I have a love/hate relationship with priority mail.. most times it serves my needs more economically than other alternatives...
I love online labels as they give you the delivery confirmation at no charge.
However, when I went to the P.O. this morning to mail 2 packages I was told that they "could not" scan the package if I printed the label online... regardless of whether the label was printed with or without postage..!
One of the girls that works there went to school with me and she showed me the official directive that had come from the P.O. headquarters telling employess. DO NOT scan any packages that are using the click & ship labels as the acutal printing of the label puts the package in the system once.
Now assuming they do scan the package at arrival...you can still confirm that the package was received. But many of us (especially when dealing with folks we dont know well) like to be able to show our trading partner that we have actually posted a package !! Now, if we use click and ship, we will not be able to do that.
I can print 100 labels without postage (they will show up in the system) but it doesnt mean that I am carrying 100 packages to my local P.O.
I'm not suggesting that we slam the Post office folks but if everyone would make an effort to complain in the right form (and I dont know what that is). I believe it would eventually get results.
any positive suggestions appreciated..
charlotte
lets try to "improve" priority mail delivery confirmation..
From the USPS site
Have a suggestion?
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Or, give us a call at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).
I'd copy the url but it's ridiculously long. Just go to their site and click on contact us and scroll down to click on have a question, complaint, suggestion.
I'd just add one thing - don't hold your breath on getting the USPS to do something that makes sense and is more efficient.
Them telling you that you can get package confirmation for free by printing labels online when in fact there's no such thing is right up there with them telling you that Priority Mail will be delivered in 2-3 days when in fact it will be delivered whenever.
Charlotte, so you're saying that the way it works presently, I can print a label from my computer and tell my trading partner I have sent the plant and give them a confirmation #, and never actually mail anything? This is, assuming I was trying to scam somebody.
I love using the USPS site for paid labels as they have cut my trips to P.O. by 75%.
Vossner, if you never mailed it, eventually the package tracking would show the post office never received it. I say eventually because I've found the USPS tracking usually never shows any information at all until after packages have arrived.
Exactly Vossner...that is exactly what I am saying...
if you print a label online with or without postage they are now not supposed to "scan" when you drop off the package.
It will show up in the system that you printed a label but not verified as mailed.
I guess in the big scheme of things as long as the package is scanned upon delivery the object of the system is working because it is confirming delivery.
However, I really liked being able to prove to someone that I did indeed mail them a package this morning.
I mailed 2 packages today. Usually in the evening I could get the confirmation number and get a message saying something like.
"package was presented to Pickens P.O. for shipment on 7/14/2006"
This is the exact info I now get when I checked:
The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper or shipping partner on July 14, 2006 to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date. Delivery status information will be provided if / when available. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.
Which means nothing... I have saved the 40 cents but can not prove to my trader that I did indeed mail there package today. I hate that !!
I am PO'd at the P.O.
thanks hart... I will go over there and complain...
That's exactly what I get when I order something online and it's shipped USPS. I never, ever, ever get anything during transit to show that the package is on the way. It will eventually show that the package was delivered though, so you're protected if someone says you didn't mail it.
What doesn't make any sense about this is you know it is scanned at every stop on the way including at some point at the original post office.
oh boy, I didn't know that. I will contact my P.O. also.
I mailed trades out early Monday priority from TX to CA that have not yet arrived.....perishable water plants, that are difficult to dig and package. If they are not lost , they are most likely mush from the heat and will probably have to be replaced with no recourse from USPS
I am about to go postal!
It will never get better unless and until people complain in mass to the postal service. They need things in writing. No matter how mad folks get written complaints will be the only thing that stand a chance of changing anything.
I used the info that hart gave to go to the site are explain how upset I was with the decision to not scan packages being mailed.
charlotte
I do print my postage online to save on the delivery confirmation but I pay for them at the post office so I have a receipt showing it was actually mailed. For the most part, the PO is pretty reliable in delivery priority mail but it basically boils down to this:
If you can't afford to lose it or replace it, pay for it at the post office.
Yes... I see... the receipt would be the proof that it was mailed.. a bit more aggravating but it would show "a package " had been mailed to a certain city..just not verify the street address..
When you use point & click, half the page is the mailing label and the other half is the receipt with the delivery confirmation number on it. After mailing, I take those D.C. papers and attach the po receipt to them as a group so I can refer back to them if there is any question about delivery or lost packages.
I just talked to one of the window clerks at the PO where I work, and asked what she was told about not scanning the preprinted labels over the window. The reason they aren't allowed to scan them is because they are getting the Delivery confirmation service for no charge on line, as opposed to paying to get a receipt at the window.
Marsha.
hmmm. Marsha, unless I'm missing something, the online deal says del. conf. is free, but if nobody scans and then the sender can't provide physical proof of shipment, seems like the freebie is much of nothing. The potential for abuse arising from this "freebie" could be monumental for all involved, senders, receivers and the P.O.
Also, is there an official place where we could address letters expressing concerns?
You've brought up the same thing that I did...and was told that that is the official policy.
End of story. Talking to management is like talking to a wall sometimes; it reminds me of the old "ask your mom...ask your dad" routine.
I don't know of a central place to complain about things. If you (as a customer) ask, you'll be told to contact your local Postmaster with any concerns. Monday, I'll try to get more info about it, and post it in this thread.
Marsha.
There are two House committees that oversee th USPS. The Treasury, Postal Service and General Government subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee is responsible for funding USPS operations.
There's also a House Committee on Government Reform that passed a postal service reform bill in 2004.
You could write (NOT email) or call the offices of the chairmen and members of those committees. Because really the USPS is just going to blow you off.
I'm sure there's another committee that oversees USPS operations but I don't have more time right now to look for it. Anyone could call their local rep's office and get that info.
Bottom line though is if you want to have a receipt for delivery confirmation you're going to have to get it at your local post office and pay 50 cents. But like I explained before, you do still have proof that you mailed the package with the internet label because eventually it would show the package went into the postal system and was or was not delivered.
This message was edited Jul 15, 2006 2:09 PM
Using the preprinted DC will give you proof of delivery, just not proof of mailing. It is scanned at it's final destination. I always follow up on online DC #'s when I haven't heard from the party receiving to be sure they got it. Like I said, it you want proof that it was mailed, pay for it at the post office and get a receipt. I did have a problem recently with some vigna seeds I sold on Ebay. The buyer wrote after only 3 days that she had not received it. Not wanting to ruin my feedback I sent another package immediately to appease her. The a couple days later (holiday weekend too) I checked the DC # and it showed she received it the day before. Since it was a Paypal transaction, I used paypal to print the first class postage with DC & dropped it in the mailbox. I didn't even go through the PO but it was scanned on the receiving end. True, had it never been scanned, I would have been out a package of seeds but it's the cost of doing business.