USPS is a mess...

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SteveM
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Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:18 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: USPS is a mess...

Post by SteveM »

I brought a regional rate box to my local post office to see how much it would cost to mail.

They looked at me like they'd never seen one.

I brought it to a post office about 3 miles up the road, they scanned it and got the price.

My local post office will give me grief for using too much strapping tape.

When you provide the box and the box can safely only hold maybe 30 pounds but you tell people you can mail up to 70 pounds in it, then you have no right to complain that I used strapping tape. On top of it, I think by law, all boxes are supposed to have either a burst strength or edge crush test rating, yet USPS boxes do not. And if I don;t secure it and the contents fall out or get damaged, you're probably going to claim that it was my fault.

When I bring it to the one up the street or the one near work, I don't have any problems.

Steve
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Greg_Lewis
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Location: Fresno, CA

Re: USPS is a mess...

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Last month I ordered some K&S brass angle for my loco cab from an outfit in Pennsylvania. I'm in California. Tracking showed it went first to some town in Florida, then to Miami. From there it went on to Honolulu. It then disappeared from tracking for a week. I was hoping it would also go through Chicago, just for the principle of it, but it finally showed up after they pushed it out to sea on a raft. If I'd ordered fresh grapes I'd have a nice Merlot by now.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
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Doug_Edwards
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Re: USPS is a mess...

Post by Doug_Edwards »

Steve Kuhn,

I have never gotten an overnight package on time from UPS, and have had other issues with them as well. FedEx has never missed an overnight package!

SteveM,

I end up putting a cut down box inside the flat rate box and using a box stapler to staple the two together. I agree that the flat rate boxes are pretty flimsy.

Greg, thanks for your bit of humor! ; )

My wife sent a valentine to a friend of hers 5 years ago, and it was just returned a month or two ago as non deliverable, since her friend had moved into another apartment in the same complex 2 years ago. We have no idea where it was spending it's time in the interm......

Regards,

Doug
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Building a 70 ton Willamette in 1.6"
Building a 80 ton Climax in 1.6"

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SteveM
Posts: 7763
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:18 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: USPS is a mess...

Post by SteveM »

Doug_Edwards wrote: Thu Feb 11, 2021 1:46 pm I end up putting a cut down box inside the flat rate box and using a box stapler to staple the two together. I agree that the flat rate boxes are pretty flimsy.
I have something that weighs 35 lbs to ship.

I'm going to build a wood crate just the size to fit in a flat-rate box, then I'm going to separate the seam on the flat rate box and use it as wrapping paper around the crate.

Steve
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NP317
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Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: USPS is a mess...

Post by NP317 »

When FedEx and UPS merge, they will be known as FedUp.
RussN
BClemens
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Re: USPS is a mess...

Post by BClemens »

That is a good one... FEDUP. Looks like Fedex has already partnered with USPS and is actually doing them well - better reliability. Sort of an eye opener that Amazon has gone massively into the delivery business. That is a major cut to USPS. There was talk of privatizing the USPS and just a bit more of this could be the end for the government sponsored postal service... not so sure about this being a good thing. We see how 'big tech' tends to get big for their britches pretty quick with all that money.
No politics Harold, we are ALL in this together. No party politics here - I'm sick of that! Just wish we had Representatives again like the old days...
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