I’ve written about the USPS before, and how slow and unreliable it can be. I want to give you an idea of how terrible their service can be with hard, indisputable evidence (see screen shots enclosed below).
A package was mailed to us from a vendor on 11/14/2007. It came from Capitol Heights, Maryland, and shipped to my city, which is North Bethesda, Maryland. [For those unaware of this, North Bethesda is not officially a city (yet); it’s a borough between Bethesda and Rockville. The Post Office treats it as Rockville but anything addressed to North Bethesda will get there just fine.] It arrived on 11/27/2007, approximately 13 days after it left Capitol Heights.
Here’s the kicker: not only are Capitol Heights and North Bethesda in the SAME state, but they’re only 25 miles apart. According to Google Maps, and taking the long way around DC by going on the Beltway (I-495), it’s approximately 25 miles from Capitol Heights to my place.
How in the world could it have taken them 13 days to deliver it? I don’t know how, but there it is. If you want to talk about incompetent service, I think this would be a good example. If they’d have walked the package to my place, it would have been faster. But no, they have fleets of cars, and automated systems, and all sorts of things to speed things up, and somehow they not only manage to miss deadlines for Priority Mail and lose packages on top of that, but they bungle up a 25-mile delivery so badly that it takes them 13 days to get the package to me.
Here’s the proof. The package was supposedly processed on 11/20/07 at their Capitol Heights facility.
It arrived at my place on 11/27/07.
But they received the electronic shipping notice sometime on the 14th, according to the Additional Details page. That means they received the package itself either on that same date, or shortly afterwards. Whether the vendor took their time to get the package to the post office, or whether it sat at the post office between 11/14/07 and 11/20/07 is irrelevant to me. Even if I give the USPS the benefit of the doubt and say they started working on the package on 11/20/07, that’s still 7 days to transport it 25 miles. It’s still unacceptable.
Any way you look at it, the USPS is a mess. If it takes them this long to process and transport what’s essentially a local package, I suppose I should be happy it “only” takes them 7 days to get a letter from me to my parents down in Florida. That could be called an improvement on their local delivery service.
To top it all off, they want to keep increasing the price of first-class postage and other services. I’d like to know what we’re getting in return, other than copious amounts of junk mail.
Raoul Pop 
I understand that each time a package arrives and departs a sort faculty, postal employees have to follow a certain protocal for each item passing through. However, it really shouldn’t take a week to recieve a package that was shipped from a city, an hour away. Especially when it was shiped 24 hours after I had orderd it!
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Hello, I just found your post and I am so frustrated, I thought that perhaps I could share my horrible USPS experience with you and your readers. This is my letter to USPS’s Office of the Consumer Advocate, to the Postmaster General and my State Rep.
Dear Reader,
I am absolutely perplexed at the events that I am experiencing with each USPS touch point as I attempt to track and confirm the status and whereabouts of my priority mail documents.
I not have words to express my frustration, and I am embarrassed for your organization. I ask: What are your employees doing? How is it possible that all I have received are vague answers wrapped in such attitudes of indifference? I have been told that I mailed it to the wrong address, and among other responses from USPS representatives, I have also been told that I used the wrong zip code.
USPS and I made an agreement — I pay a fee and you deliver my package in a timely manner and if you plan and rerouting my package, I would appreciate being informed ahead of time.
I am not asking for much, and no other customers should have to experience what I am experiencing. If you have a mandate to reroute mail going to a governmental agency, you should inform all USPS employees as I found out purely by chance.
This is absolutely and horribly unacceptable. It is highly important that documents I spent a significant effort in preparing arrive in the time agreed upon. If they are not, you are obligated to inform me as a paying customer so I can make an informed decision.
Regards,
Maria del Mar Navarro
Tucson, AZ 85718
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Right on! Priority mail supposed to be 3-4 days …mine sat in West Virginia for no apparent reason …and took 7 days to deliver … I paid over $5 for 3 day service only to have it arrive to my customer after 7 days …later than if I would have just slapped a stamp on it without tracking…etc.. the other funny thing ..it sat in West Virginia for 3 days …it only moved after I requested email updates … surprise! It moved south the next day ..it is getting kind of bad ….they lose money…are incompetent…and don’t even care. What other private company could lose 5 billion and still be operating? NONE … keep paying your taxes though so everyone still has a job! LMAO!!!
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I hate using USPS or EMS international. With the experiences I`ve had with them, I could take a canoe and waddled my way to India and It would have been faster . I ordered a parcel from India on 5/3/13, was given a tracking number but that didn`t work for over a week. Now its say parcel received 5/11, bagged , dispatched to Hyderabad 5/13, bag received 8:21 AM, bag opened 8:42 AM, item dispatched to Mumbai, bag received 5/14 8:12 AM, bag opened 8:19 AM, Item scanned, dispatched to Hyderabad on 5/15 21:20, bag received 5/16 8:40 AM, bag opened 8:42 AM item scanned, dispatched to Mumbai 5:16 PM……….processed through sort facility Mumbai 9:20 PM, processed through sort facility in Mumbai, 10:45 PM….origin post is preparing shipment ???????? it is now late on the 17th….no updates, nothing. What is this, some kind of colossal joke ? That parcel is going everywhere in India but here ! I will NEVER use EMS or USPS again. Slow, incompetent and stupid.
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Oh golly, I hope this doesn’t happen to me. I ordered some jewellery from PR and I live in the UK. Apparently to USPS it just left Pheonix (PHEONIX ISN’T EVEN ON THE RIGHT SIDE SO WHY DID IT GO THERE??) god help me that it gets delivered in less than 2 weeks. And apparently I can’t track a Usps China package?? Totally confused
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This is happening to me right now, i bought item in st pete, fla and I live in tampa, usps has it processed in my same zip code and instead of delivering to my house it now sits in processing in Grove Park, Illinois, it was just 2 miles away from my house. I call and they tell me that this is standard operating procedure!!!
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USPS has very poor leadership and no forward strategy. Despite having all the infrastructure in place, they cannot compete with UPS and Fedex. Its going to go broke soon because they cannnot generate profit with bad customer service and are losing parcels that are insured and with tracking numbers. In this techinical age, the bar code can be tracked by RFID(radio frequency identicication) that reads the bar code wirelessly and can tell you where the parcel is at the very second. I guess USPS only has the bar code but no readers or again very lazy people who become lazier with new technology and then crib to the public that we need to fund the USPS with government budget allaocation to fund their poor performance and inefficient laziness with good salary and benefits. It needs to be run like a private company with accountability starting right at the top. USPS has had to shut down Saturday service already. Soon even the workdays and thn when its privatised ..they can work for $8/hr and work even harder.
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Wait till your health care is run by the same federal machine running the post office. Good luck
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Wow… even USA people suffer with domestic 1st class mail, my case, since 4th Sept 2012 until today not receive… my mistake I gave extra up 2 60 days in hope the parcel reach me. 1st class mail envelope but the seller doubled the post charges. unfortunately it never reach me n i missed 45 days buyer protection. but with information from forum by forum, i chargeback the seller thru my credit card bank… 2 months, then my bank respond need y final word weather the parcel did reached me or not… of corse not at all. from Sept-almost Feb 2013…
AN INTERNATIONAL PARCEL SHOULD HAVE INFORMATION OF CUSTOM PROCESSING & ALSO WEATHER THE PARCEL LEFT TO DESTINATION COUNTRY, RIGHT?
from track & confirm status, despatcehd 5 sept, process n depart sort fclty, sandston on 6 sept… until that… how can i aspect the parcel did DEPART ORIGIN COUNTRY TO DESTINATION COUNTRY then? NO INFO, gonna tell bank officer not notification of thet. seller can inspect from usps!
USD130 too big for Malaysia… need my money. i read sender can claim from usps ‘lost merchandise’ whatsoever, but this seller never help.
PRAY FOR ME O GOT MY MONEY BACK!
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I sent a package of most important documents to Morocco on December 1st 2012. On December 20th, it arrives in New York to be sorted. Payed for registered mail, 2 oz, $11 for shipping. It takes them 20 days just from California to NY. Not to mention that today is the 24th and the package still has not entered Morocco. Now I have to go and pay $150 for DHl to deliver it by Jan 2nd 2013 because I cannot risk it. Visa interview is on Jan 2nd, my fiance needs those documents. Its the most frustrating thing ever. And at the counter the clerk said 6 to 10 days…yeah right!
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Are you Fu**ing kidding me, WTF! This has been typical the last mouth through S. Florida.
Processed through USPS Sort Facility
January 07, 2013, 5:06 am
OPA LOCKA, FL 33054
Processed through USPS Sort Facility
January 06, 2013, 1:13 am
OPA LOCKA, FL 33054
Processed through USPS Sort Facility
January 03, 2013, 8:01 am
OPA LOCKA, FL 33054
Depart USPS Sort Facility
January 03, 2013
OPA LOCKA, FL 33054
Processed through USPS Sort Facility
January 03, 2013, 2:16 am
OPA LOCKA, FL 33054
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I have to agree that the Post Office extremely stupid and lazy. I have been doing business with someone from Ebay for months now. I order from them usually once a month but sometimes twice. A total of about 10 times in 6 months. I’m located in Pennsylvania and they are located in New Jersey. Now all the other times i’ve ordered from them it’s only taken 2 days after the post office there receives the package for me to get it. And they send Media Mail. Its because i mean its the next state over! Well as everyone knows its close to the holidays. Today is 11/29/12. So i placed my order on the 11/19 and it was scanned at the post office in New Jersey on 11/20. Super fast this person is. So i was like yep 2 days and i’ll have it. I even ordered it earlier then i’d need it by as this time around the box i was getting was a gift for someone else. So anyways. 11/21. It departed from the city they live in and ended up in Jersey City. 11/22…. This is where i started getting a little annoyed. It said it departed from Jersey City. I was like okay good i’ll get it tomorrow. WRONG! 11/23 until now. Still no package. It actually didn’t even update tracking for 5 days! It departed from Jersey City and then i heard nothing! I even called USPS customer service. The woman in a nut shell told me to “Fuck off, and wait.” How lovely. Now its 9 days after it was received by the post office and i still do not have it! Why are they taking extra long?! Two days all the time for 10 times! Now they decide when i need it as a gift to take there sweet time with it? I could have drove to Jersey and picked it up myself. Hell i’m sure i could have walked to Jersey in 9 days! The post office sucks. Is full of lazy and rude people!
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I can certainly sympathize with you ! I have been waiting for an order I placed online since I ordered it on 11/26/12 and today is 12/6/12 and according to the USPS it is still in Compton, California where it was sent out for delivery, and I only live in Central Texas, two States away from California. The company I ordered from also has a store on eBay. I have ordered from them before and always received my orders within 2-3 after ordering. I’ve been ordering at their web site now, because their prices are less than at their eBay store. They recently had a 20% off sale and after two e-mails and two phone calls inquiring as to the status of my delivery; they informed me they were delayed in their shipping because they were overwhelmed with their sale and had to hire extra help in their warehouse. That is bull, because they always have sales on their web site. Finally, I received an e-mail that said they sent the package off on Dec. 1. I called my local post master to track the # and she said they lied, because they did not get the package to the Compton post office until the 3rd. She told me “electronic shipping” meant they were supposed to deliver the package to the post office that day. Okay, so the package arrived on the 3rd, why has it still not left the Post Office in Compton? They all lie, including the post offices in this country. However, if a company that I do business with deliberately lies to me and treats me badly with customer service, I will never do business with them again. Whenever a monopoly, such as the United States Postal Service is in control of our mail, the people in this country will suffer. It is the same with my electric company. They have the monopoly in this small town I live in. They not only control the electricity, but they control the water, sewer and garbage removal. If that is not graft I’d like to know what is? Good luck in your future purchases online. I know that from now on I’ll deal with companies that make customer service their number one priority.
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I ordered some books off of ebay. The next morning I got a shipping notice so I followed the link to see about how long it would take. It’s 25 books, so it’s a decent size box and was shipped media mail. It turns out the person shipping lives about 10 minutes from me. They took it to their local post office in Stratford NJ (south jersey). From there, the package went to Jersey City NJ (north Jersey, almost NY). From there it went to Philadelphia (a whole ‘nother state!). It still sits there. So 5 days so far. Three different cities many, many miles apart over two states. Now it still has to come back to NJ. What are they thinking when they do this? How much gas was wasted? How many man hours? I was talking to the seller over email today. She couldn’t believe it either. She said when she saw the address she thought about just hand delivering it but figured it would be a quick delivery since it was right down the street.
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I know exactly what you mean! I’m so pissed off right now that I just had to see if other people were dealing with the same BS. I live in North Carolina and my item came from overseas (a week is reasonable coming from Singapore) but when it made it to New York, it took like 3 days of processing and sorting there. They finally ship it…but wait…not to North Carolina that would make too much sense! They decided to take it to Georgia for the next 2 days to process and sort (whatever that means). Then they’re like screw it, let’s take it to South Carolina. I just wanna know how the f$@k it makes any sense to blatantly waste time, gas, and money to ship something all over the damn east coast SOUTH of the freaking destination. I get all the customs and regulations crap…but I think there’s a fine line between “proper shipping protocol” and being dumb as f$@k. (Sigh) Sorry I just had to vent a little. I feel a lot better now. lol
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I really have to disagree with most of the complaints even though I understand your frustration. I sold aprox. 2000 items on ebay recently and I couldn’t have been more impressed with the USPS. I sent everything with delivery confirmation and the cheapest way possible every time. I had every package delivered very fast and not one had a problem. I shipped packages to CA from VA that arrived in 2 days, I send packages from VA to other parts of VA next day. Puerto Rico in 3 days etc. Ups is the slow one even though they run to and from the truck, and the most expensive by far.
I just ordered a laptop battery from ebay and the seller sent it usps upzone what ever that is, maybe thats what some of you have been dealing with. The upzone usps has taken 6 days so far from NJ to VA and my battery is still in MD. So it might not be usps to blame here and what ever upzone is.
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Normally USPS isn’t all that bad. Normally. I think we’re venting on our worst case scenarios, which can be very frustrating when they occur. Maybe there should be a “Praise the Post Office” page for all the postal employees to post on. Sure sounds like this page is being hit hard lately with ‘damage control’. What kills me is when the nightly news shows a virtually empty plant with one or two boxes and the poat office is complaining about not having enough to do AND THEN it takes a month for your package to cross the street. That is when we get on here and rant. We aren’t stuffing our box with cookies for our carrier on those days.
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I bought an item from the UK and it was shipped out a MONTH ago….still have yet to receive it. Used Registered Mail…any idea when I can expect to see this package?
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Ok, so here:
I order internet packages all the time, sometimes 4 a day. Most come delivered by USPS. Out of the hundreds of packages over the years only one percent, (1%), uno, did not come on time. It was the Holiday season most times( which starts 4 or more weeks BEFORE the actual holiday). . So all this yelling about packages not making on time is hilarious. Most items shipped from Amazon or Ebay get shipped the cheapest and slowest way possible.The delivery time given is ALWAYS wrong. Bulk mail can go from NY to CA and back to jersey for delivery. I am not saying that things dont go belly up at the usps, but they go belly up from any delivery system. My power wheelchair came via UPS. The box was marked THIS SIDE UP clearly all over the place. When it was taken off the truck, 4 days late, it was upside down. Take a deep breath, order approprietly during busy seasons and remember there are worse things that can happen to you than a late package.
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LN00xxxx492CN
First-Class Mail International/International Letter
same day!
6: Depart USPS Sort Facility
August 16, 2012, 4:10
WEST SACRAMENTO, CA 95799
5: Processed through USPS Sort Facility
August 16, 2012, 3:44 pm
WEST SACRAMENTO, CA 95799
4: Processed through USPS Sort Facility
August 16, 2012, 10:23 am
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94188
out of customs 4 days incl a sunday
3: Processed Through Sort Facility
August 12, 2012, 7:25 pm
ISC SAN FRANCISCO (USPS)
sat/sun
Origin Post is Preparing Shipment
2: Processed Through Sort Facility
August 11, 2012, 8:44 am
FUZHOU, CHINA PEOPLES REP
thurs/fri/sat
1: Acceptance
August 09, 2012, 3:00 pm
CHINA PEOPLES REP
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can a Registered Mail be collect back after it has shown acceptance?
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I agree. Ive been waiting for an amazon package shipped through USPS for quite some time. Considering i used the “free super savers shipping” i expect it to take some time. It shipped from the facility (unknown where that is, somewhere in East US) to Ohio, to Kent Washington. It left Kent last night at about 12:00 AM. and it still somehow hasn’t reached Portland (OR). This is only a 3- 3.5 hour drive. It is now 1:00 the next day. So bottom line, its taking 13 hours, to complete a 3 hour drive. Considering they’re a large organization i realize it must take an extra 2-3 hours. But 13 hours compared to 4-5 is fu*king ridiculous, whether I’m using free shipping or not.
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it will soon arrive.
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i sent a package 7days ago by Registered Mail can it be stopped?
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No it can’t.
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On may 1st, that’s 14 days ago, I sent a f***ing REGISTERED letter from Montreal (Canada) to the IRS center in Austin, TX, to pay my taxes, ie. containing 2 bank drafts for quite a substantial amount……………. And of course they still haven’t received it, according to the f***ing USPS tracking piece of crap. So frustrating.
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Still has not arrived. Now what ? File a claim ?
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I am hating on USPS right now.. I bought an item on ebay for $$$$$$ it had been sent out 10 days ago.. It is 5 days past the expected delivery and still no sign of my item…. It is in a huge box that I don’t think anyone could miss or lose, yet I fear I might never receive the item I bought… Never again will I trust the USPS for anything but letters.
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oh yeah and the package was sent from Northern California, Danville to Southern Califronia.. I am baffled how it would take so long….
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i sent a item to Nigeria about 6 days it is still in oklahoma waht can i do?
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UPDATE!!!!
Well after knocking the usps, I just got an update and my package is “out for delivery”. There is hope after all.
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I recieved my package and all was well. Took a week and one day to travel from Virginia to California via parcel post. I’m out…
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After reading the entire thread, I guess I should expect my package from Virginia to California via parcel post sometime next year or maybe never. I should ask the dude to send it fedex. F****K ME!
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I sent a letter to canada from Missouri, its been 21 days so far and still has not arrived.
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I ordered something from China on 2/16/12. As of 2/24/12 it’s been in sitting in Orlando, Florida sort facility after going from San Francisco to a place called Jamaica, New York. I live in Arkansas. Three days after I ordered the item from China, my husband ordered an amazon Kindle. The Kindle is already here and was here in two days. UPS delivered it. USPS is delivering my item from China and I’m not happy with waiting seeing as how the item was shipped First class international. Why the hell has it been sitting in Florida for FIVE DAYS?!!! I could have drove down to Orlando from my location, picked up the package, and been home in approximately 36 hours as it is only a seventeen hour drive to Orlando. I will request UPS or FedEx from now on. I’m pissed about this. My sister-in-law who lives in ENGLAND can ship a package to us from her house using FedEx and we receive it less than three days after it is shipped. NEVER EVER EVER trust USPS. They need to be shut down and completely revamped.
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This is RIDICULOUS. It only took three days to go through customs but it’s been sitting in ORLANDO for five days? WTF?
Acceptance
Feb-16-12, 09:23 AM
Origin Post is Preparing Shipment
Processed Through Sort Facility
Feb-16-12, 22:20 PM, SUZHOU
Processed Through Sort Facility
Feb-18-12, 14:08 PM, ISC SAN FRANCISCO (USPS)
Processed through USPS Sort Facility
Feb-21-12, 18:00 PM, JAMAICA, NY 11430
Processed through USPS Sort Facility
Feb-24-12, 17:55 PM, ORLANDO, FL 32824
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My package from China was sent to York City, New York then sent to Jamacia, New York. Six days later the tracking has not changed.
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You think that’s bad? I have a package from China which reached Jamaica, NY on 6/4/2012 and I’m still waiting for it 9 days later.
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My package from China has been in Jamaica, NY for 14 days. I think I’ve got both of you beat.
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Every time something I order passes through the Jamaica, NY USPS International Sorting Facility, there is HUGE delay in the delivery.
Once, it took me 2 months to get a small package containing only tea!! Jamaica, NY USPS needs to get thier sheet together!!!!
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Same thing happened to me. I had a package shipped from Cleveland to a town only an 1 hour away, but yet its been 4 days and still no package
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I’d like to know what in the hell my package from China is doing in Bethpage, NY when I live in Alabama. I know boats don’t sail on land and it seems rather far fetched for it to have flown so far if a boat wasn’t used. I bought the thing nearly a month ago and it’s just now telling me it was processed in Bethpage’s sorting facility. For the love of God I didn’t pay what I did for it to take a world trip.
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I have a package that’s been sitting in Bethpage as well…for 9 days now with no update. Which is funny…as it was from California and I’m in Missouri. Pretty sure I’m in the middle of that.
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Sent a package to in-law in Charlotte NC on 12-13-11 and still hasn’t arrived. I always send packages to them through USPS using parcel mailing without tracking and always got to them on a timely manner. So I checked my receipt and it had indicated that it was sent to Saluda NC. I think that the person who helped me at the post office marked the wrong zip code. I googled how far Saluda from Charlotte and it showed that it was 1hour and 40 minutes from them. I tried calling USPS 1-800 number and it was unhelpful but the Saluda post office had some very nice lady who had answered and told me that there wasn’t any package that she notice that was sent there. Don’t know what to do?????? Just hoping that my package gets to them before christmas and if not hoping it will get there before new years…….I’m praying nothing happened to my package.
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It’s ridiculous as to how I supposedly pay for fast shipping. I’m from California, sent a package for christmas off to NJ, and still it says “dispatched to sort facility.”
Mind you this was 3-4 days ago! I know it’s around Christmas time but if these people knew it would take long they shouldn’t have told me “expected delivery date 12/20/11”
This was my first package being sent from just me alone so I was completely new at it, but I also expected quality service. I’m hoping they get the package before Christmas. Otherwise it may be the last time with them!
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It is strange with some of the shipping arrangements where products get transferred from UPS to USPS. I ordered an mp3 player and it went from California to South Carolina in two days. It has taken 3 days to get to me from a sorting facility about 30 miles away. The 2nd day shipping doesn’t matter, it takes just as long.
Also if the mailman has packages and you are not standing at the door watching him he will write out a missed delivery slip and claim nobody was home. I was sitting in a chair right beside my front door and he never knocked or anything.
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I am an ebayer buy and sell. I won an auction on 11/28/2011 and paid priority mail cost and delivery conformation.#91022128882300012585203. I should have recieved the package 12/08/2011.Today is December 19,2011 and the tracking says it is still in Capital Heights Maryland. I live aprox 80 miles away in Hagerstown Maryland. Why should we pay xtra for a service that says 3 day delivery if it’s not true.Yeh I guess I am kinda pissed about it. I tried to call but no one answers the phone call. I feel they owe me some kind of refund because of dissatisfication.
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I ordered a hat from a website on 12/2/11and they informed me that it was shipped on 12/5/11. I noticed that the tracking number they gave me was completely wrong and said it was delivered to another state a year before. I called and they so happily told me that they were “re-using” their shipping numbers. It is now 12/15/11 and I expected it to be here long before Christmas. It is coming from California, which I expected would take a while, but this long? USPS IS A JOKE! Avoid it at all costs! You have been warned!
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That happened to me to when I added an USPS number. I thought I was hallucinating …
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Class: Priority Mail International Parcels
Service(s): International Parcels
Status: Acceptance
Your item was accepted at 10:39 am on November 28, 2011 in MORRISVILLE, NC 27560. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.
Detailed Results:
Acceptance, November 28, 2011, 10:39 am, MORRISVILLE, NC 27560
Electronic Shipping Info Received, November 28, 2011
Wtf still in acceptance after it was accepted at 10:39 am on the 28th??? is this a joke?
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Two packages were shipped from Michigan to Frederick, MD on November 9. According to the USP tracking information on their website, one got to the Jersey City, NJ on November 13 and the other to the Capitol Heights, MD on November 14. Today is November 19 and the tracking information on the USPS web site has not been updated and still no packages have been delivered.Capitol Heights is 35 miles away from me and 5 days later they still have not delivered ? The tracking numbers are a joke and the USPS customer service has no empathy. They would not be in business if they weren’t subsidized.
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I feel your aggravation. I had a package that was being sent to me from New York, New York it was shipped on the 7th then sat at the sorting facility in New York for almost 48 hours before it was dispatched to Nashville the package at Nashville was dispatched within 30 minutes of its arrival. the package then arrived in Chattanooga this morning at 2:19 am but i won’t be recieving my package until Monday because today is Veterans Day. Had the USPS not dicked around with my package for almost 2 days then i wouldn’t be waiting for my package for 8 days when i payed for 2-3 day shipping.
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damn it …I wish I would have read this before I ordered this damn tablet from them..
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hear my story guys……..mine is an express mail international posted on 11/oct/11 and was supposed to be delivered on 17th as the website says,but still to this date,the tracking shows that it was processed at isc chicago and it is in transit.but the item is no where….it’s going to australia.but never came to australia.
So cant we guys do anything about this?
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You don’t know me, but I had a package that shipped to my home town, got sent to Maryland, and then back, arriving 8 days behind scheduled delivery.
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And I live in Mississippi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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With NO explanation at all, and my Post Master is a lazy bum, always on the phone.
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http://www.fedex.com/Tracking?tracknumbers=02901001241102954771
Parcel post, I know…. But why go to Maryland?
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Smart Post, aint nothing “smart” about that
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Reading all of these comments is strangely comforting.
Someone sent a package to me (CA to NJ) on Thursday 8/26/2011. I thought they were using FedEx, so when the following Tuesday came around and no package, I started getting suspicious that the seller was unreliable, going to take my money and run.
Then I found out that the seller had used USPS instead (Parcel Post, no tracking number), and I Googled “How slow is USPS” and came upon this site. It’s now Friday 9/2/2011, and still nothing, but now I’m slightly relieved and think it’s more likely that the package is just taking a really really really long time. It’s a good thing it’s not urgent! =/
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i ordered a nook color in the mail. it was being shipped at 3:00 am from Des plains IL to my place Chicago IL. thats a 15 min. drive and yet it took 4 days. it’s just idiotic.
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Well I guess if you guys in America are having undue delays with no reasonable explanation, then us poor Aussies are going to be waiting forever for our mail to be delivered. I have a package which was sent on 1st August 2011 and by 2nd August 2011 it was in Chicago and it is now 29th August 2011 and still doesn’t seem to have left Chicago according to the tracking number. I thought our postal delivery was slow, but heads would roll if that happened here as a regular occurrence.
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My tracking say out for delivery on Aug. 11th at 8:24 am. Well it is now the 17th and no package. I have been getting packages at my address for 10 years with no problems from FED EX and UPS. This is my first and last time using USPS.
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This will prove as a lesson to me to NEVER use USPS again. I ordered a package on July 14th, payed for expedited shipping (2 – 6 days) and it’s now August 3rd…and I still don’t have my package. I don’t normally buy things online, but if I knew USPS was like this, I wouldn’t have used them
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I think USPS, UPS, and Fed Ex all suck. I’ve had just as many bad experiences as I’ve had good ones. You don’t get what you pay for anymore. I think drugs, while making one feel good, have really ruined customer service.
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How’s this one?
Date Time Location Event Details
July 25, 2011 07:45:00 PM Capitol Heights MD Departure Scan
July 22, 2011 11:41:00 PM Capitol Heights MD Departure Scan
July 20, 2011 10:49:00 PM Capitol Heights MD Departure Scan
July 13, 2011 — — Shipment has left seller facility and is in transit
How does the same package depart the same post office 3 times?! And what’s it doing on the other days?! And what happened on the week with no updates?!
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I am currently stuck in the same situation and God damn furious. I sent out a package on July 14th with Priority Mail. The recipient and myself both live in Florida and not all that far from each other so I was under the impression it would get there within that magical 2-3 day delivery time they promise. Well, bullshit to that. It’s now rearing almost a week and my buyer hasn’t received a god damned thing. According to the tracking number, the package is sitting in some sorting facility in Orlando, Florida. I called the so-called customer support line and was told that their was nothing they can do about it because as you previously mentioned, they can give two squirts of piss about an item that wasn’t mailed with their express service. They allowed me to file a missing package claim and even provided me with some fancy reference number. I was told that I would receive a phone call within two business days regarding the package and its whereabouts. So here I am, awaiting a phone call from some douschebag postal worker so he/she can tell me why it’s taking so long for for a package to be delivered to an address that’s a whole 4 hours from me. It’s definitely time to switch to UPS.
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What the hell…
My package was accepted June 28 in Saint-Paul MN.
The same day, it was processed through ”sort facility” Zip code 55212 not showing where this is. Google it. This Zip does not exist -.- Check out this thread talking about this mysterious Zip code http://bit.ly/on75aU
Anyway, it has left the facility and I have been waiting for the package for 16 days.
I live in Canada so will it take much longer? The seller used ”First Class Mail International”
It’s strange that is hasn’t arrived because I ordered something from an other seller that also used USPS the same day I ordered this package and it arrived after ONLY 15 days. To top it off, I ordered something from China also that same day, paying 3 bucks for the shipping and it has arrived before something coming from the States
What the hell USPS…
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I can’t imagine how pissed I’d be to take that long 25 miles away, you should have gotten it the next day.
I’m frustrated that I’m about to be on my 7th day of waiting for a package from one state over, mainly because it’s urgent. Even though that may not seem that long it’s too long for me when it’s an urgent package, definitely the last time I ever use USPS, they are absolutely horrible and UPS completely dominated them.
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Yeah, and our community mailbox (big metal box the whole court shares) gets left open sometimes. Many people have complained and we still have the same mailman doing our mail. I guess when you work there for 30 years who gives a shit if you make minor mistakes like LEAVING EVERYONES MAIL OUT IN THE OPEN. Such a joke.
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The biggest problem with why it took 13 days is because the shipper probably lied. Notified electronically means they printed the label off the internet, it does not mean they really did post it. You should of found out the exact day it was shipped instead of complaining about the post office.
And I was supposed to get a package 3 days ago and it is still not here, I ordered it over a week ago and it was supposed to get to me 3-5 business days but it is still not here. I ordered something after it and already got that and the first place is closer.
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mail was delivered 100’s of miles in the days of the pony express faster than now, and now they have vehicals. Ben franklin is more than likely turning over in his grave at the fraud waste and abuse going on in the usps. as for me, I always got junk on time, but checks always 3 months late, sometimes a year. who has also noticed that mail slows worse when they are bucking for a raise? how about kicking out the bums who are running it and start elections on the prerequisette they do their job or get FIRED.
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USPS on the East Coast of the US is pretty much closed down due to snow since Christmas.
I ordered something a month ago now, it has not arrived.
What happened to this :
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds
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Even though there is no snow now in late May USPS still has not got its act together. On April 21 we shipped 12 packages to the US, 3 have arrived, but one was a wrong address…
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I ordered a package from the UK in December 21. Still no sign of it (Jan. 29). I called USPS to complain and they blamed it on the UK having snow in December. I’ve ordered items from the UK before, and delivery takes a week or less using UPS. This is ridiculous! Plus there’s no tracking number! So who knows when or if it will arrive. I will not be using USPS in the future for personal purchases.
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We ship several thousand packages a month all over the world, and I just wanted to say anything going in through the east coast, on 10 day registered airmail (Kennedy, NY) has been consistently about two weeks late recently.
This is by far the most incapable postal port in the entire world. Even countries you might expect to be slow such as India, Serbia, Russia, and China tend to deliver all our packages on time but USPS when going in through Kennedy is totally useless.
Honestly considering this is the US postal system, run by the American Govt, it is an embarrasment to a country that is supposed to be the world leader in bussiness.
Get it together USPS, you suck. Your the worst in the world.
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I visited Kennedy last August. Visiting from Hemet, CA (which has one of the worst post offices in the US.) I really enjoyed your little town. I was making plans to move there, though they sadly fell through. Anyway I know Kennedy is known for having rather harsh winters, but that is no excuse for the incompetence of your local mail carrier or the USPS in general.
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i ordered something on the 1st it shipped out on the 4th (reasonable cos it was a weekend and a holiday) from UPS mail innovations it then took it 3 days to go from new york to california which is also reasonable but then when it switched from UPS mail innovations is when the trouble started
Processed through Sort Facility, January 11, 2011, 10:03 pm, BELL, CA 90201
Shipment Accepted, January 07, 2011, 10:21 pm, GOLETA, CA 93199
Electronic Shipping Info Received, January 07, 2011
it is now the 22nd…. IT LEFT THE FACILITY 11 DAYS AGO!!!! and i live a 4 hour drive from that facility….i ordered this and 2 other items (at the same time!!!) for my computer and i cant use the 2 other items till i get this one… so i have almost completely useless technology sitting here waiting to be used. my also ordered a game that shipped from SWEDEN!!! and arrived at the end of the first week of january.
there is no reason USPS can give me that would explain this other than it fell under a shelf or someone threw it off the usps truck.
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10 days and counting…I had three checks to mail to my bank and my dad offered to do it for me. (He is elderly but totally salient). I had specifically told him that I needed it to be registered and insured. The USPS “clerk” apparently talked him into certified mail, instead, and sent “priority.” This was 1/10/11 and they said the “expected delivery date” was 1/13/11. On 1/18/11, after tracking it online and noticing there was no new information, I contacted my bank. They informed me that they had not received anything. My dad went back down to the post office and his buddy the clerk acted all shocked that it was five days late and tracked it. She then triumphantly handed my dad a print out that says it was “scanned at unit” in a different zip code than the one to which it had been sent (although apparently in the same town) at “7:07 1/18/11). OK, well, the bank didn’t have it. On the 19th or today, the 20th, either. And as of last night, all it continues to say on the tracking message is “arrival at unit” on the 18th, in the wrong zip code. So, what the hell does that mean??? I really think those USPS jerks have stolen my money! Plus, what business do they have of talking an old man out of something he ordered?? Someone on this site asked why people hate the USPS so much? THIS is why. They suck. They’re as bad as the TSA and they don’t CARE. I don’t know what to do now. I bust my ass to earn that money and the place where I am working doesn’t have direct deposit. I will never use the USPS again for ANYTHING. They are worthless and we have no recourse when they cause problems with their ineptitude.
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International express mail is no better either… i had a parcel being sent on 5.12.2010 and made it to the international shipping center on the 8.12… passed customs on the 9.12 .. and only got to the australian customs today 28.12.. its been flying for 19 days.. wtf ?? by comparison i know ill get the package tomorrow cause Auspost is super fast.. once in the australian customs it takes a hour to clear customs and another day to get to destination. Now… Auspost has been private for the last 4 years and it made a huge difference !! I simply don’t know how USPS workers are kept employed .. and so many Americans are unemployed.. just do a reshuffle and you watch people trying to keep their job… honestly you dont see fat people working for Auspost anymore lol !!
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I can’t stand USPS. I ordered a package from China earlier this month and it has already arrived and left the state of New York. Since I live on the East Coast I would’ve thought it would’ve arrived in about three days but, according to tracking, it still hasn’t even reached another location. With it being so close to Xmas they really should be working to speed things up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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You gotta love UPS, and Fedex though, the slowlest shipping is 3-4 days, and it always arrives on time :D. I ordered my jacket through a website and it took nearly 3/4 of a month to get here, and since i live in NY, the warehouse was in NJ, which is approx. 10miles away!!!!! USPS IS A PEICE OF SHIT.
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Same here as everyone else. i bought something off amazon LAST Monday and it still isn’t here, the last time i checked my package was sitting in area with a zip code of 92110, I’m in 92130, googled it and its only 25 min away!
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My parcel post package has been sitting in a Post office 2 miles away from me for the last 5 days! The travel time for the package from China to Los Angeles took only 4 days!
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USPS is a joke. A fair amount of the employees are people who have no choice but to work as a mailman, and do you really think all of them are “fully concerned” about your packages? Sadly, when we buy through a private seller, they are too cheap to ship through UPS or FedEx, and we are forced to deal with the agony of waiting upon our undependable government employees.
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Hey Genius, most sellers use USPS because it is LESS EXPENSIVE than UPS. I suppose you enjoy paying $16.00 freight on a $14.00 order as opposed to paying $5.00 w/USPS??? Get real….. you get what you pay for.
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Are you certain they had a choice in shippers? Open your eyes, shut your mouth and focus.
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Yeah, but at least with other shippers,we get it!
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I ordered something from usps that was being shipped from PA to Missouri it sat in Pennsylvania for 9 days at the same shipping facilty before finally leaving . WHY DOES IT SIT THERE FOR 9 DAYS!!! After it finally left it only took a day to get here, GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER USPS!
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Experiences have mirrored those above. I work with the Gov as a contractor and see first hand the waste and inefficiency of workers. Why? It takes an act of congress to get fired… After your probation period you are pretty much set. USPS is not different. I will never trust USPS with a package nor mail a letter. I avoid them as much as possible. Too many lost packages,delays, rudeness at the post office, and ever increasing fees… Here is a thought USPS, try using UPS/FEDEX/DHL business model then maybe you would not be in the red. Can the waste… Employees… Then, maybe, I will and others will use your services. If not then I hope you go the way of the Dino.. Will not be missed…
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I could not agree more with your article. The USPS is a complete joke I have been expecting a package that was mailed out from South Carolina last week and I live in North Carolina and it still has not arrived yet.
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Most of my packages get to me within 2-3 days. Unfortunately, some idiots think it’s alright to ship using parcel post . Basically, Parcel is the last priority and is not as well-managed as your First Class or even Media Mail. My package has been sitting in a “partner facility” for 3 days now, which is just sad. The lesson? Never, ever buy something using Parcel Post. It’s just a way for the asshole selling it to you to save a few bucks and make you wait longer.
It’s been worse though. One time I bought a SNES game (which I really,really wanted to play) off Ebay from a seller with a 100 percent positive reputation and plenty of sales. It took more than a week to get here, and this wasn’t coming out of a foreign country like Japan. And, guess what was used? Parcel.
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I swear i can relate with everybody here I bought a set of figures from eBay on 6/09/2010 and it is now 6/17/2010 and the item was from Virgina and i am in California i know it’s like 6 states away but the seller said it is going be expressed mail and would take 2 to 4 days i have been waiting for 8 days now and this is bullshit. I hate USPS they have always been so slow they need do their damn job, i mean why do they feel like they can bring peoples mail when ever they feel like it, they are already bankrupt and Fed Ex and UPS do a lot better job. Sooner or later USPS will go out business and Fed Ex and UPS will take over. I hope all buying online epically eBay will not allow sellers to use USPS. I even buy things in California and they still take 2 to 3 days that’s just ridiculous epically if the item is in your own state. 😡
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I bought 3 games off of Amazon, note that they were “Used”. I bought all of these games on 6/14/10. Of course the first one that is coming from Ohio might take a while but its insane! So I check on the tracker and it moved in the wrong direction and also barely moved at all. I checked on Google Maps and it said it moved about 20 miles. 20 Miles in 3 DAYS!!! My second game has already been lost and its been about 3 days…. And the worst part of it all, is that they all sent it from USPS…
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Oh… And did I mention, probably none of the games are gonna come in before my birthday of 6/25/10… Amazon predicted they would come around July 7, 2010… I’m guessing more around December 7, 2010!
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I sent out a package from Portland, Oregon to Ohio on May 14th, it probably made it out on the 17th (a monday) It still has not reached my customer! It’s been 20 business days and she escalated a dispute on me on Paypal! This blows! What’s wrong with you USPS?!!!!
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I thought I’d sit down and do the math on the original post. It took 13 days to travel 25 miles. That’s about 312 hours to travel 25 miles or 12.48MPH!!! You’d do better driving or even biking down there to pick it up yourself!! I’m currently waiting on a package that has been marked “arrival scan” for about 14 hours now, but it doesn’t even say WHERE it’s arrived! The last time something was sent to me via USPS I received a friendly notification that it was delivered… Six days after delivery!
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what calculator are you using lol, 12.48 mph would mean they would have gotten the package there in about 2 hours, not 13 days! think you did it backwards, that should be 0.08 mph… sorry, just sayin :p
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HAHA … agreed!
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So i ordered something last week off ebay. It got to capitol heights MD…i live in Maryland 2 hours away from capitol heights. It’s been floating around Maryland for more then 4 days. HOW?? It’s priority mail! Must be a super super super super slow facility down in capitol heights.
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Funny thing, I thought there should be a website where frustrated postal patrons could sound off, and I found another Alabamian on this site. I’m waiting on a package from NJ. It got to Atlanta GA in ONE DAY. They processed it through their snort facility on Feb 20 and it still has not arrived (March 12). Oh yeah, they complain about not having enough to do and having to close down one or two days a week and raise prices because there isn’t enough demand for their services… I wonder why… could it be because they LOSE stuff all the time? Hacks me off because a lost package used to be the exception to the rule. Now I’ve got TWO lost packages off in limbo land. February of last year I had the same experience. (What about February makes it so different from other months?!) Oh well, they don’t run their business like a business that expects to stay in business. I know what would happen to the Postmaster General if he was a coach on a losing team in Alabam!
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I sent a package
Class: Package Services
Service(s): Delivery Confirmation™
Insured
Status: Acceptance
Your item was accepted at 12:48 PM on February 9, 2010 in KILLEN, AL 35645. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.
It is 2/25/10 and its still not there…Fucking idiot USPS…The only reason I used them is I shipped a big ass man sized package with them and it only took 8 days and this was a small ass package and it is nearing the 14 day…
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I shipped a package to my sister in CA, from NJ on 1/30/2010 through USPS priority mail, with delivery confirmation. The package STILL hasn’t gotten there, and it is FEBRUARY 10th. The tracking confirmed that it had gotten to Santa Clarita, CA Sorting Facility on 2/3/2010. I checked it after several days- new info: it’s in ATLANTA, GA SORTING FACILITY on 2/4/2010. Why is it in ATLANTA GA?? Especially when it was only 20 MINUTES away from the destination in ca?? ive filed THREE cases with usps, gotten in touch with the local CA post office, and no one knows why or where it is.
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I ordered a book through Amazon that shipped from Pennsylvania to my home in Ohio. This package was shipped on the 12th of January. It does have tracking so I have been checking it. All it has said for the last 8 day is “Accepted in our Allentown, PA facility”. Hadn’t heard anything about it until yesterday when I checked the tracking info. It had arrived in….ATLANTA, GEORGIA?!?!? Ok, im sorry but first of all it does not take 8 days to get from PA to GA. Second, why the hell would something going from PA to OH get shipped to GA? I cannot fathom what is going through these idiots minds but Im still waiting on my book. I ordered another book from Amazon 4 days after this first book and it is here already. And it came from CALIFORNIA!!! Tell me how this makes sense???? Screw you, USPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I can’t stand USPS. Pretty much you are spot on with everything you said. Every time I ship ANYTHING with them, it takes FOREVER. And the tracking number just says “processing” until it is actually delivered. I just shipped something to North Carolina. I’m from California. It left on Dec. 21st and made it to Nevada on Dec. 23rd. It finally left that facility on Dec. 28th. IT SAT THERE FOR 5 DAYS! I know Christmas was on Friday the 25th, but what about saturday the 26th? Or Christmas Eve? Rather than doing anything with it, they left it there this whole time. No wonder they are going bankrupt. I will ALWAYS ship with UPS or FedEx before I use these idiots. The only reason I used them is because I had a pre-paid label to use. Their days are numbered…and it’s their own fault.
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You should have put the correct city and not made one up that is what more than likley caused the delay
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i hate usps im going to stop buying from companys that ship through them they are fucking idiots and very slow i ordered a package from a company 1 hour away and it took them 4 days after the package shipped to get it to me. Thats insane i also order from tigerdirect .com and they are 2 hours away and ship using ups. Everytime i place a order using ups ground from tiger it arrives the next day
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i just don’t understand why people hate the postal workers so much
now, i don’t know what had happened back in 07. my guess is that your package was a “parcel post,” which is no where close to first class, second class, or priority mail/package. i am sorry to say this, but parcel post is like bulk rate mail. they are the last priority.
it is not fair to compare priority mail/package to something being shipped from China. If it has EMS on your Chinese package, that is a express mail / package! again, i don’t know what happened to your CA to NM priority package. i usually got my in less than 4 days. we are talking about from CA to MD which is much far away from post #5!
post #6, you need to get your fact straight! postal employee’s salary is not from tax payer’s money! it’s from stamps!! for 44 cents, it’s kind of cheap. at least when it’s rain, shine, snow, wind or whatever, postal employee is always there. when was the last time you see a police officer direct traffic when traffic light is out due to lighting strike!?
post #7 is just another hate post! what are the postal service supporse to do when your package is sitting in customs?? US homeland security runs customs not the US postal service!
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Who cares what the “excuses” are, pony express was faster and more reliable than todays “affirmative action” ID10Ts
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OK sound like u just might be a postal worker so at the very least u’ve seen the actions people are describing in their statements first hand. If not for the personal experiences I’m having with the United States Postal Services I’d say ur back lashes would diffently indicate that these people are telling the truth (Truth Hurts). Just to give you a bit of education the Postal Services like every other Government Agency operate off of tax dollars. But it’s not our tax dollars alone that keep the post office a float and u in a job it also that 47cents we spend for a stamp, the $11.20 we spend for “First Class” Delivery, to the mail by the pound we ship sometimes costing us $100’s of dollars, to the $18,000 per year my business pays the United States Postal Service only to have angry people call me to report that their package was not recieved by the deadline. What u should be doing is offering ur apologies for the lame lazieness of the agency and advising everybody that yall r working hard to come with better process to make our experiences pleasurable, not breaking down nonsense. Because whether my package comes from China or my next door pharmacy is ur job to deliver MY-OUR mail. If u provide us no service u have no job. Get it The USPS works for US. There’s no defense for that. In fact there is- It’s the People. The Business is only as Good as its Operator. Just to think wow just to think.
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my last post was for “U guys are funny”. Not Howie.
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U.S.P.S. told me it takes 5 days to “FLY” from China to San Fran where my package is still sitting in customs. I went postal on her fat ass!
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That your tax dollars at work! I say let’s fire them lazy basters. I would quickly vote to get rid of the postal service and put money in my pocket. If it was up to me i’d fire every government employee they do absolutly NOTHING! It’s like they hire the dumbest morons on the planet. what the hell it that pre hire test for anyway?
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I shipped a 4 lb package priority mail with delivery confirmation on 19June09. It arrived on 24June09. The package went from L.A., CA to Albuquerque, NM a total of 5 days.. At the same time I ordered an item from eBay. It was shipped from China and it arrived 4 days later. I didn’t know that China was closer to L.A. than New Mexico.
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I ordered something from china..it was shiped 4/22/10 and here it is today 5/4/10 and still no sign of my package. Oh, and who is “delivering it” USPS…
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After waiting 5 days for a USPS “overnight” package (then finally driving to the post office and telling them I wouldn’t leave until I got it), my wife decided to try priority mail … 8 days later and still no package. Nothing important, just some urgents due bills, a few irreplaceable tax records, and my diabetes medicine. By the way, the postal clerk was so rude and arrogant it was all I could do to keep from leaping the counter and teaching him the meaning of the word courtesy.
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Pingback: USPS Priority Mail is anything but that
Your vendor should have disguised the package as a credit card ad. It would have made it to your mailbox in record time!
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All the more reason to support the privatization of the Post Office. FedEx and UPS doing s much better job. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Post Office had a little capitalistic competition for our mail box?
I know that FedEx could launch letter delivery w/in months in most metropolitan areas.
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thats the spirit
just for compare in intl shipping it even worst
hope it’ll be better from now on
moni
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sweet stache
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