USPS Thumbs WAY down

[DeathCougar]

/rant on

April 11th, shipped a harmonic balancer to eastern Canada

Several weeks later, customer still had received nothing. Shipping showed it left the post office, and apparently disappeared. I called to make a claim, lady on the phone told me (incorrectly) I had to wait 30 days to make an international claim. My customer was waiting patiently this whole time, so I refunded him his money. At this point I am out roughly $100.

End of 30 days, I call and make a claim. Can't do it online, because its international. Each time I call I have to sit on hold 30+ minutes.

Call one week later after being told I would hear back in 24-48 hours. Lady then tells me the first one messed up and gave me the wrong type of claim. Its now been 5 weeks since I shipped this package.

She says I will hear back in 24-48 hours. Another week, nothing. I again call, and I am told it takes "several days" to investigate. Should hear back by end of week. Nothing.

Now has been 7 weeks since I shipped. Another 2 weeks go by while I "wait" for it to be investigated. called again today, 9 weeks (2 months+) and I sat on hold for 49 minutes, only to have the guy (who couldn't care less) tell me that the "Investigation" takes 60 days, and I just have to sit tight and wait.

Unbelievable. Could take 4 months from shipping time, and THEN I have to fill out more paperwork and wait even longer.

This pretty much ends my ever shipping to Canada ever again, unless the buyer is ready to eat the cost of the part when they lose it. I'm livid.

USPS, this is why you are BILLIONS in debt!!!

/rant off

 

[02SE]

''UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? It's the Post Office that's always having problems.''

—Barack Obama, attempting to make the case for government-run healthcare, while simultaneously undercutting his own argument, Portsmouth, N.H., Aug. 11, 2009

 

[RedSled]

The customer service sucks. :boink:

 

[DeathCougar]

The customer service is awful. Much like most industries, the people couldn't care less where your package is. They are just drones answering phone calls.

 

[Hyde802]

We ship Fedex Ground to Canada. Much better service.

 

[piccrazy30]

The only tracking you get on international packages is with first class. Otherwise its a gamble, so the buyer could say they didn't receive it, even though they did and you have no proof.

I'm guessing you insured it if you are filing a claim?

 

[MtnT4R]

Every time I order anything I insist on the business shipping UPS or Fedex. But thanks to SmartPost, about 1/3 of my orders get handed off to USPS, who holds my package at the post office with zero notification to my street box and gets returned. Infuriated doesn't even start to describe my feelings.

 

[Jumpkix]

A government service that sucks?

Who would have thought?

 

[nevada]

Every time I order anything I insist on the business shipping UPS or Fedex. But thanks to SmartPost, about 1/3 of my orders get handed off to USPS, who holds my package at the post office with zero notification to my street box and gets returned. Infuriated doesn't even start to describe my feelings.

that SmartPost crap is retarded. it generally takes 1-2 days LONGER to receive my package. it doesn't make sense why they would even think its a better way to do things. it has to be handled by more people, and it takes longer. dumb.

 

[DeathCougar]

It's insured. But that doesn't matter to USPS. They try to drag you out as long as possible so you will eventually cut your losses and drop it.

Not a chance Post office.

 

[-JD-]

PLEASE not UPS to Canada. They run their own "brokerage" for importing things and charge INSANE fees for importing. Often end up paying 50-100% of an items value in UPS "fees" on top of shipping costs. Absolutely ridiculous. I've started refusing packages from the US from UPS.

IME USPS is the best service for shipping to Canada. Followed by DHL then FedEx. Never had USPS, or Canada post on our side, lose anything.

 

[piccrazy30]

Do you sell on Ebay, Amazon?

 

[DeathCougar]

Do you sell on Ebay, Amazon?

I have sold on Ebay, never on Amazon

 

[piccrazy30]

I have sold on Ebay, never on Amazon

When we sold on ebay I only used the ship cover insurance. It's cheaper and they refund your money fast.

Just a word of advice, when selling international always send first class. Protect yourself from buyers that are scammers.

But back to the USPS, they suck.

 

[Mahalas]

This and the ridicules fees is why I never get anything shipped to Canada. I use a mail box 5 min south of the border.
I've had Fedex (I think it was fedex) ship one of my packages to England before. No joke England. Neither I nor the seller could believe it happened. He first asked me if I was sure there was no town around here named that, thinking it was his fault I insulted his geographical knowledge of B.C. and told him to look at google maps.
Few phone calls later turns out they do this shit all the time (or so they/or he said), and asked me to please be patient as there is nothing he could do.

 

[gaterose]

USPS has customer service? I'll be...

Last year I shipped a set of SAW coil springs to CA and they were lost at the destination post office. Huge red coil springs... lost... They wouldn't give me a phone number to the local office (in the CA destination town or here) until something like 2 weeks had passed, and the coils were obviously sent off to lost mail... Kept telling me they would probably be delivered and weren't lost so I didn't need to contact the office. Luckily they refunded me my $28 stamp price...lol. Needless to say I always get insurance now when I have to use USPS.

They also, on occasion, like to save energy by writing up packages as missed deliveries at the end of the day instead of getting out of the truck and knocking on my door. It wouldn't be AS bad if they left the notice the day of delivery, but instead they leave it the next day making my packages two days late instead of just one.

/rant

 

[DeathCougar]

USPS has customer service? I'll be...

Last year I shipped a set of SAW coil springs to CA and they were lost at the destination post office. Huge red coil springs... lost... They wouldn't give me a phone number to the local office (in the CA destination town or here) until something like 2 weeks had passed, and the coils were obviously sent off to lost mail... Kept telling me they would probably be delivered and weren't lost so I didn't need to contact the office. Luckily they refunded me my $28 stamp price...lol. Needless to say I always get insurance now when I have to use USPS.

They also, on occasion, like to save energy by writing up packages as missed deliveries at the end of the day instead of getting out of the truck and knocking on my door. It wouldn't be AS bad if they left the notice the day of delivery, but instead they leave it the next day making my packages two days late instead of just one.

/rant

I have had the EXACT same thing happen. Get home, no package or mail. Hour later, open the door to go outside and a label is taped on the frame next to the door. Now some might say maybe you didn't hear the knock/door bell. My couch is right next to the door, and I have 5 dogs. If someone so much as sneezes on that door, I know about it. Extremely irritating, especially since I live no where NEAR the post office. The people that have to "make a trip into town"? Yea, that's me.

 

[MtnT4R]

Ordered a present for my girlfriend with 2 DAY PRIORITY shipping, along with another item shipping regular ground. The one shipped regular ground arrived in 3 days at my front door. The present shipped 2 day priority didnt ship for 3 days(WTF) and I just got a notification that it was out for delivery but is going to be returned as undeliverable. Its a bracelet- how could that package not make it into the **** street box? This item was shipped from PA, all the way to within 30 feet of my front door and now its on its way back.

Dear USPS. we all hate you. so very much. :moon:

 

[Dous]

FedEx is the superior carrier for international shipments

USPS doesn't deal in international shipping, they are pretty much a broker in that respect. All of their international packages go in the belly of the Fedex or UPS planes.

 

[Brique]

Just wait till government healthcare rolls out. Your taxes will double, you'll have to wait 4-6 months for your cancer treatment to be approved, but at least it'll be "free".