Can the USPS get any worse?

[LDB415]

Have a small envelope style package coming to Vernon, Tx maybe. Left Oklahoma City 3 hrs away and showed up in Miramar, CA. Left there and next stop was Phoenix, AZ. Left there and where it shows up next is anyones guess.

Boise, Idaho!

Off topic, my dad's widow has family in Vernon and talks about a great place to eat up there.

[jmorris]

Yeah, few years back I placed a small order, USPS tracking said it had arrived but hadn't. I waited two days because it wasn't unusual at our community mailbox for packages to show up 1-2 days after*. Still no package so filed complaint and notified the seller. He decided to reship since it was a small amount and the package arrived about a week later. Couple days later the original package showed up looking like it'd been run over by a cart a couple times.

*I am convinced that PO marked packages delivered when they arrived.

[chamberc]

USPS needs to go private, it's a waste of money.

Have to change the constitution to make that happen.

[puma guy]

I didn't mention it in my OP, but a few months ago I received notification a package had arrived. I was on the road and when I got home there was no package. I looked at my ring camera history at the signified time stamp I had received and and saw the carrier (not my normal carrier) delivered it. Started looking to see if someone stole it and sure enough about 30 minutes later someone came and picked it up. It was the mail carrier that had delivered it. I went to the post office and told them and was told they would look into it when the carrier came in. Checked to see if it showed up again on Informed delivery, but it didn't. Back to the post office and they said it was delivered, but I am sure they just looked at the tracking. I decided to wait a couple of days before informing Ebay and PayPal. Wah! Lah! I saw it was delivered by my regular carrier. No idea what was in the first carrier's mind when he took it. The new delivery was not updated on tracking. So the USPS can say it was delivered and nothing happened to it after that. Sort of like Obama's directive to schools to not report crimes in order to receive extra funding. Government credo is now "Let's lie to say all is well, nothing to see here!"

BTW I saw a news report that the post office says the problem is the way mail is being processed. Sheesh! The agency's excuse identifies them as the problem as though we should all accept ineptitude.

[C-dub]

We get stuff delivered to us all the time that isn’t ours.
1. Same street number, but different street.
2. Same street, but different number.
3. Different street and different number.
4. Not even similar names.

Amazon is usually much better, but even they will drop something off at a neighbor’s house occasionally. The funniest and most frustrating time with them was one time was leaving the house just as a delivery was arriving. Three different packages. Two scanned just fine, but the third one would not scan for the driver to be able to “deliver” it in the system. Address is correct and my name is on it, but he couldn’t just hand it to me and had to take it back. It took two more days for them to figure out what to do and re-deliver it to me.

[Rafe]

We get stuff delivered to us all the time that isn’t ours.
1. Same street number, but different street.
2. Same street, but different number.
3. Different street and different number.
4. Not even similar names.

Yep. In greater Houston, there are four streets named the same as mine, except I'm a "drive" and the others are "avenue," "lane," and "court." The same number as my house on the "court" version is the gas station at a Sam's Club in west Houston. Even though it's a different zip code, they get some of my mail at least every two months.

Last week I got two letters addressed to someone of evidently Indian or Pakistani descent: same zip code, but entirely different numbers and street names.

The whole mess has seemed to get worse year over year.

[Flightmare]

USPS needs to go private, it's a waste of money.

Have to change the constitution to make that happen.

Article 1, Section 8 authorizes congress "To establish Post Offices and post Roads;", but does not mandate that they do.
Similarly, the same section authorizes congress "To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;". Although the way they are spending, you would think they feel mandated to do so.

[philip964]

Hmm, got a bill today. It was already a day overdue. Looked when it was mailed, January 1, so 24 days to deliver a first class letter.

I kinda noticed I'm only getting mail every other day. Interesting development.

Congressman now involved.

https://www.kbtx.com/2024/01/22/texas-c ... ng-delays/

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local ... 6fd3b4e5a4

Won't be long before She Jack realizes she can get some air time.

Worried may affect primary in March.

[Grayling813]

Hmm, got a bill today. It was already a day overdue. Looked when it was mailed, January 1, so 24 days to deliver a first class letter.

I kinda noticed I'm only getting mail every other day. Interesting development.

Congressman now involved.

https://www.kbtx.com/2024/01/22/texas-c ... ng-delays/

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local ... 6fd3b4e5a4

Won't be long before She Jack realizes she can get some air time.

Worried may affect primary in March.

Agreed. I expect mail to be delivered about 3 times a week.
I’m signed up for “USPS Informed Delivery.” Lately I’ve gotten the email saying mail was being delivered that day, but it didn’t actually get delivered until the next day or day after that.

[LDB415]

During college I took the exam for the post office. Part A was take 5 minutes to study a grid of 5 boxes each containing a mix of 5 names or addresses. Then turn the page and for each given entry mark which box it was in, A-E. Part B was compare information given and mark which item is different, A-D or E all the same. Differences were very subtle with a single number or letter change or perhaps all Rd except one Dr. Small college town so I knew the postmaster. I took my score and asked her about it as I wasn't sure if it was percentage, number correct or what. I had a 97. She looks and says "I didn't know you were a veteran.". I said I wasn't and she said veterans get 15 points added. I was foolish and put down I wanted to work as a clerk in our small office rather than take an opening in Houston to get started. My score expired before I was called. Anyway, it was interesting and could have been a good career if I'd been smarter at the time.

[LDB415]

Hmm, got a bill today. It was already a day overdue. Looked when it was mailed, January 1, so 24 days to deliver a first class letter.

I kinda noticed I'm only getting mail every other day. Interesting development.

Congressman now involved.

https://www.kbtx.com/2024/01/22/texas-c ... ng-delays/

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local ... 6fd3b4e5a4

Won't be long before She Jack realizes she can get some air time.

Worried may affect primary in March.

Don't worry. They'll be sure to get all the democrat mail ballots delivered promptly.

[puma guy]

We get stuff delivered to us all the time that isn’t ours.
1. Same street number, but different street.
2. Same street, but different number.
3. Different street and different number.
4. Not even similar names.

Amazon is usually much better, but even they will drop something off at a neighbor’s house occasionally. The funniest and most frustrating time with them was one time was leaving the house just as a delivery was arriving. Three different packages. Two scanned just fine, but the third one would not scan for the driver to be able to “deliver” it in the system. Address is correct and my name is on it, but he couldn’t just hand it to me and had to take it back. It took two more days for them to figure out what to do and re-deliver it to me.

I get items from blocks away. On the other hand I have a next door neighbor who I know for certain has received my mail and packages without returning them to me. The strangest part is their son, apparently inadvertently, put my address on two online vendors and I get his items all the time and return them. I have asked him to correct it, but so far it keeps happening. I try to be a good neighbor and always take mail to the proper owner no matter how far away. I'm too old to go to work for the USPS, though!

[Sidro]

Have a small envelope style package coming to Vernon, Tx maybe. Left Oklahoma City 3 hrs away and showed up in Mira Loma, CA. Left there and next stop was Phoenix, AZ. Left there and where it shows up next is anyones guess.

From Phoenix it traveled to Dallas and as of this morning it is now in OKC again. Our mail comes out of the Fort Worth hub so it still has some traveling before it gets to me. If it ever gets here that is.

[Rafe]

Have a small envelope style package coming to Vernon, Tx maybe. Left Oklahoma City 3 hrs away and showed up in Mira Loma, CA. Left there and next stop was Phoenix, AZ. Left there and where it shows up next is anyones guess.

From Phoenix it traveled to Dallas and as of this morning it is now in OKC again. Our mail comes out of the Fort Worth hub so it still has some traveling before it gets to me. If it ever gets here that is.

Logistics planning and efficiency at it's very finest.

[Ruark]

Last month, we were DESPERATELY waiting for a very important package that was several days late. Finally the online tracking said "DELIVERED: INDIVIDUAL PICKED UP PARCEL AT POST OFFICE." Whaaaaattttt? Who the heck picked up our package?????!!! My wife was hysterical. I went down there and the package was sitting on the shelf, waiting to be delivered.

We have those "community" mailboxes, very common in semi-rural subdivisions. They are constantly leaving our mail with somebody else, putting a package in the parcel locker but not leaving us the key, or leaving the key with the wrong person, or leaving us a key to somebody else's parcel, or leaving the key to the wrong locker, etc. etc. It never ends.