Some people just need to have something to complain about. I've been doing a gun cabinet clean out sale for several months now. Everything i ship goes via USPS. Everything has arrived where it needed to be without issue.
USPS Tracking (NOT TRACKING?)
- Thread starter 8shot
- Start date
This probably happened all the time before we all had PCs and were able to check on it.
But the USPS has had a lot of staffing issues recently and I have seen an increase in delivery problems in the past 6 months.
Last quarterly billing cycle for my water/sewer service I got all the bills for everyone on the block stuffed into my mailbox. Walked them up the street and delivered them myself.
Have had two payment letters for stuff I sold here on the forum get lost. Both required a signature on delivery. One was delivered to the wrong address! Tracking Said it was delivered so I was able to catch the mailman at our roadside box the next day and explain the issue. Since it was signed, he was able to track it to a house with the same number but on a different street in the same neighborhood. He went back and retrieved it an I got it that same day. Apparently he was off the day before and there was a new driver. But I am just amazed that neither the other postman nor the signer noticed the wrong address.
Then there was a recent signature letter that sat in the PO until a forum member, the buyer who's payment it was, contacted the PO and got it moving to the right place. I had to go into my local POI to sign. In the past they would come to the door.
It's more than just the PO who contribute to the mess. Fed Ex delivered a package for me to the wrong address just up the street, at 119 instead of 109. When the postman drove by later the homeowner simply threw it out onto the lawn and yelled at him that he delivered it to the wrong house and that it was to go to 109. I was out front mowing the grass and when the post man came to our box and told me about it. Said that he could not legally touch it because it was a FedEx package. Not his problem, I guess but I can understand that. Walked up and got it myself.
My sister retired from the USPS after nearly 40 years. She said it was a mess when she left. Too many worthless employees who got their jobs because of the extra "entitlement" points given on their civil service exam make for more work for the good ones. Plus the covid pandemic was the final last straw for many experienced employees. All my local post offices have hire signs posted.
This is what happens when nobody cares about the other guy. The guy up the street who threw the FedEx package and cursed the postman was sitting on his porch when I went up and got it off his lawn. His was one of the water bills delivered by mistake to me. Maybe next time I'll just throw them all out and let them all pay the late fees when their payments are overdue. Naw... I'm not that kind of guy.
John
But the USPS has had a lot of staffing issues recently and I have seen an increase in delivery problems in the past 6 months.
Last quarterly billing cycle for my water/sewer service I got all the bills for everyone on the block stuffed into my mailbox. Walked them up the street and delivered them myself.
Have had two payment letters for stuff I sold here on the forum get lost. Both required a signature on delivery. One was delivered to the wrong address! Tracking Said it was delivered so I was able to catch the mailman at our roadside box the next day and explain the issue. Since it was signed, he was able to track it to a house with the same number but on a different street in the same neighborhood. He went back and retrieved it an I got it that same day. Apparently he was off the day before and there was a new driver. But I am just amazed that neither the other postman nor the signer noticed the wrong address.
Then there was a recent signature letter that sat in the PO until a forum member, the buyer who's payment it was, contacted the PO and got it moving to the right place. I had to go into my local POI to sign. In the past they would come to the door.
It's more than just the PO who contribute to the mess. Fed Ex delivered a package for me to the wrong address just up the street, at 119 instead of 109. When the postman drove by later the homeowner simply threw it out onto the lawn and yelled at him that he delivered it to the wrong house and that it was to go to 109. I was out front mowing the grass and when the post man came to our box and told me about it. Said that he could not legally touch it because it was a FedEx package. Not his problem, I guess but I can understand that. Walked up and got it myself.
My sister retired from the USPS after nearly 40 years. She said it was a mess when she left. Too many worthless employees who got their jobs because of the extra "entitlement" points given on their civil service exam make for more work for the good ones. Plus the covid pandemic was the final last straw for many experienced employees. All my local post offices have hire signs posted.
This is what happens when nobody cares about the other guy. The guy up the street who threw the FedEx package and cursed the postman was sitting on his porch when I went up and got it off his lawn. His was one of the water bills delivered by mistake to me. Maybe next time I'll just throw them all out and let them all pay the late fees when their payments are overdue. Naw... I'm not that kind of guy.
John
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Grayfox
US Veteran
Typical USPS tracking:
1. We have it.
2. Ain't got a clue?
3. Delivered.
1. We have it.
2. Ain't got a clue?
3. Delivered.
StakeOut
US Veteran
My recent complaint to the USPS that a paid for 2 day Priority mail small PO box took 11 days to arrive at destination.
Tracking showed package sat in Kansas City a few days,then sat in Memphis a few days then sat in St Paul a few days and then delivery failures to top it off.
Tracking showed package sat in Kansas City a few days,then sat in Memphis a few days then sat in St Paul a few days and then delivery failures to top it off.
ajgunner
Member
I just got a package from Numrich that took 19 days from NY to OR. It was on FedX. Wont be using them again if I can avoid it. By comparison I placed an order with Midsouth on thursday and it arrived here on tuesday via UPS. Midsouth actually lets you choose which carrier you want to pick. They also can show you the rate for each carrier before you pick.
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A few years ago I had a small gun parts package coming from Florida to Pennsylvania. It took almost two weeks to make it. It was a real comedy show. Tracking data showed it crossed the PA/MD border seven times before it made it to me. The local PO asked to examine the package and could find no reason for the ping-pong match between the two en route distro centers. They told me every so often something like that happens because some sender re-uses a box which has a bar code on it. By the same token, I once got an empty cardboard tube instead of the Springfield 03-A3 barrel I ordered. Called my local Postmaster, and he was nice enough to actually call the nearest distro center about it, giving my description of the item. They found it in a corner of their sorting center and sent it on to me for free. I got it the very next day!
Geronimo Jim
Member
I always tell anyone when I send them the tracking number
that it is useless.
that it is useless.
ajgunner
Member
Not to long ago I had a small flat rate box of nickel 9mm brass coming from Seattle to Portland. I was both shocked and amazed when I got the box and one corner had been neatly cut with a sharp knife and not a single piece of brass was found or delivered to me---but I did receive the empty box. The box was completely taped on all edges. Hard to fathom someone in the PO risking their job over a bunch of brass worth about $40. Every PO person (and there were many of them) I talked with mentioned how sometime boxes get damaged in a machine and the contents get out. Can you imagine the mess that 500 pieces of nickel 9 brass would make on the floor or in a machine. It took me about 3 months of hounding 3 local small town post offices to finally get a refund for the missing goods. They were so tired of me they also paid for the shipping. Several days after I had been paid---remember this took over 3 months, I got a registered letter telling me my claim had been denied.
Our goberment hard at work using our dollars!
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Why would you ask the local police to investigate this? It's completely outside their jurisdiction and area of competency.
If I were concerned that there was something fishy going on, I'd ask the shipper to contact the Postal Inspectors for investigation.
If I were concerned that there was something fishy going on, I'd ask the shipper to contact the Postal Inspectors for investigation.
Scheduled for delivery this afternoon.
It was delivered as scheduled. Who do I complain to?
Your package gets scanned at the sending post office and put into one of these cages with a placard with that cage's destination or "zone" on it.
The cages are loaded onto trucks and taken to a distribution center and then broke down into other cages heading in the direction where your package is going.
The placards on these cages are scanned with your package in them, your package is not individually scanned because according to the placards they know where its going.
When you look up your tracking number it is tracking the cage that your package is in, not your specific package.
Your package could get tossed into the wrong cage and end up in the wrong post office yet the tracking number would show you where its supposed to be.
The next time YOUR package gets scanned is when it arrives at the final post office where it will either be picked up by you or delivered to your address.
Every package is not individually scanned in a distribution center or every time it arrives and departs. Just the cage gets scanned.
That's probably about as clear as mud.
All of this mail was going to four small rural town post offices. It was loaded onto the truck in three cages and had to get broken down so it could be delivered to the correct post office. The only package that actually got scanned individually was that blue and gold bag in the bottom left of the picture. That's because its express over night mail. It does get scanned at each distribution center.
You can see the placard that gets scanned on the cage on the left side, that white piece of paper that gets printed and taped onto each cage by the sending facility.
This was the week prior to Christmas and that's about 4 times the regular amount of mail. Looking at the picture I can't see any reason for any package to ever get mis-delivered.
If you were to visit and go inside a large USPS distribution center you would wonder how the hell they ever get anything delivered. Its quite the process and amazingly accurate for how many pieces of mail they handle ever hour, 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
In my post #26, I refer to the local PO (Post Office) wanting to examine the wayward package because they thought it was misaddressed or had an old barcode on it that may have caused the problem. At no point were the police involved.
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OP
8shot
Member
Here's an update, payment rec'd and handgun is in the mail: handgun was accepted by USPS on March 11 and transported to their distribution center, that's when online/email tracking stops for me. If I want to see any progress I need to purchase "USPS Tracking Plus". (3 years $3.75, they also have 5, 7 and 10 years plans at additional costs).
Here is the info displayed:
Your item is eligible for USPS Tracking Plus. This feature allows you to buy extended access to your tracking history and receive a statement via email upon request. Without this feature, your regular tracking history is only available on this site until March 11, 2023. To extend your access to this tracking history, select the length of time you would like and confirm your selection. You can only purchase extended history once, so all orders are final and are not eligible for a refund.
Note: For multiple tracking numbers, you can save and continue adding USPS Tracking Plus selections to your cart until you are ready to complete your purchase.
Wasn't aware of this! My next notification is upon delivery.
Here is the info displayed:
Your item is eligible for USPS Tracking Plus. This feature allows you to buy extended access to your tracking history and receive a statement via email upon request. Without this feature, your regular tracking history is only available on this site until March 11, 2023. To extend your access to this tracking history, select the length of time you would like and confirm your selection. You can only purchase extended history once, so all orders are final and are not eligible for a refund.
Note: For multiple tracking numbers, you can save and continue adding USPS Tracking Plus selections to your cart until you are ready to complete your purchase.
Wasn't aware of this! My next notification is upon delivery.
