PACKAGES FROM POST OFFICE

[ralberts630]

I'm sure you, like me as well as our local postal employees, are less than pleased with the situation we face picking up packages from the post office.

I'm wondering if we could all band together to make known our dissatisfaction with our local post office having become overwhelmed by the enormous increase in package volume. The decision of the USPS to contract (and some believe subsidize) Amazon and other online retailers has over burdened the local station and its employees.

I had a brief conversation today with Ron, our local Postmaster. He expressed great frustration with the situation and let me know that he has repeatedly lodged requests for assistance with superiors, though without recourse. Ron cited the fact that the office is both understaffed and under-sized to handle anywhere near current package volume. He also mentioned that unlike a letter which is handled only once, a package requires handling six times. Another employee told me that today alone there are 600 blue cards to distribute. 6 x 600 = 3,600 transactions today by a staff of four (if they are all present).

Ron suggests that local citizens contact our Congressman to report our dissatisfaction with the poor service we are receiving from the USPS. Perhaps we should circulate a petition.

[lwt42]

I'd also suggest complaining (loudly) to Amazon.

The USPS reports the status of packages as "delivered" when they reach the post office, and "ready for pick-up" when they're actually processed.

Amazon doesn't allow the extra day for a package to be processed once it gets here, instead patting themselves on the back for "delivering" in two days.

We need to tell Amazon that their packages are a day late, and that we're not happy with the missed deliveries.

Probably wouldn't hurt to point out that service Amazon (and USPS Mail Innovations and FedEX Smarter Mail) use should be priced more appropriately, especially if the shipper delivers themselves in some zip codes (where it's cheap) and not to places like Wrightwood.

I wouldn't mind paying Amazon a little more for Prime if they delivered via the other package services.

[Leftfield]

Though I would never expect door to door deliveries, why cant we have "down at the corner" mail boxes with oversized boxes to store packages?

[lwt42]

Though I would never expect door to door deliveries, why cant we have "down at the corner" mail boxes with oversized boxes to store packages?

My bride used to live off of 138 and had her mail going to one of those group boxes.  They get broken into quite regularly.

Better to have to go to the post office.

[Bob C]

[Wrightwood]

[lwt42]

[Leftfield]

....and of course, I ran into those suppliers who dont want a PO Box number.   I tried to include PO Box number, 9 digits zip and street address but there are those suppliers who insist on a strictly street address with no ability to use a 9 digits zip....

In fact I tried to order replacement screws from Andersen's window.   They dont deliver to a PO Box ...lol...its really going to break Andersens if some screws get lost....go figure.   

Anyway where can I sign up to be part of the class action suit?

[tcaarabians]

I received a form from the post office (that I've yet to fill out) that allows you to use the P.O. street address for deliveries. Course, you'll still have the delay problem. Cheryl o7o

[lwt42]

....and of course, I ran into those suppliers who dont want a PO Box number.   I tried to include PO Box number, 9 digits zip and street address but there are those suppliers who insist on a strictly street address with no ability to use a 9 digits zip....

Can't fix ignorance, and too many people out there are unaware of UPS Mail Innovations and SmartPost.  Covered California gave Kaiser my physical address as my mailing address and the reverse.

So let's say your addresses are:

Leftfield
PO. Box 1234
Wrightwood, CA 92397

Leftfield
987 Tree Street
Wrightwood, CA 92397

I've found you can do this:

Leftfield
987 Tree Street #1234
Wrightwood, CA 92397-1234

This is a hybrid address, I've said before that everyone thinks hybrids are cool.

I usually go one step further: mail stop numbers are common in a corporate environment and usually survive mailing systems unmolested, so this is the way I usually write my address:

Leftfield
m/s 1234
987 Tree Street #1234
Wrightwood, CA 92397-1234

The great folks at our post office are quite good and recognizing a box number "hidden" in the address.  Two of these addresses will usually get past any shipping department with at least one box number present.

No guarantees, but this appears not to fail.  Credit for the idea goes to the fine folks at our post office, I just embellished a little.

[ralberts630]

I have come to the conclusion that trying to motivate the USPS to bring relief to our situation is hopeless. In the meantime I have expressed my dissatisfaction with Amazon in the following email.


011218
Due to Amazon's contract with the USPS all packages ordered are delivered to the small post office in the rural mountain village where I live. ALL shipments are delayed by a least one day because the post office is overwhelmed with an enormous increase in packages, with limited physical space and personnel.  There is no mail delivery here; all residents must pick up mail, and now packages at the post office. To put things in perspective: yesterday I was told by one of the four employees of the post office that they had 600 packages requiring distribution that day alone. Each package is handled 6 times in handing it over to a resident. 6 x 600 = 3,600 transactions in one day for for employees--900 transactions per employee. I'm sure thousands of small rural post offices are experiencing similar overload.

This is totally ridiculous. Austensibly Amazon contracted with USPS to reduce delivery cots, and the USPS offered very favorable rates to win a very, very large contract -- business as usual. The reality is that Amazon, in its greed to squeeze out every penny of profit, entered into an agreement with a federal organization well-known for over-promising and under-delivering. Amazon executives likely knew the result would be shipping delays and causing customers to spend countless previously unnecessary hours of effort to receive packages. Meanwhile, USPS in utter arrogance has determined there is no need to provide additional resources to small post offices.

As a loyal Amazon customer I am outraged at such corporate greed and off-loading of responsibility, a very poor reflection upon a company for whom I previously had great respect. I am re-evaluating my Prime membership and, in fact, seeking other ways in which to purchase products. Write me off as one dissatisfied customer. Consider the cost of lost business. Multiply all this countless thousands of other customers that Amazon's shipping policies have also undermined trust in your company.

Amazon made a serious mistake in contracting with the USPS, one that result in significant sales declines. I can only hope the company can look beyond trifle savings in order to rectify this situation and once again earn the loyalty of satisfied customers.

I will be circulating this communication to the 5,000 residents of our community and forwarding it to our congressman and state attorney general.

Rick Albertson
Wrightwood, CA
323 896 1951

[tcaarabians]

Rick... Great letter. You might also send it to the U.S. Postal Commission. I'd also send it to Michael Hiltzik (sp?) at the L.A. Times. He handles consumer issues. Cheryl o7o

[lwt42]

I have come to the conclusion that trying to motivate the USPS to bring relief to our situation is hopeless. In the meantime I have expressed my dissatisfaction with Amazon in the following email.

(text removed)

A couple of suggestions:

This isn't a problem unique to Wrightwood, but every small town that does not have letter carriers.  It affects more people.

Include all the consumer reporters.

Send a copy of the letter via U.S. Postal mail to every member of the Board of Directors and to the top executives at Amazon.

List here: http://quotes.wsj.com/AMZN/company-people

The directors may have staff, but the messages won't get lost in Customer Service or Corporate Communications.

Part of the problem: if we lived in in Rancho Cucamonga or any other town with regular letter carriers, our packages would be delivered the day USPS reports delivery on-line.  For small towns like ours, they're reported delivered when the hit the post office, not when the blue slip hits our boxes.  That's an error that the USPS could fix.

I completely agree that a letter or package isn't delivered until I can physically get it -- a day after USPS says I can.

[AvocadoFlyer]

I wish I could find the article but the USPS is only allowed to raise rates a tiny percentage a year unlike say, UPS or FedEx.  The USPS has to fund their employees retirement about 75 years in advance which is NUTS!. 

"Federal law currently limits the USPS from raising rates by more than the rate of inflation on market-dominant products, which generated more than 70% of the service's $69.6 billion in revenue in the 2017 fiscal year ended Sept. 30. The minuscule increases -- the price of a first-class stamp is rising a penny to 50 cents next year -- haven't been able to offset steep declines in first-class mail volume as communications continue to shift online. The service delivered 58.75 billion pieces of first-class mail last fiscal year, down from 95.9 billion in 2007."  12/17 P Ziobro per the PRC

https://www.vox.com/2017/12/29/16830128/amazon-trump-twitter-postal-service-feud

[Leftfield]

Lwt42 - I have tried to use your proposed answer to this dilemma in the past. Sometimes it works but there have been cases where the supplier's online form wont allow me to use a PO Box or nine digits zip code. Most cases they dont provide phone support.  For example, when my cell crashed, I tried to take advantage of Verizon wireless online discount prices but they wont deliver to a PO Box.  So for me, its back to square one..... 

[lwt42]

Lwt42 - I have tried to use your proposed answer to this dilemma in the past. Sometimes it works but there have been cases where the supplier's online form wont allow me to use a PO Box or nine digits zip code.

First, never use "PO Box" -- it always triggers a change to processing that those of us in small towns don't want.

That's why I use "mail stop" or "m/s" because shippers know about big companies like Boeing and Kaiser and how the internal mail works there.  It's not a post office box, it's a routing code.

I try to get my box number into the address three times.  If they won't let me put in the +4 on the zip, that's okay, it's two other places.  If the strip the box number off the end of the address, I've still got the mail stop.

[SpeedRacer]

I subscribe to USPS's Informed Delivery so I receive scanned photos of incoming mail. ...still waiting for the envelope containing gift cards to show up from Friday. 

[lwt42]

I subscribe to USPS's Informed Delivery so I receive scanned photos of incoming mail. ...still waiting for the envelope containing gift cards to show up from Friday. 

Informed Delivery only works for "PO Box ####" addresses.  If you use "123 Anna St. Apt. ####" or somesuch, Informed Delivery doesn't see those.

[SpeedRacer]

Understood. This was an envelope with the PO Box ### only.

[SpeedRacer]

Recently had a package returned to sender eventhough I used my hybrid address. Not sure what else I can do. I was also amazed to see an Amazon package arrive in 2 days but now it's been sitting at the PO for 2 days. Last but not least I have yet to use one of the boxes outside and get stuck waiting in line everytime. Any idea what criteria they use?