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What is going on at the USPS these day?

post #1 of 16
2/13/09 at 8:07pm
Thread Starter 
I thought some of you would want to know about this. I sent a package to Canada last week. It was priority (my box), insured. The cost was a bit over $20, and it weighed just over a pound, Today, I brought a small flat rate box to the PO, to be shipped to Canada. I wanted to insure it. The guy tells me it will cost over $20. I tell him that the USPS site said that since it's priority, I should be able to insure it, as I did the previous week, and that it should cost about $10 (USPS site said so). He tells me that no insurance is available. So I didn't send it. Instead, I went to the USPS site again, and tried to generate a shipping label for small flat rate priority box to Canada with $50 insurance. As you might expect, it worked with no problems. Anyone know what the story with this is? I spent a lot of time trying to explain things to the guy, but he insisted that he was right.
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post #2 of 16
2/13/09 at 8:11pm
Maybe it was just the branch you went to. I shipped a small package to Great Britain yesterday, with a value of $40, and the cost was $8.65. I am not sure if I did Priority or First Class, but it was not a problem. Hope you have better luck in the future.
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post #3 of 16
2/13/09 at 8:28pm
I have noticed a lot of variation in what my local post office will allow depending on who is helping at the counter that day. The manager is very knowledgeable, but other clerks seem to freelance with all kinds of requirments or ideas about what can be done or can not.

Generally, Priority Mail shipped out of the U.S. can have tracking numbers and insurance etc. but it costs a bit more. $20 to Canada is normal for Priority Mail. But, First Class Mail is only a couple dollars more than shipping anywhere within the U.S. The problem with First Class is that the USPS site online will not allow you to print a label for first class so you have to carry it to the post office and hand fill out the forms. Its a major hassle, but it is much cheaper. No tracking with first class and it takes a bit longer. But, first class works fine. You can print the customs forms online too with Priority and not with first class.

I don't know if this is how it has always been.
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post #4 of 16
2/13/09 at 8:28pm
Thread Starter 
There's a small form. half green and half white, that all packages require. You write down the value, but that doesn't mean it is insured. Last week, I filled out that form, and also a large white one with at least 4 duplicates (you get one), and then at the end they give you another small, square printout, which I was told indicated that it was insured. This time, with the priority small flat rate box, the guy would only give me the green and white form.
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post #5 of 16
2/13/09 at 8:43pm
Does your package contain anything liquid, perishable or potentially hazardous?
Oh, god, the once dependable USPS is going to be systematically reduced to rubble. They've closed my branch on Saturdays and reduced the M-F hours to 9:30 to 5:30. They took the vending machines out, so you must stand in line. Now there's talk of eliminating Saturday deliveries.
If Obama wants to create jobs, he certainly can start by adding some workers to the counter at the Post Office.
Did you ever read Bukowski's Post Office? It explains a lot.
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post #6 of 16
2/13/09 at 9:25pm
My Post Offices around me are staffed adequately, are very friendly and are always helpful.

I think the clerk you spoke to is confused. Flat Rate Envelopes cannot be insured. The Flat Rate Boxes are new and the clerk probably thought that the Flat Rates cannot be insured. The Flat Rate Boxes are very new that the clerks at my post office were excited to see m=e bring one in for International. (The clerk said, "$13 bucks?! That's a STEAL!")

International Priority Mail has indemnity and insurance is optional. More info here
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post #7 of 16
2/13/09 at 10:26pm
The two different customs labels (green and white versus all white with 4 copies) are only for customs tracking. The one you must use depends on the weight, if I remember correctly.

Don't we have NAFTA? I don't understand why we need a customs form for Canada.

I should add--getting a different story every time, and differing from the web site--happens with UPS even more than the post office.
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post #8 of 16
2/14/09 at 6:45am
Actually the customs form differs based on the declared value, and under $400 you always use the green/white form.

I've also gotten different answers, but the best I've figured out that's consistent is:

International Priority can be tracked but it is very expensive - the difference between $5 and $25 to ship (to Canada).
International first-class cannot be tracked.

I've found the BEST international shipper is FedEx, though it's pretty expensive. However if you sign up for a free FedEx account, ship to a business address, and use the 2-day and 3-day options it's around the same as USPS priority and gets there when they say it will get there.
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post #9 of 16
2/14/09 at 7:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bbBD View Post


I've found the BEST international shipper is FedEx, though it's pretty expensive. However if you sign up for a free FedEx account, ship to a business address, and use the 2-day and 3-day options it's around the same as USPS priority and gets there when they say it will get there.

LOL, well that depends on who you ask and where you plan to send it to, I guess...

If a shop only ships with FedEx, I won't even buy from them. FedEx in my country is a PITA!

First of all you have to be at home to receive the package, since they don't have post offices, and their buildings are often in the middle of nowhere on some hard to find industry complex, so you better want to make sure you're home anyway! but much worse is that they open every package by default, so they can charge extra for that. On top of that they will always pass it unto customs first, who add their own import fee, and that can be very expensive!

USPS on the other hand, never does that! Plus if I'm not home they just leave a message in my mailbox so I can pick it up at the post office myself within the next three weeks.

UPS and DHL are the same as FedEX, btw, they all s*ck big time!
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post #10 of 16
2/14/09 at 12:54pm
I hate how USPS doesn't have a step-by-step tracking system like UPS or DHL... but it's cheap, so I won't complain!

With the latter two, you can see where your package is each step of the way, while USPS hardly ever updates the status and is often late with updating.
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post #11 of 16
2/14/09 at 1:17pm
In California thet let go of all/most employees under 6 years tenure a couple of months ago.
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post #12 of 16
2/14/09 at 1:24pm
Post offices in Orlando are worthless. They (admittedly) delivered a bottle of Montale I bought off bnotes to the wrong apartment when I lived in a bldg where all the mailboxes were together. Their fix? They said "oh, sorry about that." They wouldn't do anything else.

When I moved to where I live now, I ordered a bunch of stuff from Lotion Crafter. The woman accidentally shipped to my old address rather than my current one. That should be forwarded like all the rest of my mail, right? Wrong. This time they didn't even bother replying to complaints and emails.

Another time I tried to send a padded envelope and marked it as large envelope at the automated thing. I ended up having to go to the counter for another reason and she said oh this doesn't have enough postage... it's slightly thicker than 3/4 inch. I ran my card for $0.06. They lost money on that transaction after the MC fee.

Once, I accidentally put the wrong zip code in the automated machine and pressed cancel but it wouldn't. The guy there said "hit this and it'll cancel." It didn't. I had $8 worth of postage to the wrong place. They wouldn't refund, even though it was their fault. A solution they offered? "Do you have anything else you want to ship there?" Are you kidding?

USPS? I hate them. I don't trust them further than I can spit. Oh well. All that and I still go back and ship my stuff with them. I don't learn.
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post #13 of 16
2/15/09 at 9:31pm
I have found stuff to be taking forever to get where it's going lately, leading to tense exchanges with my ebay customers who want their TRAVEL SPRAYS NOW!!!
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post #14 of 16
2/16/09 at 4:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigsly View Post

I thought some of you would want to know about this. I sent a package to Canada last week. It was priority (my box), insured. The cost was a bit over $20, and it weighed just over a pound, Today, I brought a small flat rate box to the PO, to be shipped to Canada. I wanted to insure it. The guy tells me it will cost over $20. I tell him that the USPS site said that since it's priority, I should be able to insure it, as I did the previous week, and that it should cost about $10 (USPS site said so). He tells me that no insurance is available. So I didn't send it. Instead, I went to the USPS site again, and tried to generate a shipping label for small flat rate priority box to Canada with $50 insurance. As you might expect, it worked with no problems. Anyone know what the story with this is? I spent a lot of time trying to explain things to the guy, but he insisted that he was right.

If this were me, I would print out the screens from the online postage and bring it in and show them. Perhaps a mutual understanding could be acheived.
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post #15 of 16
2/17/09 at 11:21am
I couldn't resist:

UPS Air Cargo

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems; document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS ' pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.


By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had an accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
*
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
*
P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit
*
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
*
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
*
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
*
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
*
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
*
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
*
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
*
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search
*
P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
*
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
*
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

And the best one for last
*
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.
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post #16 of 16
2/17/09 at 5:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by silverbullet View Post

I couldn't resist:

UPS Air Cargo

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems; document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS ' pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers. .....


I laughed at a bunch of these Very funny!
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