USPS issues

[kortik]

I've noticed that in the past couple of weeks, USPS slowed down a lot. USPS tracking and actual deliveries, say, by Priority Mail, were delayed by 3-4 days. I have 3 packages, sent by Priority Mail on May 19th, which are still not delivered (10 days!).

Just curious if anybody else had similar observations?

So, starting from May 25th, we switched to UPS, except for P.O.Box addresses, AK and HI, and certainly do not ship to any address outside the U.S. zip code areas. UPS is more expensive for small packages, but USPS currently fails so bad, we have no choice at this moment but to stop using them.

Boris
Borka Tools

 

[stello1001]

I've had this observation since China Virus

 

[missed]

Yep completely F'ed. I have parts I really needed that have been hung up in customs for no frigging reason for 3 weeks now.

 

[Alan Warner]

Yep completely F'ed. I have parts I really needed that have been hung up in customs for no frigging reason for 3 weeks now.

Ditto from the north east also.

 

[Tazman]

I can verify this exact issue today. Been waiting on a Midway order since the 10th and it was in Indianapolis over a week ago and last night was back in Minnesota. As of this morning it was back in Indianapolis. It has been this way with my last two order and I contacted Midway to ask them to ship direct with Fed Ex or some other way but they were less than helpful and told me it's not their problem!!Lol

 

[tnichols]

A fair amount of freight is/was carried by the airlines. With the number of domestic flights being way down, it has slowed the “system” considerably.

 

[twitcher]

I have a package now shipped USPS from Marietta Ga. It went to Atlanta and stayed there for a couple days then went to Gainesville Ga which is almost 60 miles northeast of Atlanta in the wrong direction. Now it has back tracked to Atlanta. Who knows where it's next adventure will lead it. Had this happen once before with some meds from the VA mailed from Murfreesboro that went to Chattanooga then South Carolina then back to Chattanooga before finally heading in the right direction. All you can do is sit back and watch the show.

 

[Nik H]

I've noticed that in the past couple of weeks, USPS slowed down a lot. USPS tracking and actual deliveries, say, by Priority Mail, were delayed by 3-4 days. I have 3 packages, sent by Priority Mail on May 19th, which are still not delivered (10 days!) and all of them were shipped to Nevada addresses.

Just curious if anybody else had similar observations?

So, starting from May 25th, we switched to UPS, except for P.O.Box addresses, AK and HI, and certainly do not ship to any address outside the U.S. zip code areas. UPS is more expensive for small packages, but USPS currently fails so bad, we have no choice at this moment but to stop using them.

Boris
Borka Tools

They lost three of my packages in the last 3 weeks. They found one in the PO in some corner. They believe that they mis-delivered the 2nd one and are in the process of recovering. The third one is gone and I am in the process of trying to get the insurance from them. Thankfully it was only $30.

Packages are 2-3 days late on average

 

[E. Bryant]

A fair amount of freight is/was carried by the airlines. With the number of domestic flights being way down, it has slowed the “system” considerably.

This.

I recently ordered a scope mount from a vendor in Texas. It got sent via Priority Mail to a USPS facility in Fort Myers FL, hung out there for the better part of two days, went up to Tampa and bounced around two facilities there, and then finally found its way north to Michigan. Total transit time was about 12 days.

 

[Alpine 338]

Took 3-weeks to receive a 3-day priority mail envelope, NH to CO.

UPS isn't fairing much better. Shipped a barrel, and they mistakingly put it on a truck heading to a Target Dist Center. Once on that truck they lost track, and that was almost 2-weeks ago.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

They're all slammed with parcels right now because of everyone sitting at home ordering stuff with their tax returns and Trump checks. Mail is down significantly because of the businesses shut down (junk mail is USPS primary business and it's way down). USPS parcel trucks that usually arrive at the destination facility from the main hub early in the mornings aren't getting there until noon sometimes which pushes delivery back a day.

I've been noticing that over the last month priority mail has been estimating (via tracking on the site) delivery 1-2 days longer than it typically takes, but most of it is still arriving in 3-4 days total so an average of only 0-1 day delay. They're doing a great job all things considered IMO. Of all the carriers we have the least problems with them regarding package loss and late deliveries, and we ship A LOT of packages. Our biggest issue with them comes from the random lazy carrier that doesn't want to go up to the door for a signature required package and marks it nobody available to sign when people are indeed there, many times even businesses since most of our business is commercial. We have had a increase in late deliveries, but it's still a very small percentage. I'd estimate 95% are still getting there on time and the ones that are late are a day or two at most.

You've gotta give them a little slack, this whole free second day or next day and even same day delivery in some areas has made for a very impatient society when it comes to receiving goods.

Now Fedex smartpost in another story. We don't ship with fedex at all because of carrier delays, especially in rural areas because of their shitty contractors they use, but smart post which is typically slow is even slower. They transport it ground and then bring it to you local USPS hub for final delivery by your normal carrier. I've received 3 packages now which came down the east coast from a very commercial area of NH to a very commercial area of FL and the first took 15 business days and the other two took 13 business days. The same transit via their ground service would be second business day delivery. Not USPS's fault as they delivered them the same or next day after receiving it. If I didn't know any better I'd they they give it to a crack head on a bike and tell them to get to gettin.

 

[One1Bravo]

I've noticed that in the past couple of weeks, USPS slowed down a lot. USPS tracking and actual deliveries, say, by Priority Mail, were delayed by 3-4 days. I have 3 packages, sent by Priority Mail on May 19th, which are still not delivered (10 days!) and all of them were shipped to Nevada addresses.

Just curious if anybody else had similar observations?

So, starting from May 25th, we switched to UPS, except for P.O.Box addresses, AK and HI, and certainly do not ship to any address outside the U.S. zip code areas. UPS is more expensive for small packages, but USPS currently fails so bad, we have no choice at this moment but to stop using them.

Boris
Borka Tools

It says right on the USPS website that the only guaranteed shipping time they will honor right now is Priority Express. Everything else will get there when it gets there.

 

[cattleman99]

They’ve been slow for us too. Priority packages are taking weeks to get to customers, and incoming packages seem to take ages now. It’s unfortunate

 

[wade2big]

All my recent packages sent through USPS go through the Houston hub. All were delayed. One was sent to a member in Houston via priority mail and it took 7 days to get there. I live about an hour away.

UPS is taking a while as well. Average 7 days to anywhere.

 

[rjacobs]

A fair amount of freight is/was carried by the airlines. With the number of domestic flights being way down, it has slowed the “system” considerably.

Not USPS...

FedEx has had the USPS contract for a while.

The domestic passenger airlines, as far as I know, do not have the USPS contract right now.

 

[broncoaz]

Yep, everything is slow and the number of lost packages is up for me lately both USPS and UPS.

 

[300Norma1959]

Lots of short staffing happening along the entire process.

 

[Keel Haul]

Still waiting on my form 4 to get to my dealer as of the 12th...

As for the airlines and flights, we were running freight only charters, mostly for Amazon, back in April but as of about two weeks ago there has been a huge uptick in passengers and while we cut back on the amount of flights we used to do in a day, we haven’t been canceling any lately either. Still doing lots of freight today and some of the bigger cities like Phoenix, Nashville, and most cities in Texas and Florida are up there too, with totals near or above 100 people. We haven’t carried mail since like 06/07 so I can’t comment on that but we’re definitely getting people and freight in and out regularly.

 

[Redmanss]

A lot of it moves by rail when it’s going cross country, and rail traffic is way down as other shipments of goods has decreased dramatically. Intermodal trains don’t roll out until they’re a complete set, and if there’s not enough cars to build that set, they don’t leave until there are.

Cheap, fast, or quality, pick only two.

 

[stello1001]

They're all slammed with parcels right now because of everyone sitting at home ordering stuff with their tax returns and Trump checks.

Still???

I got both my tax return and Trump check way too long ago, that money is long gone lol...

 

[Sgt47]

Not to worry, USPS will soon get their annual bailout and all will be right with the world.

 

[kortik]

A bit of latest statistics:

Between May 19th and May 22nd, a total of 23 packages were shipped by Priority Mail. As of May 30th, 22 packages were delivered, with 2 of them delivered today, May 30th. (11 days for delivery). One package (shipped May 19th to NV) is still not delivered and is reported to be in SC (?). None of the packages were delivered in 2- 3 days, which used to be a case before COVID. Tracking for all packages was delayed 2-4 days.

 

[pucker]

yep, worse than normal.... and that’s saying something.

Overwhelmed??... Wonder how much tele-work they’re doing under the guise of, you know, “safety”. Everybody blames the rona.... even though they’re gov workers and still collecting paychecks.

 

[Penguins]

It has been happening since the Wuhan Virus started, They have been doing their very best IMHO.

 

[LongRange65]

Ordered a mini Mr Bullet feeder. Shipped on April 29th and still have not received it! It was sent priority.

 

[Penguins]

Ordered a mini Mr Bullet feeder. Shipped on April 29th and still have not received it! It was sent priority.

I get it, waiting can be very scary. USPS misplaced two of my mail last year December, both very important mails containing checks. I never got them back as i ask the sender to have them cancel and send me another one.
What do it say on the tracking# when you track it on their website ? And try calling/visit your local post office they will help located your mail or inform you if it lost.

 

[LongRange65]

Tracking # says moving within the system in transit to the next destination. Has said the same thing since May 14th. I talked to post office and they weren't much help.

 

[Penguins]

Tracking # says moving within the system in transit to the next destination. Has said the same thing since May 14th. I talked to post office and they weren't much help.

Both mails i never received from USPS said the same thing and i will tell you if i track them right now i bet the would still be the same, The mail will likely not show up. I am guessing the delivery date is wiped off.
Time to make other arrangement, its painful but......There's nothing else to do.

 

[LongRange65]

For some reason I don't think there was ever an estimated delivery date. I will call company today and try to get something figured out.

 

[Penguins]

For some reason I don't think there was ever an estimated delivery date. I will call company today and try to get something figured out.

I am sure it estimated delivery date was there at some point, it changes the date maybe once or twice but still fails to deliver then the estimated delivery date goes blank. i know it sucks but it happens, best of luck.

 

[kortik]

Gentlemen,

Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences, which confirmed that switching to UPS for shipping orders, while it was not logistically very easy, was a reasonable thing to do at the moment. We'll see how it works out...

All 23 packages, shipped between May 19th and May 22nd by Priority Mail, were delivered as of June 1st. The shortest time for delivery was 5 days, the longest time for delivery was 13 days. So, USPS Priority Mail is, unfortunately, no longer "priority" any more and on average, it is at least 2 times slower than shipping by UPS Ground.

Boris
Borka Tools

 

[Penguins]

You got that right, Priority mail is not long 'priority' so why a high charge for a regular mail service, I know USPS has had its issues over the years but i got worse since the Pandemic start.

 

[kortik]

Per my own observation, it looks like USPS started acting all right, both for tracking and the speed of delivery.
Can anybody confirm, by their own observations, that USPS got better?

 

[cattleman99]

This last week it seems our packages sent out via USPS have been delivered within two to four days, longest being five days

 

[kortik]

This last week it seems our packages sent out via USPS have been delivered within two to four days, longest being five days

Early last week, I've shipped 2 packages to HI, by Priority Mail. It was less expensive than using USP Ground, and both customers did want us to use USPS. Both packages arrived in 4 days, which was competely normal, and tracking worked in real time.

 

[W54/XM-388]

We had a few issues with some packages via the mail, and in the height of stuff some things sat at the post offices for a week before moving, but for the most part now things seem to be running average or +1 day for priority mail. First Class Packages have been taking a bit longer and we have seen a few weird sort and send to the wrong area issues, but for the most part things are okay.

 

[LeftyJason]

I bought a rear bag. It shipped from Florida on Wednesday the tenth. Supposed to be delivered in Utah on Saturday the thirteenth. It went from Florida to......



Hawaii. Finally left Hawaii the 16th at 1 am. No updates since.

Nothing fixed and worse. Shipper entered everything correctly. Usps was the mess up.

 

[kortik]

I bought a rear bag. It shipped from Florida on Wednesday the tenth. Supposed to be delivered in Utah on Saturday the thirteenth. It went from Florida to......



Hawaii. Finally left Hawaii the 16th at 1 am. No updates since.

Nothing fixed and worse. Shipper entered everything correctly. Usps was the mess up.

I would separate such situation from a total failure of USPS in May of 2020, when nothing worked right. As I seller, I do have 3-4 cases similar to yours every year, when packages were sent by USPS in the wrong direction and were bouncing between various locations for a week or two, before being delivered to the right address. I remember watching USPS tracking in disbelief, and the only thing that was crossing my mind was "What the fuck is going on?"
At the end of the day, every package was delivered.

 

[Bonjourjr]

Had a package that was supposed to be delivered on the 11th. But the tracking update showed “unable to access delivery location” Don’t know what that’s all about. My street wasn’t blocked that day as I was home all day. Made an inquiry and still nothing. Sucks because the item was backordered for months and it finally came in and it gets lost in the mail. FML

 

[LawnMM]

Waited like 12 days for a priority mail Package, that organization is on the downward spiral. Eff em.

 

[koobs84]

Yup. Its happened many times recently in the past few months. Frustrating to pay for a service to have them delay it. The tracking will say its coming on Monday. Monday comes and no updates. Then Tuesday I get an update saying it will be delayed.

No sense in complaining cuz they don't care.

I live in Cali. I've ordered from companies shipping within Cali... Id watch as the tracking leaves the damn state just to come back to the same postal place that it was originally shipped from then come to my location. WTF?!?!

The worst is when you pay for 3 day priority. It arrives in 2 days and early in the morning before the postal carriers even start their shifts. Then it sits there instead of just delivering early!!

 

[EddieNFL]

Ordered a red dot mount last week; shipped immediately. According to tracking, been sitting at a hub about 50 miles from my house for three days now. USPS norm.

 

[canman]

Yep happens all the time. I was told by long time USPS Post Master they contract with other agency's DHL, ect. and it goes by weight. If they load that amount of weight and your package didn't get loaded it waits until the next load...or the load after that.

 

[Doc68]

I've noticed that in the past couple of weeks, USPS slowed down a lot. USPS tracking and actual deliveries, say, by Priority Mail, were delayed by 3-4 days. I have 3 packages, sent by Priority Mail on May 19th, which are still not delivered (10 days!).

Just curious if anybody else had similar observations?

So, starting from May 25th, we switched to UPS, except for P.O.Box addresses, AK and HI, and certainly do not ship to any address outside the U.S. zip code areas. UPS is more expensive for small packages, but USPS currently fails so bad, we have no choice at this moment but to stop using them.

Boris
Borka Tools

I have a package I'm waiting on that's been sitting at the spokane Washington hub since 3 FEB, needless to say I don't think it's gonna make it here.

Doc

 

[canman]

It usually does eventually. Last late one I had about a month ago was 17 day's over the initial tracking delivery date