Rant: I think I’m done with USPS for a while

The best thing that could happen would be to let either UPS or FedEx absorb the USPS. Then it would be properly managed. Then the USPS could get modernized and better able to handle the high volume.
I'm not sure I'd want to see that. Privatization isn't always the answer. And FedEx/UPS have their own horror stories.

Warning: Rant ahead.

The assumption by many is that nobody uses the USPS to send letters or pay bills anymore and that everyone is doing such things electronically and that packages should be sent by private carrier.

But many areas of the country still don't have what we would call broadband service and many in the lower socioeconomic strata don't have ready access to computers or tablets. The digital divide is real. Besides, FedEx and UPS don't serve many areas that the postal service does - it's not worth it to them.

Most of the problems faced by the USPS are political. For example, those same members of Congress trying to kill the service managed to pass legislation (several years ago) requiring the postal service to fully fund its pension system 75 years into the future. No other company has to do that - anywhere. Talk about having one arm tied behind your back.

Then, only a year or two ago, Congress forced the USPS to cut the price of a first-class stamp by a couple of cents - because the postal service turned a profit.

And many of this year's issues can be tied to political moves surrounding the election. I'm not going into detail here because I don't want to upset anyone - nor criticize their political point of view. But most Americans reading this know what I'm talking about.

The problem is, the USPS is a quasi-government agency. Most of the lifetime employees of the postal service know what needs to be done and can do so. We just need to get put up a political firewall and let the USPS do is job.

End rant... and thanks for reading if you bothered. :)
 
I'm not sure I'd want to see that. Privatization isn't always the answer. And FedEx/UPS have their own horror stories.



Most of the problems faced by the USPS are political. For example, those same members of Congress trying to kill the service managed to pass legislation (several years ago) requiring the postal service to fully fund its pension system 75 years into the future. No other company has to do that - anywhere. Talk about having one arm tied behind your back.
Privatization is not always the answer. But in this case, taking the government's direct control away from them and giving that control to companies making billions of dollars in the delivery business would be a benefit. I'm not saying disband the postal service. Just that it be managed by a company with an interest in making it successful. UPS, FedEx, and the USPS already have contracts with each other to move mail and packages. Along with the USPS sending stuff on Southwest planes.

That whole thing about the USPS having to fund their pensions 75 years in advance is a false internet rumor. If anyone would like to know the truth from the myths, here is a great article from Forbes breaking it all down.

 
I have several eBay items I shipped USPS Priority on Nov 29. Only two delivered so far, very irate buyers.

Last month I sold a $4,000 watch and shipped it to Germany USPS Priority Express. They kept it a week and returned it to sender (me) through some crazy screw-up, and it sat unattended until I found it.

I thought it was lost and almost had a heart attack. I had to resend it FedEx which cost me $150 more, but the buyer finally got it. The USPS is TOTALLY irresponsible and incompetent. There is no accountability when something goes wrong.

You might as well consider your packages are in a bottomless pit.
 
My lens finally arrived today as well. Originally shipped the 18th.

Screwy thing is , I was checking the tracking number occasionally and this morning it still stated that it was in the Sacramento, CA distribution facility. About 3pm the post man knocks on the door and I look out and there it sits.

I checked the tracking again and it showed as delivered. Nothing else in between.

So weird. I’m just happy I got it and it works great (Fuji 16-80/4 WR).
 
Oh, and to give a bit of positive on the USPS - at least some of their employees - my 70+ year old mother sent me a package from PA for Christmas.

Despite the post office in her area putting the entirely wrong address on the printed slip, my postal carrier recognized my name and delivered it to the right house!
Needless to say, he got a big tip from our house this year.
 
My lens finally arrived today as well. Originally shipped the 18th.

Screwy thing is , I was checking the tracking number occasionally and this morning it still stated that it was in the Sacramento, CA distribution facility. About 3pm the post man knocks on the door and I look out and there it sits.

I checked the tracking again and it showed as delivered. Nothing else in between.

So weird. I’m just happy I got it and it works great (Fuji 16-80/4 WR).
I’ll be curious to hear your impressions of the lens.
 
Look for online-reviews (google/yelp/trustpilot/...) of any shipping company and you'll only find horror stories for all of them, and 2 out of 5 stars at best :)

I've used USPS to ship many items from the US to Canada, and they've always been a cheap and reliable option.

Yes, UPS and FedEx will be faster, but usually at twice the shipping cost and then they add their own customs brokerage fee on top (even when no customs fee is payable).

DHL is the only shipping company that lost one of my orders...
It's a game of luck... :)
 
The best thing that could happen would be to let either UPS or FedEx absorb the USPS. Then it would be properly managed. Then the USPS could get modernized and better able to handle the high volume.

No. The best thing is to get the GOP to stop sabotaging the USPS out of a fantasy of privatizing it. Privatization always means worse service at greater cost.

The real problem this year is named DeJoy. He was put it place to make sure that mail in votes did not arrive since they overwhelmingly favor Democratic Party voters. The other big problem is to get rid of the GOP imposed advanced payoff of retirement funds that No private company is required to do. Remove that alone and the USPS is profitable again.

And as for the idiots at UPS and FedEx, that's where my horror stories of smashed goods, dump and run "Adult signature required" packages, and 2 day items that take two weeks because they don't know how to read an address.
 
Around here the modus operandi for delivery companies seems to be to follow their satnavs to the postcode on the shipping label, and then to look for a matching house number. It never occurs to them that they might be in the wrong street. This is how we know all the people in nearby streets who have the same house number as us.

-R
 
On another note - I don't envy any postal worker/delivery person for their job... Not before the pandemic - and especially not in the last year...

They were already taxed by the volume of deliveries before this year... then the pandemic multiplied their challenges and the volume of parcels... (not even thinking about the holidays or any political tinkering)...

Being able to sit safely and comfortably on my couch and have things delivered to my door-step is a pretty amazing privilege...

Be nice to them and grateful...
 
On it's merry way.
MI to MA to FL to ? to ? to CA.
My guess is TX and NV. At least I hope.

If I was in my prime, I would've changed systems and back.

December 30, 2020
In Transit to Next Facility
Your package is moving within the USPS network and is on track to be delivered to its final destination. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

December 29, 2020, 4:25 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
LAKE MARY FL DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 21, 2020, 5:07 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
MIDDLESEX-ESSEX MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 21, 2020, 1:09 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
MIDDLESEX-ESSEX MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 6, 2020, 6:02 pm
Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item
TROY, MI 48098
 
On it's merry way.
MI to MA to FL to ? to ? to CA.
My guess is TX and NV. At least I hope.

If I was in my prime, I would've changed systems and back.

December 30, 2020
In Transit to Next Facility
Your package is moving within the USPS network and is on track to be delivered to its final destination. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

December 29, 2020, 4:25 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
LAKE MARY FL DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 21, 2020, 5:07 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
MIDDLESEX-ESSEX MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 21, 2020, 1:09 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
MIDDLESEX-ESSEX MA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 6, 2020, 6:02 pm
Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item
TROY, MI 48098

We just received a card today from friends who live in the suburbs west of Philadelphia. We live at the New Jersey Shore. 50 or so miles away. The envelope had a stamp cancellation marked West Palm Beach, Florida. You can't make this stuff up.
 
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