US Postal Service - As Slow as Molasses

[Ken Mizell]

I don't know of another section to post this in, so I'm at the mercy of the moderators.

Have any of y'all been having issues with the USPS? I have. It is rather weird and inconsistent, to say the least.

The Good - I ordered some parts from GFI in Marshville, MO, It was mailed on Wed, and I got it on Saturday. Great. I ordered some strings from b0b. He mailed them from his place in CA, and I got them on Saturday. Great. Can't ask for better than that.

The Bad - I ordered some strings which were mailed to me from Hopewell, VA on the same Wed. as the items mentioned above. It took 1 week for the little envelope of strings to make it from Hopewell, up to Arlington, VA, then it went over to Maryland, where it is still sitting. During the week it sat still in Hopewell, the tracking message said: "Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility." I trust it will eventually get here. The trip usually takes 4 days.

The Ugly - A letter was mailed to me from Louisiana on 5/10/21, due at my house on 5/14. I'm still waiting. Since 5/14, the tracking message says "Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility." Nothing since then. This is important mail. I have confirmed that the letter was mailed. Both the sender and I have complained to the USPS, and they are looking into it. Another incident I had, was a mail order pharmacy package from Orlando - 50 miles away from me. It took 10 days, and even came to my close by post office on the way around W Central, FL - to 3 other places before being delivered.

I don't know what's going on with USPS, but it ain't good.

Bottom line - I would strongly discourage anyone from using the USPS to ship small packages of any type, or important letters containing documents or payments. Use FedEx or UPS. It's hard to entrust the USPS with anything of importance right now. FYI

[Jim Cooley]

I have not experienced any delays with USPS lately. However, I have recently placed online orders with Amazon, Monoprice, and a couple of other merchants. During the ordering process on all those those websites, I saw posted messages that they were experiencing shipping delays on all or some items.

[Rich Peterson]

The Ugly - A letter was mailed to me from Louisiana on 6/10/21, due at my house on 6/14. I'm still waiting.

I hesitate to speculate on future events, but the current Postmaster General ordered the dismantling of a lot of sorting machines last fall.

[Ken Mizell]

Rich - I saw a politically slanted article about that several months ago. I guess the beast is rearing it's ugly head now. I'm glad most of my bills are being paid with direct withdrawal and credit card these days. Folks could get behind in payments with these delays, incur stop pay fees, etc. It is weird that the Post Master General would order removal of sorting machines in the face of increasing mail. It doesn't make sense.

[Ian Rae]

A letter was mailed to me from Louisiana on 6/10/21

What have I missed? - it was still only May when I fell asleep.

[Jerry Overstreet]

I've had sporadic problems that I posted about in Dec of last year. It's gotten better for me since.

It took a month for a letter from Fla to reach me.

In late Feb., I got a stern overdue letter from the utility company because they said they had not received a payment that I mailed in early January. I had to scramble to make credit card payments to catch up but still had to pay a late fee. They told me some customers mail had taken a month or more to reach them.

Other than the snafus mentioned above, I'm pretty well satisfied overall and continue to use the postal service a lot even though I still experience a late delivery now and again.

Lately, in my neighborhood, they are making at least 2 deliveries a day. Priority Mail and packages on one vehicle and regular mail in another.

I'm familiar with the tracking irregularities. You have an expected delivery date on one visit and the next an unknown or later than expected message. Still, it may show up the next day. USPS tracking has always been iffy though.

[Ken Mizell]

A letter was mailed to me from Louisiana on 6/10/21

What have I missed? - it was still only May when I fell asleep.

Thanks Ian, I fixed it. My bad.

[Gary Watkins]

I felt like a fool yesterday when Billy Knowles called me and said that he had not received my check. I asked him to wait one more day and see if it arrived. He called me today and said it was a no-show on the check. I went on-line and paid him by pay-pal. It wasn't much, about $52.00, but I am in Virginia and he is only in North Carolina, and it should not take a week to get it delivered. I just hope that he knows that I wasn't trying to get over on him. This is getting worse, day by day.

[Richard Sinkler]

I have not experienced any delays with USPS lately. However, I have recently placed online orders with Amazon, Monoprice, and a couple of other merchants. During the ordering process on all those those websites, I saw posted messages that they were experiencing shipping delays on all or some items.

Every (many) retailers I have ordered from in the last year says that. It covers their butt if they have delays in shipping something out. Had that happen to me. They said they shipped it, USPS said they never received it, after going round and round with Wal-Mart for almost a month, it turns out the third party that sells on Walmart never shipped it. Got a refund.

I ordered some welding rod from Amazon to re-rod my guitar, was supposed to be here by May 5th. Tracking was not successful until yesterday when I called the Usps. Online tracking would just say "delayed" with the excuse that usps was extremely short handed because of covid. They tracked it as far as Chicago on May 3rd. It's been sitting in Chicago since then. There's no excuse for the incompetence of the USPS. Here in Missoula, the most incompetent books that can't read have the post office jobs.

[Jack Hanson]

Things are looking up.
Stuff that once took three weeks now only takes a week.
Before Ken Delay took the reigns, it took three days.

[James Marlowe]

I can agree that our mail service has gone down hill. I live near Ken & know he is not exaggerating.
I have a good friend in Oklahoma. He has sent me three cards since last Christmas. The first, a Christmas card never did arrive. The other two contained CD’s. They finally arrived about a month late. It’s a pitiful excuse for mail service.

[Fred Treece]

Tough to talk about this subject substantively without getting political, unless its just a piss n moan session and you want to feel helpless about it. Believe it or not, the current Congress is trying to undo the damage that a former session did to the USPS 15 years ago. It’s kinda like strangling someone and then accusing them of not doing a good job of breathing.

[Eric Dahlhoff]

Believe it or not, the current Congress is trying to undo the damage that a former session did to the USPS 15 years ago. It’s kinda like strangling someone and then accusing them of not doing a good job of breathing.

Yep Fred - you nailed it

[Fred Treece]

I probably just got myself thrown out of the clubhouse here too.

[Jerry Van Hoose]

Ken, I live at Solivita which is about half an hour east of you and have recently experienced everything with the USPS that you mentioned.

[Ken Mizell]

I probably just got myself thrown out of the clubhouse here too.

Nothing bad about posting the truth, Fred.

I know there has been funding troubles over the years, plus mismanagement at USPS. Their revenue has also taken a hit because of a decrease in people sending letters, businesses sending bills, and people paying their bills.

A while back I saw an article online that mentioned the Post Master General taking 120 processors off-line. That must have been due to funding, or CVID, or both.

Things are getting bad, and worse with USPS. They need to weed out mismanagement, and get their funding adequate, or just privatize them (I’m not sold on privatization myself - just sayin’).

For whatever reason though, their services are very bad in many cases over the past year, at least. For what it’s worth, I’m going to write my local Congressman.

[Eric Philippsen]

I spent 32 years with the USPS and know something about it. Much has been mentioned about it in this thread. Two points. First, the removal of some sorting machines by the USPS was undoubtedly due to their being outdated and no longer financially smart to keep. All businesses must update critical computers and equipment. One doesn’t use computers made a decade or more ago and many of the removed sorting machines were of that age.
Second, like every other business the USPS has been affected by COVID. That’s not an excuse but a reality. People get sick, are exposed to those who are, and they cannot work. That means there are not enough employees to do the work. Just hire more? During the COVID crisis?

[Ken Mizell]

Thanks Eric. I was hoping someone with insider info would give us some good info to explain the mess. I feel sure that most postal workers don’t like this any more than we do, and they use the service too. It’s still bad and annoying, but having some insight as to why is good.

[Dave Mudgett]

Thank you Eric. You are the voice of reason here. My talks with people I know working for the USPS follow a similar line to what you're saying. And it really, truly is hard to find people to fill these types of jobs - for the last year+ and right now. I'm absolutely serious.

We really need to steer clear of politics. There's an old saying that, too often, we as human beings make the mistake of assuming malice when something else is at work. I, and I'm sure many of you, have known many people working for the USPS over the years. I think mostly they are really pretty dedicated. Shipping has become a very, very competitive business. It is a hard job, and made much more so during this pandemic. I believe that goes from the top to the bottom of every shipping organization, not just USPS.

The other thing is that the USPS has been an independent agency since 1971. It has not been an official arm of the US government since then. People have always complained about the post office. That is true now, and I believe will be continue to be true after we are all dead and gone.

This conversation doesn't really belong here, but I don't really know anywhere else where it fits better. So I'll let b0b make that decision.

[Eric Dahlhoff]

I know that the people who work at my local PO are super wonderful and helpful. I also see that the amount of packages (as compared to letters) has overwhelmed the system, with everyone buying everything online.

I guess the nature of the biz has changed and hopefully it will work out. But I would not send anything time sensitive through the mail right now!

[Roger Rettig]

Small packages:

My wife and I are awaiting two plug-in devices from Allstate for our car insurance. To gain the benefit of a discount we have to plug these into our cars no later than ten days after the start of the policy which was May 8th.

Susie's been watching the package's progress on their tracking site - it tells her that the item has been in Ocala, FL since May 12th and, as of today, it's still apparently there.

Allstate know about the delay but we could be subject to a penalty if we don't comply with their terms.

[Ken Mizell]

I know that the people who work at my local PO are super wonderful and helpful. I also see that the amount of packages (as compared to letters) has overwhelmed the system, with everyone buying everything online.

I guess the nature of the biz has changed and hopefully it will work out. But I would not send anything time sensitive through the mail right now!

I don't disagree with y'all one bit. My reason for starting this post was to warn people that might not know - See the bold sentence above.

Dave and Eric are correct. Also, I didn't intend for this to be political. I have known a lot of postal workers over the years - great people who loved their jobs and were dedicated. I'm always treated nice when I got into the post office too.

If this thread has upset folks, I'll gladly delete it.

[Steve Spitz]

The USPS seems understaffed and overworked at my local P.O.

I wouldn’t send anything I couldn’t track, and tracking is very very inaccurate. “ out for delivery “ isn’t specific. It only means they have it, but don’t know where or when.

I’m starting to see a problem with private carriers now. UPS , FEDEX, and Amazon are now dump and run deliveries, and I’m getting my neighbors packages, and they get mine. I suspect the drivers are pushed hard.

I know USPS is federal, but I find it more problematic in New Orleans. It’s easy to bash on the postal service, but things are declining, and have been for a while. Seems better in the burbs than in the city.

[Paul Redmond]

My local postmaster told me that the postmaster general sent her a memo ordering her to "slow down" operations and cut back on hours. She was mad as a hornet over it.
I sent a parcel to a customer in Philadelphia PA from here in Walnut IL and it took 32 days to get there and three investigations into the delay. There are probably thousands of people who have been sitting around watching Oprah for the last year that would welcome a chance to work even if it was only part-time. As usual, the Fed is again suffering from ambulatory recto-cranial inversion.
PRR

[Ken Mizell]

The new CYA note from USPS - "Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility."

Translation: The package is floating around somewhere, and you will eventually get it.