I Hope The USPS Steps Up

[ABM]

So, my gal and I spent the good part of last weekend baking Christmas goodies for our respective families.

She told me that, for her boys in Colorado, we needed to have everything boxed up and to the post office by 1 PM Saturday....in other words, before they closed.

I was, like, "Hey, no worries, baby. We can just mail those packages via the post office kiosk, which is open 24/7."

She was excited about that notion as it would have been virtually impossible to bake, package, and ship all the items that she wanted to include.

Fast forward....

We went to the post office on Sunday afternoon...with all 4 packages. She used the kiosk..and was able to mail 3 of the packages. The 4th was too large to fit into the big drum. At least she was able to print the mailing label, though.

Oh, and she also purchased insurance for each of the boxes....which included the baked goods....plus various gift cards.

She told me that, as it now had postage on it, she could take the 4th package to work with her on Monday...and mail it off from there when the carrier arrived.

Fast forward...

The mail carrier arrives on Monday...was set to scan the label....then realized that the label postage amount hadn't printed correctly. Apparently, the kiosk printer was running out of ink and only clearly printed the city, state, and barcode. The carrier refused to take the package.

The USPS carrier told her that the other 3 packages would, most likely, be returned.

My gal was, like, #%$@%))*#......

Last night, she took the package to a mailing service and shipped it UPS...at a significantly higher cost. They peeled off the USPS postage label, though, as evidence.

We'll see it the other items get returned.

I told her that, if/when the items do get returned, we will trot down to the same USPS branch on Saturday (there's no way for her to get away from work prior to then) and:

a) Demand a refund for the UPS charge
b) Ship the other items however it takes to get them to Colorado by the 24th
c) Look into getting some of the insurance money as the baked items will be a number more days older than had they been received when they should have been (tomorrow or Thursday.)

We shall see.

 

[Denny Crane]

USPS delivers a letter sent from NYC to Honolulu for $.42. UPS will charge you up to $26 to do the same thing.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

FedEx is the most reliable in my experience. I never use USPS because then I'd have to actually leave the office to mail shit out. FedEx just picks it up.

 

[RR7]

just ask Mick to do it for you.

 

[ABM]

USPS delivers a letter sent from NYC to Honolulu for $.42. UPS will charge you up to $26 to do the same thing.

Sure, but it was UPS that was able to pull it off in a pinch...and, hopefully, at the expense of USPS.

 

[SheedSoNasty]

My wife and I have a home business and we only use USPS. We schedule a pick up in the mornings and rarely go to the post office, its been great.

Sorry to hear of the problems, ABM, I hope it gets worked out.

 

[ABM]

My wife and I have a home business and we only use USPS. We schedule a pick up in the mornings and rarely go to the post office, its been great.

Sorry to hear of the problems, ABM, I hope it gets worked out.

Cool beans.

I suppose my biggest issue was, why didn't their kiosk have an error message showing it was out of ink/toner? Even some of the least expensive desktop inkjet printers have that capability. Not really on the high end of technology.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

just ask Mick to do it for you.

I don't think he could handle my package

 

[tlongII]

Could you read the labels clearly?

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

USPS delivers a letter sent from NYC to Honolulu for $.42. UPS will charge you up to $26 to do the same thing.

$0.42? That ain't even the current rate, homie.

 

[ABM]

Could you read the labels clearly?

Yes, but, apparently, there was no price showing. That was the only portion that had dropped off. Neither of us mails enough to know what is expected to be on a label.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

USPS sucks donkey balls, BTW.

There's a reason they're struggling.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

just ask Mick to do it for you.

Naw. UPS drivers intentionally trash packages and stuff like that.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I don't think he could handle my package

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Now that was funny.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

My wife and I have a home business

spill the beans

 

[MickZagger]

FedEx is the most reliable in my experience. I never use USPS because then I'd have to actually leave the office to mail shit out. FedEx just picks it up.

UPS just picks it up as well.

 

[MickZagger]

Naw. UPS drivers intentionally trash packages and stuff like that.

But Fedex drivers don't...

 

[MickZagger]

This board is full of anti-Union bigots.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

This board is full of anti-Union bigots.

And pro-union trolls.

 

[MARIS61]

USPS is the largest, most efficient delivery service ever to exist worldwide.

Nobody's perfect and ABM drew the short straw.

Now we know why that Amtrak guy let him slide.

 

[MARIS61]

And pro-union trolls.

Troll?

Check your account, I think you've already exceeded your monthly quota of the word troll.

 

[ABM]

USPS is the largest, most efficient delivery service ever to exist worldwide.

THEN WHY CAN'T/WON'T THEY INCORPORATE AN "OUT OF TONER" WARNING MESSAGE ON THEIR FRIGGIN KIOSK PRINTERS!?!

seems so simple

 

[SlyPokerDog]

THEN WHY CAN'T/WON'T THEY INCORPORATE AN "OUT OF TONER" WARNING MESSAGE ON THEIR FRIGGIN KIOSK PRINTERS!?!

seems so simple

Because those kiosks use a thermal printer. No ink or toner involved. One ink or toner leak could ruin all of the packages stored in the kiosk. One toner leak could have people thinking their letter or package is coated in black anthrax.

Is it possible that you tore off the label before it was completely done printing, leaving the barcode that showed you paid still on the kiosk?

 

[jlprk]

I will gladly eat the week-old cookies.

They're a month younger than what I buy in the store.

 

[ABM]

Because those kiosks use a thermal printer. No ink or toner involved. One ink or toner leak could ruin all of the packages stored in the kiosk. One toner leak could have people thinking their letter or package is coated in black anthrax.

Is it possible that you tore off the label before it was completely done printing, leaving the barcode that showed you paid still on the kiosk?

a) No packages are stored in the kiosk. You've never seen one? You weight the package on top of the kiosk, the label prints out below, you peel off the postage sticker, then place on the package and mail it off in another bin apart from the kiosk.

b) When the label pops out in the receptacle, below, you simply take it out, then peel off the label. So, no, no chance of pulling the label out early.

c) Whether it's thermal printing, or not, it would really behoove them to improve the technology of these kiosk printers. Too much is at stake, IMO.

Once the mail carrier pointed out that the postage amount wasn't on the label, it then became clear to my gal that the ink (or whatever it is) had faded/disappeared from one edge of the label.

So, far, the other packages have not been returned. Who knows, she may get lucky on those and they ended up being fully mailed.

 

[jlprk]

Let's hope the cookies don't sit in the post office for a week or the rats will smell them.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

a) No packages are stored in the kiosk. You've never seen one? You weight the package on top of the kiosk, the label prints out below, you peel off the postage sticker, then place on the package and mail it off in another bin apart from the kiosk.

b) When the label pops out in the receptacle, below, you simply take it out, then peel off the label. So, no, no chance of pulling the label out early.

c) Whether it's thermal printing, or not, it would really behoove them to improve the technology of these kiosk printers. Too much is at stake, IMO.

Once the mail carrier pointed out that the postage amount wasn't on the label, it then became clear to my gal that the ink (or whatever it is) had faded/disappeared from one edge of the label.

So, far, the other packages have not been returned. Who knows, she may get lucky on those and they ended up being fully mailed.

Yes I've seen and used them. The ones I've used are like a giant ATM with letter/package storage beneath them. Some are just an ATM with a scale to the side of them.

 

[ABM]

Yes I've seen and used them. The ones I've used are like a giant ATM with letter/package storage beneath them. Some are just an ATM with a scale to the side of them.

Ours was just the scale.

 

[ABM]

Let's hope the cookies don't sit in the post office for a week or the rats will smell them.

Exactly

 

[ABM]

Good on them. They delivered the other packages. It's now just down to getting reimbursed for the UPS charge...which I'll do on Monday.