I give up on shipping anything USPS

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

I've lost two nice as a buyer USPS. First was horrifying, NOS paint dividers, the seller was partially at fault he didn't pack them firm. The other an antenna mast that was packaged well enough the seller had a claim.

Shipping is a bummer now days, so expensive too. USPS stole from me last year too, with proof, & the bastards won't even return a phone call - two claims same thing.

[lousyflyer]

Please be reminded that PayPal uses the delivery confirmation from the USPS to determine whether or not you get a refund for packages that go to someone else by mistake. I have had this happen to me six times. Three of those times the other recipients brought the packages to me themselves. The other three boxes never made it to my mailbox - to the tune of nearly $150.00 total lost value. PayPal refund DENIED.

With Paypal, its your word versus the USPS confirmation number. They win...always.

[special-K]

I'm remembering a radiator I sent to a member by FedEx. I won't mention any names but his initials are Grumpy Old Man. I followed up to find he had not received it in what would have seemed adequate time. I was all concerned, thought I had a situation to deal with that should not be. A lot more time, over I week at least, and I followed up again to find it had showed up. I could have said I would never use FedEx again, but I didn't, and have never had an issue since (nor before). I'm glad I'm a tolerant person. I don't get the one and done attitude. I see it all the time. To me it's like slamming the door on your foot, your loss.

[1976gmc20]

Well, to be fair to Fedex - they have left a bunch of packages for our neighbors on our doorstep. We just throw them in the jeep and drive them up to their place.

Then they deliver our package to our neighbors so we drove up there and stole it off their porch. So I guess it all averages out


(The two driveways are parallel and about 100' apart at the county road. If our current neighbors ever decide to leave, we plan to buy the place just to get ride of that easement.)

[72c20customcamper]

This about sums it up

[LONGHAIR]

After messing with the new hobby of bicycles for a while, I discovered a company called "Bike Flights". I have shipped or received several sets of bike wheels to/from Portland Oregon in the last few years. The prices are incredible in comparison to the big companies. (Like less than 1/2)
These are fairly large boxes that weigh nearly nothing.
The really crazy part of it though is, once set it up through them and print the label, guess where I take it to ship it out? Yup FedEx! They do all of the handling! for 1/2 the price of what it would be through them directly....insanity.

[72c20customcamper]

Could have its perks .

But in all honesty USPS sucks here , I live on a narrow dead end road it's a public road so its maintained but the mail truck wont come down . We have to drive out to a bank of mailboxes . If the package doesn't fit in the box they take it back to the post office. The postmasters says it's because there isnt a safe turnaround for the mail truck. But I get UPS frieght to deliver an engine to my door .

[1976gmc20]

Today Fedex actually got a package to us on time and to the right house.

The driver is a local county guy and says he is the "regular" driver. So maybe the regular packages get here all right, but the priority packages get a special driver who doesn't know the area

[Curtb1971]

Never had a problem with USPS until this year. I traded a guy in Texas a set of dana 60 dually hubs for a set of single wheel hubs. I shipped the 71lbs package FedEx and it was at his door in 3 days. He shipped the 52lbs package usps priority Dec 8, the last tracking update was Dec 13. I filled out a search request Dec 20, emailing Dec 30 and calling Jan 5... ZERO RESPONSE... I really feel for anyone working in the post office as they must be slammed and still playing catch up. I'm just throwing my hands up on ever getting the hubs at this time

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Curtb1971

Never had a problem with USPS until this year. I traded a guy in Texas a set of dana 60 dually hubs for a set of single wheel hubs. I shipped the 71lbs package FedEx and it was at his door in 3 days. He shipped the 52lbs package usps priority Dec 8, the last tracking update was Dec 13. I filled out a search request Dec 20, emailing Dec 30 and calling Jan 5... ZERO RESPONSE... I really feel for anyone working in the post office as they must be slammed and still playing catch up. I'm just throwing my hands up on ever getting the hubs at this time

Some gearhead in Guam is probably installing them on his truck as we type....jk...

LockDoc

[1976gmc20]

Back in the mid-1990s those in charge of the USPS at that time decided to spend millions of dollars to build brand new brick and glass stand alone post offices in small towns. Mostly the new buildings replaced the contract POs located in little stores and gas stations which usually made those business non-viable anymore.

So then maybe about eight years ago (cough!) they decided the rural post offices were costing too much money and decided to shut them down completely. There was a big uproar about this so in the end they only shut down some of them and then drastically reduced the hours on the rest.

Another piece of America gone: the tiny little general stores where you could pick up or send your mail, buy a quart of milk or some nails, fill up your pickup, and learn all the local news.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

Back in the mid-1990s those in charge of the USPS at that time decided to spend millions of dollars to build brand new brick and glass stand alone post offices in small towns. Mostly the new buildings replaced the contract POs located in little stores and gas stations which usually made those business non-viable anymore.

So then maybe about eight years ago (cough!) they decided the rural post offices were costing too much money and decided to shut them down completely. There was a big uproar about this so in the end they only shut down some of them and then drastically reduced the hours on the rest.

Another piece of America gone: the tiny little general stores where you could pick up or send your mail, buy a quart of milk or some nails, fill up your pickup, and learn all the local news.

Code word: "Progress"...

LockDoc

[DeadheadNM]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

Back in the mid-1990s those in charge of the USPS at that time decided to spend millions of dollars to build brand new brick and glass stand alone post offices in small towns. Mostly the new buildings replaced the contract POs located in little stores and gas stations which usually made those business non-viable anymore.

So then maybe about eight years ago (cough!) they decided the rural post offices were costing too much money and decided to shut them down completely. There was a big uproar about this so in the end they only shut down some of them and then drastically reduced the hours on the rest.

Another piece of America gone: the tiny little general stores where you could pick up or send your mail, buy a quart of milk or some nails, fill up your pickup, and learn all the local news.

Absolutely this is the case. I remember thinking that was such a waste. Here in town we now have two grocery stores that serve as post offices and are open at hours convenient for working folks.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Absolutely this is the case. I remember thinking that was such a waste. Here in town we now have two grocery stores now that serve as post offices and are open at hours convenient for working folks.

How did they survive the 1990s blitz, or is the USPS suddenly reversing course ???

If the latter, that seems like a good change to me

[72c20customcamper]

Originally Posted by DeadheadNM

Absolutely this is the case. I remember thinking that was such a waste. Here in town we now have two grocery stores now that serve as post offices and are open at hours convenient for working folks.

The USPS office in town is closed from 12:30 to 2 PM everyday and closes at 5 . Not very convenient

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by 72c20customcamper

The USPS office in town is closed from 12:30 to 2 PM everyday and closes at 5 . Not very convenient

At one time a few years ago our "local" PO closed at noon, period.

Maybe open until 2pm now ?

[DeadheadNM]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

How did they survive the 1990s blitz, or is the USPS suddenly reversing course ???

If the latter, that seems like a good change to me

Reversed course I suspect as the stores (Festival Foods) are newer by local standards and the chain is regional. This arrangement predated our arrival here. It’s nice that I can mail packages on Sunday and linger to gather some groceries. Until Covid the store also operated a nicely equipped and clean toddler day care room where kids could play under the supervision of an employee while the parent(s) shopped but they still put up a big Christmas tree and Merry Christmas banners. We take our four year old daughter to the store every week to visit her friend the employee who was in charge of the toddler room.

Correctly or not, I’ve attributed the current fiscal status of usps in part to that seemingly needless building spree that more or less just preceded or overlapped the wide adoption of email. It’s a real shame. Per the GAO https://www.gao.gov/key_issues/us_po.../issue_summary:

“USPS’s overall financial condition is deteriorating and unsustainable. USPS has lost $69 billion over the past 11 fiscal years—including $3.9 billion in fiscal year 2018. USPS’s total unfunded liabilities and debt ($143 billion at the end of fiscal year 2018) have grown to double its annual revenue.”

[1976gmc20]

Reversed course I suspect ...

I wonder who's responsible for that?

[DeadheadNM]

[57taskforce]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

I wonder who's responsible for that?

Intriguing huh... out where my in-laws live on the Navajo Nation they still have the post office/gas station setups. I’m sure they never went away during the 90’s because of how rural the area is. Hundreds of miles between the bigger but still very small towns like Shiprock and Gallup for example. It’s a cool thing to see for me. It reminds me of when I was a kid in rural Virginia.

[special-K]

Can we name any government entity that runs on profit, other than IRS?

[DeadheadNM]

Originally Posted by special-K

Can we name any government entity that runs on profit, other than IRS?

The post office once upon a time did turn a profit.

[72c20customcamper]

Originally Posted by special-K

Can we name any government entity that runs on profit, other than IRS?

That's a double edged sword. I'm sure people would be protesting that the USPS was making millions on the people .

[special-K]

Yeah, they probably would. I don't see people complaining that public schools, hiways, police, fire protection, or military don't turn a profit.

I think it was a good idea to build new larger facilities when they did. Parcel delivery had been on the upswing since the '80s and when the property acquisition began and contacts to build were signed it was prior to e-mail being a thing. How well do you think USPS could handle the packages from the old cubby holes they used to operate from? They also bought a fleet of mail trucks based on the S10/Astro in the '90s. Good move. Those trucks are still out delivering daily after over 20 years of service.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

Intriguing huh... out where my in-laws live on the Navajo Nation they still have the post office/gas station setups. I’m sure they never went away during the 90’s because of how rural the area is. Hundreds of miles between the bigger but still very small towns like Shiprock and Gallup for example. It’s a cool thing to see for me. It reminds me of when I was a kid in rural Virginia.

Can't get much more rural than the Missouri breaks. As I recall they eliminated some zip codes up there.

I think it was a good idea to build new larger facilities when they did.

Yeah, but not building a several hundred thousand dollar building to replace a counter in a little store that served maybe a hundred mail customers. Then close the new PO a few years later so people have to drive another 50 miles to get their mail.