Hurrah For The USPS (1 Viewer)

[MichaelBA]

I placed a DVD order (regular shipping, not express) with Amazon very late in the evening on Monday. The order was confirmed on Tuesday, for shipping via the USPS.

Wednesday night the USPS picked it up at 10:24 pm, and according to the tracking information, it was delivered to my local post office at 6:02 am today.

And a few minutes ago... delivered to ME!

Thought I'd post this as a contrast to the anti-UPS thread.

Three cheers for the USPS!

 

[Christ Reynolds]

ive always had good experiences with the usps.

CJ

 

[Mort Corey]

It always amazes me, with the volume of stuff they process daily, how accurate and prompt they really are overall.

Mort

 

[Carlo_M]

I think all shipping companies are YMMV.

I have had okay experiences with USPS, with some bad ones thrown in (delays, several multilations, outright loss of packages). I live in Los Angeles, so my mail is among millions being hustled around L.A.--I'm sure contributing to the problem. When I lived in a small Nor-Cal city I had nothing but praise for USPS.

USPS "online tracking" is also pretty useless--by the time it's updated I've often received my package.

Conversely, since moving to my current apartment building, I've had GREAT luck with UPS. The regular delivery guy knows our building tenants don't get home until after 6pm and schedules his run accordingly. I always get my UPS packages.

FEDEX is also great, except they deliver at all points in the day which makes signature-required packages tricky to receive, but at least their local hub is nearby so picking it up is no biggie. And for the really important stuff (concert tix, etc.) I wouldn't trust anyone else and would require signature rather than door dropoff.

Can you tell I get a lot of stuff shipped to me?

 

[Henry Gale]

Gosh...and the thread was going so well!

Thanks a lot Carlos. :frowning:

Your mailman won't wait until after 6 to deliver? Shit!
Maybe that's because he has a load of raw mail he's picked up that has to get on a truck by 5:30 so it can be processed in a BIG CITY with tall buildings.[Blood Simple (1985)]
Come on, USPS brings you most of your mail and parcels and does it with a HIGH degree of speed and accuracy. We also do it with a HIGH degree of redundant and irritating management.

 

[MichaelBA]

I'm in NYC, so USPS had to sort out millions of packages to get mine to me super-fast.

I'm happy.

 

[Carlo_M]

I hope Henry you don't think this is a personal attack on USPS, as I've said that I have had okay experiences (with a few notable bad ones) but was willing to blame it on being in L.A. and its high volume. I admitted that when I lived in a smaller city it was fine.

That said...

Unfortunately USPS gets all my junk mail to me quickly (my bills I handle online exclusively now) but occasionally mess up the packages I care about! Why can't my junk mail come messed but my paid packages come pristine?

The best was my Harry Potter UK SE books, that were delivered with the box looking like it had been mauled by a tiger or bear or both (cost: $150) but luckily the inner packaging by Amazon UK was great and held up to the abuse. Slapped on it was a sign saying "USPS apologizes for the condition of your package...we take great pains for all of our packages...". I had to laugh (after I found out the books were okay). I wish I could say it's the first time I received that notice, but alas no, happened on a motherboard from Newegg, luckily they RMA'd that.

I agree, USPS does get a ton of volume and gets most of it right. Maybe that is part of the problem though, with millions of items, they don't have time or inclination to take special care of high value items. UPS and FEDEX, unburdened of having to do the regular mail stuff, maybe that's why I've had better luck with them. Perhaps if UPS had to carry the everyday mail I'd get the same experience.

PS - it's Carlo, no "s".

 

[Joe D]

I love Amazon's free shipping because I live somewhat close to a warehouse.

About USPS and junkmail, is there any way I can get out of getting junkmail? Sort of similar to the Do Not Call list?

 

[ChristopherDAC]

Hmm. Honestly, I send [or cause to be sent] packages around the country, and even around the world, on a fairly frequent basis, and I've always been very happy with the Postal Service. I recieve, and to a lesser extent send, quite a lot of LaserDiscs, and I almost always go Media Mail [domestic] or surface [international], with never a bobble. Almost always, Media takes one more day than First Class going the other way, which is about as good as Priority does ; and seamail hasn't yet taken as long as six weeks.

The shipping box is often somewhat torn up, but I've never had the contents damaged [bar a careless shipper letting the discs slide about and tear their jackets, which is hardly the Post Office's fault].

 

[Joseph S]

If I'm sending a package I prefer Priority for FedEX ground for price, but if I'm ordering I definitely prefer FedEX (but specifically not ground) because I can get it the same day whether or not I'm home to receive. Then UPS Ground only if it's a place within Next Day service so I can order for when I'll be home. Priority would be third there. The priority tracking system is a joke and needs to be corrected.

 

[andrew markworthy]

I think before anyone takes a postal service to task for its supposed inefficiencies, they should take a long hard look at the logistics involved.

To give an example from the UK. Back in 1971 the postal workers went on strike for two months and the UK government gave permission for various local companies to organise their own postal services (at the time the UK postal service had a monopoly on this) for the duration of the strike. With a couple of honourable exceptions (which basically piggy-backed onto existing road transport distribution services) the scheme was a complete disaster. E.g. even when just delivering within the same British town of no more than 30,000 inhabitants, letters frequently took several days or even weeks to be delivered. People just didn't (and still don't) realise the technical complexity in running a postal service.

 

[MichaelBA]

My employer in NYC used to use UPS and FedEx, but over the past three year switched exclusively to DHL or otherwise just the plain old USPS. I have found the switch to improve service immensely.

 

[Francois Caron]

When ordering from US Web sites, I always choose USPS and Canada Post for delivery. The customs brokerage fee is a fraction of the fee charged by the private companies, and it only takes a couple of extra days to get the shipment.

In fact, I usually DON'T order anything from US sites that don't offer USPS international shipping.

 

[Micah Cohen]

Just for the record, let me say I love the USPS.

MC

 

[MarkHastings]

For the record, I think they ALL suck, but I still LOVE them all.

 

[todbnla]

Since katrina, USPS here sucks. Today I rec'd a 1st class letter postmarked on 4/4, today is 4/14, ten days for same state service.

 

[Henry Gale]

Todd,
Sorry for your experience, from what I've heard you were lucky to get the letter at all. Others from your city have had mail bouncing back and forth from New Orleans to where ever they evacuated to.
Just read yesterday that Macy's has decided to not reopen their downtown store.
A native said recently that it had always been like living in a third world country and that now it was more like fourth world.

 

[MichaelBA]

USPS rocks again.

Two Amazon orders, one to NY and the other to MD, placed late at night on Friday.

Both packaged Saturday.

Both shipped Monday.

Both received Tuesday.

Regular shipping, not express.

Just regular ole GREAT post office SERVICE!

 

[chris_everett]

I'm _really_ impressed with USPS as of late.

Ordered DVD's from Amazon on Wednesday. Recieved on Thursday... Dang...

Also, love the low prices for packages.

 

[Eric Kahn]

Never, ever have anything delivered Fedex home delivery, unless you are sure that you will be there when the driver arrives, they only have warehouse pickup 1 day a week for 4 HOURS (10 am till 2 PM) unlike normal fedex where you can pick up till 8 pm monday through friday

I work for the USPS, just remember that all of our package handling staff were trained by the samsonite gorilla