The real WTF is your postal system



  • My stickers... er... a nice envelope which most likely at one time contained stickers, but not once the USPS got through with it!

     

    envelope 

     

    PS: I don't care about the $1.50... any excuse to post a photograph of a wood (or wood looking) table is worth it. 



  • Dude, what kind of neighborhood do you live in?!?
     



  • @CPound said:

    Dude, what kind of neighborhood do you live in?!?
     

     

    Canada. The point is that the envelope was destroyed long before it got here. Notice the "Destroyed Package" envelope beside the one the stickers were once in. That is what I got in the mail. A clear plastic envelope containing an empty envelope.



  • It's like straight out of Seinfeld.



  • Wow, some postal worker REALLY wanted one of those stickers.



  • Everyone be on the lookout for a US Mail truck with a WTF bumper sticker...



  • Yeah.. the USPS likes to do that. I've received stuff with stamped messages like "received in damaged condition". Sure, I bet the sender purposefully damaged the thing before sending it. More like the mail person dropped it under the truck, ran over it a few times, then stuck it back in the truck. I guess technically the sorting facility did receive it in damaged condition, but not because of the original sender.

    Also, those automated sorting machines double as a paper shredder. If the envelope doesn't go through juuuust right, the machine will eat it.

    Then there's the lovely black hole in the Atlanta sorting facility. I've gotten delivery notifications from various places that include tracking numbers (printed barcoded labels or delivery notification). I watch the progress and see it disappear in the same facility. Of course, without insurance, there's nothing you can do but say goodbye to it. Even though the barcode proved the USPS is the one that lost it, they won't take the blame for it without insurance.

    I have about a 50% success rate with anything in an envelope. The local water facility tried to get me to pay a late fee and reconnect fee because they failed to get the payment I mailed to them. Luckily, it's a small facility, so I was able to argue with the woman and pay the original amount in person. I told her that if they would accept VISA over the phone, we wouldn't have this problem (they were the only bill I paid via mail). Soon afterwards, they did get a card reader. So, now I can pay it electronically like I've been doing with everything else for years.

    The USPS likes to increase the rates (it's now going up to $0.41), but their service goes down each year. So, soon you'll have to pay $1 to mail a letter that is guaranteed to disappear. It's retarded, really.



  • A long time ago I sent 10 CDs to a friend in the USA. He told me he got 1 CD almost complete, everything else was shattered (the CDs were sent in a cushioned envelope in 5 thin cases - 2 CDs per case).



  • I remeber a public affair about the (privatized) german postal services some years ago. If you get a packet around here, you'll actually find a notification in the mailbox that you can collect the packet in your local postal bureau. Packets that aren't collected are stored in the bureau for some time, then are released to an auction where everyone can get it. The revenues of the auctions of course go to the postal company. Well, turned out in many cases the postal company didn't quite make ... all possible efforts to deliver the packet before sending it off to the auction. In fact, many packets on there had "mysteriously vanished" during transit before...



  • @ender said:

    A long time ago I sent 10 CDs to a friend in the USA. He told me he got 1 CD almost complete, everything else was shattered (the CDs were sent in a cushioned envelope in 5 thin cases - 2 CDs per case).

    So, let's see:

    Slimline CD jewel cases that probably aren't suitable for shipping anything in and offer no protection to the CDs whatsoever?  Check.

    Cramming two CDs into each one of said slimline cases, making it even more likely that they'll get damaged?  Check.  (Unless you're talking about one of the soft plastic two-CD cases and not just having crammed two CDs into a thin single-CD case.)

    Thin bubble mailer that offers relatively little protection against serious shocks or pressure?  Check.

    Taking five of said cases and stacking them all together in said envelope, virtually guaranteeing damage to most or all of the CDs contained therein?  Check.

    Yeah, the postal service sure is at fault there...



  • The CD cases were duct-taped together making them less likely to be damaged in transit. And I've exchanged similar packages all over Europe (even got a few in regular envelopes), always without a problem. The CDs (and envelope) my friend got must have been shredded in something (the envelope was open and torn in several places according to him).



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    The USPS likes to increase the rates (it's now going up to $0.41), but their service goes down each year. So, soon you'll have to pay $1 to mail a letter that is guaranteed to disappear. It's retarded, really.

    41 cents to mail a letter? That's about 21 pence (UK) at current exchange rates. Compare to our prices of 32p for first class (usually arrives next working day), and 23p for second (usually arrives in two days). And the USA is a far bigger country than the UK to be delivering mail in (tough with more sensibly-priced fuel for the trucks that do it). So maybe that's the cause of the poor service - it's being priced too low. The mail service here is very reliable, I've only once had problems with it (and that was probably a crooked postman). Of course mail does get lost or damaged sometimes, but it's not common.



  • 50%?!  I'd have a stern talking to with my carrier if I were you.

    The only problems I've ever had were 2 Netflix DVDs broken in half (although they don't protect them at all), and one torn comic book.

    Plus, even [url=http://www.directcreative.com/aaexperiments.html]these guys[/url] got over a 50% success rate.



  • Whoa, that sucks.  I live in Alberta and I got my sticker fine. :|
     



  • if your getting 50% success rate with your envelopes I might suggest a you change something.  Perhaps your envelopes are crap or your handwriting is terrible.

     

    I have very few problems with USPS.  1 package/envelope lost that I can remember. 



  • I especially liked their attempt to tape the envelope back together. One has to wonder why they bothered delivering it when it was obviously empty...

     I've never had a problem with CanadaPost. Usually anything I order can be delivered across the country in only 2 or 3 days. I absolutely refuse to do business with UPS or DHL after getting repeatedly stung by their customs and rapeage fees. (50% of my order cost from thinkgeek in extra customs fees, with no way of getting out of them. On a $100 order. Assholes...).
     



  • @m0ffx said:

    @AbbydonKrafts said:

    The USPS likes to increase the rates (it's now going up to $0.41), but their service goes down each year. So, soon you'll have to pay $1 to mail a letter that is guaranteed to disappear. It's retarded, really.

    41 cents to mail a letter? That's about 21 pence (UK) at current exchange rates. Compare to our prices of 32p for first class (usually arrives next working day), and 23p for second (usually arrives in two days). And the USA is a far bigger country than the UK to be delivering mail in (tough with more sensibly-priced fuel for the trucks that do it). So maybe that's the cause of the poor service - it's being priced too low. The mail service here is very reliable, I've only once had problems with it (and that was probably a crooked postman). Of course mail does get lost or damaged sometimes, but it's not common.



    It's about the same here in Australia - AU$0.50 (0.40305 U.S. dollars, 0.205375796 British pounds) to send a letter



  • Talking to the carrier won't do any good. It's out of their hands once they dump it off at the Post Office. Also, our carriers (the usual plus the substitutes) like to shuffle our mail and give each house someone else's mail. We even had one of them balance a box on top of the mailbox and drive off instead of delivering it to the door which is 20 feet away. Little do they know that my wife is home everyday, all day, so she witnessed it. So, the carrier could care less. I think it's the whole mentality of the Georgia USPS.

    As far as my envelopes and such.. the envelopes are always standard sized based on contents (smaller envelope for mailing a check, business-sized for mailing a letter-sized paper) and my handwriting is perfectly readable by the sorting machines. I always use clear block/uppercase print on envelopes. Each letter is distinct and numbers are completely legible. I even write the zip code to the lower-right corner of the address as requested by the USPS for sorting. If a person can't read it, they are blind.

    Regarding the price: What I was pointing out is as the price goes up, the service goes down. I had no problems back when stamps were $0.25. Even at $0.32 it wasn't so bad. Now that it's $0.39, it's like they have lost all respect for their job and other peoples' mail and know that there's no way that a person can point the finger at them. Honestly, if you don't pay the $1.30 in insurance, what recourse do you have when they "lose" the mail? Even with insurance, I've been told by people who've been through the process that it takes up to, and possibly over, 8 weeks for resolution - especially if you don't have delivery confirmation or signature delivery. So basically, you have to pay around $5 to guarantee something will arrive and be able to be reimbursed if it disappears.



  • that really sucks man.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Talking to the carrier won't do any good. It's out of their hands once they dump it off at the Post Office. Also, our carriers (the usual plus the substitutes) like to shuffle our mail and give each house someone else's mail. We even had one of them balance a box on top of the mailbox and drive off instead of delivering it to the door which is 20 feet away. Little do they know that my wife is home everyday, all day, so she witnessed it. So, the carrier could care less. I think it's the whole mentality of the Georgia USPS.

     Must vary by region.  Here in the Pacific Northwest, I've never had a problem.  The only time I have problems is when mailing something to our family in Russia.  Once it leaves American hands, anything worth taking is generally taken, and the rest is, as the German privatized mail example, held at a central post office with clerks denying having received the package until the time limit expires.  Apparently they've had enough trouble that everything we receive comes certified to clear the USPS's name for damages.



  • Timelog:

    Aug 2, 2007: Ordered dice.

    Aug 3, 2007: usps received dice.

    Aug 5, 2007: usps finally allows me to track online

    @usps said:

    Your item was accepted at 3:43 PM on August 2, 2007 in LEITCHFIELD, KY 42754. No further information is available for this item.

    Sept 10, 2007: Today, usps still allows me to track the package.

    @usps said:
    Your item was accepted at 3:43 PM on August 2, 2007 in LEITCHFIELD, KY 42754. No further information is available for this item.

    Estimated delivery time: 6-10 days (real or business unknown); Real delivery time: unknown.

    Customer satisfaction: 0.

    Side-note:
    There doesn't seem to be any problems with rezing threads around here, unless I'm mistaken.



  • @m0ffx said:

    @AbbydonKrafts said:

    The USPS likes to increase the rates (it's now going up to $0.41), but their service goes down each year. So, soon you'll have to pay $1 to mail a letter that is guaranteed to disappear. It's retarded, really.

    41 cents to mail a letter? That's about 21 pence (UK) at current exchange rates. Compare to our prices of 32p for first class (usually arrives next working day), and 23p for second (usually arrives in two days). And the USA is a far bigger country than the UK to be delivering mail in (tough with more sensibly-priced fuel for the trucks that do it). So maybe that's the cause of the poor service - it's being priced too low. The mail service here is very reliable, I've only once had problems with it (and that was probably a crooked postman). Of course mail does get lost or damaged sometimes, but it's not common.

    I've had more trouble with the private package delivery companies than royal mail. In one case, I got a "you weren't home"-type note saying "delivered through window" from citylink. The window in question was open (fortunately), but only the top part opened. So they DROPPED the package TWO METERS to the floor. The contents weren't "fragile", but that kind of shock, even through the bubble wrap, wasn't good. The package contained four 300GB hard-disks, and one of the disks was dented in one corner and didn't work.

    I emailed a copy of the note to the online shop with the rma request, and they dealt with it.

    Now I use royal mail delivery whenever I can, with the added advantage that if I'm not home I have to drive less to get to the depot and it can be delivered / I can collect from the depot on weekends.

     

    For an anti-american-post/courier subject, try this. The company I work for had a set of very expensive games console development kits being shipped from the uk to america and back (don't ask), with insurance, and they didn't make it. In fact, one of them was SMASHED OPEN, and another had serious damage. The box they were in was barely recognisable. We have no idea what they had to do to cause that much damage.

    Unfortunately I doubt I can name names.



  • Ah, ShittyLink ... We used to have them come and collect all our parcels to be delivered, and sometimes they'd just pick up each box and throw it into the van. I guess everything survived OK although they were definitely fragile. They could be such a pain. I seem to recall that they'd make up "excuses" (i.e. outright lies) as to why they were too lazy to bother delivering something.



  • Oh yes, the postal service only processes millions of pieces of mail every day, no way it could ever accidentally damage one piece of mail.

     

    Why don't try learning a little about how the system works before you start bitching about it. 



  • @Isuwen said:

    Oh yes, the postal service only processes millions of pieces of mail every day, no way it could ever accidentally damage one piece of mail.

     

    Why don't try learning a little about how the system works before you start bitching about it. 

    There's a difference between getting a package stepped on (or sat on) by accident compared to being dropped through a high window or tossed carelessly into a truck. Read the complaints from the two previous messages more carefully to see the issue.



  • You're lucky you received the mail at all, with the "to" address having all the white-out on it. And you're complaining?



  • (English mail system) I haven't had many parcels damaged in the post. I do have a different problem though. Parcelforce (Parcelfarce being a more common name) is the parcel division of the Royal Mail with their own trucks and depots and generally operating seperately, despite the Royal Mail carrying parcels and offering all the insurance and next-day options already, but I won't even attempt to explain that. Anyway, I live in a set of apartments and I never get a parcel delivered by them unless I leave a note on my postbox downstairs specifically telling them I'm in. Every service not owned by Royal Mail are fine about taking the lift (not even any stairs involved) and knocking on my door. Royal Mail and Parcelfarce leave a note every single time saying I wasn't in, they don't even bother to take 2 seconds to buzz my apartment from the panel downstairs. The Royal Mail ones are the best as they say I wasn't in at 7:20am. For a start, they have NEVER made a delivery at 7:20, the usual time is about 10 or 11am. If they are telling the truth and they somehow happen to be around early whenever I get a parcel, I can count the number of times I've been out at 7:20 on one hand, and none of them were when parcels were coming.

     The most annoying thing about Parcelfarce is I can't even go to pick the parcel up myself as the depot is in the middle of nowhere about a 1.5 - 2 hour walk away, and I have no car. I can't arrange a redelivery because they'll just leave another note. If I want my parcels I have to tape a note to my postbox telling them I'm in and to buzz me. Grrr....

    /rant over

     



  • Back when I was in college, I mailed my dad a birthday card from the nearest mailbox to my dormitory.  After a while he still hadn't received it.  I started to wonder what was going on, then one day in my dorm's mail there was half of the card.  It was torn such that you could only really make out the return address, and thus it was delivered back to me.  I thought something got messed up in processing and they lost the rest.  But then a few weeks later, my dad received the other half of it in one of those plastic damaged item envelopes.  Each half was delivered to the address it had written on it.

    I guess someone tore it open hoping to find money (the envelope was a typical colored Hallmark envelope, so it's fairly obvious it was a card).



  • College mail systems seem to be a WTF in general.  I once tried to mail a payment from my dorm and was told it would take about a week.  I had to take a 10 minute walk and deliver it myself so it wouldn't be late.



  • The best story I have is how my mum's wage slips get delivered. The company takes them directly to the sorting office to process. The company's office is at the end of the road where the sorting office is, we live a few roads away (it's about 10 minutes drive max). They often take up to a week to deliver (remember, this is a week from being dropped off at the sorting office, where they are taken from directly to our house), and on occasion entire batches have been lost. The isn't any more postal system between the sorting office and us, I have no idea how they pull of this level of incompetence.


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