It's starting again with the USPS...

[rdwyer]

Herritage claims to have sent my check last Monday first class. Still waiting...

[ASF123]

At least in my neighborhood it seems like the “your mail carrier may or may not show up on any given day(s)” time of year has started again. Yay.

[55koufax]

From my end receiving cards via USPS from eBay has been a challenge in particular for three months. During this time frame I have received promptly and accurately approx. 30 parcels. I have not rec'd 7 USPS parcels promptly and accurately. 6 of the 7 have not EVER been recd. The other one was recd but was short packed OR was opened and part of the contents (multiple PSA slabs) were removed. That parcel, a SMALL USPS FLAT RATE PRIORITY BOX, appeared to maybe have been opened and carefully resealed. It was delivered and did not appear to be tampered with upon a glance and when opening.

Long story short, I have been contacted by the US Inspector General's office by a Special Agent who investigates postal fraud/theft.

Hmmm.

It seems the Special Agent is suspicious of internal fraud/theft at my local USPS branch. He let me know I am not the only "Card Geek" that has been targeted in my area. I know of at least TWO other high end collectors in my area that have this same issue. It is still ongoing as I now have yet another missing pkg. from eBay that when tracked, stated OUT FOR DELIVERY on one day, but the next day stated "AWAITING DELIVERY SCAN". This incomprehensible tracking info has appeared in this fashion multiple times now.

The IG Special Agent is attempting thru a "STING OPERATION" to catch this/these perpetrator's. I cannot talk about the details, but you can only imagine. It is bad. Very bad.

What we collector's endure just to get our cards........

And don't get me started re what one must endure now to get cards from PWCC's monthly NOT eBAY auction now.

[Eric72]

I'm lucky. The people at my local Post Office know me by name. I have the same delivery person nearly every day. Sending and receiving have been smooth as silk. Zero problems with the USPS.

On the other hand...

FedEx has been awful, in my experience. I've dealt with too many incoming package nightmares. They've lost packages entirely, delivered them to my neighbors, returned them to sender because they claimed my house was a vacant lot, etc., etc., etc. I've spent countless hours over the years with their (ahem) "customer service" representatives. That's on the receiving end. I simply won't use them to send anything; they've obliterated my trust.

So, two extremes. Guess I'll take that and be happy with USPS.

[sreader3]

The Post Office has underperformed for years. The idea that the current postmaster general is somehow responsible for a relatively minor delay in delivery or even loss of a package is laughable. The Post Office lost many of my packages under the tenure of Obama PMGs but I do not hold those PMGs responsible because they aren’t. Please spare us your overzealous partisan boosterism.

[Johnny630]

Originally Posted by sreader3

The Post Office has underperformed for years. The idea that the current postmaster general is somehow responsible for a relatively minor delay in delivery or even loss of a package is laughable. The Post Office lost many of my packages under the tenure of Obama PMGs but I do not hold those PMGs responsible because they aren’t. Please spare us your overzealous partisan boosterism.

Agree they have always been lousy regardless of who is in charge. Nothing has changed it's to be expected. They do they best they can, so what if you have to wait a few more days or weeks for your cards...I'm good with it.

[bnorth]

USPS has been great for me recently.

I do have 2 pieces of artwork with funny shipping. Artist emailed me Monday with pic of my artwork packaged ready to ship. Said he would ship Tuesday morning. USPS tracking until this morning said Label created waiting for package. Then a few minutes ago it updated to being one stop from my house with zero updates in between.

[jchcollins]

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when my '56 Yogi Berra from eBay showed up at 10 am. Tracking had him not due until Saturday, and it was just a First Class package. Thankful for that, as I know further into December this is not going to be the case with a lot of other stuff...

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

Agree they have always been lousy regardless of who is in charge. Nothing has changed it's to be expected. They do they best they can, so what if you have to wait a few more days or weeks for your cards...I'm good with it.

The current guy saw fit to "save money" by removing a lot of the automatic sorting machines, because the new ones supposedly have enough capacity.
Except they don't. And they're more than a but unreliable and now many places don't have the old machines for backup when the new ones are down.

That and the idea he can fix the business by charging more and reducing the quality of the service.... Which rarely works for any business.

It's a difficult job, and I'm not sure anyone would have the right answers or if there even is a right answer. But those two "solutions" are certainly not it.

[joejo20]

The business I own and operate ships 15,000 plus parcels through the mail per year. The last two years have been the worst I have seen by far. I am really bummed out by this change because my past success rate with the post office was always great.

[jchcollins]

Scary to me that privatized delivery services at least thus far in our history (UPS, FedEx, DHL...) are hated nearly as much as the USPS for their propensity to make delivery mishaps. Makes me wonder how high the Post Office's ceiling to actually improve really is, no matter how much money is poured into it. I'm picturing the jackleg contractor who recently worked on our kitchen looking at me and deadpanning - "This is as good as it gets." No, really?

[glynparson]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

Agree they have always been lousy regardless of who is in charge. Nothing has changed it's to be expected. They do they best they can, so what if you have to wait a few more days or weeks for your cards...I'm good with it.

Stop it was never close to as bad as it has been unde this fraud some of you will excuse anything as long as it was done by someone you align with politically Come on

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by sreader3

The Post Office has underperformed for years. The idea that the current postmaster general is somehow responsible for a relatively minor delay in delivery or even loss of a package is laughable. The Post Office lost many of my packages under the tenure of Obama PMGs but I do not hold those PMGs responsible because they aren’t. Please spare us your overzealous partisan boosterism.

Total baloney (not the lost packages, the laughable support of a total maroon). This man is a freaking idiot. TOTAL incompetence. And not a very nice fellow, on top of that.

[RL]

Originally Posted by jingram058

Total baloney (not the lost packages, the laughable support of a total maroon). This man is a freaking idiot. TOTAL incompetence. And not a very nice fellow, on top of that.

agree

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by sreader3

The Post Office has underperformed for years. The idea that the current postmaster general is somehow responsible for a relatively minor delay in delivery or even loss of a package is laughable. The Post Office lost many of my packages under the tenure of Obama PMGs but I do not hold those PMGs responsible because they aren’t. Please spare us your overzealous partisan boosterism.

One need not be partisan to acknowledge that Delackofjoy is less than competent.

[realbigfatdog]

Originally Posted by Snowman

One need not be partisan to acknowledge that Delackofjoy is less than competent.

I prefer "DeVoidofjoy"

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Snowman

One need not be partisan to acknowledge that Delackofjoy is less than competent.

Agreed. Regardless of the situation he inherited, the man was a political appointee with zero prior experience in anything related to the job he was given.

[BCauley]

I've been pretty lucky thus far. Worst was last December when my parents sent down a couple of boxes of Christmas presents. They sent them out the first week of December and they arrived near the end of January.

Only card I've had an issue with was earlier this year when I sent a card to someone who lives no more than an hour away from me in Maryland. The card went from Virginia to Maryland, then Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio again, and finally at the destination in Maryland. Took about 11 days to get there.

[carlsonjok]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

Agreed. Regardless of the situation he inherited, the man was a political appointee with zero prior experience in anything related to the job he was given.

To be a bit contrary here, DeJoy spent decades in the logistics industry, which does give him significant experience applicable to the Post Office. I would also challenge the notion that he was incompetent for the job. He was perfectly competent for the job. But, that job wasn't to lead the Post Office; it was to destroy it. There has always been a faction of American politics that wants to privatize the Post Office and DeJoy can be viewed as their stalking horse.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by sreader3

The Post Office has underperformed for years. The idea that the current postmaster general is somehow responsible for a relatively minor delay in delivery or even loss of a package is laughable. The Post Office lost many of my packages under the tenure of Obama PMGs but I do not hold those PMGs responsible because they aren’t. Please spare us your overzealous partisan boosterism.

The man ordered that mail sorting machines be destroyed just as the entire nation anticipated the highest number of mail-in election ballots in US history. Now he is intentionally slowing down services and charging more for it. Incompetence is the most generous (and least partisan) way to read his job performance.

[58pinson]

Had a situation last week where I send a small package (4 oz.) First Class Mail from central NJ to eastern PA. Shipped it on Monday, 11/22. Checked the USPS tracking site on 11/23 and it showed delivered. Then got a PM from the customer "Got it, thanks!". The next day Paypal hadn't released the money yet so I went back to USPS and it now showed scheduled delivery for Friday, 11/26! Crazy.

[Bigdaddy]

Originally Posted by Eric72

On the other hand...

FedEx has been awful, in my experience. I've dealt with too many incoming package nightmares. They've lost packages entirely, delivered them to my neighbors, returned them to sender because they claimed my house was a vacant lot, etc., etc., etc. I've spent countless hours over the years with their (ahem) "customer service" representatives. That's on the receiving end. I simply won't use them to send anything; they've obliterated my trust.

So, two extremes. Guess I'll take that and be happy with USPS.

Maybe this is where they are.

[perezfan]

I am very fortunate to have a super reliable and great mailman, and have had no issues whatsoever with the PO (other than a few dented packages). But nothing late or missing in transit, knock on wood.

UPS is the carrier that continually drives me nuts. Every time I receive a parcel from them, I'm reminded of this guy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b1aRop-UbU

[GaryPassamonte]

I just had a great result from USPS. A large Priority package was mailed to me from San Francisco on Saturday, 11/27. I received it Monday, 11/29 in western NY. That's as good as it gets.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Eric72

I'm lucky. The people at my local Post Office know me by name. I have the same delivery person nearly every day. Sending and receiving have been smooth as silk. Zero problems with the USPS.

On the other hand...

FedEx has been awful, in my experience. I've dealt with too many incoming package nightmares. They've lost packages entirely, delivered them to my neighbors, returned them to sender because they claimed myy house was a vacant lot, etc., etc., etc. I've spent countless hours over the years with their (ahem) "customer service" representatives. That's on the receiving end. I simply won't use them to send anything; they've obliterated my trust.

So, two extremes. Guess I'll take that and be happy with USPS.

Sounds like the new recruits at FedEx are former USPS employees. But like you Eric all the chicks at my post office can’t wait to get their hands on my package.

My last Fedex package needed a signature. It was actually thrown at my door. I went to sign as the truck was pulling away.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Sounds like the new recruits at FedEx are former USPS employees. But like you Eric all the chicks at my post office can’t wait to get their hands on my package.

My last Fedex package needed a signature. It was actually thrown at my door. I went to sign as the truck was pulling away.

Since the pandemic began, I've had maybe a dozen packages where I couldn't sign electronically or waive the signature, and only on one (Fed Ex, a guy I had never seen before so probably new) has anyone actually rung my doorbell and asked for a signature. It's fine with me as my porch is perfectly safe.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Since the pandemic began, I've had maybe a dozen packages where I couldn't sign electronically or waive the signature, and only on one (Fed Ex, a guy I had never seen before so probably new) has anyone actually rung my doorbell and asked for a signature. It's fine with me as my porch is perfectly safe.

My porch is just as safe as yours, but I had waited for 4 hours to sign when the package hit my front door.

I had pleaded with the sender not to require a signature to no avail.

[jchcollins]

FedEx "signature required" and them then playing the extremes of that (either throwing the package and not caring, or making it difficult and virtually demanding you sign in blood...) seems to be a thing that's gone on for some time now. What's with that?

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

...the chicks at my post office can’t wait to get their hands on my package...

Frank's wit is so sharp, the man uses it to open boxes.

[MikeGarcia]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Frank's wit is so sharp, the man uses it to open boxes.

It's been said he sets off alarms entering the boarding area of airports.....

..

[jiw98]

The USPS has been delivering packages in a timely manner in my area. The only problem that I've had recently is that I can still see the tracking on a package "out for delivery" that I received over 2 weeks ago.