I have been having fits all day trying to use USPS tracking which appears to be down or only sporadically working. Of course like any big pseudo government entity like this one trying to get ahold of anyone to ask about the problem is virtually impossible. Anyone else having problems?
Jim
Hey Jim, a lot. But, I have to say that it is better than in the past. I remember sometimes, you'd get no update until the day after the package was delivered. Much better now, but not up to the standards I've found with UPS. They seem to have gotten it down. I've had problems with Fed EX, but not as bad as the USPS.
Private enterprise prevails.
Good Luck!
Greg
This week I sent out two small non-priority mail packages and was able to track both to delivery. Two days instate and the other to NM in three days from Ga. At $2.45@ I consider the service a bargain. Once a month the postman two days after ordering delivers to my front door a 30 lb. bag of Taste of Wild Dog food from Amazon via Prime, no extra delivery costs. The food isn't available nearby. I apologized to the postman for the work and his reply "No problem. It help pays my check." Gil
ups and fedex break guns often...usps does not...
Never had a bad resul with usps overnight express.
My boxes are squished by the USPS, UPS,FedEx, most of the time. I'm thankful for the good packaging by the sender's, the contents are usually in good shape. I think that UPS, USPS, FedEx play football with the packages.
Had a funny one two days ago. The postman shows up with a package. I wasn't expecting anything but thought my dad may have sent something for my wife's upcoming birthday. The box felt heavy and stuff was rattling around inside. No return address. I opened it to find 4 boxes of Sierra 30 caliber 220 grain round nose bullets I bought on Gunbroker back in November. The package never showed up so the seller issued a refund.
The original package had been damaged and repacked in a USPS medium flat rate. One of the boxes of bullets was open but they were all there. I contacted the seller and let him know a money order is on the way. Not too bad. Only 8 months shipping time. That's a bit long even to Alaska.
Next time you're bored go for a job interview/tour at a UPS hub. You'll be pissed.
I am relieved to report that the barrels I sent out arrived safe and sound today. As of this morning I was still NOT able to use the USPS tracking system to find out the shipping status.
Jim
Well, Jim, that's better than vice versa.
Gil
I was once upset with the post office tracking. It turned out that I was using UPS tracking instead of USPS. I do things like that...Geo
My best experience with USPS was a I. Hollis SLNE that I bought from McDonald's Gunshop, in Australia. It arrived in absolutely perfect condition, in a not-very-substantial cardboard box with wadded up newspapers all around it ....... uninsured! (I know, that was luck)
Once had a hankering for a Westley Richards, high original condition double muzzleloader. A friend in Savannah got it coming from England, by UPS. It arrived in way too many pieces, if you get my drift. I was broken too ........ hearted, that is.
I've not had much luck using the USPS tracking system, either.
SRH
Several years ago another poster here and I tried to work out a swap of Lefever guns. We shipped the guns back and forth on approval. The trade didn't work out. The other gentleman insisted I return his gun USPS registered mail, which of course I did. My gun came back just fine but his went missing.
Registered mail has to be signed for at each postal facility it goes through. The postal clerk signing for it is responsible until the next clerk signs for receipt.
Finally, the other guy began to get suspicious of me I think and became persistent with inquiries to me. I initiated a postal investigation through my local post office.
Turns out the gun had arrived in Ohio at the other guy's city and was signed for by a clerk on the way out the door on vacation. Having become responsible for it, she had locked the package away somewhere for safe keeping until her return to work.
The gun was delivered after her return in good shape. That was the slowest 'snail mail' delivery I have ever heard of...Geo
This a.m. I've tracked a USPS shipment from Mark Larson here to Savannah. NW corner of US to SE corner shipment started Friday. Arrived in Savannah at 730 a.m. I hope this post isn't the Kiss of Lost.
Gil
PS: got it at noon. Thanks, Mark, another good job. G
The bottomline is package tracking systems depend on people and people are flawed.
I purchase a great deal through the internet most of which is mailed with tracking. I have seen a trend of about 1 in 5 packages whose tracking is erroneous, i.e. it never shows in the system and arrives without ever having a status.
With one exception of some books whose package broke open and books were lost I have not had a disaster with the post office in over a decade.
While I could criticize them when you consider how much they get right, I remain amazed.
That said there is always tomorrow