US postal service blows goats

[Mike Bama]

I have been tracking a SX-737 since it was shipped from Wisconsin, on 7/18, and I was told it would take 4 days. No problem there. On 7/23 I check tracking, and it showed leaving Atlanta on 7/22, 140 miles away. I thought to my self, geat. It will be here Saturday 7/23. WRONG! :worried:
As of this morning, it is still just showing it left Atlanta on 7/22. :scratch2:
I should have told em UPS, or FedEx. :yes:
I guess you live, and learn. Hopefully it will be here today.

[mg196]

Well, if it was dropped off at the Post Office late on the 18th, it went out on the 19th. 5 business days (the usual) would make TODAY your lucky day! It is probably sitting at your local depot waiting to be delivered.

[markthefixer]

The USPS is nortoriuosly bad in updates of tracking numbers.. I have had items DELIVERED and the website was saying that the shipper had made a label and was waiting for the package to enter the system. I had it in my HAND.... 2 scans one at local package facility on incoming and one at the destination post office.. I used to sweat usps tracking numbers, but not anymore.
Here's hoping you see it today!!!!! :banana:

[Parky50]

Chances are that it will be handled better by USPS... :yes:
Hope ya get it today !!!

[jguzman21]

Like Parky said, with USPS the chances are better that it will be delivered in one piece. But with that you sacrifice delivery time.

I have a cousin that works for FedEx in Denver that said they are told to unload the trucks as fast as they can regardless of how it gets done. And unfortunately for the packages it is easier to throw them then to set them down somewhere.

john

[Tripqzon]

I had a preamp shipped from New Jersey to Maine a couple years ago. It took almost three weeks to arrive via USPS. I kept emailing the seller who claimed to have shipped it. I think the post office put it in a trailer for a couple of weeks and forgot about it. I was wild. But, on the bright side, It arrived in one piece.

Since that time, I am willing to take my chances with UPS or Fedex. At least they have a decent tracking system.

The Post Office doesn't really have a tracking system. They have a service called "Delivery Confirmation". :thumbsdn: It only lets you know that the package has been delivered. Hence the name "Delivery Confirmation". I even called my local post office and asked them. They told me that they don't offer tracking services. They are my last resort for shipping. And I prefer that people ship stuff to me via UPS or Fed-Ex and email me the tracking number. Hopefully the shipper is smart enough to pack the stuff accordingly.

Besides, If you check out shipping prices, After about 5lbs, or maybe a little more, it's actually cheaper to ship UPS or Fed-Ex. I don't think the post office likes to ship big or heavy items. I work in a shipping dept, so I know this for sure.

Be patient. Hopefully your receiver arrives today.

Paul

[Mike Bama]

Well, if it was dropped off at the Post Office late on the 18th, it went out on the 19th. 5 business days (the usual) would make TODAY your lucky day! It is probably sitting at your local depot waiting to be delivered.
Why would have not gone out the day it was dropped off? It was supposed to be 4 days. However, I didn't count the 18th. From the 19th to the 23rd is 5 days. My point was the package left Atlanta, 140 miles from me, on the 22nd. Don't you think it reasonable to have expected delivery on the 23rd? Pretty lousy service, when they can't even make 140 miles over night.

[mg196]

Well Mike, you are right, but...

For me, it all comes down to how the package is handled. Provided I am not under some deadline, if I have to wait an extra day or week...or even two weeks...and the item arrives in great condition, it doesn't realy matter to me. Sure, I would be a little irritated, but it's really no big thing.

Even though it may be 140 miles away, it might have to be unloaded and reloaded several times.

[Mike Bama]

Well Mike, you are right, but...

For me, it all comes down to how the package is handled. Provided I am not under some deadline, if I have to wait an extra day or week...or even two weeks...and the item arrives in great condition, it doesn't realy matter to me. Sure, I would be a little irritated, but it's really no big thing.

Even though it may be 140 miles away, it might have to be unloaded and reloaded several times.
I'm just spoiled because most carriers can be here overnight, with in 500 miles.

[Mike Bama]

"Your item was misrouted. The error has been corrected and every effort is being made to deliver it as soon as possible. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later". :dammit:

The package was sent from Atlanta, to Knoxville Tennessee by mistake. :wtf:

Now the problem is, the more times the package is handled, the more chance you have of damage. :yikes:

[cruisaire]

Hmmm....Knoxville.....Trussville....2 "villes". Maybe they can't read. They are, after all, a branch of the federal government just like the TVA. Sorry Mike. USPS "lost" an eBay payment I sent for an amp last month. Cool seller agreed to give it a week or so before he would pull the auction from me. Surprise, surprise, I can see it there eyes they delivered my 1/2 ounce letter almost 3 weeks after I sent it from Hotlanta to Cali. I hope it arrives safely in your hands very soon.

[markthefixer]

Any significant document/check/ or cash by usps I send certified mail return recipt, the pain in the a** taking it to the p.o. and filling out the forms, is WAY offset by the peace of mind knowing that it got there and if there is a
problem, there can be he** to pay.

[maildude1960]

Hey, we gotta get our breaks in!

[Mike Bama]

Hey, we gotta get our breaks in!
Jeff,
Let me tell you what is so funny. When I email them the tracking # and ask why is was misrouted, they want to know the address of the shipper. I can't understand how knowing the shipper is going to tell why it was sent to knoxville. Go figger. :wtf:

[maildude1960]

My new avatar says it all. Disclaimer: I work in the maintenance department of the USPS, I have absolutely nothing to do with mail, unless of course it went through a machine I worked on.

[maildude1960]

The reason they wanted the address of the shipper is because sometimes the scanners will read the return address and send the package there. They were just trying to see what happened for diagnostic purposes.

[Mike Bama]

My new avatar says it all. Disclaimer: I work in the maintenance department of the USPS, I have absolutely nothing to do with mail, unless of course it went through a machine I worked on.
:lmao: :jawdrop:

[Mike Bama]

The reason they wanted the address of the shipper is because sometimes the scanners will read the return address and send the package there. They were just trying to see what happened for diagnostic purposes.
Now I'm being told they have no record of the package. Hmmmm, first they tell it was misrouted, and now they say they never had it. I guess I am their mercy.
It is for this very reason I prefer UPS.

[BuckNaked]

I'm a 'mailhandler' in the Buffalo Post Office.
Mailhandlers move mail within a facility and also sort large parcels, mailbags and other containers using forklifts and towmotors and other powered equipment and we staff most automated sorting machines.
I witness first hand the treatment parcels get and I have a couple of recommendations:
1) use registered mail whenever possible. Cost is high, but registered mail is handled seperately from and unlike any other type of mailpiece. Traditionally, the registered mail departments are staffed by senior clerks who are likely to be more gentle with your parcel than any other service. Registered mail pieces are given their own container and are segregated from the rest of the mails and are constantly kept under lock and key, transferred hand to hand at all transfer points and constantly tracked within the system down to the names of each clerk who has touched it.
2) Double box. Peanuts are not recommended for the initial packaging of your delicate electronics. Seal the item against water damage by wrapping it in a large, thick trash bag then bubble wrap several layers and fit snugly into 1st box lined with styrofoam, 1/2 inch thick. Put a layer of about an inch to two inches of peanuts into the second box, set your package in it and completely pack with peanuts as tightly as possible to eliminate voids, forcing peanuts along sides and into corners. This acts as a shock absorber and helps to lessen the stress on the item should the parcel should be dropped.

So many people have blamed carriers for damages when in fact the damages can be traced to poor packaging and claims denied for that very reason. If your mailpiece is valuable, don't skimp on the shipping.

definition taken from the officail Postal guide to mail handling:
FRAG-ILE - from the latin frag or fragment: to break into a million pieces; and ile: with total malice or ill will.

[Mike Bama]

I'm a 'mailhandler' in the Buffalo Post Office.
Mailhandlers move mail within a facility and also sort large parcels, mailbags and other containers using forklifts and towmotors and other powered equipment and we staff most automated sorting machines.
I witness first hand the treatment parcels get and I have a couple of recommendations:
1) use registered mail whenever possible. Cost is high, but registered mail is handled seperately from and unlike any other type of mailpiece. Traditionally, the registered mail departments are staffed by senior clerks who are likely to be more gentle with your parcel than any other service. Registered mail pieces are given their own container and are segregated from the rest of the mails and are constantly kept under lock and key, transferred hand to hand at all transfer points and constantly tracked within the system down to the names of each clerk who has touched it.
2) Double box. Peanuts are not recommended for the initial packaging of your delicate electronics. Seal the item against water damage by wrapping it in a large, thick trash bag then bubble wrap several layers and fit snugly into 1st box lined with styrofoam, 1/2 inch thick. Put a layer of about an inch to two inches of peanuts into the second box, set your package in it and completely pack with peanuts as tightly as possible to eliminate voids, forcing peanuts along sides and into corners. This acts as a shock absorber and helps to lessen the stress on the item should the parcel should be dropped.

So many people have blamed carriers for damages when in fact the damages can be traced to poor packaging and claims denied for that very reason. If your mailpiece is valuable, don't skimp on the shipping.

definition taken from the officail Postal guide to mail handling:
FRAG-ILE - from the latin frag or fragment: to break into a million pieces; and ile: with total malice or ill will.
I know where you are coming from. I have worked for UPS for almost 29 years. My problem with the post office in this incident, is their complete lack of knowing why it happened. They cannot tell me where my package is. All they know is it was sent to Knoxville by mistake, on July 22nd, and now it has just disappeared. This is my last time to receive or send a large package through the USPS. It's UPS or FedEx from now on, or I will do with out.

[Mike Bama]

I have filed a complaint, and been on the phone with a Consumer Affairs Mgr. The package has disappeared. Last scan was 00:01 7/25. No record after that. :wtf:
Now I find out from the shipper, he charged me for insurance, but did not buy any. :dammit:
How convenient. That also happened with a TT I bought. I paid for insurance, and the guy did not buy any. What dod you do in a case like that? Atleast UPS gives the 1st $100 worth of insurance free. I just hope Paypal will help me get my money back.

[BuckNaked]

Excuse me. I have been Postal for 12 years. You are complaining because you haven't received a package that shipped THIS YEAR? HAHAHAHAHA.....
I couldn't resist. A little postal humor. My apologies for making light of your dilemma.
:-)
On a lighter note, since the guy didn't buy insurance, he probably also shipped parcel post. The thing is sittin in a bulk mail center with about 200 other trailers. It'll turn up now that consumer affairs heat is on. Them people are usually pretty good at hunting stuff down. Yard checks are done 3 times a day to avoid having mail sit too long. Plus it's prime time vacation period for us. That reminds me, it's break time...

[oldschool]

Hey Mike,

Regarding the USPS, I find it hard to understand how gross neglect on their part is only covered by insurance.

So if the Post Master General purchased a TV from Best Buy, arranged for local delivery, but the TV never arrived, he should just be SOL. Oh, that's right - different set of rules.

This whole shipping insurance thing is really interesting. You pay the shipper extra money, because they may screw up while doing their job. I want a business opportunity like that! :thmbsp:

As for the Ebay seller - it seems to me that you paid for something that you did not get (insurance). This seller probably rolls the dice with the insurance $ on every sale - nail him. :smshot: If he won't offer you a suitable resolution - negative feedback for him and take up the issue with Ebay.

[Sandy G]

I'm kinda cheesed at 'em, too 'cause I sent a book to Kamakiri about 6 weeks ago he apparently never got. Shoulda insured, registered it, but I didn't. Stupid me...-Sandy G.

[Thumpy]

he charged me for insurance, but did not buy any.
That's the shipper's problem. If it's clear in the auction wording or e-mail correspondence that you paid for insurance, the seller (or PayPal) should refund your money.

On a related note, I sold an LP to some ASSHOLE in France, who paid for (and received) airmail shipping (4-10 days, according to the USPS website). He got the LP THREE WEEKS weeks later and then left me NEUTRAL feedback! How am I responsible for the delivery times of the US and French post offices? No more international sales for me!

[Mike Bama]

Over a few beers. :)
:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :drunk:

[Mike Bama]

It finally showed up today. Hard to believe it left Atlanta, 140 miles from me, last Friday, and took 6 days to get here. very nice looker I might add. :)
The asshole still ripped me off for the insurance. :mad: :uzi:

[OvenMaster]

... he probably also shipped parcel post. The thing is sittin in a bulk mail center with about 200 other trailers. It'll turn up now that consumer affairs heat is on. Them people are usually pretty good at hunting stuff down.
This happened to me. I'd won an old wall phone on ePay from someone about 100 miles away, and after a month it still had not arrived. Went to postoffice, complained to the clerk, didn't give them my name because she didn't want it, and got the box the very next morning! (Too bad the phone had the internal earpiece missing and I had to return it, even though the buyer said it was in perfect working order and had been thoroughly checked, too. Riiiiiiiiiight.... I'm still waiting for the shipping refund...)
Tom

[Sandy G]

Well, I've found out Tim DID get his book I sent him,so the Postal Oriface is back in my good graces. For now, anyway.-Sandy G.

[Pioneer727]

It finally showed up today. Hard to believe it left Atlanta, 140 miles from me, last Friday, and took 6 days to get here. very nice looker I might add. :)
The asshole still ripped me off for the insurance. :mad: :uzi:
You are vary lucky and 6 days is not to bad I had a member here send me some 10" reels that took 3 weeks to get to me and he is only 40 miles from me I could have walked and got them sooner. I do not do any shipping by USPS.

Ron

[Balthazarr]

I do most shipping/mailing via USPS.
Never had a problem although about a week ago the package I was to receive arrived and sat at a local depot for over a day.
Currently waiting for my Tek 465M from Gelnallen, AK via USPS. I hope there is no problem with delivery.
How does DHL compare to Fedex and UPS? Waiting for an ebay purchase from NC.
I had some Hella headlights delivered from Deutschland via DHL about a year ago and arrived in great condition.
That is the only dealing I've had with them so far.

[gearhead]

It finally showed up today. Hard to believe it left Atlanta, 140 miles from me, last Friday, and took 6 days to get here. very nice looker I might add. :)
The asshole still ripped me off for the insurance. :mad: :uzi:

At least you didn't get it looking like THIS-
http://images10.fotki.com/v203/photos/3/331894/1638858/smashed6501-vi.jpg

[markthefixer]

Hey gearhead, compare the busted sx-650 faceplate glass and the sx-550 for hole placement and size... I have a sx-550 faceplate that if it fits could be a glass donor..... Email or PM me to continue this...

Anybody else know if the sx-650 and sx-550 glass compare?????

Thankx anybody.....

[2DualsNotEnough]

My local post office has the annoying habit,espescially during the holidays,of misplacing our packages.Weve had tracking numbers for several of them,and they all say they are in our post office.Sometimes they just sit in the post office undelivered for days or weeks.Sometimes they sit in the mail carriers private station wagon that has a USPS sticker on it for days.My wife likes to call the Postmaster General,and get them jumping through hoops,but usually,they still cant find the right package for days.One time,they found a package,and it turned out to be ANOTHER package they had misplaced.Ive paid for tracking services,and Ill look on the website,and it will say I didnt pay for the service.I actually go to another town,Surprise,if I absolutely have to ship something USPS.
Jimmy

[gearhead]

Hey gearhead, compare the busted sx-650 faceplate glass and the sx-550 for hole placement and size... I have a sx-550 faceplate that if it fits could be a glass donor..... Email or PM me to continue this...

Anybody else know if the sx-650 and sx-550 glass compare?????

Thankx anybody.....


Apart from the glass, the power/speaker selector knob is pushed in hard enough to bend the chassis.
This was an eBay purchase.
I was supposed to get UPS shipping, which would've included insurance, instead, I got USPS without insurance.
It was packed in a box with only peanuts, so I'm not blaming the postal service.

[jblmar]

Gearhead,
If part of the overall agreement with the seller was for UPS shipping plus insurance and you received the unit by another carrier less insurance, you can void the sale and get you money back. Look into it.
Ron

[VintageNut]

yep, I love the post office. Here's one incident I had. Waiting for a package, I look on line at the tracking number, and it says it was delivered the day before. I call the post office to say it was stolen, they call the postwoman, and she says she had it, she scanned it the day before as delivered, and has another box too. Hmm, I thought she was supposed to scan it at the door as delivered, not in the truck.

[markthefixer]

You are referring to that boxlike plastic thingie that snaps on over the entire front of the scope?? I find that less than 10% of the scopes that were shipped with them new still have them... 9of ANY brand) and I've run through over 40 scopes of that genre. They tend to get lost in the auctions/asset sales. Darn shame..... people must be usin them for dog dishes?????

That's the biggest complaint/problem... busted knobs bent shafts internal damage to boards due to the way the switches were made/mounted.

And just not scopes either.

[pocketchange]

IMO... none of the transportation M O N S T E R S are worth squat. All of them are publicly owned with a bottom line that has no interest EXCEPT for the almighty DOLLAR.
My last shipping disaster took SIX trips across this country and arrived with the interior on my amp destroyed. The mate only crossed once and made it in good shape...
the other one looks like it has aged decades.
FedEx was the dog this time. I don't care how well anything is packed, six trips from Ca to Tx will turn any piece of electronic gear into pablum. Tracking info is a waste of time if they cannot rope a box from a system.
Over a period in excess of three weeks, no one would/could
pull this ping pong box out of the FedEx system.

Tracking indicated it's arrival and I went to the Ground location at 6AM (on a Sat) and caught it before it took off AGAIN. Now the Manf. wants it returned to Ca with $50.00
for an estimate and that's not including shipping costs.
Added insult is the Manf., does not sell ANY replacement parts. ARONOV will not even sell a repair manual. Excellent product... but no customer service. WTF.

Not a Happy Camper

[EchoWars]

It is possible to pack an item so that you can ship it anywhere, anytime, as many times as you like.

The box may take a beating, but as long as they don't run it over with the truck, or jam a forklift into it, it'll arrive unharmed.

I do it all the time. Takes a lot of effort, but it can be done. Thing is, you certainly can't convince anyone else to go to that kind of trouble.

[Cleve]

IMO... none of the transportation M O N S T E R S are worth squat. All of them are publicly owned with a bottom line that has no interest EXCEPT for the almighty DOLLAR.
My last shipping disaster took SIX trips across this country and arrived with the interior on my amp destroyed.




Wow, and here I thought I was the only person who'd experienced this. Not as bad as you did though - I ordered my first stand-alone DVD player from Buy.com... the thing shipped from California to Western NY via UPS. It made it to Buffalo - which is about 50-60 miles from where I live. I was anxious to receive it (I always am with new toys!) so I checked the tracking daily. Usually, what should happen is that it's shipped from Buffalo to Batavia, and then loaded onto the delivery truck. However, in this case, it sat in Buffalo a day or two, and then suddenly was shipped BACK to California.


I was pissed since it was already now beyond the number of business days allowed, so I called both Buy.com AND UPS to complain. UPS wouldn't do jack, and Buy.com would NOT ship a replacement unit to me until it was received back in stock there, even though the tracking info that UPS provided clearly showed it was returning to their warehouse.

So I had to wait another week until the thing got back to California - and then rather than ship a new unit, the SAME player was shipped out to me AGAIN! I had already told them that I wanted a different unit - not one that had bounced across the country twice. So after a two and a half week delay, the player showed up at my door in a battered box, as you would expect for any package that had logged nearly 12,000 miles of ground transport. I noticed a fair amount of pixelation, and also some of my DVDS wouldn't load without an 'error message' - signs that the transport was roached. So I told Buy.com where they could stick it and shipped it back to them on their nickle for a full refund. That was 4 years ago, and absolutely the last time I would ever purchase anything from Buy.com.

Unfortunately, UPS and FedEx are a virtual monopoly, so I've had to employ their services many times since. :grumpy:

[Balthazarr]

I really hated reading your account of the 465M, bobgary. My sympathies for your loss.

I contacted the seller last Friday and he said typically 2 weeks to ship as he has done it many times for similar units.
Never, he said, had a damaged one reported to him.
Certainly hope he's right about mine.

[Spursfan]

Recently, I began using DHL instead of UPS, and I must say that they do a great job! They are about 8 - 10 dollars cheaper on ground service, and they also automatically insure the item up to $100.

From San Antonio to Colorado Springs, it was 2 days ground for delivery! (And for a 36lb box, I only paid about $14.00)

[ldatlof]

I just bought some items and the seller sent it USPS Parcel Select. I got a tracking number emailed to me. When I click on the link I get a UPS style tracking service. It says the package was picked up Louisiville and then sent to a sortation center (USPS's word not, not mine) in Grove City, OH. It's now in a sortation center in LA. Here is a link (http://www.parceldirect.com/pd/tracking.htm?bgcolor=%23ecece1&CID=GL006&PID=02601531218331425377). What I don't understand is why have such detailed tracking for such slow shipping when Priority has very limited tracking? As anyone else heard of USPS parcel select?

[ldatlof]

Recently, I began using DHL instead of UPS, and I must say that they do a great job! They are about 8 - 10 dollars cheaper on ground service, and they also automatically insure the item up to $100.

From San Antonio to Colorado Springs, it was 2 days ground for delivery! (And for a 36lb box, I only paid about $14.00)

I know what you mean. A few months ago I had my brother send me a pair of klipsch heresy's and he used DHL. He sent them on a Friday from S. Florida and the first packaged arrived on the following Monday in Las Vegas. Because I was worried that the other package was lost, I called DHL to find out what happened to the other box. They told me it would arrive the next day, which it did. I asked the DHL lady how could ground shipping be so fast and she told me that DHL has no ground shipping and everything goes on a plane whether you paid for it not. That was my only major shipment using DHL - it's fast.

[VinylHanger]

Every time I see this post pop up, I wish I was a goat with a package to mail. :D

[ldatlof]

Every time I see this post pop up, I wish I was a goat with a package to mail. :D

It took me a while to get the joke as I forgot the title of this thread. Good one VinylHanger.

[Balthazarr]

I do hope your 465M arrives in good condition. I just got a 465M last week, eBay purchase. Shipped via DHL. And when unpacked was damaged The scope didn't have a faceplate, as many scopes on eBay seem to have that part missing. The seller made a good attempt at packing, but there just wasn't enough protection all the way around, and especially in front. Really, a scope needs to have at least 5" of padding all the way around, and then maybe even double boxed, with some more padding between the inner and outer box

Received the scope today. Box corners were soft, but he packed using shredded paper from magazines.
It also came with the face cover which I didn't see he included in the original auction ad.
So I'm happy about that. Needs protection when not in use.
Glad he didn't use peanuts. No dbl boxing though.
This came USPS parcel post and took 3 weeks to the day.

I checked almost daily after a week or so and same message on their site.
"your package was submitted for mailing in Glenallen AK on July 25, 2005 blah, blah.
Really not tracking at all.
Haven't tested it yet, but looks pretty damn good.

[Dflip]

The alternative when you ship to Canada is to pay the UPS charges at the border, $50 minimum, in other words highway robbery. USPS when it comes across the border is $5 for a handling fee.

Yes USPS is not quick, it sometimes takes two weeks for tubes to get here, but they have arrived safely and the price was right. UPS offers great deals south of the border, for the person on the other side, they get scr$w%d. UPS was better when I had a preamp shipped north of the border. If it is small, it goes USPS because it costs less and if well packed get here, slow but steady.

[Vitavox]

One thing USPS is getting right is the flat rate, priority mail, boxes. $7.70. Anywhere in US. Period.
If you can get the anchor from the Titanic in the box, its $7.70. And I've never had one take more than 5 days anywhere.
DHL, on the other hand got to a College Campus where I was hosting a convention with an award that I criically needed, got within 500 FEET of where I was, Couldn't find the Hall we were in (The Name was only on the front if 3 FOOT TALL LETTERS!), So the driver just sent the package back. I found out later he had gotten a ticket from a Campus Cop for illegal parking. Guess he didn't think to ASK WHERE HE NEEDED TO GO!!! That's my experience with DHL, Dumb, Hapless, Lazy Delivery.
Just my experience.
V

[beenpickin]

If you've read the fine print on the back of the FedEx ground form, chances are you will not ship an item having a value in excess of $100 and FedEx limits it's liability to $500 on Collectables/Electronics (not in original packaging) shipped Express. I've never used DHL and would probably choose UPS over FedEx/DHL although they can be cruel to even the best packaged item. I've shipped over 3000 items using USPS and despite the fact they don't offer tracking and on occasion misplace a shipment (up to a month), it pretty consistantly gets there and in good condition. This of course is dependant on good packaging.

[El Predicta]

On October 15, DHL added a $50 upcharge on oversized items.