USPS Tracking - what are your current experiences?

Wow seriously **** the USPS. My item's tracking finally updated. Just to put this in perspective - I live in Madison, WI. MusicDirect is in Chicago, IL. My package is currently somewhere in Pennsylvania. I cannot believe this.

 

Sorry to hear that!

Due to my impatience, I always order at least $99 from Music Direct (or Acoustic Sounds) and get their FedEx. It gives me a good excuse to buy a lot of stuff and in return I get the piece if mind of knowing my package will arrive in two days, on time.

 

That's only 3 days - that's nothing!
I had to wait three WEEKS before the seller would admit to the item being lost.

 

If it went Media Mail, it could take one to two weeks. It's the slowest, cheapest service for a reason.

 

I was surprised because shipping it to Pennsylvania would take longer than shipping it ~145 miles north.

 

i agree with you, but that's really not what it's all about. it's about loads, routes, flights, etc. if you ship via cheap methods, carriers will either let it sit at a location until there's enough other packages to move it or they will add it to existing loads and bop up and down and all around the map. it also depends on where the nearest "main" facilities are sometimes. they all do it; especially the USPS.

 

One thing to keep in mind about pre-shipment is that when the item is dropped off at the post office (rather than scanned at the counter), there is zero guarantee that it will be scanned before commencing its journey *. I found this out last week. I dropped off an album that I sold at the post office near my work because I was off to a meeting and didn't have time to wait in line. I happened to check status on Wednesday morning and was concerned that it wasn't showing as accepted. By the time I went in later that day, the package showed accepted at my HOME post office on that day, not on the date two days previous when I actually dropped it off!?!? On top of that, my home post office is not a hub and the package really had no business going anywhere near there. It's irritating because the tracking history makes me look like a flake.

Regardless, it was finally delivered yesterday, 10 days after I dropped it off.

I'm still a supporter of USPS because 99% of the time they do what they promise and do it pretty darned well. But it's situations like this that make me go

* This is what I learned when I checked a couple days after dropping off the package. Something along the lines of "we could never scan in EVERYTHING that is dropped off."

 

Everything goes to Pittsburgh! Crazy. I sent a first-class package from Michigan to California on October 1st. Went EAST to Pittsburgh on October 3rd. Has said nothing but IN TRANSIT ever since. 9 days. First-class...supposed to take 3 days.

 

Thought I'd bring this one back up to the top, Holiday Gift giving and all.

My story:

First Class package, supposed to be delivered today. Arrived at the local PO at 3:43 AM today.

First thing this morning, tracking says delivery by 8:00 PM. I didn't check tracking again until 2:00 PM and it now states it's still at the local PO but on it's way to destination (not Out for Deliver). the tracking also states it is in Vermont and NY and NH (two different facilities). So I guess the USPS tracking is corrupt.

Mail carrier comes and goes, no package.

I drive to the local PO and bring the tracking information and show all the location stamps to the Clerk. He shrugs it off and goes out back. He "thinks" the package is still not checked in. They didn't have time to get it out in today's mail.

I did get other packages today, traveling different routes and arriving much later to the PO.

Hoping it shows up before Christmas.

 

My local Postal service is pretty good about pushing as many packages as possible for delivery before Christmas. They'll even rush media mail items for delivery around this time of year up until December 24th.

 

I always go through FedEx or UPS when I can. USPS does that to me once in awhile where the tracking information isn't updated and even though it's at my local PO, it doesn't go out in the mail.

 

FedEx & UPS are merging in the new year.

They will be called Fed Up

 

whoa!!!

 

My shipment was delivered 5 min ago and is in my mailbox, so very happy with USPS at the moment. I had ordered 2 XRCDs from Elusive Disc last week, originally said Thursday but over the weekend that updated to today. I find the USPS tracking system to be solid. Gives enough updates so you know where it is at.

 

My package left Pittsburgh and has been "in transit" since December 11. I live 90 minutes away.

 

Stumbled Upon This Thread I thought it was interesting I'm going to tell you my experiences with United States Postal Service.

Horrible customer service trying to get them on the phone I think the smallest amount of wait time I've heard is like 90 minutes to get someone on the phone ridiculous.

If you do get somebody on the phone for the most part they really don't give a crap about your situation I've even had people and the Postal Service bad mouth me and say bad things to me.

United States Postal Service tracking is the laughing stock of tracking Services it's a joke it's just a joke it's just simple its unreliable it it's just frustrating I can't stand it I like their priority 3-day flat rate boxes but the problem is most of the time it takes for days to get there instead of three and your package will arrive in the city where it's supposed to be delivered it says it's arrived there on the day it's supposed to be delivered but for some reason they don't deliver till the next day which is 2 for birthday so I'm like why did I pay for a 3-day service and got four it's completely unreliable you don't know what you're going to get.

 

I moved out to Portland almost 2 years ago. The service I got from the USPS out of Milwaukee was much better.

The recent routing changes in Media Mail are frustrating, as are the FCM price increases. I ship out to the East coast a lot 4 and 8 oz CDs.

Our local carrier is excellent. He always scans any packages we leave in our box at pickup. Pickup from our local PO 97219 is good but there are only two daily pickups at 3:30pm and 5pm. In WI we had a 6pm pickup that worked better. And they never lost any packages that fell off a hamper and went the next day.

Now I ship only a few packages a day. I used to do direct mail in the millions of pieces per year for over 28 years and had to deal directly with the pros at the bulk mail unit in Milwaukee and other locations in Wisconsin. I've been retired from a day job since April 2012 and don't miss it at all.

 

I`ve had really good luck with all of my records domestic and international.USPS Tracking has been accurate.UPS,not so much luck.

 

Just an FYI. USPS tracking has been down the last day or so. Came back up late last night.

I was angry enough to go down and chew out the Postmaster. Thinking they were leaving packages behind at the PO again.

 

Tracking shows my package was delivered three days ago. I hope the lucky recipient enjoys the gift and has many hours of listening enjoyment.

 

For the fourth time this year, seller's saying they handed off the album I bought, to the USPS, yet tracking has shown Pre Shipment the entire length of this transaction, which is a full week in the morning.
Not enough time for a lost package claim yet, but no less annoying.

 

Hate to say it but the US postal system is a joke. Worst tracking on the planet.

 

I've got a Discogs order that's been in 'pre-shipment' since the 7th. No updates since then. Fortunately, the seller was kind enough to refund me, but I have never seen this happen to any of my USPS packages before. Does the lack of any updates mean it's lost or got stolen?

 

My latest package said it was being delivered next Wednesday to Friday. I looked at the tracking yesterday and it said it would arrive today by 8pm. Normally our mail arrives about 2:30 so I figured I had time to take care of somethings away from home. I left at 11:15 and planned to be home by 2:30. About 12:45 I checked tracking. To my astonishment, it had been delivered at 11:45. Fortunately, it was still on my porch when I returned home.

 

If it's still in "pre-shipment" about a week after is supposedly shipped out, yes, it's most likely lost/stolen.