Decrease in USPS Quality of Service

Has anyone noticed that the USPS is taking longer and longer for everything these days? I used to recieve shipments from Europe in 10 days. Since the first of the year, mine and shipments for several other people I know of are taking a month. I don't know if this is due to a change in Customs procedures or some homeland security initiative, or what, but it never used to take anywhere near this long. Also, the tracking website is very poor recently, and it is not unusual for your package to be delivered before the site updates one time, past the event in which a package enters the system. It is completely unreliable and inconsistent. It seems as technology improves the service gets worse. I know there have been several rounds of consolidations system-wide to save money and compensate for lower volumes, but this should not interfere with the computer system updating as a package is scanned and processed at various points along its journey. Anyone else having similar experiences or knowledge of what's going on?

I have to agree, I have seen a sharp decrease in performance and reliability. I have a lot of "deliveries" that were never dropped off.

Yes, pretty much exactly what you just said. You are not alone.

Glad I'm not the only one. I have a few issues with them.

I sent a couple letters via 2-Day priority and it's been 9 days and still not delivered. It's stuck at the destination hub.

I sent out something I sold on eBay and they missed a scan at the origin PO and it never showed up as shipped in eBay so the buyer thinks I'm trying to screw him.

I also get the wrong mail delivered to my mailbox at my condo complex. It's not just me either, there is a huge pile of misdelivered mail in our vestibule that everyone contributes to and we have to dig through it to find our mail.

You can't beat the price for the flat rate priority but I do noticed a drop in service recently.

Over 40 years and thousands of packages without ever losing one, until last year. It just happened to be the most expensive package I had ever shipped in my life(four Surefire E2e's, an E2D, two E1e's and some miscellaneous parts, heads and clips. I had insured it, but learned the hard way that they must have your original receipt from when you purchased the light, and then they depreciate that amount-I received a check from the post office for $182.00. And here is the kicker-the Post Office admitted it was their mistake and they put the wrong zip code on the printed postage label.

Just last week my two day priority packaged just disappeared for three days, but thankfully it reappeared. But once again, a package that had a rare satin gray Surefire Teardrop light(how do they know to lose the rare and expensive lights?)...
On the whole losing two packages over 40 years is not a bad track record, but it is getting worse...



Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums

I didn't even mention anything about the local service in my OP. I don't have the energy to even start about that today! It seems that our usual carrier does ok, but a couple times a week we end up with a substitute. This revolving door of subs is awful, leaving mail at the wrong address, not getting out of the truck and walking up the driveway to attempt to get a signature and deliver registered mail, misdelivering packages, etc. etc. I have complained to our local branch supervisor and he always says he can't do anything to help me out when a package shows as delivered but never made it to our mailbox. He says its because of these people they are hiring today. It's really tough to expect much out of "these people" when management seems not to care. It really feels like a bother anytime you even try to speak with a supervisor.

I JUST had an Amazon package marked as Delivered from USPS... not delivered. Often, I've received my neighbors mail, and them mine. I've found random mail blown into my flowerbed. Last year I received mail addressed for someone 2 blocks away.. on a different street. They're becoming very untrustworthy. Not good.

If you get repetitive infractions like that in your local area, report it to your local Postmaster.

Someone got fired the last time I did that and a package miraculously re-appeared. Apparently someone decided they had better things to do than deliver their route.

You can also sign up to receive "test mail" to help hunt for yahoos delivering stuff to the garbage can.

Yes, same here. I've had Three Day Priority mail take seven days to arrive, correctly labeled packages delivered to neighbors and one package spend five days at a shipping hub. A couple of weeks ago I saw the postal carrier pull up in front of my house. I was expecting a package so I walked out to meet him. When I approached his truck I saw he had already started to write a notice of attempted delivery. He hadn't even gotten out of his truck. Surprise! Here I am. Wipe that egg of your face and gimme my package. These issues have all happened within the last four months. Before that, three days meant three days. I used to marvel at Priorty Mail......not any more. :shakehead

~ Chance

I've noticed a decline lately. I actually have a light that was shipped from Connecticut to me in Toronto that the USPS has sent to Singapore instead. No word on what has happened. I'm hoping it gets to me eventually.

In the last year I have seen an embarassing large number of priority and 1st class parcels with tracking take the 'scenic' route. Last month it was New York to Pittsburgh via San Juan PR. A couple months ago it was from St. Louis to Pittsburgh. The package simply disappeared for 10 days, and then showed up in Cleveland. About the same time, New YOrk to Pittsburgh via the upper pennisula of Michigan! Last week I had one disappear at Cleveland for almost a week.

I have also noticed a shart increase in the transit time for 1st class mail. 1stClass mail that used to be delivered in 2 or 3 days, now takes 5 or 6 days.

I just had a package sent first class mail arrive after three weeks. It was apparently lost in the snow in PA.

I have spent 15 hrs on phone trying to resolve a $400 "lost" light. Also, a label torn off another package making it undeliverable..a large hole punctured in a third box, light gone..and tire treads across another envelope. This was all in ONE week! I barely have energy to type this complaint, but thought I would share. I have stopped using USPS when given a choice.


Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums

Traditionally, I always had very good service from USPS, but in the last 2 months or so I had two odd occurrences. Hoping its a fluke and not a new trend. The price for First Class and Priority Flat Rate can't be beat.

I use to be the one that had zero problems with usps. They just lost all caps imho. With Netflix dvd, I used to get dvds in one day, and returns were received in one day. Now, for going on 6 weeks, there has been a slowdown that many with Netflix dvd service have experienced. What used to be one day service, is now 2-3 days. So you get 50-75 percent of the discs you used to get a week, and you pay the same.

Did Netflix and the USPS have a falling out?, .savethepostoffice.com/, August 16, 2013

First class mail delays take effect Monday, lansingstatejournal.com/, January 2, 2015

USPS Delays Scheduled Consolidations at Many Facilities, govexec.com/, January 5, 2015

Postal Service Network Rationalization Starting January 10th 2015, authorjwmetcalf.wordpress.com/, January 10, 2015

Phase 2 Network Rationalization, about.usps.com/

Very good info there. I still haven't seen any reason yet, though for the sudden 3-4 week delay on shipments coming in from other countries.

Chauncey Gardiner said:

A couple of weeks ago I saw the postal carrier pull up in front of my house. I was expecting a package so I walked out to meet him. When I approached his truck I saw he had already started to write a notice of attempted delivery. He hadn't even gotten out of his truck.

Click to expand...

I would have reported that guy so fast.... Once a Postmaster starts looking at someone like that, the derogatories start appearing.

I sent a priority to New Jersey and the letter carrier did not go in to the building and wrote an attempted delivery. He had no idea who he was messing with and the recipient reviewed security camera footage, proving that the guy didn't even come inside. The package temporarily vanished without tracking. Postmaster got on the case and package re-appeared.

I had a female postal person for years and had no issues at all. She was promoted to Postmaster for another zip code and she was gone.

The replacement guy was hit or miss. He moved to a post office across town and my delivery got much better. Recently read a news story that he was caught dumping mail into the woods along side of a road. They Postal investigation unit served a warrant on his home and found thousands of letters and packages. He received a 5 year sentence.
http://www.postal-reporter.com/blog...mployee-sentenced-stealing-20000-pieces-mail/

My only complaint now is that I'm the next to last home on the delivery route.

The package that had the five day shipping hub layover (according to online tracking) was an alarm clock I purchased online from Best Buy. They shipped it via UPS. However, I learned from my local UPS employee/driver they had handed it over to the local USPS for its final leg of the journey.

My UPS man also told me he has about 150 packages a day he deliveres to my local post office. Then they conduct the last leg of the delivery. He said someone at the post office told him NOT to deliver to them before noon. That way they don't have to deliver the packages until the next day.

I used to be amazed by the great service of Priority Mail. It hasn't taken postal employees long to diminish its level of quality.

~ Chance

Chauncey Gardiner said:

The package that had the five day shipping hub layover (according to online tracking) was an alarm clock I purchased online from Best Buy. They shipped it via UPS. However, I learned from my local UPS employee/driver they had handed it over to the local USPS for its final leg of the journey.

My UPS man also told me he has about 150 packages a day he deliveres to my local post office. Then they conduct the last leg of the delivery. He said someone at the post office told him NOT to deliver to them before noon. That way they don't have to deliver the packages until the next day.

I used to be amazed by the great service of Priority Mail. It hasn't taken postal employees long to diminish its level of quality.

~ Chance

Click to expand...

Yes. This is what I was told happened to my Amazon package in my post #7 above. Amazon informed me that UPS carried it to my local post office for final delivery. They dropped it off there sometime Mon. Monday was my scheduled delivery date. Tracking had it marked as delivered on Mon when I checked it that evening. I was here all day, no package. Tuesday is when I contacted Amazon. I waited till Wed, today, and it was delivered this morning.

It appears that this UPS hand-off to the post office is becoming the norm. Probably on just the smaller packages.

I will say though, I've had a few items lately delivered on Sunday by USPS. Those were Amazon orders placed on Friday. :thumbsup: