Anyone who’s ever been anxiously awaiting the arrival of a promised package might know the sheer frustration of waiting around at home all day, only to check the tracking later and find that a carrier attempted delivery when you finally left the house. That’s what happened to Consumerist reader Tony — only he had video to prove that no one from USPS ever showed up, despite what the tracking information said online.
Tony put together a video chronicling his recent frustrating experience waiting for a package to get delivered, but here’s what happened if you don’t feel like watching: He waited at home all day for a package last Friday, finally leaving his home at 6:25 to get dinner. By the time he returned at 7:40 that night, still no package, and no notice left on the door… but the online tracking information said USPS had attempted delivery at 6:59 p.m. Read More
https://youtu.be/uoVv1XwVyMw
I’ve had some issues with USPS, Fedex and UPS. This just happened to be the one I caught on camera.
Background Info:
On multiple occasions, I’ll wait at home for a package that never comes. Late in the day, usually between 7 and 8 PM, the tracking info will be updated to state delivery was attempted and nobody was available to accept delivery, when I was home all day.
Sometimes, I’ll even be sitting on the front porch at the time they supposedly tried to deliver.
The update states that there was nowhere secure to leave the package and that a notice (the pink slip) was left, but there is no notice to be found. This has happened a few times now.
When it happens, I’ve tried calling the main number for USPS (1-800-ASK-USPS) to find out what happened. The people on the other end are very nice, and even seem to believe me, but they tell me there is nothing they can do. In fact, they tell me that they can not even reschedule the delivery without the number off the pink notice that was (not) left. It seems like the tracking number should be enough, but they say they need the number off the pink notice that doesn’t exist, so I have to go to the local post office to pick up the packages.
When I go to pick up the packages, I’ve tried to bring it up with the person at the counter, but they either tell me I need to speak to a manager who isn’t available, or that I need to call or submit a complaint online.
I’ve tried filing an official complaint with the postal service (https://prd2faq.usps.com/faq/iq/usps/…) and with the USPS inspector general (https://www.uspsoig.gov/form/new-comp…) but neither resulted in a response.
Recently, I installed a security camera on my front door, and this Friday/Saturday, it got even weirder.
First, on Friday (9/25), I was waiting on a package that started the day listed as “out for delivery.” I was at home all day. I checked the tracking around 6:30pm and it was still “out for delivery” and when I checked again around 7:45 the missed delivery/notice but no notice debacle had occurred again, timestamped at 6:59PM. The security camera proves that never happened.
Then on Saturday (9/26) I check the tracking again around 9AM, and nothing has changed.
Then around 1pm I’m about to go to the post office to pick it up. I check the tracking info one last time and it has been updated to say the package was left on my front porch at 12:46PM. I go out and check, but there’s no package. The video again confirms that nobody was there and no package was left.
I ponder this for a bit, when at 2:30PM, I hear a knock at the door, and a mail carrier hands me my package, 2 hours after the tracking info says it was left on my front porch.
So now not only are they claiming they attempted delivery and left a notice they didn’t leave, but the next day they are also logging that they came back and specifically left it on my front porch when they haven’t, before finally hand delivering it.
I have actually seen my MANAGER scan a late Express Mail package attempted before the 12:00 cut off time while she was standing in the office and all the carriers were gone. Then a clerk was sent out to deliver the package.
The carrier that posted as another voice ignored nailed it.
The Postal system has gotten to the point where from the top down its do more with less. That sounds good but what it means is employees have to take short cuts to do more in less time. Your constantly in a position of trying to do 10 hours of work in 8 hours, the only way your going to get that done is take short cuts which is basically don’t do the work properly. It’s sad but that is what is happening all across the postal system.
Ever try and call a post office? answering the phones at our post office is a full time job, but we already have 3 people doing 5 jobs. The short cut here is the phones rarely get answered and the customers complain.
This is what happened : The first carrier ran late and we ain’t gonna pay for his OT, so she HAD to scan ATTEMPTED as our policy REQUIRED. Next day, she scanned it at 12:46 BEFORE she even get to the customer. At 2:30 PM she scanned the package before she handed it over. The system is rigged so that it would not over write the previous entry for the same action and makes us look good.
Bottom line: we got caught by a savvy customer.
Supervisors/Managers are forcing Carriers to scan mail early to protect their “scores”
so that they get their “bonus”. This has been going on forever.” Screw the customer as long as I make my money” is the new mantra for Management. They should all be fired for they are all incompetent.
Obviously a case where the carrier wants to appear to be doing things when they are supposed to be done, but doing things when he actually can.
Sorry to hear you are having these problems. It is a black eye to all good letter carriers to see this happen. Perhaps as a 31 year veteran carrier, I can possibly help you figure out what’s going on.
First, it would appear to me that the carrier or carriers involved are plainly not attempting delivery at all. They scan the package “attempted” and can’t even be bothered enough to fill out the notice slip. We have a new type of city carrier, and you don’t specify whether you receive mail from a city carrier or a rural – CCA’s, who are paid half the wages of regular carriers who are maxed out as far as hourly wages go. Management is pushing them hard, making them case sometimes more than one route and then expect them to carry a whole route plus part of another, and then will not allow them sufficient time to complete the routes without going like bats out of hell.
Thus, the CCA’s, who do not become regular carriers until a route is vacated by a retiree, or physical disability or transferee, have no job security until that point. They serve one year terms and are “invited” back for another year if management sees fit. They can be removed for just cause or no reason at all, and because of the wording in the National Agreement, the letter carrier’s union is all but helpless in helping them.
This means run, run, run, and do not take the time to do the job properly. That does include blowing off parcels, and I’ve seen other stuff I won’t mention here. Half price carriers under immense managerial pressure is becoming more prevalent. We old timers simply refuse to allow ourselves to be pushed to the point that we don’t properly hold vacation mail, forward mail, return undeliverable mail the way it’s supposed to be and other tasks that every carrier should do.
That doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes, but they’re few and far between if the regular carrier is good and conscientious.
Your second problem is passing of the buck to managers who don’t want to deal with your situation. They simply, in far too many cases, don’t care and would rather you didn’t bother them. They have a program they use to enter the package information, and it can’t “prove” your package was delivered, only that it was scanned, and some carriers will put in false information. Good management would be finding out exactly who was responsible and deal with them severely. If it is a regular carrier pulling this crap, then there’s absolutely no excuse.
I recommend not letting up on the pressure because sooner or later somebody will have to deal with it. It’s wrong, it’s unprofessional, but it’s a reality in a lot of offices.
I do want to say that not all of us are like that. You know the cliche “one bad apple”. My fellow carriers and myself will backtrack or do whatever it takes to get the mail to the right customer. I get very mad at myself if I overlook a letter, magazine or parcel, and go back to that address and deliver it. Unfortunately as we older carriers from the pre-internet days are retiring soon in large numbers, and unless these new carriers finally start listening to us, the quality of service will go downhill in a hurry. The tracking info that says when a package is supposed to arrive, I may point out, is only a guess by the tracking program. It has no way to figure in busy days with circulars, weather, traffic, etc.
I agree the system will predict the estimate delivery date base upon the location and the service type. But once it reaches the station or DU and once it scanned “Out For Delivery” there is no more prediction, period.
The PO has reduced clerk staffing enough that some packages are not getting processed in the morning for the carriers to deliver. I think they scan them as on the street when sorting them, after the carrier has already gone to the street. As they have to explain why a package wasn’t delivered, I’ll bet the supervisors scan them as delivered. It’s easier to listen to a customer wonder where it went than it is to hear their boss chew their butt.
Pat Hill. You win the grand prize. That is exactly what happens!!!!