good he is at it.

For myself, in a rural county in Arizona, I pay for a UPS store mailbox. They’ve gotten more expensive in recent years, but I never wonder about whether my mail is going to get delivered or what will happen if I get a package, or spend a week or two out of town.

[Borderland]

USPS claims are a joke. Lost $50 worth of bullets when I returned them to Midsouth at the address they gave me for returns. USPS said they delivered it and Midsouth said no they didn't. Priority was insured for $50 but USPS denied the claim, no soup for you. I think I have to believe Midsouth as they ship and receive lots of stuff. Big sign in their driveway that said no deliveries on the weekend which they did anyway.

UPS is almost as bad. I've told this story here before. UPS dropped a shotgun off at an interior design business next door to a gun shop when it was closed. I picked it up when I found out where it was. That was a real bad situation for me because I took delivery of a firearm without a transfer, violating state and federal law. I finally transferred it a week later using another dealer.

[LukeNCMX]

I never use USPS for anything that matters. Slow and unreliable in my experience.

A private mail box is a worthy expense for a bunch of reasons, especially reducing package theft and the various forms of "signature required" BS. It is also a layer of privacy that may matter depending on the person.

[okie john]

Agree with everything I've read thus far. Three data points to add:

• Ms. Okie has a relative who's a carrier. He's always working OT to cover for non-hackers in his station. The stories of their bullshit make the peacetime Army look like a paragon of efficiency.
• USPS lost a package that I sent. Tracking was ridiculous and I got different answers about the status of the package and how to recover it from everyone I asked. The claims process failed every bit as spectacularly as described. Even a buddy who is holds very senior slot in the USPS couldn't find it.
• I've done some professional work for the USPS through a major software company. It seems that everyone in a leadership role at the USPS has been there for their entire career, usually 20+ years. None of them have ever had to survive without Uncle Sugar's tit in their mouths. No wonder it's a soup sandwich.

I've pretty much stopped using them in favor of UPS or FedEx, both of which are only slightly better.


Okie John

[TQP]

We had a great carrier for a long time, and then everything went to hell when he retired. I caught the 4th or 5th replacement one day and she said that the route was almost, but not quite, big enough for them to split it and nobody wanted to stay on it. Overlong route plus subs every day? Mail got very inconsistent. And that was pre pandemic when staffing wasn't an issue. These days we get mail 1-2 times a week most weeks. Apparently they still haven't fixed the route since we've gotten mail as late as 8 PM.

That said, the local carrier service center folks have been very helpful when I talked to them. I had a package show as delivered, and the person I talked to was able to see the GPS pin of where the carrier actually delivered it, and I got the package the same day. Of course that was pre pandemic and it's probably worse now.

I've also had problems with UPS and FedEx. FedEx express is delivered by FedEx employees, but ground, at least around here, is done by contractors. Scuba Steve Trucking has a territory near us. Year or so ago, there were pictures of FedEx ground dropping packages on the curb. On trash day. Next to people's trash cans. Hopefully that driver got fired, it doesn't seem to have happened again.

UPS Surepost and FedEx Smartpost* both suck and I avoid them whenever possible. Neither UPS or USPS cares about your package and it's everyone's lowest priority. I've had wish.com stuff show up faster. Woot! ( used to be a 1-item-a-day auction site before Amazon bought them) started using Smartpost back when it was relatively unknown (to customers anyway) and had to write a FAQ entry about it and put this image on smartpost items:


*Wikipedia says that Smartpost is end-to-end FedEx ground now. I don't think I've dealt with Smartpost since the switch, everyone who I buy from regularly uses UPS.

[Wake27]

Noticeable USPS issues over the past two weeks, both mail and packages. Their insurances policy is a scam but usually I've seen good shipping all over the states. I have a small package that's been "on the way" from VA since the 14th. Interestingly, both of the two packages I've tracked that have had issues recently seemed to get lost in the Fayetteville location.

[SoCalDep]

I’m at ten days with no mail that “informed delivery” says I should have received. This includes some pretty important stuff. I don’t live rural on a dirt road or anything… in fact, my city has one of the National laboratories and a very important national security/fed govt presence. At this point my opinion of the USPS is about that of the IRS which is “we could give a shit”…

Maybe one day I’ll get my drivers license and important retirement information.

[JCN]

Our USPS is good, I like the carrier.

Our UPS is good, I like the carrier.

FedEx is a crapshoot here, rotating delivery people. They would leave packages in the bushes by the road / mailbox. On top of the snow by the curb (house is up the driveway 60 yards).

It got better after we emailed pictures to FedEx.

I don't pay for USPS insurance.

[Hambo]

Its government and often union what could possibly go wrong?

Last time I saw a USPS hiring notice, it was not for permanent carriers. It was a 364 day position, with the possibility of renewal after a short separation. I think USPS is cutting down on permanent employees.