As the US Postal Service faces insolvency, the relic of a pre-internet world (and symbol/punch line for inefficiency and ineptitude) has come up with a really good idea for making some extra cash: Selling pre-paid AMEX, Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards. [More]
usps
USPS Puts Wrong Statue Of Liberty On Stamp, Doesn't Really Give A F*&k
By 4.15.11
You almost have to respect the USPS for screwing up this royally. First, they go and put the wrong Statue of Liberty on a postage stamp. Then, when told about it, they just shrug it off like a postal worker eating a sandwich at their closed window while a line of customers waits. [More]
What Mailing Method Should I Use For The Best Paper Trail?
By 4.4.11
So you’re involved in a dispute and you want to make sure that your well-crafted complaint letter is mailed in a way so that it’s indisputable that your recipient got it. What’s the best way to shoot off your epistle? Certified? Signature delivery? Wrapped around a brick? Nay. [More]
USPS Sent My Package An Extra 6,283 Miles Before Reaching Destination 2 Miles Away
By 3.14.11
We like Consumerist reader Justin’s optimistic attitude. He sent a package to a destination two miles away, via the ever unpredictable US Postal Service, and seems pretty amused by the fact that it went across the country first. [More]
USPS Delivers Letter… 66 Years Late
By 3.2.11
If you’ve ever lost a piece of mail through the USPS, this story might give you hope that your grandchildren might eventually find out what happened to it. [More]
Woman Who Tried To Air Mail Puppy Won't Get Dog Back
By 2.7.11
Many of you have been following the saga of the Minnesota woman who was charged with animal cruelty after trying to ship a four-month old poodle-schnauzer mix puppy to Atlanta via air mail. The latest update: Officials in Minneapolis have shot down her appeal to get the puppy back. [More]
Accused Puppy-Mailer Wants Dog Back
By 2.4.11
The woman who tried to ship a four-month-old puppy from Minneapolis to Atlanta in an airless box using Priority Mail earlier this week reportedly would like the dog back. Will her request be granted, or will the puppy be made available to the numerous people all over the country who actually know how to keep an animal alive and have inquired about adopting him? [More]
My Very Important USPS Package Is Doing Laps Around New York City
By 12.24.10
A piece of registered mail left Hong Kong on December 7th, and is on its way to Michael in Manhattan. While it has reached the correct city, tracking information shows that the envelope is currently doing laps from Queens to Manhattan. Michael just wants to show up at a post office and pick the darn thing up, but no one can intercept it or even tell him where it is until his neighborhood mail carrier attempts to deliver it at least once. [More]
Mailman Tries To Liven Up The Holidays By Delivering Mail Naked
By 12.15.10
A mailman in Whitefish Bay, WI, thought he had the solution for cheering up one of the people on his route. Unfortunately for everyone involved, that solution was “deliver the mail bare-ass naked.” [More]
If You Want An Apple Store Gift Card, Don't Order It Online
By 11.17.10
We at The Consumerist are known for our anti-gift card stance, but sometimes you find yourself in a situation where a gift is required and cash seems tacky. Vivian writes that she got an Apple gift card for her sister as a nice present, and it disappeared from her sister’s mailbox. Unlike other high-value items that they sell, Apple mails gift cards using U.S. Postal Service first class mail, and someone stole and spent the card. [More]
Tipsy Angry Man Dumps 32,000 Pieces Of Mail
By 10.27.10
The check might be in the mail, but the mail is in the woods. [More]
Regulators Deny Proposed USPS Rate Hikes
By 10.1.10
Earlier this summer, we wrote about the Postal Service’s proposal to stay even partially solvent by raising rates on first-class mail and small parcels. Alas, the USPS will now have to go to Plan B (which we’re pretty sure involves selling lemonade and washing cars) to increase revenue, after regulators slammed down the hammer of denial on the rate hike. [More]
USPS Out Of Regular Mail, Only Fancy Mail Left
By 9.22.10
Leesha says her local post office has gone upsell crazy. They wouldn’t let her mail a letter without sitting through an extended spiel about express and upgraded options. When she tried to fast-forward through the song and dance, the guy behind the counter snapped. Or, as the saying goes, “went postal.” [More]
Blockbuster Chases GameFly, Offers Game Rentals By Mail
By 8.10.10
Yesterday we noted that Blockbuster was launching a new DVD-by-mail rental service (which Netflix promptly one-upped by announcing a new streaming agreement), and today we’re getting tips from people that the beleaguered brick and mortar movie rental company is throwing games into the offer as well. FastCompany notes that GameFly offers around 7,000 game titles compared to Blockbuster’s library of 3,000 titles. On the other hand, Blockbuster’s rental plans start at $9/mo compared to GameFly’s $16/mo (both for one disc at a time). [More]
The Post Office Wants You To Know They Caught The Thief Who Stole Your Shirt
By 7.31.10
Someone at the post office poached the Villainous Victorian Velociraptor Matt had ordered from Shirt.Woot. Woot sent Matt a new Velociraptor shirt and he figured that was that. Not so! He recently received a remarkably detailed letter from the post office’s Inspector General, complete with an added surprise. [More]
There Is No Way To Escape The USPS Upsell
By 7.19.10
Reader Andy attempted to avoid the Express Mail upsell question at the Post Office and was cruelly ignored. [More]
USPS Raising Rates On People Who Still Use USPS
By 7.6.10
Facing a $7 billion debt and an ever-decreasing customer base, the United States Postal Service announced today that it plans to jack up the price of first-class postage by $.02 to $.46. Facing an even bigger hit are magazine publishers and shippers of small parcels, who face hikes of 8% and 23% respectively. [More]
