I don't trust the U.S. Postal Service...I just DON'T

[...of J.Temperance]

I mailed something VERY important from Irving, Texas on October 10th at approximately 12.20pm.

It's NOW October 23rd and what I mailed STILL hasn't arrived at it's destination.

The item that I mailed, was to an address with "Democratic" in the title. I'm NOW starting to think that some Junior loving Repuke within the U.S. Postal Service has just gone right ahead and destroyed the item SOLELY because the word "Democratic" was in the address.

Has anybody else had a similar experience with political looking mail going astray and not arriving at it's destination?

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. The post office in Crawford

was not good about delivering mail to the Peace House there this summer.

[...of J.Temperance]

7. Yes EXACTLY, I remember that

I also believe it's illegal and violates the U.S. Postal Service code...but what do these pigs care about that?

I'm outraged about this, it's a DISGRACE. You mail something, you pay the 37 cents for the damn stamp and you EXPECT your item to be delivered without any trouble...but ONLY if your item is NOT destined for a Democratic destination OBVIOUSLY.

I should point out for the below, I had a regular stamp on the envelope, but it was also Registered, which I decided to do at the last moment.

[proud2BlibKansan]

39. We have had trouble with our mail as long as we have lived in this house

We are on the border of one suburb, with another across the street and a third a block down. The post office says this is the reason we have mail problems. It's zip code confusion.

My friend has problems too and they told her it is because she lives on a 'training route'.

On the other hand, I went to Canada several years ago and was stunned at how much it cost to mail a post card. So I support raising our rates. Maybe we can get better service that way. After all, 37 cents is really not all that much.

[pitohui]

41. if it's registered just go to the web site usps.gov

the most likely thing w. registered mail is that your recipient chose not to pick it up

many ppl have a policy of they do not accept registered mail, since it is likely to be something they don't want, such as notice of money they owe, cease & desist letter, or something of that nature

but you can check on the item at the website to see where it is

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Did you send it registered or something? Is there any trail at all?

[...of J.Temperance]

8. Yes, it was registered mail n/t

[Kingofalldems]

12. Registered mail is easy to trace

Everyone who handles it has to sign for it. BTW, you should nave a receipt with a tracking # on it----you can got to www.usps.com and click 'Tracking'. Highly unlikely it was thrown out, if that happened the person would be in deep trouble.

[...of J.Temperance]

16. Okay

I do have a receipt around the place. I'll check it out and see what's happening. Thanks :)

Let's hope it is just caught up in the holiday mail.

[Kingofalldems]

17. It's not caught up in the holiday mail---guaranteed

Registered mail is given special status---travels in a LOCKED satchel and as I stated before, anyone who handles it has to sign for it. Is it possible it was delivered and the person didn't acknowledge? Anyhow your best bet is to find that receipt and track it.

[...of J.Temperance]

19. The person I sent it to

We spoke on the phone today, and I said "Did you get that mail yet that I sent?" and they said "No, it still hasn't arrived."

I've got the receipt, in amongst a ton of other stuff I'm sure. However, the receipt is there and I'll locate it this evening.

[Kingofalldems]

27. When you are able to track it please post here

Lost registered mail is a rarity so let us know if you can track it.

[...of J.Temperance]

31. Will do, I'll post the information

Hopefully, this issue can and WILL be resolved overnight. Thanks for everyone's help, I appreciate it ;)

[Kingofalldems]

33. One other thing, if it was delivered there's a signed receipt

in the PO that delivered it, signed by the person receiving the item.

[Loge23]

22. registered is no guarantee

I mailed a registered package (manila envelope) and they lost it.
After the first week, I went to the PO where I mailed it. They told me they have 30 days to get the package through(?!!). They also suggested I check with the recieving P.O. to see if they have it.
After a few more days, I called. They then told me they had 60 days!!
I re-mailed the package (copied) UPS overnight.
The registered USPS package never appeared on the tracking again.

[...of J.Temperance]

32. Oh heck :(

Now I'm getting worried again :scared:

[sarcasmo]

3. Needs to be sent Certified Mail.

[ohio_liberal]

4. I got a 'Reopen the 911 Investigation' DVD in the mail

On the front of the DVD sleeve there was a picture of one of the planes hitting the WTC. It had been opened by a PO inspector.

Mail gets lost all the time though. You should always add at least delivery confirmation to anything important.

[Indy Lurker]

44. half my blockbuster movies were opened, and a day later than expected

I'm pretty sure the guy was watching the ones he liked.

[greekspeak]

5. They screw with mail all the time...all of it, not just political stuff

Service just sucks big time. When I was growing up, we always ALWAYS had our mail by noon. Now, it is often after 7:00 before they bother to bring it by. Also, my step-grandmother lives in KC, and we lived in SPringfield, 3 hours away. We would get correspondce from her with cancelations from places like Providence, RI. Sorry if there are any postal workers on here that I am offending, but my grandfather, who carried the mail for 25 years, would be appalled at the service.

[earth mom]

48. Some people do get their mail before noon....but what probably happened is

they re-routed your neighborhood and your mail is now delivered later in the day. BTW, all mail carriers routes are timed. If they are screwing around, their post master knows it and they are in trouble.

Here are more reasons for delays:
They are not hiring new full time mail carriers off the street anymore. New employees are often partially disabled vets or vets who all have to start as part time. If full timers are sick or on vacation these part time people fill in. Sometimes the part timers are doing two 8 hour routes in one day.

Any newly built homes or businesses are usually added to a route, meaning that a mail carrier on that route is delivering to more addresses than they used to.

Large mail volume on certain days takes longer to sort and mail carriers get a later start. Grocery Ad days, Day after a holiday, Social Security and Disability days are usually slower days for delivery.

Lastly, there are just some rotten apples or employees who give every other hard working and conscientious employee a bad name. The bad apples get suspended to learn their lesson, though often they should just find other work but don't because the pay is good. :shrug:

[ISUGRADIA]

6. I had an absentee ballot that never turned up. A few days

after the election it was under my door. I think now a neighbore got it and forgot about it rather than the post office making a delivery error.

[meganmonkey]

9. I ordered a t-shirt throught DU store at CafePress

and it got lost in the mail. CafePress was really cool, though, and sent me another one. I mentioned that I needed it for a specific even and they resent it 2nd day air at no charge!

It says 'This Country Is Being Run By Shitheads' or something close to that...I needed it for the DC protest, and I got it just in time :)

[Cleita]

10. My federal income tax return went astray.

The IRS fined me. When I called them and told them that I had mailed it before the deadline and at which post office, they finally got back to me and withdrew the fine. That alone got my suspicion up. The IRS is never this easy to deal with. No one, either at the Post Office, or the IRS could explain to me what happened. The IRS said I should have mailed it with a tracer. When I pointed out to them, how ridiculous it would be if every American taxpayer had to mail their returns with a with a tracer, they backed off.

I'm almost certain it was Homeland Security, who now can intercept your mail, if they want to without you knowing about it. They are very stupid over how they are going about it though especially with time sensitive material like tax returns or your mailing. Big Brother is out there and he is a big stupid oaf.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

11. Shit happens, especially with the USPS

From October on, all mail is affected by the holidays. Yes it starts that early. I have mailed hundreds of packages throughout the year and sometimes one person receives theirs in three days while someone else in the same postal zone waits 30 days. There is also some kind of black hole between IL and NC, for some reason mail to or from takes for-fucking-ever. It has nothing to do with politics.

[...of J.Temperance]

14. So you think my envelope is caught up in the holiday mail? n/t

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

38. All I know is, it's happened to me

I only became aware that holiday slowdown is their reason (excuse) for delayed delivery after I sent an insured package by Priority Mail one October that contained several hundred dollars' worth of irreplaceable materials and took ten nerve-wracking days to arrive. When I complained at my (usually reliable) P.O., they said Well, Priority Mail is not guaranteed to arrive in 2-3 days, especially during the holidays. Only their incredibly expensive Express service is guaranteed.

I haven't had as much trouble with envelopes, but I have waited as long as 30 days to get expected mail.

[Dover]

13. Another side to the PO question....a couple of years ago there was

what I figured to be an effort by Republicans to undermine the PO. It looked like propaganda because it was so widespread...you know...it smelled like hype. It seemed all of a sudden no one had a kind word for the PO and wrote about to local papers, or on local online chatrooms, various types of meetings, etc. I assumed it was an attempt to undermine them so they could then be privatized.

As for myself, I've had no more or less problems with the PO than I've had with FedEx (which is very republican) or UPS. The PO is still the cheapest, dependable postal service imo.

And I LOVE my mailman. I'm sure he's a x-tian, repub. too, but very thoughtful and reliable. So nice to actually have a REAL person to talk with if something DOES get lost or broken.

I'd think long and hard before bashing this service. It is still the most private means of communications (a porous system), which makes it very hard for the government/elite to control information flow. So I feel pretty certain they'd love to do away with it. Not to mention the wealth that a private postal enterprise could bring.

So that's another side to this coin.....my one cent.

[alfredo]

29. Postal Reform HR 22 has been up for consideration for a long time.

the privatization gang has been trying to destroy the post office for a long time. Reform would be destructive to their aims.

Their mode of operation is cripple a department, then claim that it would be run much better if it was privatized.

[Dover]

34. Thanks for that info. Yep, the 'incompetence' or 'inefficient' argument

used to undermine our utilities and other public resources is typical. Reform...there's always room for reform in any system and is probably not a bad idea though I'd sure read the fine print.

[alfredo]

36. Our union has been behind the effort from day one.

We need to be better at calling them on that tactic.

[lpbk2713]

15. I receive mail for my neighbors maybe twice a month.

And my house number is clearly marked in 2" decals for all the world to see on the mailbox.

[elehhhhna]

18. True, creepy story about USPS Top Management's Idiocy:

An Acquaintance of mine who works for a major as agency was pitching a new USPS ad campaign (why they advertise at all, god only knows--) She had 4 (FOUR!) meetings in which USPS top management could not understand why the agency did not want to develop the campaign the USPS management came up with , which was "Go Postal". I am NOT making this up.

They were finally persuaded to drop their brilliant idea.

[...of J.Temperance]

21. Well...SOMEHOW...that doesn't surprise me

Pre-2000, it would have surprised me, but ANYTHING is possible with these people nowadays.

[elehhhhna]

24. If I hadn't heard it from the horses mouth, I'd not have believed it.

[Feron]

20. Is it destined for a hurricane-ravaged area??

I ask that because all of my mail has had delayed delivery.

[...of J.Temperance]

28. No

I'm aware of the delayed delivery, because my family in South Louisiana have had a lot of problems with their mail.

Let's hope the Hurricane-related mail problems end soon :)

[Midnight Rambler]

23. Off topic, but how long before Junior decides to privatize the USPS?

Just a thought.

[Balbus]

26. If people keep bitching about how the USPS is untrustworthy...

That'll be the foot in the door he'll be looking for.

[bluestateguy]

51. True

The USPS is not perfect. No government agency is, but I am very careful about complaining about it because that will play into the hands of the Heriatge Foundation privatizers.

A privatized post office would mean higher costs for everybody, worse service for Americans who live in rural parts of the country and poorer neighborhoods and reduced benefits for employees. A private company would not find it profitable to deliver mail to rural parts of the country or to poor neighborhoods, so they would get shittier service. Postal workers would lose their seniority, their collective bargaining rights and rights of due process.

[Dover]

See my post above. Not off topic really. They ARE trying to privatize

the PO because they cannot control information flow through this porous system.

I'd like for those who are complaining to consider what would replace this system that they would feel secure with?

[Dover]

30. .

[Pathwalker]

25. Mail HANDLERS are under investigation in mid-Michigan

for STEALING mail - again. They stole a bunch of rebates, birthday cards with money, etc. And SOMEONE has at least $300.00 worth of plants and shrubs that I've ordered over the years, and despite an investigation into one shipment - they were unable to trace where the plants disappeared. I now have so little faith in the USPS that I pay extra to have my plants shipped UPS or FedEx.
Oh, and I've gotten my neighbor's FEDERAL income tax refund in the mail for THREE years running. And ALL my political mail - and our BILLS come PRE-opened!!!
We won't let them touch our refunds - we have them direct deposited - they are completely untrustworthy!!!!

[knitter4democracy]

47. Really?

They're great over here in SW Michigan. I had lost a package once, called up the post office, told them about it, and a very nice woman searched all over for it, finally finding it behind one of the carts (fell behind it somehow).

Of course, I've heard rumors here in Battle Creek that they mess with the mail (read the magazines and all). I haven't seen it, though.

[donprocto]

35. Uhhh... that is a stretch...

Isn't it nothing more than incompetance? Your garden variety postal worker (here in Parkville, anyway) is there because they can't do much else.

[shance]

37. Unfortunately, it's not a stretch considering the McCarthyesque

climate being promoted and fueled by this Administration and many of the Neocons in Congress.

Yes, it could be incompetence and yes, of equal possibility, it could be censorship and or more succinctly a federal violation of our civil liberties.

[sbj405]

42. As a federal employee, I can tell you the McCarthyism hasn't filtered

down into the ranks. Most federal employees have no love lost for the the loser. Most of your postal workers have been on the job forever and do they're jobs as they have forever. Do you honestly believe they're given orders to intercept packages addressed to Democrats? And do you really think they'd do it. Incompetence - probably. One bad apple in the bunch - perhaps. Conspiracy - doubtful.

[pitohui]

40. no i've had a terrific experience w. usps

living in the catastrophe zone, my only complaint really was that they started delivery service again "too soon" -- before our neighborhood had electricity, so ppl weren't here to get the mail

they are not delivering "junk mail" to katrina affected zip codes, no place to store it i think, i don't think 2nd class mail is being forwarded either

however, all in all, they've done a splendid job

i get mail that says "democratic," "peace," & god-knows-what-all just fine all the time

[earth mom]

43. Sorry but why would someone jeopardize a 50K+ year job

to tamper with YOUR mail? :freak:

And FYI, the USPS is union and the union went with Kerry in 2004.

[SheilaT]

45. deleted

duplicated information

[RebelOne]

46. Don't become paranoid.

I ordered some items from QVC on Oct. 11 and I usually receive any orders from them within 7 days. They were in my mailbox yesterday.

[bluestateguy]

49. This kind of stuff used to happen all the time in the days of patronage

All the postmasters and postal employees were political hacks put into office by the party in power. Come election time, the opposition party's campaign literature would sometimes mysteriously disappear from the mails.

[Mr_Spock]

50. I had a package mailed to me Oct 5th - not here yet. I've had insurance

claims that they refused to pay and the local "whore" hung up on me when I called to question why she wouldn't take further evidence I found that my package was never delivered where stated (package pieces blowing down the street). The local postman is a fucking redneck who wears his NRA cap while working. These people are scum.

[napi21]

52. I mail pacakges all the time.

Sometimes I use Priority Mail, most of the time I use Parcel Post. I've only had 1 package in 6 years that took a very long time, and it was sent Parcel Post.

I do get an occasional piece of mail that belongs to a neighbor, but I don't think that's any big deal. A mis-sort I suspect.

My only complaint about USPS is, if I have an unusual question, the local office never knows the answer and I have to contact the mail PO in Atlanta.

With the millions of pieces of mail delivered evry day, I think they do a heck of a good job.

[DiverDave]

53. DON'T SEND CASH

My sons birthday card came up missing...TWICE in 2 years.

My mom just sends us a M.O. now.

Thieves, plain ol thieves.

And I don't give a damn if they are union, a thief is still a thief.