USPS again

[greg_in_canada]

Add 50 cents or a dollar to USPS customers shipping charge to cover the few that get lost. Then the people picking the risky shipping are paying "insurance" for you to cover them should the package get lost.

Greg

 

[paulr]

Registered mail is quite expensive and I think it may slow down delivery. It is intended for highly valuable items like diamonds, or irreplaceable items. For something like an Arc AAA (even though it's a nice light), registered mail is way overkill.

 

[Timmee]

Registered mail is quite expensive and I think it may slow down delivery. It is intended for highly valuable items like diamonds, or irreplaceable items. For something like an Arc AAA (even though it's a nice light), registered mail is way overkill.

For an Arc AAA, it would cost an extra $10.80 to send it registered. So you're right in this instance, but for items worth $100+, registered delivery might be a viable option.

 

[Unforgiven]

But with the added cost of the registered mail you are back up to the price of the FedEx 2nd day price range (to my zip) and defeat the purpose of the lower cost USPS shipping.

 

[paulr]

For an Arc AAA, it would cost an extra $10.80 to send it registered. So you're right in this instance, but for items worth $100+, registered delivery might be a viable option.

The Arc AAA is a wonderful light but let's face it, it is a commodity item in the sense that Arc can always make more of them at a predictable cost if some go astray. The cheapest way to ship them is regular USPS. The cost to self-insure against loss is the loss rate (let's say 1% but it's probably lower) times the cost of the item. By that calculation, absolutely reliable shipping for a $100 item is worth only $1.00 more than regular USPS shipping. I think the best approach for Arc is to make its default shipping process USPS with delivery confirmation for small orders. If no delivery occurs within 2 weeks, send out another light by fedex. Set aside 50 cents from the cost of each light to cover these occasional replacements. For larger orders ($200+, say) it may be worth using fedex by default. I'd get rid of the multiple choice shipping options except for customers with special requirements, and I'd build the shipping costs into the cost of the lights (i.e. include "free" shipping) like 4sevens and some other retailers do. Generally, try to minimize the amount of hassle and dilemmas imposed on the customer, by spreading costs around as necessary to make things simple and easy. But that's just me.

 

[cernobila]

For what its worth, in my case I choose to have my orders sent from US to AU by Global Priority Mail......many thousands of $ over many years, haven't missed a beat.

 

[colubrid]

Why doesn't ARC just add insurance to the cost of usps since they have so many lost orders?


I went onto the ARC website and had to look REAL hard to find the disclaimer on the order page which was in real small fine print.

 

[Blue72]

Why doesn't ARC just add insurance to the cost of usps since they have so many lost orders?

Have you ever filed an Insurance claim. The USPS rejects most claims and the few that do get approved take a very long time for your money to come back.

Doesn't fedex have a new super saver rate.

 

[MKLight]

update: I got an email from the dad and he said the package came in later. So, it sounds like everything is resolved.

peter

The story is awful, but at least the father stepped in. Hopefully he apologized for his son. BTW, what was the time frame of his order to his assumption of the light being lost? Sounds like the father knew what his son was up to...

 

[deusexaethera]

Really, I don't think ideological stubbornness about USPS reliability is that useful to a flashlight business. I dunno how many packages USPS actually loses, but I'd be amazed if it was more than 1%. So if a package got lost (no delivery confirmation) and you simply sent out another one and ate the cost, even counting it at full retail value that would add 50 cents or so to the cost of an AAA-GS. Since the cost differential between USPS and Fedex is much more than 50 cents, it's better to just build the lost package cost into the retail price and replace a package once in a while, rather than ask the customer to pay several dollars extra for Fedex shipping that can't be 100% reliable either. I'd make USPS the default way to ship.

1% of a few million packages is a few tens of thousands of packages. Their loss rate had better be WAY below that.

And anyway, why use a shipping carrier that has caused numerous problems in the past? They'll all lose packages eventually, but at least UPS and FedEx have tracking systems that let people know when and where a package went missing. Maybe in Mr. Gransee's case, they get lost at his local post office; maybe it's not "the system", but the entry point into "the system", that causes the problems. In that case, there's no sense bothering with them anymore.

 

[Codeman]

The most secure way to ship via USPS is with Registered Mail. A legal chain of custody is maintained from pickup to delivery. In the event that such a package is lost, USPS is able to identify the individual who last signed for custody of the package and take action if necessary. Registered Mail is kept under lock and key by each employee who signs for custody. The cost is dependent on the value of what is being shipped, but it does include insurance.

FedEx has a signature release card on file for me at their local office, so my recent Arc order was left for me at my home. But, in general, shippers can request an in person signature. The release doesn't apply for those, requiring a 90 mi round trip for me to pick them up (don't ask why, it's a long story). In those cases, USPS Registered is my preferred method.

 

[savumaki]

I have always insisted on USPS for items mailed to Canada since their system seems to feed into our mail system seamlessly; it will still go thru our customs but if the value is not too high it will likely sail thru with no problem.
Items that are + $50 will probably be picked off and have duty and tax added per the declared value.

If an item comes via courier such as UPS it will go thru their broker to clear customs and the cost can (read WILL) be substantial. Items that are -$50 end up costing double.

I have never lost an item sent USPS over five years.

 

[DaveN007]

My Titanium order was supposedly shipped via Fedex 2nd day...received a tracking number from ARC, but Fedex says that a label was printed and no package actually shipped.

Am I now I get no response regarding my order. Is ARC now having issues with Fedex as well as USPS?

A response to my Paypal resolution request would be nice. I'd really like a flashlight, by a refund would suffice at this point.

I wish this wasn't my first post here, but I am at my wits end here, guys.

 

[paulr]

DaveN007, Peter hasn't logged on in a little while (he may be out of town or something), but your best bet is probably to call Arc's office, 602-269-6950 (number from their web site). Hopefully this will get sorted out straightforwardly.

 

[Gransee]

Hello Dave,

Did you get your order yet?

peter