USPS is slow, buyer beware

paulybatz

paulybatz

"The Professor"
Silver Member
Hello all, I will never ship cues postal service priority, here is the reason...I did not ship a cue but a holiday present for my grandfather. I am very upset as the post office is running especially slow, I understand the whole holiday crunch and rush and high volume influx, but don't sell a mail service that is touted as 2-3 days and have it arrive 4-5 days...that's BS. If that were a cue--who knows what types of conditions it will be exposed to over that time.

Always ship valuable cues overnight, much safer and cues are not exposed to as much variable extreme temperatures.

I have filed a complaint on that particular priority shipment (like that will do anything but I did anyway)...Sorry for the early morning rant but had to vent.

Always insure for the full retail value with any carrier, I have had one cue lost by the post office that I bought on ebay, it was shipped to me and the seller forgot to insure it so there is a cue out there in the universe somewhere...and all above carriers have damaged packages even with the most bullet-proof packing, they found a way to make a mess.

Just some FYI.
 
I have had bad service with U.P.S and the USPS also not deliveing on time ...... And the worst thing is ,it wasnt usually near any holidays so no excuses ........... I think the worst is U.P.S, I have had the most trouble with them.........................:( :eek:
 
fyi - They tell you priority mail is not a guaranteed service and it will run very slow during the holiday season. Best bet is to spend the extra $ on express mail. It's still quite a bit more reasonably priced than UPS or Fedex overnight and is guaranteed. I hear DHL is offering a good service these days.
 
I have...

heard the same thing; however DHL I believe is a German company...no ethnocentrism but I try to do business with American Companies when I can (except cars) but airborne express is not so good in my experience as well.

cueaddicts said:
fyi - They tell you priority mail is not a guaranteed service and it will run very slow during the holiday season. Best bet is to spend the extra $ on express mail. It's still quite a bit more reasonably priced than UPS or Fedex overnight and is guaranteed. I hear DHL is offering a good service these days.
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For punctuality and package soundness USPS beats UPS, FedEx beats all of them, and I've never tried DHL. Every carrier will have its bad moments but UPS has screwed over a remarkable percentage of my personal shipments (either delivering one block over to the wrong address or damaging the contents). FedEx has been extremely reliable but a little pricier than I would like. USPS is cheaper than both and better than UPS as far as package soundness and punctuality.

If I really wanted a high-end cue to be delivered on-time and in its original state I would go overnight with FedEx.
 
Usps

I have never had a problem with USPS Priority. I have probably sent out 100 cues and never had an issue.

Recently, I sent a cue out USPS Registered. From Indiana to Washington, it took about 2 weeks.

My mistake I suppose.

Never an issue with USPS Priority and it seems to be the cheapest.

Ken
 
Yea, they say usually it's 2-3 days, but it CAN take up to 14 days.

If you can't wait the extra day or 2, lol, something's wrong.

It's like ordering a pizza. They say 30 minutes, but it can take 45 depending on traffic.
 
paulybatz said:
heard the same thing; however DHL I believe is a German company...no ethnocentrism but I try to do business with American Companies when I can (except cars) but airborne express is not so good in my experience as well.
Click to expand...


I believe DHL is the US counterpart to our Canadian Purolater.
 
paulybatz said:
Hello all, I will never ship cues postal service priority, here is the reason...I did not ship a cue but a holiday present for my grandfather. I am very upset as the post office is running especially slow, I understand the whole holiday crunch and rush and high volume influx, but don't sell a mail service that is touted as 2-3 days and have it arrive 4-5 days...that's BS. If that were a cue--who knows what types of conditions it will be exposed to over that time.

Always ship valuable cues overnight, much safer and cues are not exposed to as much variable extreme temperatures.

I have filed a complaint on that particular priority shipment (like that will do anything but I did anyway)...Sorry for the early morning rant but had to vent.

Always insure for the full retail value with any carrier, I have had one cue lost by the post office that I bought on ebay, it was shipped to me and the seller forgot to insure it so there is a cue out there in the universe somewhere...and all above carriers have damaged packages even with the most bullet-proof packing, they found a way to make a mess.

Just some FYI.
Click to expand...

An Aunt sent my daughter a 2004 and a 2005 US Mint coin proof set through USPS. She has been sending these sets to her as a gift for years. We received the box and had to sign for it and when I signed for the box I didn't realize what it was supposed to be and I thought that it seemed very light. When I got the package inside and opened it there was nothing in the box but tissue paper. Someone in the postal service had opened the box and removed the 2 coin proof sets and taped it back closed and sent it on it's way. The lady that shipped the coin sets insured the contents for what she paid for them, but unfortunately the 2004 set isn't available anymore from the US Mint and the only way to replace it is to buy it from a dealer or collector at an inflated price. It's been weeks since we filed the insurance claim and it's been nothing but a headache.

You couldn't pay me to ship an expensive custom cue through the post office. I've had too many bad experiences with them.
 
Is "USPS Priority Mail" anything more than plain "First Class" ?

When using USPS Priority mail w/insurance -- is there any tracking capability at all?

I'm still waiting on a cue that was shipped USPS from Georgia to Missouri on Dec 3. You spose there is any hope that it could show up after 14 Days?

I know buying cues on ebay is like playing Russian roulette . Am thinking of the rising probability that the seller found a higher offer than my winning bid (or worse) and I'm now SOL.... Paid $25 for S&H and he uses $8 USPS, what a cheap A$$!:mad:
 
Hierovision said:
For punctuality and package soundness USPS beats UPS, FedEx beats all of them, and I've never tried DHL. Every carrier will have its bad moments but UPS has screwed over a remarkable percentage of my personal shipments (either delivering one block over to the wrong address or damaging the contents). FedEx has been extremely reliable but a little pricier than I would like. USPS is cheaper than both and better than UPS as far as package soundness and punctuality.

If I really wanted a high-end cue to be delivered on-time and in its original state I would go overnight with FedEx.
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ALTHOUGH YOU WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO TAKE OUT A LOAN TO SEND IT THAT WAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D ;)
 
swfan said:
An Aunt sent my daughter a 2004 and a 2005 US Mint coin proof set through USPS. She has been sending these sets to her as a gift for years. We received the box and had to sign for it and when I signed for the box I didn't realize what it was supposed to be and I thought that it seemed very light. When I got the package inside and opened it there was nothing in the box but tissue paper. Someone in the postal service had opened the box and removed the 2 coin proof sets and taped it back closed and sent it on it's way. The lady that shipped the coin sets insured the contents for what she paid for them, but unfortunately the 2004 set isn't available anymore from the US Mint and the only way to replace it is to buy it from a dealer or collector at an inflated price. It's been weeks since we filed the insurance claim and it's been nothing but a headache.

You couldn't pay me to ship an expensive custom cue through the post office. I've had too many bad experiences with them.
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I dare say that I've shipped hundreds of cues via USPS priority or express with no issues other than one global express mail shipment to England where there was a delay during the Christmas season and severe icing, thus grounding the planes. It took 2 weeks in that instance. For the money it's simply the most reliable service, except Fedex, which is the absolute best. UPS shipments are the worst and the customer service is off-the-charts low, and for that reason they have been losing market share.

There's no doubt that someone probably opened the package and took the coins, but that could just as easily happen with UPS or Fedex. I've heard those same stories first-hand from friends regarding each carrier.

When shipping anything of value, including high-end cues (and especially the irreplacable ones), you need to do your homework regarding the insurance coverage offered. Most likely, their insurance will not pay if the cue is truly a one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable. They have really tightened up on the insurance the last couple of years. Also, insurance coverage on an overseas shipment pretty much ends when it leaves the US boundaries.

Having said that, my general approach is < $2000 and overseas = USPS, anything over $2000 = Fedex overnight. I try always to avoid sending anything over the weekend and especially the holidays....that goes for any carrier.

Moral to the story, when shipping you need to do your homework and package it very well to avoid issues.
 
Jigger said:
When using USPS Priority mail w/insurance -- is there any tracking capability at all?

I'm still waiting on a cue that was shipped USPS from Georgia to Missouri on Dec 3. You spose there is any hope that it could show up after 14 Days?

I know buying cues on ebay is like playing Russian roulette . Am thinking of the rising probability that the seller found a higher offer than my winning bid (or worse) and I'm now SOL.... Paid $25 for S&H and he uses $8 USPS, what a cheap A$$!:mad:
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If it's been 2 full weeks, I would be very concerned that it's not going to show up....even with it being during the holiday season. That's just too long.

With USPS priority, the delivery/signature confirmation is an add-on and so is the insurance. The confirmation is around a buck or two and think the insurance is around a buck per hundred of insurance.

If there was an understanding that you paid for it to be insured and he didn't purchase the insurance, then IMO he's self-underwriting the coverage and needs to reimburse you the cost in the event that it doesn't show. Problem is, unless you have a tracking number, you won't be able to tell that. That's the good thing with a credit card or paypal purchase....it's easy to remedy that, get the charge reversed.

That's why buying from unknowns on ebay is a crap-shoot......
 
Thanks for your thoughts Cueaddicts. Did pay with paypal and expecting to be reimbursed the total cost by the seller.

The seller is waiting to reimburse me until he receives my letter for the insurance claim stating that it has not arrived. He says he can make the claim 24 days after shipping.

Will keep my fingers crossed on this deal.:rolleyes:
 
I don't know about UPS, as I would NEVER use them to ship anything of intrinsic value...but, just to clarify, that with FedEx, it is not technically insurance. They call it a 'Declared Value', and you will pay for it accordingly, which is why FedEx is so expensive, but also so good. What this means is, that this is what you are claiming is the value of the item(s) shipped. What this can mean is, if you did not properly package the item, you may well only receive a percentage of the declared value.

With that all said...I used to work damages at FedEx Ground, and I have seen them pay on claims that I feel they shouldn't have. Like a piece of furniture that had been shipped with no packing material inside at all, and it arrived pretty beat to hell.....they paid the claim. Why? Because the claimant had provided pics of the damage, and included the packing material (that wasn't in the box when we received it), with their claim. The claims department at FedEx tends to err on the side of the customer...another reason why FedEx is the most expensive. Pay the extra for a Signature Required Delivery...otherwise, your item will be left at the door...and it may not be your door! They will make 3 attempts to deliver, and then it will go back to the terminal for 10 days hold, while they attempt to contact you to make arrangements for delivery. At least this way, you know the item is safe, and won't be stolen from your doorstep.


I have never had a problem with USPS Priority Mail. I usually add the Delivery Confirmation, as, while not a true tracking...it will tell you whatever info they have, and will confirm that the recipient did in fact receive the item. This info can be imperative when dealing with a claim involving your CC company or PayPal.

Lisa
 
I love FedEx, and I only use FedEx. I know it is more expensive, but it is the most precise and timely service I have ever used. They are also great with customer service. The employee also seem more motivated, and friendly.

USPS is not really that bad when you compare it to Canada Post, believe me.:)

I do not like UPS, they like to charge a hugh brokerage fee on international shipping (my customers will have to pay that), and they are less customer friendly when something is lost. In other words, it can be a hassel for my customers to receive a package I sent them via UPS. I have lost parcel via UPS a few times before, and it was not pretty. But I agree that they are cheaper.
 
I believe its 21 days minimum till you can to make a claim with USPS....

Let your seller know, Jigger ;)
 
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This Just In...

My mother in law just told my wife today, she sent her sister a holiday gift, an electric can opener and a couple of other trinkets...her sister received the package, sealed, to find the box empty...the package had been opened, rifled, and re-sealed. She did not purchase insurance as it was only about 20.00 worth of stuff, but that is some Shiate...to add insult to injury...and to add to this thread. You know what her recourse it...nothing! :mad:
 
I have always shipped using Priority, at least 50 to 75 items, and have never had a problem. It has always arrived within three days and sometimes two.
 
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