Jonathan is trying to figure out why the box of records he sent from Bell to Bakersfield, CA somehow took a 5,000 mile detour across the country and back first. [More]
usps
Netflix Is Fine With No Saturday Mail Delivery; Amazon, Not So Much
By 6.24.10
When we first wrote about the US Postal Service’s plan to put an end to Saturday deliveries, only 35% of the 7,000 readers polled thought it would be a hassle to their way of life. However, many commenters wanted to know what this would mean for deliveries of their precious Netflix DVDs. Yesterday, they got their answer. [More]
Postal Worker Pleads Guilty To Stealing Netflix Discs
By 5.25.10
Being a Netflix customer requires a certain amount of trust in the US Postal Service — that they’ll deliver your movie promptly and without stomping on it and that they’ll return it in the same condition. But a former postal worker in Texas violated that trust, and has admitted to swiping Netflix discs before they got to their intended destinations. [More]
Missing Some Mail From The Early '90s? There's A Shed That Might Interest You
By 5.25.10
The AP says that thousands of pieces of undelivered mail from the early ’90s were recently found in a shed in Michigan, and a ex-mail carrier is now charged with stealing mail — the punishment for which is up to 5 years in prison. [More]
USPS Food Drive Requires Flux Capacitor, 1.21 Gigawatts
By 5.10.10
Reader David would like to suggest that the next time the USPS wants to hold a food drive that requires you to put food in your mailbox on a certain day — they should tell you before that day arrives so that you don’t need a time machine. [More]
This Is Why No One Trusts The Postal Service
By 5.7.10
A postal worker from Brooklyn is in hot water after he was found with three full sacks of undelivered mail in the trunk of his car. [More]
USPS Thinks Everyone Lives With Dan
By 5.3.10
Dan can’t get his postal carrier to understand the concept of people moving away–if you’ve ever lived in Dan’s apartment, you’ve always lived in his apartment. [More]
Postmaster: USPS "On Brink Of Financial Insolvency"
By 4.15.10
Postmaster General John Potter appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to make his case for scrapping service on Saturdays, and what he had to say about the USPS wasn’t exactly rainbows and sunshine. [More]
If We Do Nothing, Taxpayers Will Be Bailing Out The USPS
By 4.13.10
The USPS is an independent agency of the US government that is self-sufficient and has not received tax dollars since the early ’80s, but according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), taxpayers will be stuck with a bailout if something isn’t done about the recent shortfalls. [More]
USPS Certifies My Tax Doc Package As Lost
By 4.5.10
Tax preparer Robert thought a sure way to get his tax documents to a client would be to ship them via USPS’s Certified mail. Turned out he may as well have turned to Virgania Horsen. USPS says the package is at a particular post office location but says it can’t find it. [More]
Why Won't USPS Let Me File This Complaint?
By 3.30.10
Usually when we reprint a customer complaint, it’s because the complaint itself deserves public attention. But the reason we’re posting Consumerist reader Sarah’s letter to the USPS isn’t because the world needs to know about her smashed up shipment, but because the USPS’ website won’t let her file the complaint. [More]
POLL: Do You Really Need To Get Mail On Saturday?
By 3.24.10
The USPS got one step closer to their goal of eliminating Saturday delivery with the Postmaster General earning approval to take their proposal to the Postal Regulatory Committee next week. If they ultimately get the PRC and Congress to sign off, that would be the end to 6-day service. But will it matter to you if you don’t get your mail on Saturdays? [More]
USPS Suggests Cutting Saturday Delivery And Increasing Rates
By 3.2.10
The United States Postal Service is continuing its long slide into suckage according to a new report delivered by Postmaster General John E. Potter this morning. People sent far less mail last year (“more than double any previous decline,” says the Washington Post) and labor costs continue to rise, which helped the USPS lose $3.8 billion in 2009. [More]
USPS Swallowed Up My MST3K
By 3.1.10
Rachel and her husband ordered a DVD set from a seller who shipped via USPS, but the package can’t seem to make its way to them. Their saga includes a cryptic email update and a notice of a delivery attempt they say never occurred. [More]
We Hope Your Mail Isn't On This Postal Truck
By 2.8.10
…Because that sh*t is stuck. A Gothamist reader took this photo of a postal truck stuck at a crazy angle under an overpass on 10th ave in NYC. Whoopsies! [More]
USPS Delivery Confirmation Says My Packages Were Delivered — They Weren't
By 2.1.10
An anonymous reader says anonymous’s mail isn’t getting to Anonymous. Even though USPS’s delivery confirmation service clearly says Anonymous received the package. [More]
Watch Out For FedEx SmartPost
By 12.23.09
Cristiana says beware the trap of sending things via FedEx SmartPost: the USPS handles the local part of delivery, and “since you now have two shipping companies involved, nobody wants to take responsibility for the package” when it never arrives. [More]
Beware Secret Surcharges On USPS Mail At UPS Stores
By 12.21.09
UPS lets you send USPS Priority Mail at their walk-in locations, but a New York Times investigation found Manhattan locations charging up to 140% more for the favor. [More]
