USPS inefficiency with a simple shipment
- Thread starter Mike Cline
- Start date
By what metrics?
Lesson #1A - Never ship a rod in a round tube with USPS. Everything goes in bins or on racks by algorithms.
Three Day Priority / 1 State Away with online notifications for a rebuild.
For 10 Days: Local/Knoxville/Richmond/Knoxville/Richmond/Knoxville/Richmond………….ad nauseam.
Called Knoxville told Richmond had it.
Called Richmond told Knoxville had it.
For a week!
According to the Actual Human (YEAH!!!) I spoke with at each location they acknowledged they had it…..but
……
It took the actual Lady Postmaster in the small Virginia town it was addressed to, phoning both locations and telling them to get off their ass, stop passing the Buck, and resolve the issue for the customer.
After it was over all I could think of and laugh about was the old Kingston Trio song “Charlie on the MTA”
Oh he’ll never return, he will never return
Three Day Priority / 1 State Away with online notifications for a rebuild.
For 10 Days: Local/Knoxville/Richmond/Knoxville/Richmond/Knoxville/Richmond………….ad nauseam.
Called Knoxville told Richmond had it.
Called Richmond told Knoxville had it.
For a week!
According to the Actual Human (YEAH!!!) I spoke with at each location they acknowledged they had it…..but
……
It took the actual Lady Postmaster in the small Virginia town it was addressed to, phoning both locations and telling them to get off their ass, stop passing the Buck, and resolve the issue for the customer.
After it was over all I could think of and laugh about was the old Kingston Trio song “Charlie on the MTA”
Oh he’ll never return, he will never return
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Rob Allen
Life of the Party
Time/cost
Say im shipping a Rod from hood river to Seattle
7 dollars uses 3-4 days
Ups/fed ex 8 dollars next day guaranteed
On larger items, especially nearby, UPS is almost always better. Definitely way more than $8. I think the current rates are closer to $18-20 for a typical rod tube. Also once you go a few states over, the time competition gets a lot closer.
Now ask UPS to deliver a typical envelope and price shop. Better yet, price shop some very remote locations, especially Alaska or rural areas. The need and strengths of USPS become a lot more apparent.
In the age of the private equity race to the bottom in so many industries, I'm glad we have something that keeps the competition trying to do an actual good job.
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FinLuver
Native Oregonian…1846
There are some in my neck of the woods that seem to see customers as annoying as
on their picnic fried chicken.
Charlie...Lesson #1A - Never ship a rod in a round tube with USPS. Everything goes in bins or on racks by algorithms.
Three Day Priority / 1 State Away with online notifications for a rebuild.
For 10 Days: Local/Knoxville/Richmond/Knoxville/Richmond/Knoxville/Richmond………….ad nauseam.
Called Knoxville told Richmond had it.
Called Richmond told Knoxville had it.
For a week!
According to the Actual Human (YEAH!!!) I spoke with at each location they acknowledged they had it…..but
……
It took the actual Lady Postmaster in the small Virginia town it was addressed to, phoning both locations and telling them to get off their ass, stop passing the Buck, and resolve the issue for the customer.
After it was over all I could think of and laugh about was the old Kingston Trio song “Johnnie on the MTA”
Oh he’ll never return, he will never return
in a box, over 24" in length ? i have shipped many tubes/boxes, and once they get over 24" they put the hammer down on price.
total sideswipe - but what the heck.
i use starlink for the van. its great. i put it on standby, when i am not using. so, had it for a couple yrs. standby has been $5 . now they are DOUBLING the price. right now its not the $. but they doubled.
i use starlink for the van. its great. i put it on standby, when i am not using. so, had it for a couple yrs. standby has been $5 . now they are DOUBLING the price. right now its not the $. but they doubled.
$19.95 for my rod repair/replacement to Redington with USPS. Only thing was supposed to be delivered in 3 days but took 5 days from 98118 to 98110. I retired from USPS after 37 years, 13 years ago when delivery standard’s mattered to us as workers. We took pride in delivering all the mail at the Seattle Processing & Distribution Center.
Yard Sale
Life of the Party
Imagine what one day of Iran war costs could do for USPS efficiency for a full year....
FinLuver
Native Oregonian…1846
Fixed it for ya.
One could just about plug any political or non-political topic in there. And I can think of plenty to stir the pot with.
Walmart and Amazon race to win over rural America with speedier deliveries
Walmart and Amazon race to win over rural America with speedier deliveries
Walmart and Amazon are racing to speed up order deliveries in rural areas of the U.S. Small cities and towns are a rich source of untapped sales for whichever retailer builds a loyal base of online shoppers.
apnews.com
Wasn't always like that - even just a few years ago when I was at ECHO, UPS would be within a day for local-ish shipments, USPS 2 days. Both about the same price.
I use UPS a lot for shipping packages, and use USPS for shipping smaller stuff. Though USPS priority flat rate can really come in handy.
I do think we shouldn't underestimate the role USPS plays in making UPS and others truly good services though. Like I pointed out before: this era of private equity has really changed the way businesses operate and compete.