Beware of using the USPS

Yes, I haven't had good luck with the USPS insurance either. I had some goblets packed badly and one broke. I thought what the heck I'll file a claim. What a pain in the butt. 6 months later my check came and though it was addressed to me they wouldn't give it to me unless I had the original paper work to bring in with me. After 6 months I didn't know what "safe place" I had put the paper work. No form of ID would get them to release my check. So, the post office just kept it. I don't pay for insurance for anything and take my chances.

Lynne

I don't trust the post office or UPS.

UPS tends to lose packages faster than you can ship them out. Forget getting anyone to stick around for a signature release (as always checked off). I sent my parents a package only to have it shoved in "a safe snowpile" and ruined.

The post office always loses something. I just got a crumpled envelope for our anniversary. It said on the inside "a little something for a dinner out." except the money was gone all $40 of it.

Oh well. short of handing it to the person nothing seems to go acording to plan.

Kate

Don't even go THERE with me on the PO. I think we have the sorriest one in the country here in my suburb and everyone else thinks so too. No one even wants to go to it and it send literal chills down your spine when you get one of tose slips you have to go get something - ugh!

bureucraps is all I care to say!!

I though have had similar things happen and the company has been real gracious and understanding?!

(HUGS!)

OKC Dave

Check out my pix and crafts!

Yep... I am having a little bit of a fright with the usps. I shipped a package that someone purchased from my store on ebay with delivery confirmation last Thursday. When I checked online and by phone, the message returns that there is no record of my tracking number.

I'm really upset because the person who made the purchase is going to think I just didn't send it.

Helen from NY

They have a lousy track record. I ordered beads and when they came the package was soaking wet, had been run over by a truck (tire tracks all over it) and torn. Thank god it wasn't anything that the water would have destroyed. What really sucks is this is about the 3rd package in 2 years that has arrived in this condition.

Celeste

And I don't trust DHL, either.

Last summer (or was it a year ago?) I made an album for dad for his birthday. Paid extra to DHL to ship it 2nd day with DHL so it would arrive the day before the big party where lots of family & friends would be there. Dad gets a kick out of showing the albums to everyone, so I wanted it to arrive before the party. Did it? No, it arrived about

2 days late. Did DHL give me any credit back for not delivering on time? Nope.

Anyone with a FedEx horror story? LOL

Alicia

If you sell something through Ebay and you buy insurance with the USPS make sure you have the original receipt of purchase. The USPS will want to see what you paid for the item before they give you the money. Something I sent arrived broken and they wouldn't pay.

K> Yes, I haven't had good luck with the USPS insurance either. I had some

Don't worry quite yet! They usually don't bother updating the tracking info until they deliver the package.

M-C

In September I went online and started my Christmas shopping, got a lot of it done. I was excited I was ahead of the game. 2 packages were shipped exactly a week apart from each other from the same company. I got package #1. Time went by and still no package #2. Looked online says they delievered it the day before. DH and I went outside and searched for this package (they never leave it in the same spot). No package outside. Called UPS they said need to call the company and get a form and fill it out. Fine call the company they faxed me a form. Mean while I'm being told by the company I'm not guranteed my items I ordered if I need to place the order again (need to wait 30 days) because they sell out quickly. I'm madder then mad. I'm telling my mom who has a friend in the office at UPS. Calls her friend come to find out the UPS driver dropped my package off at another house (not the same street or house number at least it was in the same town). They made the driver go and get it and deliver it. Luckily my package wasn't opened. What a mess it was though.

Chrissy

I ordered shirts for my son from Penneys. They were delivered to the wrong house and the people there called and they came out to pick the package up. Rather than just delivering it to the right house they returned the package back to Penneys???

Fed Ex isn't any better. They drop my packages off half the time at the nut across the streets house and she opens them up everytime to see what I ordered. We have to go knock on her door to get it.

I emailed the person this morning and asked if she had received the package. I figured it was worth a shot. She wrote back that she received it on Monday. Big surprise that the USPS still returns a message that there is no record of that tracking number. So much for the additional charge for tracking!

Helen from NY

I never use UPS for the very same reason. In fact, every time in the past 10 years that anyone in my family (all in different states) has mailed anything using UPS it's gotten lost. Insuring is great for financial renumeration but does nothing for replacing homemaide items. So though you may choose not to use the United States Postal Service, definately do not turn to United Postal Service as the solution. It's much, much worse.

Melissa in Seattle

Disney sent a package October 6. It was halloween costume for Matthew. It arrived this week. I got our absentee ballots sent for, got ads here and DH got them downrange. A second copy of an ad I rec'd showed up and I'm like WTH. Look at the name and addy... it's DHs DOWNRANGE addy and name. I got my ballot about 10 days out so I'm pretty sure it made it home. His showed up about 6 days out. i don't think his arrived at the election board in time.

I put the wrong zip on DHs card a couple weeks ago. Got it back, put the right one on and sent it back. It was in my box again yesterday. "Undeliverable." Hell, it doesn't help that the folks down there don't know my husband's office seems to exist. I've deided to not ship him anything else. I sent his PT uniform last week and wonder if itll reach him before he leaves next month. I get what I pay for with the MPS system... I mail free from our APO to other APOs.

Now, our problems have been the MILITARY potsal system vs the USPS proper, but it seems to universal. And with the holidays coming, i can only imagine how much worse it's going to get. Two weeks ago, talking to one of the mail clerks outside the office, he said there was mail still in the warehouse and started to put it on his truck and was told NOT to do that. ARGH!

Susan

Scout Lady wrote:

This is the problem with the USPS tracking, nothing will show up until some time after they say it was delivered.

Hey Helen, Where in NY are you??? I think I may have met you at one of my Sisters events? A couple of years ago by the Gregory Museum??? Just Curious, Dorothy in NY

I made the mistake of mailing my parents a package last year of Christmas presents for all of them out there, via USPS. Idiot me, I didn't insure it, didn't get tracking, etc. It got lost. I was heartbroken and kicking myself.

Likewise, my parents sent their Christmas package to us 2 years ago via FedEx. Dad went down to the local pack & ship place, and the gal said FedEx was the cheapest, would still get it to us before we went out of town to MIL's, etc. Well, FedEx didn't deliver the day they were supposed to, then an ice/snow storm came through. UPS managed to get deliveries made, but FedEx didn't. Mom & Dad had paid for gaurnteed delivery, which FedEx missed. Then the weather screwed them up. I was stightly understanding, until I saw UPS making successful deliveries. The whole thing was a mess, and FedEx wasn't trying very hard to deliver anything. Then they said it would be delivered, but by then, we were going to be out of town. I'm not sure who Mom & Dad called, or who they spoke with, but next thing I know, the Manager of the local FedEx was at our doorstep, with our package....oh, and a FedEx clip...like the ones you use for chips. I was impressed. LOL

The only foobar UPS has made was sending back a SU package this summer. A friend of mine was going to pick it up for me since the driver left one of their notes. She couldn't get out there, but I got in town right before the deadline. So I called their number. Customer service told me she would note in the computer to hold it for me, that I was going to pick it up the next day...which happened to be the day that they were going to be sending it back. So the next morning, as soon as I could, I lugged the kids down there to pick up my SU order. They sent it back! I was livid. The lady at the counter went and got the manager. I explained to the manager what the CS gal told me over the phone. Then I'm told by the manager that the CS person was basically out of line, and that's not their policy. I told her that their customer service needs to get their act together then. Thankfully, SU reshipped the package, with no extra charges. I was home when the driver dropped it off, and he asked if I had gotten my last package, the one he left the note for. Once I told him what happened, he felt so bad. He wasn't happy either because UPS "made [him] look bad". Since then, if we're not home when he brings a package, he leaves it in the back door and a note on the front door. Other than that, I've had great service through UPS.