USPS Falling Apart?

[Guest]

Johnny, you're not suggesting a conspiracy, are you?

[Tom Geiger]

Overall the post office does a good job. 99.9% of the mail gets there and on time.

The problem with the post office is their inability to compete, a lot because their hands are tied by congress. The post office is mandated to deliver mail to every address in this country without any surcharges. I once saw a news show, like a 20/20, that showed mail route in some western state by small plane. You know they lose tens of thousands of dollars a year on that one route. I recently went to UPS to mail 3 packages and they wanted to charge me a non-standard route surcharge on 2 of them. So it's unfair competition.

Another issue is Saturday delivery. Recently congress blocked cancelling it. Well, if it's going to save millions of dollars, I can live with 5 day delivery. I can wait till Monday for my mail. The mail isn't as significant as it once was before phones, fax and the Internet.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Though there may be occasional problems, I still think the USPS has some of the best deals going, anywhere. Less than half a buck to send a check across country, and to be able to blame to PO if it's late, is pretty sweet. I do 99% of my critical business communications electronically, so infrequent USPS issues don't mean too much in the grand scheme of things.

What hacks me is the lack of any way to eliminate my name from stupid and wasteful blanket-direct-mail-marketing delivery that sometimes chokes my box. I doubt I've EVER bought ANYTHING hawked through the mail (or ever will) other than perhaps a Steak 'n Shake breakfast.

Edited April 14, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy

[Guest Johnny]

Though there may be occasional problems, I still think the USPS has some of the best deals going, anywhere. I do 99% of my critical business communications electronically, so infrequent USPS issues don't mean too much in the grand scheme of things.

What hacks me is the lack of any way to eliminate my name form stupid and wasteful blanket-direct-mail-marketing delivery that sometimes chokes my box. i doubt I've EVER bought ANYTHING hawked through the mail, other than perhaps a Steakburger.

If not for that bulk mail they would have gone under long ago!

You are right Tom. When we lived out in Colorado a friend of my sister-in-law was a rural carrier and his route was over 150 miles round trip and he had less than 60 boxes on the route, all unpaved roads some dirt! The Postmaster said when he was a kid all those people had to come to town to pick up their own mail. Said some only came in once a month!

[Pete L.]

The problem with no Saturday delivery is the fact that on Monday holiday weekends, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Presidents day... there would be no mail delivery for three days. That would include checks, perscriptions, model car parts etc.

[Guest Johnny]

The problem with no Saturday delivery is the fact that on Monday holiday weekends, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Presidents day... there would be no mail delivery for three days. That would include checks, perscriptions, model car parts etc.

Well the idea was no regular mail but packages and prescriptions would still be delivered on Sat.

But what do they do with the rest of the day and workers? They are going to still get paid for Sat. whether they work it or not as per their union contract!

So what would really be saved?

[Fabrux]

I think maybe USPS could learn some lessons from Canada Post (did I really just say that? )

Mail delivery only occurs from Monday to Friday. Canada Post post offices are only open Monday to Friday 8:30-4:30 or some such thing. We do have, however, postal outlets in places like drug stores and grocery stores that handle ALL parcels and registered mail that are open the regular store hours (usually 9am-9pm Mon-Sat and 12-5 Sun). You can send mail from these locations as well. The disadvantage to this system is that when you get a notification in your mail box that you have a parcel at the outlet center, you usually have to wait a day. Also, if you get your mail delivered by a Canada Post employee (as opposed to a "rural" carrier), they are supposed to knock on your door first if you have a parcel before leaving the notification but they rarely do. I've checked my mail a few times when I was home when they delivered and they left a notification rather than the parcel!

[gtx6970]

2 months in a row I mailed my bldg lease payment to the bldgs owner who lives across town ( 10 miles one way tops.) BOTH times the flat rate envelope went thru Michigan post office instead before finally getting delivered. what should have been there the next day arrived a week later.

I mailed an international pkg to Mexico 5 / 6 months ago, it took almost 2 weeks for the buyer to get his purchase , But the customs # said it went thru Chicago IL ,,,,,, PLUS USPS.com says it's still in Chicago IL. Yes I do still ck it once in a while just for giggles

[Ace-Garageguy]

Just had an interesting encounter at the local PO...they have a helper for the lines now, and the fella in front of me needed to know something about certified mail and receipts. The PO employee "helper" was clueless, provided wrong, vague information on a very simple topic, and another patron waiting in line finally helped the guy and gave him the correct info. On the other hand, the PO employee at the window is a long-time veteran, really knows his stuff and gets everyone through with a minimum of fuss, no matter how idiotic the patron is or how obscure the question.

The deterioration of the quality of service at the PO is symptomatic of the deterioration of quality of service in a lot of places. Actually doing good work doesn't seem to be the prime criteria for getting and holding a job any more.

[Guest Johnny]

Contract says they cannot be fired for "cause".

Sort of like being a tenured teacher.

Edited April 15, 2013 by Johnny

[Guest Johnny]

Just to show things have been the same for decades. Over 20 years ago we were in southern IL. on a rural route. The postman was living in town.

It got to the point he was putting mail in wrong boxes on a regular basis. he would knock down at least one mail box a week and when he did he would leave you a notice that if the box was not properly mounted mail would not be delivered.

Well they found out he was going blind, but he was 1.5 years from full retirement. So they started letting him take mail home so his wife could help him sort it and put it in rubber bands with a large printed box number on the bundle so he could get it in the right box.

His wife had a stroke and could not help any more. So they bring in the substitute carrier who went to his house every day to help him sort the mail and sometimes even went out on the route with him.

He got sick before he could retire and passed away about 6 months later. When his kids cleaned out the house there was over 300 pounds of undelivered mail in the basement! Including SS checks, tax refund and retirement checks from people on the route!

Many times my grandma would complain to the postmaster about the service and the carrier only to be told that his hands were tied because of the union contracts!

She contacted the Post master General's Office many times and only got one reply that stated they were looking into it. Nothing was ever done.

[Tom Geiger]

I imaging the biggest reason Congress blocked it would be the fact of people who work Monday thru Friday need the Post Office to be open on Saturdays.

Nobody said the post office would be closed, only that they wouldn't do residential carrier routes. As far as the others who mentioned social security checks (now all done electronic transfer) and prescription delivery (most are for 3 month supplies, and the vendor prompts you to renew ahead of time) My local post office here in PA is open until 3pm on Saturday so it is customer driven.

Contract says they cannot be fired for "cause".

Sort of like being a tenured teacher.

The postal service has been thinning the ranks for years. My bro-in-law works at a mail sorting center. Right now he's on midnight shift because he's low man on seniority. He's been there 25 years, yes the least senior people at that center are 25 year vets. His center is shutting down in August and he doesn't know if he's getting laid off or being moved who knows where. He's 55 and hoping to hang in there another 10-12 1/2 years.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Tom Geiger

[IMSANUT]

Consider the fact that the USPS has been forced to cover insurance and pension responsibilities for 70 - 75 years in the future. For folks who don't yet even work for the USPS. That and the fact that it is the single largest public union in the country. You follow the links........

[Greg Myers]

The problem with no Saturday delivery is the fact that on Monday holiday weekends, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Presidents day... there would be no mail delivery for three days. That would include checks, perscriptions, model car parts etc.

and it would look like this

[VW Dave]

I am having issues as well, a member not far away sent some wheel to me almost 2 weeks ago and they are not here yet.

If/when the package arrives, check the postmark date before blaming the USPS for the delay......I've had plenty of trades where the sender got the package out much later than promised

[VW Dave]

Alot of the problems i have is the handlers or sorters using the pacakges as footballs .

After working in shipping & receiving for several years, I pack everything so it can handle such abuse

[Draggon]

After working in shipping & receiving for several years, I pack everything so it can handle such abuse

Yup, Dave! I worked at a small company as a mechanic. We were so small that I was also the shipping/recieving mgr. My first few months I learned lessons. For 23 years I never had any shipments show up with damage to the contents, and I was using UPS and Greyhound exclusively, 2 companies not know to be kind to packages.

[Modelbuilder Mark]

tru, my wife had a package coming that per the USPS web site took 2 days to get from it's original location, to Phoenix. THEN, 4 days to get from the center to our house. go figure.

[Guest]

If/when the package arrives, check the postmark date before blaming the USPS for the delay......I've had plenty of trades where the sender got the package out much later than promised

He informed me he mailed it on the 2nd of this month, and it still has not arrived. He mailed another package the 15th, I got that today, so it's not him.

[Tom Geiger]

and I was using UPS and Greyhound exclusively, 2 companies not know to be kind to packages.

I once bought an NOS Studebaker fender from Newman and Altman. They sent it in the original Studebaker package, but heavily taped huge chunks of styrofoam on each corner and wrapped it in bubble wrap. Then they put the factory package inside another box... and UPS STILL managed to nearly bend it in half.

UPS tried to worm out of a claim saying it was improperly packed.. come on guys! This is a heavy metal car fender! You had to run it over with a truck or something.

[gerdog]

I purchased a set of motorcycle saddle bags on ebay that were in Arizona. They went to a sorting facility in Arizona then to California, then to me in Ontario Canada .......... all for $49.50. I thought that was way way too reasonable for all the transport that had to be done. I would say the package was 2.5 feet x2.5x2.5. Then on the other hand, a baseball style cap worth $10.00 located in Michigan, is $35.00 shipping by USPS. Whats up with that?

[Casey]

Okay, first off, I guess this is another whining post about the USPS.

Anybody else notice a decline in service lately?

This never had much to do with models, and I think Erik's question has been answered. He got what was bugging him about USPS off his chest, so let's close this and get back to discussing models, please.