The USPS

[Capocheny]

Since some of us Canadians receive our purchases from folks in the US through The United States Postal Service I thought I would share the following article:

http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/11_23/b4231060885070.htm

It's fascinating reading!

Cheers

[Bruce Barlow]

All I know is that the USPS is able to break about 25% of the CD books that I mail in stiff cardboard mailers designed for CDs and labeled "DO NOT BEND" in bright red letters on the front and back. It doesn't happen at my local PO (they like me, I think), but forget mailing to Arizona, western PA, or upstate NY...

I've even had them break DVDs that I mail in the black plastic DVD cases inside a bubble wrap envelope. Now that takes effort!

And to all who'd say: use sterner mailing stuff, I would ask if you subscribe to Netflix, who practices unprotected mailing... I'm sure they've done the math...

[Jim Jones]

Thanks for the link. I hope it is too pessimistic. I was a substitute rural mail carrier for several years, and have a high opinion of the people I worked with. They had a keen sense of service, and often went beyond the requirements of the job to deliver the mail. UPS and FedEx seem perfunctory, and sometimes careless, in comparison. We sometimes did wonder at the decisions of some at the top of the organization. Some of that may have been because of restrictions placed upon the USPS by congress.

[wfrascher]

We live in a very rural area (100+ miles from major city in any direction). I always try to insist on USPS first, FedEx second and UPS last resort. UPS carrier is a nice guy, but everything is always damaged. With USPS my "Do Not Bend" items never get bent. Our house is 1500' from the road and the USPS gal will open/close the gate place the package on the porch. Then open/close the gate to continue her route. Everyone else just toss the packages over the fence. Once when we were out driving Ann & Sugar when we met her 5 miles from home and she stopped to have me sign for a package. The dogs are always happy to see her & her doggy bones. :-)

William

[Helcio J Tagliolatto]

hehehehehehhehe
Very interesting!
I've been working for the Brazilian equivalent to USPS, ECT ( Brazilian Enterprise of Posts and Telegraphs) for 35 years. Every photo forum here complaint about the postal service, but everyone agree that deal with our representatives of UPS, DHL and Fedex are irritating, not to mention that the prices are much higher.

As said above by Mr. Jones, we also have many restrictions placed upon the ECT by congress.

[Brian Ellis]

I haven't read the article but I use USPS all the time, the local office is closer than UPS. I've never had the first problem with breakage, failure to deliver, or anything else. IMHO most problems that people have with breakage is caused by the seller not properly packaging the item. I've bought things here and on ebay and been amazed at the way some of the sellers just toss the item in a box, throw a little newspaper around it, and expect everything to arrive safely. The amazing thing is that it almost always does.

[D. Bryant]

I haven't read the article but I use USPS all the time, the local office is closer than UPS. I've never had the first problem with breakage, failure to deliver, or anything else. IMHO most problems that people have with breakage is caused by the seller not properly packaging the item. I've bought things here and on ebay and been amazed at the way some of the sellers just toss the item in a box, throw a little newspaper around it, and expect everything to arrive safely. The amazing thing is that it almost always does.

You should read the article Brian. It had nothing to do with damaged items by the USPS. I don't understand why the comments in this thread immediately took a left turn away from the central theme of the article.

Don Bryant

[Eric James]

I'd be in favor of quadrupling the cost of bulk mail. Bulk mail may be cut in half but revenue would double. Good for the environment, good for the USPS. I'd also be in favor of three-day-per-week residential delivery.

With regard to USPS service, in the past months I mailed out ~40 boxes of large format gear sold here on the forum. I was always greeted with friendly efficient service at my local post office and all packages arrived quickly and without complaints of damage. One buyer insisted on using UPS for his item - the shipment was twice the cost of USPS Priority mail and delivery took twice as long (no exaggeration on either account). At the UPS Store a receipt wasn't initially offered; when I asked for one I was first handed a disclaimer of sorts which suggested I couldn't hold the UPS Store accountable if my shipment disappeared.

[Jim Jones]

I'd be in favor of quadrupling the cost of bulk mail. Bulk mail may be cut in half but revenue would double. Good for the environment, good for the USPS. I'd also be in favor of three-day-per-week residential delivery. . . .

Certainly yes on increasing bulk mail cost. Also yes to increasing 1st class mail so it can pay its own way and still be a bargain. Those increases of pennies instead of nickles and dimes were one of the worst irritations of the USPS.

Three-day-per-week residential delivery would be a blow to us who have no other practical option for receiving daily newspapers. There are other advantages of daily USPS to rural areas. The rural mail carriers are by far the most conspicuous government officials around here. They are our vigilant guardians. They travel the route almost daily while law enforcement officials may pass by every year or two.