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Current postal service performance

JwRosenthal
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And so not to exclusively bash the USPS, I got into it with Fedex over an overnight package that took 4 days to deliver.
The guy on the phone said "due to the current conditions...."
I asked why they are offering next day service, and taking payment for it, but are not able to guarantee next day service- then don't offer it.
His response was- when you pay for "expedited service" (note he didn't say next day), we can't guarantee it will not be delayed...
And again, I asked- then why are you offering the service for a fee if you can't make good on the offer....he didn't have a response.
 
kkt
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College savings account only disberses to the college by check through the mail. If the college doesn't get it in time, they charge a late fee - but that does not mean their housing and financial aid parts of the quarter's payment will be prepared more than a week before the deadline.
 
Scarecrow Boat
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Was expecting a couple packages today... the postal driver didn’t show up at all to my entire neighborhood.

Edit to add: about 5 minutes after posting this I took my dog outside once more for the night (8:25pm/20:25) and a postal driver was across the street from my house. A neighbor from around the corner runs up and stops short a couple houses from the driver...

“neighbor: do you have mail for xxxx address??
driver: no I just have packages
neighbor: so you’re telling me there is no mail at all for this whole neighborhood??
driver: I guess you’re not getting mail today. I just have packages.”

I ended up getting my packages
Edited:
 
DManzaluni
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I have had three packages lost by USPS in the last year alone! Compared with one or two per decade previously.
So much so that with a valuable one, I had to ship DHL a month or so ago in order to get it to Spain!

MAKE SURE YOU INSURE!!!!!
 
JwRosenthal
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Scarecrow Boat Scarecrow Boat
Was expecting a couple packages today... the postal driver didn’t show up at all to my entire neighborhood.

Edit to add: about 5 minutes after posting this I took my dog outside once more for the night (8:25pm/20:25) and a postal driver was across the street from my house. A neighbor from around the corner runs up and stops short a couple houses from the driver...

“neighbor: do you have mail for xxxx address??
driver: no I just have packages
neighbor: so you’re telling me there is no mail at all for this whole neighborhood??
driver: I guess you’re not getting mail today. I just have packages.”

I ended up getting my packages
Going 2-3 days without mail has become the norm here, no mail since Friday- and I'm in a major metro area, not the sticks! Been waiting for a watch from NY since last Monday- I could have driven there and been back by lunch. It's sitting now at the downtown depot for 3 days, I would go pick it up if they actually knew where it was.
 
DaveK
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Canada Post service suspended in Vancouver yesterday (maybe today, too) due to forest fire smoke. All kinds of weirdness going on. At least our homes aren’t in danger here. Stay safe everyone
 
Syrte
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On a completely different note I’ve been very pleasantly surprised with the shipment of watches from France in the past couple weeks.
A watch sent out via International registered mail to Japan took 5 days— shipped out on Monday and arrived on Friday. Another took three days to the UK.
I very rarely sell watches and was a bit antsy, so that was a relief.
Not sure how distribution into France is working lately. One of my incomings got stuck mysteriously for three weeks in limbo, and then resurfaced by surprise. Between August 11 and early september it seemed to have gone into a black hole- no movement on the tracking info whatsoever.
 
michael22
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Syrte Syrte
On a completely different note I’ve been very pleasantly surprised with the shipment of watches from France in the past couple weeks.
A watch sent out via International registered mail to Japan took 5 days— shipped out on Monday and arrived on Friday. Another took three days to the UK.
I very rarely sell watches and was a bit antsy, so that was a relief.
Not sure how distribution into France is working lately. One of my incomings got stuck mysteriously for three weeks in limbo, and then resurfaced by surprise. Between August 11 and early september it seemed to have gone into a black hole- no movement on the tracking info whatsoever.
My suspicion is that bags of mail sit in warehouses awaiting space on a flight. There is a lot less international transport these days.
 
JwRosenthal
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michael22 michael22
My suspicion is that bags of mail sit in warehouses awaiting space on a flight. There is a lot less international transport these days.
I think for the international stuff you are probably correct. My parents traveled quite a bit for business when I was a kid and I remember postcards or packages from Europe to the US taking 2-4 weeks to arrive, and that was just common. I think we have indeed been spoiled by how connected the world has become and are seeing now how fragile that system can be.
 
Syrte
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michael22 michael22
My suspicion is that bags of mail sit in warehouses awaiting space on a flight. There is a lot less international transport these days.
Actually, in that instance the bag waited after it had arrived into the country. But in August and with the current situation it’s quite possible they were short staffed. In normal times they hire temp workers during the summer- and the distribution gets very shoddy. Perhaps in this instance they didn’t.
 
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