Current postal service performance

CajunTiger · Jul 15, 2020

Package shipped from Europe to US on June 19...tracking changed to Origin Post is Preparing Shipment-Delivery date unknown on June 23. No change since. So nearly 4 weeks, hopefully it arrives soon.

But even domestic shipments are delayed...Some Priority mail arrives in 2-3 days, others 10 days...its about 50/50. I had two Priority packages ship at same time from same city. One arrived in 2 days the other was over 10 days. Some days the carrier doesnt even come, the next day he delivers a pile. Even Fedex has been shit...I had a domestic ground package "On Truck- Out for delivery" 3 days in a row. Finally on 4th day a driver shows up with a package, just not the delayed one. I told him the story and he came back 2 hours later with my box said it was in another drivers truck.

JwRosenthal · Jul 15, 2020

UPS and Fedex won’t wait in cue at the screening facility where I work. If it takes more than 10 minutes for them to get the inspection they leave the line and return parcels to sender as undeliverable. We actually don’t have that problem with USPS funny enough- they wait and deliver.
If you want to lobby to take over a government service for profit, that is currently being offered globally (in the regional sense of “global”), you can’t pick and choose the services you offer while shitting on the provider who does serve the entire clientele. This is the inherent problem with the corporate model- it doesn’t serve the underserved.

OmegaP99 · Jul 15, 2020

Stripey
On the junk mail thing, here in the U.K. we have services that are supposed to stop you getting junk mail or cold calls.

Just a quick note on this, we do have a Do Not Call List that's only marginally effective and becoming less so, but our Post Office actually implemented a junk mail scheme where anybody can pay them a few cents per address and they blanket whatever zip codes you select with your adverts. Individuals households cannot opt out. They did this to bring more cash in to a struggling agency but it certainly doesn't serve the end user.
One example is that we had a PO Box at the local Post Office for a business, but we only checked it every week or two since we didn't have much incoming mail other than occasional important documents. Whenever we would come in to check the box I couldn't even get the mail out sometimes because it was so jammed full of flyers and junk mail that the PO folks had to take it out from the back. I asked a worker to not put them in and he explained they had to by law since somebody paid for that service. We cancelled that box and got one at a private PO Box provider.

sonicosa · Jul 16, 2020

The last 2 - 3 weeks, domestic packages seem to be moving through USPS with regular if not improved delivery times. Last week, I shipped a record from Virginia to Seattle on Monday and the package was delivered on Wednesday. It was less than 48 hours door to door. That’s especially impressive since I shipped the album via media mail, which is one of the post office’s cheapest and slowest services.

OmegaP99 · Jul 16, 2020

@sonicosa This has been my recent experience as well. Within the continental US, using Priority Mail, both outgoing and incoming packages arriving on average 1-day earlier than the expected delivery date indicated on the tracking. This actually caused a bit of a stir when I mailed my buddy his Omega MK2 a week back, it went out on Tuesday, showed expected arrival on Friday, but was actually attempted to be delivered on Wednesday but he wasn't at home. That was from Portland, OR to LA, CA so same coast.

30T2 · Aug 7, 2020

To me the service has been fantastic,I got packages from all over the world, everything has been on time or early up to two days. I'm cheap, I usually grab the cheapest option

RonJ · Aug 7, 2020

IMHO, the biggest problem with the USPS is the Postal Rate Commission (now called the Postal Regulatory Commission). How can you have a for-profit mail delivery service that can't set its own postal rates?

Can you imagine losing millions of dollars a year on mail delivery operations and the outside board of advisors refusing to allow you to increase your prices?
Truly a pathetic situation only the government could create.

.

Evitzee · Aug 7, 2020

RonJ-in-VA
IMHO, the biggest problem with the USPS is the Postal Rate Commission (now called the Postal Regulatory Commission). How can you have a for-profit mail delivery service that can't set its own postal rates?

Can you imagine losing millions of dollars a year on mail delivery operations and the outside board of advisors refusing to allow you to increase your prices?
Truly a pathetic situation only the government could create.

.

Yet they claim they can manage the delivery and timely return of over a hundred million ballots for the November election. Right-ee-o

Vercingetorix · Aug 7, 2020

Evitzee
Yet they claim they can manage the delivery and timely return of over a hundred million ballots for the November election. Right-ee-o

The post office delivers 472 million pieces of mail PER DAY.

BlackTalon · Aug 7, 2020

Vercingetorix
The post office delivers 472 million pieces of mail PER DAY.

and they STILL can't get it right! ::rimshot::

Kinda like going to a doctor who is still practicing 40 years into his career -- when will he get it right and be able to work for real?

Syrte · Aug 8, 2020

I have a package stranded between Sweden and France... shipped on June 25- logged as leaving Sweden on June 29, the Swedish post says it went to France, French posts say it never left Sweden.
It wasn’t a watch but a vintage accessory I really wanted, pissed at the seller as he shipped it with tracking but not registered mail- and pissed at myself for not having double checked with him first.
I only had a problem once with registered mail a year or so ago, but then got the stranded item after 3 months.

JwRosenthal · Aug 8, 2020

Syrte
I have a package stranded between Sweden and France... shipped on June 25- logged as leaving Sweden on June 29, the Swedish post says it went to France, French posts say it never left Sweden.
It wasn’t a watch but a vintage accessory I really wanted, pissed at the seller as he shipped it with tracking but not registered mail- and pissed at myself for not having double checked with him first.
I only had a problem once with registered mail a year or so ago, but then got the stranded item after 3 months.

It will show up. Currently my wait times have been 1-2 months for int’l. I did just get a package from a member in Canada which only took 2 weeks so was pleasantly surprised.

MikiJ · Aug 8, 2020

Has anyone chimed in on the very reliable and cost effective USPS Priority Mail w/signature with in the CONUS? It's terrific!

Scarecrow Boat · Aug 8, 2020

JwRosenthal
It will show up. Currently my wait times have been 1-2 months for int’l. I did just get a package from a member in Canada which only took 2 weeks so was pleasantly surprised.

Last month I ordered something from the UK and Chicago customs had it for 3 weeks.
Last Friday I ordered something from the UK, Chicago customs processed it in one day, and it’s already out for delivery.

It’s been greatly hit or miss.

OmegaP99 · Aug 8, 2020

Scarecrow Boat
Last month I ordered something from the UK and Chicago customs had it for 3 weeks.
Last Friday I ordered something from the UK, Chicago customs processed it in one day, and it’s already out for delivery.

It’s been greatly hit or miss.

Same for me lately, have a fair number of international packages the last couple of weeks, with many still outstanding, and some get here in two days, others tracking never updated and in limbo. It's the Wild West out there presently. Had a shop in the Philippines tell me their EMS is shut down until the 18th of this month and they they expect a 2-month delay, so we're looking into DHL in this case, which seems pretty reliable for me so far.

Continental US delivered USPS Priority Mail still arriving with no problems or delays.

JwRosenthal · Aug 8, 2020

OmegaP99
Continental US delivered USPS Priority Mail still arriving with no problems or delays.

I haven’t had the same luck- constant delays and days in limbo at local sorting facility. But I think my carrier hates me because I have the direct line to her boss so when she delivers to the wrong address (which happens more often than I like) I call and have her go get it.

Muddlerminnow · Aug 8, 2020

All I know is USPS 2-day Priority isn't 2-day. I had a Priority mail book ($12.55 in postage) sent from Easton, Ct. to Chicago--. Dropped off on July 20th, received it August 7th--18 days later. The post is often slow in late Summer, but what is happening now is not a normal kind of slow, it's clearly something deliberately something else--.

BrianPankow · Aug 8, 2020

I’ve been waiting 18 days for a watch to travel from New York City to Seattle via USPS. The seller says be patient. With a shipping charge of $15, I’d have thought it might have arrived within a few days.

OmegaP99 · Aug 8, 2020

BrianPankow
I’ve been waiting 18 days for a watch to travel from New York City to Seattle via USPS. The seller says be patient. With a shipping charge of $15, I’d have thought it might have arrived within a few days.

Was this Priority Mail with tracking so you can see where it's hung up? If so, it seems most USPS hangups are happening at the delivery location side, at east here in the PNW. As a comparison, I had a media mail piece arrive within that time frame so it does seem things are hit and miss right now.

BrianPankow · Aug 8, 2020

OmegaP99
Was this Priority Mail with tracking so you can see where it's hung up? If so, it seems most USPS hangups are happening at the delivery location side, at east here in the PNW. As a comparison, I had a media mail piece arrive within that time frame so it does seem things are hit and miss right now.

It does have tracking. Last update shows “in transit” on July 21.

Current postal service performance

CajunTiger

JwRosenthal

OmegaP99

sonicosa

OmegaP99

30T2

RonJ

Evitzee

Vercingetorix

BlackTalon

Syrte

JwRosenthal

MikiJ

Scarecrow Boat

OmegaP99

JwRosenthal

Muddlerminnow

BrianPankow

OmegaP99

BrianPankow

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