K5GU wrote:After lots of trouble getting mail and packages delivered by the USPS, unresolved by filing formal complaints, personal visits with the "postmaster" at two offices, I swore off using USPS when ordering online.
But guess what? Unless you order a bulky or heavy item, there's a very good chance that even though you request FedEx or UPS, it will be coming to you from, guess who? The USPS!
There's a thing called SmartPost. An agreement between FedEx and USPS whereby FedEx will send the package through the USPS. I think UPS has similar agreements, not sure, but I've observed Big Brown bringing pallets of packages into my USPS for shipping out. I received an email from FedEx last Friday saying my package from Char-Broil was delivered to my address. Not! No package. It finally showed up two days later, delivered by guess who? USPS. Even had a USPS shipping label on it. So my attempts at avoiding a bad carrier didn't work. When I called FedEx about it, they said there's nothing they can do, it's the merchant that determines who the carrier will be. She said merchants save money that way. I don't understand the logic of 'two' carriers handling the package..how that saves money?
Yup. That's why I mentioned in my above about requiring Amazon to stop using USPS for anything that can otherwise be sent UPS or FedEx. They DON'T LIKE you knowing that you have that option, and you have to communicate directly with them either by phone or chat to request that. But what I did was EACH and every single time that a package wasn't delivered when it was supposed to be, I got on chat and complained. And as USPS was the only carrier missing delivery deadlines, I made a point of each time that they did when I complained I insisted that Amazon compensate me. Now, the neato thing about that is that I have Amazon Prime. So I've already "paid" for that guaranteed delivery date/time-frame. So when they missed that deadline I simply insisted that they credited my Prime membership....to the point where eventually I had nearly a full year of additional Prime. That's what made it easy for them to agree to opt me out of USPS. They don't tell you that you can, and it is nowhere in writing that you can. But I'm telling you, you can because I did it. That of course is just Amazon. But anytime I order something from anyone I try to force using anything but USPS.