A Conversation with USPS Customer Service

[SenorDingDong]

So about a week ago, I ordered a rather expensive package. Unfortunately, being through eBay, the shipping was USPS.

I know they're a joke. I also expect them to be out of business in the next five years if they don't do a complete 180 as a company. Case in point, my mail person is a biker lady who I frequently see drunk and stumbling around the streets when not on the job. Classy, I know.

I called 1-800-ASK-USPS due to the fact that my tracking had not been updated. At all. Period. Tracking is literally blank. So I ask why. Now, USPS Customer Service has always been hit or miss for me; either I get some whining southern lady, or some overly aggressive apish "You're Wrong Because I'm Louder When I Talk" type of guy. So I prepared to deal with one of two annoying types. Instead I got an average woman.

She first tried to tell me the package had not been given to the USPS. I have bought many items from the buyer I made this purchase from; when they say something is shipped, it is shipped. They are stand up people. I tell her this. I also bring up that five previous packages I myself sent were not updated until delivered, only to tell they were delivered. So the woman then tells me that it is a courtesy, that the USPS does not have to update the tracking, and that they don't have to if they do not feel like it. Wrong or right, I tell her that that's nice, when I got to work, I do my work because if I don't, my ass gets canned. I don't get to say "I don't feel like doing my entire job, so I'll just do half of it, and screw the people who depend on me doing it proper."

She tells me I'm wrong. How that statement could have warranted a "You're wrong," since it was my personal life I was talking about, and my own job, I have not the slightest clue.

Terrible policies such as this, the "We are giving you a courtesy and by no means are you entitled to receiving a full, proper service from us" make it easy for me to wish a slow, drawn-out death for the company.

Anyway, anyone else heard similarly ridiculous reasoning for USPS's inherit laziness with shipping?

 

[tacotiklah]

Nope, but last night I kinda pissed at UPS. I needed my tires before dark since I have to put them on myself. Nope. UPS waited until 7:30pm Pacific time to deliver. Well passed when it got dark. So I had to change my fucking tires in the dark. Thank god my cousin's uncle from her mom's side had a halogen lamp so that I had something that resembles light. But their need to wait to deliver at the last freakin' possible second rather irked me.

Thankfully I'm not having that problem with FedEx. In fact, my new skate shoes weren't originally scheduled for delivery until tomorrow, but they're on vehicle and gonna be delivered by 4:30 today according to the tracking. I wanted to give UPS some support for their recent decision to stop funding BSA for their bigotry, but their service is pretty terrible. I'm gonna have to opt for FedEx from now on.

Edit:
To answer a question someone asked me, the answer is an emphatic no. The reason is because I do not look away from people's bullshit because it might make you uncomfortable or hurt your eardrums. Honestly, I couldn't give a shit about your feelings because they pale in comparison to the crap good people (who have done nothing but try to be a part of their communities and think of other people) have to go through in the name of "traditional family values". And I call the shit as I see it:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news...2-07-29/Boy-Scouts-anti-gay-policy/56579714/1

 

[snowblind56]

In the past two months, I've sent packages Priority Mail, one from WI to SC that took 11 days and one to AZ that took 7 or 8 days. The biggest thing that pisses me off is that I am paying a premium for "Priority" shipping, not Parcel Post time. You try calling them and they have the cop out excuse that the 2-3 days is an "estimate" not a guarantee.

 

[Furtive Glance]

I like them for when I buy things from the U.S. because they don't charge those ridiculous brokerage fees FedEx and UPS have. I've never had any problems, but the OP's situation would rile me up for sure.

 

[beneharris]

and one to AZ that took 7 or 8 days.

I remember that one

Oddly enough, I have only ever had one problem with USPS. I bought some parts for my warmoth build, and the packages were marked as delivered, but obviously pilfered somewhere along. Two separate packages from two separate companies that were scheduled for delivery at the same time got mysteriously "swiped" out of my locked mailbox.

When I got on the phone with customer service they told me that they weren't going to help me out, despite the insured status of the packages because something could have happened to it due to somebody stealing it, or the mail delivery person putting it in the wrong box. She actually said that they wouldn't help even though it was very possible that the delivery person delivered it to the wrong box. Blows me away.

While I hate to say I want them to go out of business, because there are a lot of hard working people there, they are next to useless right now.

 

[JPhoenix19]

USPS will never go away.

I really only use them for international, otherwise I use UPS because it's easier and I've had good experiences with them.

 

[tacotiklah]

USPS hasn't given me crap yet. They've yet to ever deliver early, but it's never been late like UPS. FedEx has about 50/50 chance of getting it to me earlier than scheduled, so obviously I love them as a carrier.

 

[AxeHappy]

I haven't had a problem with USPS yet, other then deliveries taking a while, but that makes sense being international and all. I actually find them better than Canada Post. Of course that's not saying much...

I've grown to prefer them to UPS/Fed Ex for the lack of those aforementioned ridiculous brokerage fees. But when I really want something quick...

 

[Nonservium]

I had quite a few go arounds with them this summer. They showed that they delivered a tremel-no I had ordered from FloydUpgrades and a set of replacement screws from IbanezRules. Never got or saw any of it. There was insurance on one of the packages but since their system showed delivered I got jack shit done about it. Adam at FR was cool enough to help me out but the dude at IR, not so much. Wouldn't even ship to my office while I sorted the bullshit out. Fuck the USPS. When I went in to talk to them it was nothing but the slack jawed yokals you'd expect. 110% derptivity in that building.

 

[SirMyghin]

I like them for when I buy things from the U.S. because they don't charge those ridiculous brokerage fees FedEx and UPS have. I've never had any problems, but the OP's situation would rile me up for sure.

This, the next most reasonable is FedEX who charges 40$! brokerage... They also charge the duty later with a 5% holding surcharge (on the duty/taxes, whores). UPS is the worst though, brokerage scales with... Item cost. Not size, cost. 200$ Item has 60$ brokerage, 40$ Item has 20$ brokerage, etc.

Long live USPS

 

[flint757]

I had quite a few go arounds with them this summer. They showed that they delivered a tremel-no I had ordered from FloydUpgrades and a set of replacement screws from IbanezRules. Never got or saw any of it. There was insurance on one of the packages but since their system showed delivered I got jack shit done about it. Adam at FR was cool enough to help me out but the dude at IR, not so much. Wouldn't even ship to my office while I sorted the bullshit out. Fuck the USPS. When I went in to talk to them it was nothing but the slack jawed yokals you'd expect. 110% derptivity in that building.

Adam is one of the coolest dudes on the planet. Incredibly trustworthy and surprisingly trusts his customers just as much.

I've never had any issue with USPS, sounds like the problems people have are with their local USPS, that is probably where shit ends up missing too, honestly. At my old address I had some netflix's jacked, but it was a huge scandal and lots of people got canned.

At this point I either pick the more convenient or the cheapest which ends up being UPS 9/10.

 

[Azathoth43]

Never really had a problem with USPS. FedEx lost a package worth 1000$ once. They told me I had to prove the value before they would pay the insurance. So the guy sent them a scanned copy of the cashiers check. The said that wasn't good enough.

And it is called Delivery Comformation, not tracking number (even though that is what eBay calls it).

 

[SirMyghin]

And it is called Delivery Comformation, not tracking number (even though that is what eBay calls it).

IIRC only actual express parcels get full blown tracking from USPS, the rest get what you described.

 

[Furtive Glance]

This, the next most reasonable is FedEX who charges 40$! brokerage... They also charge the duty later with a 5% holding surcharge (on the duty/taxes, whores). UPS is the worst though, brokerage scales with... Item cost. Not size, cost. 200$ Item has 60$ brokerage, 40$ Item has 20$ brokerage, etc.

Long live USPS

You're telling me. I bought a Mesa head from Ohio in high school. Bye bye hundreds of dollars I saved on the listing in the first place *sniff

 

[SenorDingDong]

IIRC only actual express parcels get full blown tracking from USPS, the rest get what you described.

My package is express



With me, I've never had a single issue with UPS or FedEx. I shop on Amazon a lot, and have Prime membership. Both come at reasonable hours, and will put the packages on my back steps for me. USPS, no matter where it has come from, has always given me trouble. I've had multiple packages lost this year alone, and over the past few years can count my losses in the 10s. USPS always has that, "Whoops, oh well, that's how we do things" attitude when I call about any issue, including lost packages.


And as far as them not going out of business--I'd be surprised if they didn't. 15.9 billion dollars in losses over a single year is no joke. Any other company would be in the gutter.

 

[Webmaestro]

Remember: the USPS isn't a company... it's the government. So, "Customer service" doesn't really apply, and they basically do whatever the hell they want.

It's the same level of "customer service" you get when dealing with the IRS.

 

[Razzy]

Thankfully I'm not having that problem with FedEx. In fact, my new skate shoes weren't originally scheduled for delivery until tomorrow, but they're on vehicle and gonna be delivered by 4:30 today according to the tracking. I wanted to give UPS some support for their recent decision to stop funding BSA for their bigotry, but their service is pretty terrible. I'm gonna have to opt for FedEx from now on.

To be fair, FedEx has different trucks for different types of delivery. (Homes/Businesses/Overnights,)

UPS has all the packages on the same truck and businesses get priority, which is why they'll deliver later in the day/evening to your house.

(This is also why I have stuff shipped to my office, muahahaha.)

 

[flint757]

Remember: the USPS isn't a company... it's the government. So, "Customer service" doesn't really apply, and they basically do whatever the hell they want.

It's the same level of "customer service" you get when dealing with the IRS.

It isn't actually.

It is a company that is heavily funded by the government, slight difference. In any case it is the caliber of people they hire that seems to be the problem. Luckily I've rarely to never had a problem with USPS. UPS has delivered shit to my neighbors house on at least 3 occasion's too so none of these service seem to do a bang up job 100% of the time.

 

[Nonservium]

The caliber of people is definitely the issue. It literally felt like I was in Idiocracy when my incident went down this summer.

Welcome to Costco...I luh yew

 

[kevdes93]

my last guitar was shipped to me from idaho via usps. made it to the east coast fine, went to maryland on its way up to MA, then it went BACK 5 HOURS and it wound up in south carolina for 3 fucking days... finally made it to my house 2 weeks later...

i ordered a new guitar last friday and paid extra for 2 day delivery. i know about business days so i figured itd be here for tuesday. its ETA on the website? NEXT MONDAY.

AHHHHHHHHHH