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USPS tracking no longer a joke?

7K views 76 replies 24 participants last post by  CadillacLuke24 
#1 ·
Just about everything I order comes by UPS, FedEx or OnTrac (recently). But maybe 20-30 orders have come by USPS in the last few years.

In EVERY case, tracking never showed a single status or current location until AFTER the item arrived.

Today I got a shipping confirmation for an order and the USPS tracking looks as good as any from those others. It even has the expected delivery date.

In a related note, I'm assuming hell has just frozen over.
 
#3 ·
I also make a lot purchases on the internet and thus receive my orders delivered to my house. Over the past seven years I have had much better luck with carrier tracking using USPS than with either FedEx or UPS.Both UPS and FedEx leave you hanging once the package has left its origin facility until it actually reaches your city. This is especially true if the package is not sent by one of their "expedited" (meaning expensive) air services.
Packages that I send via USPS are tracked from time of pickup from my house through each of the sorting stations on through final sort, "out for Delivery" and "Delivered." I find that USPS delivers the best service consistently regardless of cost (and their cost is considerably lower) and if there is a loss their insurance pays off relatively quickly, while my experience with UPS has been that they stall and shift blame and that you have to take them to small claims court recover your loss from their mishandling.
 
#6 ·
From my experience and that of several of my friends, it seems that the U.S. Postal Service (a government operation) is doing a better job than their private sector counter parts. UPS's debacle over the holidays when they could deliver packages that were sent 10 days before Christmas to their destination by Christmas. And there delivery of those same packages over a several day period after Christmas certainly leaves in question the competence of UPS's management and their real motives as to how they manage.
 
#7 ·
My mail man has been delivering to my address for over 25 years. He's seen the first owners (the builders), my family came in at 86/87ish. Then we left in 1999 or 2000, rented out the house then came back in 2002.

So I've been having conservations with him the last few years. One time when I handed me a package, from eBay, I asked him how does his scanner connect? No lie folks, he takes out an old flip phone and tells me it's connected via BlueTooth to the internet. I just thought that was funny, that their scanner is hooked up via a flip phone.

Oh, and yes I have noticed that the tracking is way better lately. As a matter of fact, they include up to $100.00 insurance into the price. Where as before it was extra.

KOT
 
#8 ·
I've been convinced if you don't need the package in any sort of hurry, USPS does a better job at a cheaper price. Fedex Ground are the clowns I really question. Almost all of their semi-truck and delivery drivers are independent contractors. Might say Fedex Ground on the side of the truck, but they are not directly employed by Fedex. I've called for a Fedex Ground pickup at my business(really annoying that the Fedex Express guy that comes every day won't touch Ground packages), its about a 75% chance anybody will show up that day.
 
#9 ·
yup, you can keep brown. They are the worst for handling damage claims ( I have one unpaid despite insurance). During my recent RV trip down HWY 10, it was amazing to see the number of FedEx trucks doing the long haul. Simply by looking at the cab reinforces the independent carrier statement.

I will also agree that USPS remains the best from a package tracking perspective. I like how you can send the tracking status to multiple email accounts and it is always accurate. With the recent bad rap of the other carriers tossing packages around, USPS can take back what was once only theirs. Plus I know my mail carrier's name - mail sometimes is late "cus he talks with a lot of neighbors - including me
 
#12 · (Edited)
USPS - remember that first class and other postage goes up by 3¢ tomorrow morning - 1st class is now 49¢. Supposed to stay that way for 2 years 'to offset the effects of the economic downturn". Fat chance - like every other state or government "temporary" fix this is forever - or until USPS starts to go broke again. hell, I remember licking 3¢ stamps for Mom.

Around here, the USPS tracking service has been in effect for quite a while. It works well......... but this is still an area where the post office (mail route carrier) will call you on the phone to ask if you want the package left up at the mailbox or brought down the road to the front porch.
 
#13 ·
I just recently shipped a Deville ashtray assembly to one of our members via UPS (USPS was closed - MLK day). The price was with a dollar of each other. They estimated delivery on Wed. He got it on Wed.

All the torque struts I made and shipped to members went via USPS. Never compared prices there or shipping times or tracking, but never had a problem.
 
#14 ·
They all seem to be hit and miss, but 99.9% of the time everything is on time and close to same price.
I use USPS mainly because it is 15 miles closer.
Bigger packages I use UPS or Fedex, but really depends on the size, weight and destination.
But back on track USPS does seem to be doing a better job in the package area, maybe they figured out good old letters are about dead and should transition to packages being priority.
I use the flat rate and priority mail boxes from them all the time, saves me the cost of a box since I ship quite a bit some months.
 
#15 ·
Hmmm. I've never had that problem and I mail and receive parcels daily.

The only problem I ever had was when they lost my to-be Fiance's engagement ring.

As the months rolled by, they still hadn't found it. I ended up not proposing when I planned to. Mind you, we lived some 3,000 mIles apart back then. I ended up back on my plane, headed across the country...when they found it and overnighted it to me.

Naturally, when my plane landed, I purchased a ticket and went directly back.
 
#16 ·
I just remembered that I received two packages via FedEX a few years ago. Each came from different states, though I can't remember which ones. Nevertheless, I hated the fact that I had two different FedEx trucks come to my house that day. I mean, why the freak did one have to to be delivered from one local hubby, or whatever they are called, and the other from a different. One came from Norwich, CT and the other from Warwick, RI. Funny thing is, both packages went through the same "main" hubby in MA.

However, with UPS. All of my packages go through the same local hubby in Bozrah, CT. And obviously all of my USPS goes through my town's PO.

KOT
 
#23 ·
Yup, yup, yup. I've met these people. Wouldn't hire them...for...well, any sort of job. They never seem to be good people.

As Beccam said above, I have never had USPS lost a package (aside from that one I mentioned, which was being sent TO me) and have only ever had one item arrived damaged to my client. That was JUST THE OTHER DAY. Lame.

I wonder how it arrived? I mean, most of my orders are essentially glass articles with questionable substances and materials inside of them, encased fully in flammable liquids. However, I package them in a leak-resistant means, so I bet if it was broken, the USPS lackeys never noticed.

Must have been quite the mess when it arrived to my client.

Oh, and as for the loss of my item (for several months) by the USPS, it was lost in Salt Lake City. This happened at an interesting time and I took it naturally as an omen to never trust The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons, whom are essentially based out of Salt Lake City Utah) so it was thereby, destined to happen and I cannot entirely blame the USPS for the loss of the item.
 
#19 ·
Submariner409 said:
Have you noticed that USPS is now delivering some UPS packages ?
That's been happening for many years for me. I know that the ups truck makes a daily trip to my towns Post Office.

Oh on another note. The tribe that is located in my town, the Mashentucket Pequot tribal nation. Received their very own zip code, 06338, way back in 2002 or 2003. The first tribal nation to do so. Whether they are still the only one or not, I don't know.

KOT
 
#22 ·
I sell A LOT on the internet. I've sold atleast 500+ packages within the last 2 years. Always have used usps. &Not once have they lost my package. & They have only damaged one. Was a brand new box & when it got to the customer is looked like someone ran over it. Was literally flat. Other then that usps has always been good to me. I always ship in a brown box that I buy from Walmart because shipping in non usps via first class mail (which now includes 50$ insurance FREE) boxes is cheaper then using a first class or flats rate box. Only time flat rate is good is if you're sending something very heavy. Shipping prices go buy weight. Not so much size. I had bought a vintage Dallas cowboys plastic locker off eBay it's about 3 feet tall 1 food width & the seller only paid 18 bucks to ship that big ol thing thru usps. I LOVE USPS! My friend works for UPS & he says they throw the boxes. So yea, go figure!
 
#27 ·
Most packages arriving damaged are due to improper boxing and protection. I too have had soil spring boxes demolished. Once UPS had part of a box and the springs with label, that was it. Somewhere along the line it was destroyed(I think it got wet) but at least someone took time to make sure they got here.
I've had a few look like the were drug behind a truck and run over a few times and a couple empty boxes show up because seller didn't secure. Of the several hundred I ship and receive a year maybe 2 or 3 are damaged and haven't lost one yet.
 
#28 ·
It's called "SmartPost." I learned about it while I was working for Harry and David. UPS and Fedex contract with USPS so either of them transports the package to its destination city and the USPS delivers it on their mail trucks on their normal routes. It saves the big companies a chunk of cash not having to run small local routes, and it gives USPS a nice payment.
 
#29 ·
I love it when shippers use USPS. The service is always as fast as can be. Living in the apt there are 5 different doors to come into the building and every other shipper just sticks a note on one of them. I don't patrol the grounds every night to see if, by by chance, I have had a delivery! :rant2:

USPS puts it right at my door in the hall, or leaves a note on my mailbox, which I do check nightly. I am sick of having things sent back unclaimed because I did not know they had been sent.

USPS FTW!:thumbsup:
 
#30 ·
The Postal Service is remarkably decent with their packaging and handling of such.

UPS seems to enter their trucks in demo derbies from time to time, as some of their packages have indicated.

FedEx is ok, nothing special.

DHL, well, I ordered my biochem book from an Amazon seller. DHL lost it. FedEx got it here early and in decent condish.

Whoever does airmail from Southeast Asia should be hired for the entire planet. I ordered two Theory of a Deadman cassettes, one from Indonesia and the other from Thailand. While I have to give props to the sellers for the bubblewrap envelopes, both arrived in MINT condtition. Didn't get squashed, bent, busted, nothin'!
 
#32 ·
Gotta disagree - here on the central east coast it is common occurrence to see packages, UPS, delivered either overnight or 2 day - at standard ground service rates - from shippers as far north and south as NY and GA.

My CORSA exhaust system - Berea, OH, took 3 days, ground. (in 2006). Stuff from Rock Auto takes 3 days.

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Whoever does airmail from Southeast Asia should be hired for the entire planet. I ordered two Theory of a Deadman cassettes, one from Indonesia and the other from Thailand. While I have to give props to the sellers for the bubblewrap envelopes, both arrived in MINT condtition. Didn't get squashed, bent, busted, nothin'!
I have ordered electronics stuff and parts from Hong Kong - how they get it here in 3 - 4 days is beyond me. Customs stamps, overseas postage, whatever. Ordered 4 laser pointers from HK a while back and had them in 4 days - and that was delivered USPS.
 
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