the newest USPS rip-off…..

Coming May 15, 2025. After that date if you send a package and want tracking you’ll have to dig deeper into your coin purse. They call this new service “Tracking Plus”. I can’t see where it’s any different from the tracking they already offer, ineffective as it is, other than the charge for you to track your package so I wonder why they haven’t called this “Plus” Tracking.

I’m currently tracking, or trying to, a package that was ordered last week and the tracking says it has already been delivered…. to a mailbox in January 2025. It really doesn’t do much for my confidence that anything I order will actually get here using current mail service.

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Jimmy Jones wrote:

After that date if you send a package and want tracking you’ll have to dig deeper into your coin purse. They call this new service “Tracking Plus”. I can’t see where it’s any different from the tracking they already offer

You don’t have to buy this unless you want them to retain the tracking information longer than they usually do.

Jimmy Jones wrote:

Coming May 15, 2025. After that date if you send a package and want tracking you’ll have to dig deeper into your coin purse. They call this new service “Tracking Plus”. I can’t see where it’s any different from the tracking they already offer, ineffective as it is, other than the charge for you to track your package so I wonder why they haven’t called this “Plus” Tracking.

I’m currently tracking, or trying to, a package that was ordered last week and the tracking says it has already been delivered…. to a mailbox in January 2025. It really doesn’t do much for my confidence that anything I order will actually get here using current mail service.

It’s a public agency that basically exists at this point for the rural and for the old, but is expected to turn a profit like a private company. They are constantly under pressure to find new revenue streams and to cut costs because the people running this country are too stupid to understand or acknowledge what their role is.

They are what they are at this point.

smallie83 wrote:

It’s a public agency that basically exists at this point for the rural and for the old, but is expected to turn a profit like a private company. They are constantly under pressure to find new revenue streams and to cut costs because the people running this country are too stupid to understand or acknowledge what their role is.

They are what they are at this point.

Ya, I’m old and can remember when the postal service was a good thing and a solid place to be employed. Sadly I’ve watched the service to from dependable to questionable over the years. I do agree with your assessment as being the issue here…”the people running this country are too stupid to understand or acknowledge what their role is”.

My dad was waiting on some kind of hearing aid equipment and it was apparently “delivered” according to USPS but didn’t actually show up until 2-3 weeks later.

Joke.

Don’t even get me started on the issue of them ever fully shutting the mailbox. I know it’s difficult to give a $h*t…

Maybe I’m just turning into the “old man yelling at clouds” early

LabDaddy1 wrote:

Don’t even get me started on the issue of them ever fully shutting the mailbox. I know it’s difficult to give a $h*t…

Yes, how much effort is it to push slightly on the door so it stays shut. Happens frequently at my house.

Recently USPS delivered some small packages which the size of each would have fit in the mail box but because there was 3 or 4 the mail box door would only close about 1/3 of the way. The postal carrier then took a rubber band, flipped up the flag and attached the rubber band from the flag to the door. I live on a country road with a lot of traffic with my house about 300′ from my mail box. They normally just drive up to the house and drop it at the front step if it does not fit.

I have a standard size mail box. How many rec’d the little card from USPS about replacing your standard size mail box with one of the large ones?

People complain about the mail service and then bitch if they don’t get free shipping when they order online (I’m not addressing you guys on this thread).

The bottom line is that with the proliferation of direct to consumer shipping the cost for the postal service has risen. UPS now uses the postal service to deliver millions of packages a day because of how efficient they are at it. They deliver perfectly like 99.99% of the time. I’m not sure how much more we can expect for how cheap their service actually is.

smallie83 wrote:

It’s a public agency that basically exists at this point for the rural and for the old, but is expected to turn a profit like a private company. They are constantly under pressure to find new revenue streams and to cut costs because the people running this country are too stupid to understand or acknowledge what their role is.

Not every public service needs to return a profit. What people miss again and again is that the public sector has a unique role to play in society and for that fundamental reason, should not always function like the private sector does nor be held to the same standards. They produce public goods and services, not profits.

I think USPS should only deliver their own packages and mail.
UPS, AMAZON, and FEDEX ALL use the postal service for delivering their packages because it’s cheaper for them.
Also charge more for all the darn junk mail. Maybe I wouldn’t get so much. I get at least 2 CC applications a week along with hearing aid, insurance, AARP crap all the time.

The USPS for the most part is a made up jobs delivering junk mail 6 days a week. It’s not very often I get anything in the mail that I might actually need. Pre sorted standard mail is absolute garbage and gets thrown away by most people. USPS is an absolute disaster of a company.

John Timm wrote:

The USPS for the most part is a made up jobs delivering junk mail 6 days a week. It’s not very often I get anything in the mail that I might actually need. Pre sorted standard mail is absolute garbage and gets thrown away by most people. USPS is an absolute disaster of a company.

It’s not a company…it’s also not their issue you get a bunch of junk mail.

The USPS is not perfect, yet is far more reliable than many government created programs.

In our local area, UPS and USPS do a solid job and have employees who care and are likely overworked + underpaid. Fed Ex is a nightmare. It’s to the point where if something ships via Fed Ex and I know it, I’ll second guess even ordering the item at all.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>smallie83 wrote:</div>
It’s a public agency that basically exists at this point for the rural and for the old, but is expected to turn a profit like a private company. They are constantly under pressure to find new revenue streams and to cut costs because the people running this country are too stupid to understand or acknowledge what their role is.

Not every public service needs to return a profit. What people miss again and again is that the public sector has a unique role to play in society and for that fundamental reason, should not always function like the private sector does nor be held to the same standards. They produce public goods and services, not profits.

That’s my point. Politicians are constantly trying to force them into running a profit. Leave them alone and acknowledge they are there for a niche service and relatively select group.

The postal service is supposed to be an independent, break-even agency. The problem is that they are mandated by federal law to deliver mail 6 days/week, and without any bailouts by congressional funding, they would have folded up a decade or more ago. They operate in the deep red every year. I’m not a business major so I can’t say how this problem could be fixed. It’s complicated and would take congressional approval, something I’m rarely expecting these days.

The Postmaster General (previously appointed in the first Trump/Pence administration) recently announced he’s stepping down in June. He’s publicly admitted it’s broken and he cannot fix it.

It’s not a company…it’s also not their issue you get a bunch of junk mail.
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Jimmy Jones wrote:

Coming May 15, 2025. After that date if you send a package and want tracking you’ll have to dig deeper into your coin purse. They call this new service “Tracking Plus”. I can’t see where it’s any different from the tracking they already offer, ineffective as it is, other than the charge for you to track your package so I wonder why they haven’t called this “Plus” Tracking.

I’m currently tracking, or trying to, a package that was ordered last week and the tracking says it has already been delivered…. to a mailbox in January 2025. It really doesn’t do much for my confidence that anything I order will actually get here using current mail service.

Oh boy Tom, now I feel bad.

gim wrote:

The postal service is supposed to be an independent, break-even agency. The problem is that they are mandated by federal law to deliver mail 6 days/week, and without any bailouts by congressional funding, they would have folded up a decade or more ago. They operate in the deep red every year. I’m not a business major so I can’t say how this problem could be fixed. It’s complicated and would take congressional approval, something I’m rarely expecting these days.

The Postmaster General (previously appointed in the first Trump/Pence administration) recently announced he’s stepping down in June. He’s publicly admitted it’s broken and he cannot fix it.

It can’t be fixed because it’s designed to subsidize rural people and old people. But politicians won’t acknowledge that. It’s impossible to turn a profit when it costs the same to mail a letter from Warroad to Bowman, Montana as it does Minneapolis to St. Paul.

I’m all in favor of just getting rid of it so people stfu about it, and then letting people spend $5 to mail each Christmas card through UPS. I’m generally just sick of how many people in this country don’t understand how subsidized their life is by the federal and state government.

Saying they shouldn’t have to make budget financially is a wild stance. Breaking even would be a great start.

They shouldn’t be able to unionize either but that’s a whole ‘nother issue

It can’t be fixed because it’s designed to subsidize rural people and old people. But politicians won’t acknowledge that. It’s impossible to turn a profit when it costs the same to mail a letter from Warroad to Bowman, Montana as it does Minneapolis to St. Paul.

I’m all in favor of just getting rid of it so people stfu about it, and then letting people spend $5 to mail each Christmas card through UPS. I’m generally just sick of how many people in this country don’t understand how subsidized their life is by the federal and state government.
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Lifes far to short to be so sick and upset about something you have 0 control over .

ajw wrote:

Saying they shouldn’t have to make budget financially is a wild stance. Breaking even would be a great start.

They shouldn’t be able to unionize either but that’s a whole ‘nother issue

In order to break even they would need to substantially raise prices. Which people would go crazy about. They can’t lower salaries. I know I certainly don’t want to drive my own vehicle around 6 days a week on my rural route for $20/hour. Yes, I know they get mileage.

The major financial problem with the USPS is unfunded retiree pension liabilities.

-J.

smallie83 wrote:

It’s a public agency that basically exists at this point for the rural and for the old,

Huh? The USPS delivers to downtown business’s, city dwellings and industrial plants. It also delivers to nursing homes as well as childcare facilities. I was unaware that the USPS used age as a factor, to provide or deny service.

Huntindave wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>smallie83 wrote:</div>
It’s a public agency that basically exists at this point for the rural and for the old,

Huh? The USPS delivers to downtown business’s, city dwellings and industrial plants. It also delivers to nursing homes as well as childcare facilities. I was unaware that the USPS used age as a factor, to provide or deny service.

It doesn’t deny anyone service. Downtown businesses have a number of private options that I, as a rural citizen, don’t have. A downtown city business wouldn’t notice the closing of USPS. Same for young people. They are online for nearly everything.

Jon Jordan wrote:

The major financial problem with the USPS is unfunded retiree pension liabilities.

-J.

I read this part too. Retiree benefits of the postal service is primarily what sinks them into the red every year.

Speaking of tracking.. when I order items shipped USPS.. it says package has left “the facility”… what facility ? Where ? Is it in Isle or Timbucktoo ? I quit relying on their “delivery date” promised up front once I see USPS. Now FedEx or UPS… you can set your clock by them usually.

Depends where you live probably. For me FedEx will never be delivered the day it says, it will always update to 1 day later at some point and then be several hours after the delivery window listed.

USPS on the other hand only has two statuses: your package doesn’t exist and your package was delivered

ajw wrote:

Saying they shouldn’t have to make budget financially is a wild stance. Breaking even would be a great start.

They shouldn’t be able to unionize either but that’s a whole ‘nother issue

maybe I’m missing it but no one said they shouldn’t make a budget. Making a budget and expecting to return a profit are two completely different things.

mxskeeter wrote:

UPS, AMAZON, and FEDEX ALL use the postal service for delivering their packages because it’s cheaper for them.

Therein lies the problem. USPS should have a surcharge for doing other companies work, this would solve most of their own financial issues, increase the need for these companies to figure their own stuff out, and make USPS profitable even with servicing the rural and elderly . But since it’s govt ran they have no profit motive, and no financial constraints beyond begging for more money. Imagine any private business being inundated with Amazon orders, and subsequently losing billions. Instead we now have the govt subsidizing, either directly or by proxy, UPS, FedEx and AMAZON. Ridiculous.

What? UPS and FDX pay USPS a fee for final mile delivery. The USPS also uses UPS and FDX (along with other domestic airlines) to move their priority mail. These partying have been in place for decades and work well.

The USPS is in a no win situation. They have to deliver to every address in the US and keep their prices low. I think they do a damn good job given their parameters they have to work with.