topic Re: Really bad situation with USPS in Community Chat

Really bad situation with USPS

songbird — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 19:44:12 GMT

Last week I ordered a sweater the Ann Taylor. I sent it via USPS. I received a notification from USPS saying that it will arvive late. That was 5 days ago. I have not received the package. I finally reached a live person at Ann Taylor. They told me to wait another week before calling back. Today I received another notification from USPS that a ring I ordered from ShopHQ will be running late. The same message as before for the other item. So I fully expect to wait a week or so for this one. I can't reach anyone at the USPS. They just leave a recorded message saying the delay is because of COVID and few handlers at the post office. Not my day.....

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

Etoile308 — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 19:50:32 GMT

I think the news outlets have been announcing since October that all shipping outlets are greatly overwhelmed and to expect delays.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

Kachina624 — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 19:51:34 GMT

Why do you need to talk to someone at the post office? They've told you they're running behind and your packages will be delayed. Believe them. A lot of phone chit chat just puts them further behind.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

chrystaltree — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:02:47 GMT

They started telling us in October that all the shippers would be inundated with deliverises because more people than ever before are shopping from home due to Covid 19 and holidday shopping would make the situation much worse. We were told to shop very early to avoid delays. And now most of the country is severely impacted by virus cases. People are sick, people are quaranting when a family member gets sick or has been in contact with someone who tests positive. That means employers throughout the country are understaffed. I do hope you get your items eventually. I am in a similar situation with a pendant I bought from ShopLC. It's not Usps but the situation is similar. i will get it, when I get it. It's for me so, no rush. I finished my Christmas shopping a month ago because I didn't want to be stuck waiting for packages. I also took advantage of "ship to bill too" which I never do because I like wrapping gifts and enclosing notes. But nothing is normal this year.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

nyc1 — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:18:53 GMT

@songbird Hi ... we mailed a package to our friends in Knoxville (from the northern burbs of Chicago) 2 weeks ago, Priority Mail. I was SUPPOSED to arrive Monday Dec 7, as told to us by the woman in the Post Office... it just got there today! Dec 15. It sat for about 5 days in one location... I could not tell where... just that it was sitting there.

The only LIVE person I could reach was my local PO from where it was mailed. She said they've had sooo many complaints... and that the phone was ringing off the hook. It's national not local. Very frustrating.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

gidgetgh — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:27:09 GMT

I mailed a package last Thursday, to go one town over. Today is Tuesday and it's still sitting in the distribution center in Atlanta. It's been there since Late Thursday night.

Who knows when it will get there. One town over.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

granddi — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:34:57 GMT

@songbird wrote:
Last week I ordered a sweater the Ann Taylor. I sent it via USPS. I received a notification from USPS saying that it will arvive late. That was 5 days ago. I have not received the package. I finally reached a live person at Ann Taylor. They told me to wait another week before calling back. Today I received another notification from USPS that a ring I ordered from ShopHQ will be running late. The same message as before for the other item. So I fully expect to wait a week or so for this one. I can't reach anyone at the USPS. They just leave a recorded message saying the delay is because of COVID and few handlers at the post office. Not my day.....

I don't know if this helps or if even applies to your orders. Here's what happen to my Rothy's order.

I got the same message from USPS that my order would be delayed. Finally got a person at Rothy's to talk to me. She said the package was at Pitney Bowles processing center. She said Pitney Bowles had 2 weeks to deliver the package to PO. I could contact Rothy for a refund only after 21 days shipping. The package came 22 days after my order was shipped. Note: this order was in early November well before the shipping alarms were going off.

I have no idea how it got from Rothy to Pitney Bowles. And no one can explain how this saves shipping costs.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

Wsmom — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:38:29 GMT

This seems to be an issue every year but this year is much much worse. Agreed we have had plenty of warning that it was going to be a cluster this holiday season. Sit back, relax and if it gets here it does; if not, oh well. Not a lot anybody can do about it. If it was a gift it will be that much more fun for the recipient to get after Christmas as something extra. If it is lost, it will be resolved and you will get your money back. Imagine being one of these delivery people or mail person at this time of year and the irate customers they are dealing with.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

Lipstickdiva — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 21:16:39 GMT

It's just not USPS, it's with all delivery services. They just talked about this once again on the national news. There are more people shopping on-line than ever before which means more packages trying to get out. Now we have carriers delivering vaccines and a major snowstorm that will impact deliveries.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

hckynut — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 21:38:17 GMT

USPS in my world always has been a step or more behind. Be it delivery of budget they cannot do either efficiently or effectively.

Every business and those in DC can now all say when a question about time comes up? It's because of the *****. Kinda like the "dog ate my homework" excuse. That is my opinion.

hckynut

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

susielong1 — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 21:41:00 GMT

Here's what I'm experiencing, package was supposed to be here Sat. 13th. went through Birmingham mail facility, came to the postal facility that is located about 5 miles from me on Sat., only to be sent back to Birmingham on Sun. and now it says it's going to be late, and in transit to destination, tues. and still no package. Why would they do this, it just doesn't make any sense. Just crazy!!

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

FranandZoe — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 21:46:33 GMT

Considering the amount of mail and packages the USPS handles I think they do an admirable job. And now vaccines. Give 'em a break.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

jonbon — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 21:52:24 GMT

I posted the following in a related thread (didn't see this one, so I responded to an older one on this topic):

Following up ... there is an article in The Washington Post today about how the USPS is getting slammed with mail this season.

As Americans increasingly shop online because of the coronavirus pandemic, private express carriers FedEx and UPS have cut off delivery service for some retailers, sending massive volumes of packages to the Postal Service.

That has led to widespread delays and pushed the nation’s mail agency to the brink. Postal employees are reporting mail and package backlogs across the country, and working vast amounts of overtime hours that have depleted morale during another surge of coronavirus infections nationwide.

“We’re really gridlocked all over the place,” said a Postal Service transportation manager in Ohio, who like others in this report spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution. “It’s bad. I’ve never seen it like this before.

“UPS and FedEx have shut us off. Nobody can keep up right now, but we don’t have the luxury of turning people down. They’re sitting on so much mail right now that it’s almost one day at a time in these facilities.”

Link to entire story: USPS ‘gridlocked’ as historic crush of holiday packages sparks delays

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

jonbon — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 21:57:34 GMT

I will also add that I have seen mail carriers out many evenings past 8:00 pm (when we walk our dog), still delivering mail and packages in the dark, wearing headlamps so they can see what they're doing. I don't think they are using COVID or anything else as an "excuse" -- they are absolutely overwhelmed.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

50Mickey — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 21:58:38 GMT

@gidgetgh wrote:
I mailed a package last Thursday, to go one town over. Today is Tuesday and it's still sitting in the distribution center in Atlanta. It's been there since Late Thursday night.

Who knows when it will get there. One town over.

@gidgetgh I have 2 packages in the Atlanta distribution center that I mailed to my daughter in Chicago. I keep getting messages that the delivery is delayed. But no tracking history. Unfortunately packages go to this center and are never heard from again. My daughter has a package that she ordered before thanksgiving for my granddaughter. It has been at the distribution center for 3 weeks. Tracking history stops once it get there. The reviews on this distribution center are horrific. I took a package to UPS this morning. Hoping it will at least get out of Atlanta.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

kindred cats — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 22:01:22 GMT

Considering the amount of mail and packages the USPS handles I think they do an admirable job. And now vaccines. Give 'em a break.

Not only that, the PO and UPS have begged for people to hire on doing extra help in delivering packages. I am also waiting for deliveries, however, they can only handle so much at once.

I really appreciate all the delivery men and women!

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

50Mickey — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 22:12:45 GMT

The problem is not with the mail carriers. It's these large distribution centers where all the mail has to go through. They have closed so many in recent years. When I lived in Savannah, GA the distribution center was closed and all mail coming to and leaving Savannah had to be sent to Jacksonville, sorted and then sent out. If I mailed a birthday card to a neighbor it had to first go through Jacksonville and then back to Savannah. I don't mind delays. It's when all tracking stops after the your delivery may be delayed. That seems to be the death knell for a package.

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

Winkk — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 22:33:01 GMT

@FranandZoe wrote:
Considering the amount of mail and packages the USPS handles I think they do an admirable job. And now vaccines. Give 'em a break.

I agree @FranandZoe . I read today they are delivering 3 billion packages this holiday season. Last year it was 2.2 billion (with no virus).

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

songbird — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 22:37:27 GMT

I just received a call back from USPS. Finally I got a response. My 5 day late package is sitting in a post office (not mine) about 7 miles away. They are going to try and retrieve it and send it to my post office. I don't why it's sitting there. Apparently since Dec 11. I don't know if it was an error or not. I'm glad I tried to call them. I don't know how many more it would have sat there. Good luck with anyone buying jewelry (QVC is guaranteeing it will arrive before Christmas. No way!!!

Re: Really bad situation with USPS

AuntG — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 22:52:29 GMT

I blame Covid for much of this.