Declining quality of delivery service at my post office...is a PO box the answer?
opportunity
Posts: 1,067 ✭✭✭✭
Lately, the quality of delivery service has become shoddy at best. My regular driver is pretty good, but the subs are awful, and my regular is off work at lot, it seems. They just toss "sorry, we missed you" slips in the mailbox without trying, misdeliver packages, or just don't even bring them at all. One time, a substitute pulled that crap with a $1,000 coin on a Saturday, with a 2 day holiday closing following, and I actually jumped in my car and chased her around the block to get my package.
If I get a PO box, would it solve all my problems, you think? I really don't want to, but it's really getting to be a problem. I'm assuming that complaining to a Gov't agency will do no good.
Early American Copper, Bust and Seated.
1
Comments
If you get expensive items shipped to your house, you need a po box. If nothing else, it makes your house a little harder to find for enterprising thieves.
I have one (2 actually).
Nothing is perfect in this vale of tears...
I would admit, my regular USPS driver guy is the best. Just today, he did a fine job of bringing up my new copies of the two 2018 Standard Catalog of World Coins, right to my door and into my grubby fat paws.
I have also jumped in the car to go find the postal vehicle who left a notice a very short time before. Happens about twice a year. The driver is invariably nice about that too, it might be necessary to present a personal driver's license.
Had a USPS box in two different towns, over the course of 25 years. Gave it all up about seven or eight years ago. The fellows in the back of the post office downtown can be regular dillwads too, given the opportunity.
I miss the privacy of having coin packages and coin publications delivered to the P.O. Box, but going downtown to get the stuff cost money too, on top of the annual box rental.
USPS PO Box is a safe option. I have a tenant living in our property and she has friends over from time to time. You just don't know who may open your mail box
If you have coins or coin publications coming to you a P.O. Box is a must. I have had one for about 48 years.
Got a PO Box. Never looked back. Drama decreased significantly.
The Post Office has never been a first rate business since the 50's or 60's
In the long history of the Grand Republic, postmasterships were purely political footballs. Even in remote hamlets.
The last fifty or sixty years have been placid & mostly functional.
A post office box is definitely the way to go when you are getting coins and coin advertisements. They also send me an email on days when I have new mail, so I've cut down on the unfruitful trips to check the box.
I've had a PO BOX for more than thirty years, but screwups still happen.
I went through a spell several years ago when packages were being scanned as delivered, but either were stolen or put in the wrong box and not returned by the finder.
No, I recently had a high value package shipped from APMEX who uses private insurance but required signature confirmation.
I was tracking it and knew it was due at my Post Office and when I went to get it just found a key to a parcel locker in the my PO Box.
Opened the locker and found my package,,,,,, sure enough the label said signature confirmation on it. I went to the counter and asked if this package was signed for and it turned the Post Master signed for it. If the key had been placed in the wrong PO Box I think I would have been out of luck.
I raise Holy Heck and filed an on-line complaint,,,,,,,, same thing happened a few months later,,,,,, nobody cares,,,,,
I was told when filing my complaint that the person who signed would have been held responsible for my package,,,,,,, yeah,,,,, good luck with that!!!!!
I think a po box is a good idea, but don't some places specifically state "we don't deliver to p.o. boxes" ? Has that been an issue to anyone with one? I have been contemplating the same thing.
eBay ID-bruceshort978
Successful BST:here and ATS, bumanchu, wdrob, hashtag, KeeNoooo, mikej61, Yonico, Meltdown, BAJJERFAN, Excaliber, lordmarcovan, cucamongacoin, robkool, bradyc, tonedcointrader, mumu, Windycity, astrotrain, tizofthe, overdate, rwyarmch, mkman123, Timbuk3,GBurger717, airplanenut, coinkid855 ,illini420, michaeldixon, Weiss, Morpheus, Deepcoin, Collectorcoins, AUandAG, D.Schwager.
A few times but usually not an issue. PO Boxes are safer than street delivery. Also, private mailboxes can be disguised as if a street or apt. address, so USPS P.O. Boxes are safest method even though some dont realize that that.
I have a PO Box because the small town I am in did not deliver in city limits. They do now, but you have to put a a mailbox in a designated area with a row of boxes not by my home. Some places do not deliver to PO Boxes because they ship FedEx or UPS or other delivery method. I put street address and next line POB then city/state.
The PO can screw up delivery to boxes as well, and they need lobby open for you to get to your box. The box will not hold all size boxes/envelopes so you still get slips. There also is the rental fee...
PO box is the best way to go.
A little side note when I lived in rural NH, the post office was the general store. Well one I go to pick up my mail, a package from ANACS was opened. The gal there said it looked just like a package from the USPS that would have there stamp order in it. The package had gold coins in it. So much for keeping thing private.
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan
My Post Office now has locker to put larger packages in. They leave a key in the po box to open the locker. That sure is a big upgrade, now I don't have to stand in line to get them.
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan
Exactly my situation. I get the mail delivered around 4:30pm and much later around the holidays, so if something isn't right I can't even get to the post office before it closes.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
Have had a Pob for years. Would not go without one.
Today's climate in the PO emphasizes speed over customer satisfaction. The introduction of DPS (delivery point sequence) mail years ago started the death knell of the PO as we used to know it. Everything is about speed, not efficiency.
I have rented PO Boxes for years. It's the best way to go if you have valuable items delivered by mail. We have not had good service from some of the people who deliver to the house. They ignore the "hold mail" requests all the time, and it has gotten to be a problem. There is nothing like having packages set on your front door that just sit there. It's a nice invitation to burglars that says, "Nobody home! Come on in!"
I don't think I could be convinced to use my home address for coin packages. I've had a box ever since I was a little kid. After all, the cost is deductible
In my experience a PO Box would not solve your delivery problems.
It still comes down to a person making the effort to do their job
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
Yes, I agree. That's why I get really testy with the Baltimore show registry people when they ask for my license and start copying down my address. I do not want any coin related stuff coming to my house EVER, and I have had to push that issue hard for over 40 years. One breach in the dyke can cause a flood because these outfits sell addresses.
I have two, one personal and one for business.
Periodic unsolicited nocturnal mailbox batting practice was my original motivation to replace a rural delivery mailbox with P.O. Boxes at my local post office.
Now I look forward to my daily drive to town based upon my schedule without needing to monitor when the USPS delivery person will be knocking on my door.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163
I have a locked curb side delivery box. It is about 2' tall by 2' wide by 18" deep. Lots of packages can be dropped into it, but cannot be removed without using the key. It will hold several days worth of mail. I have had it for years, cost about $200, and is set on a steel post 4' below ground.
However, for larger packages, the post office person has been GREAT getting them to the door, ringing the bell (although it is not necessary as the 3 collies announce the presence of someone outside).
An odd benefit I have is that after mail delivery, about 1.5 to 3 hours later, the post office truck comes back by, to drop off mail on the other side of the street, and it's little engine makes a distinctive sound, so I can rush out, if needed, and catch them for a signed for package, or to send my own packages out bound.
There is a way around this. Most post offices offer "street addressing" so that you can have UPS or FedEx deliver to your PO box. You have to sign up for this at the PO in addition to opening your box, but there is no cost for it. For example, my PO Box 3882 address becomes 1515 S Grove Ave #3882.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
I do not have a post office box. Thought about it...but since I am usually home at mail delivery time, it really is not necessary. Plus, I get advance notice of mail and package delivery. Cheers, RickO
UPS store, mail boxes etc.; competitive with usps, can receive any mail and 100% safe. Better flexibility. Have had probably over a million arrive without issue.
I have had a PO Box for a number of years and here are some of my best practices:
Although not perfect (mail is not always posted to the box at the scheduled time), all in all more protection and convenience than home delivery even though the price seems to increase yearly.
i have pretty good postal delivery people...but i still have a po box. it's important to have if you have many coins in the mail.
You may have to stand in line at the locker, be sure to get there first.
If you understand what is coming, then you can duck. If not, then you get sucker-punched. - Martin Armstrong
I'm with Ricko and find no need for a PO box. It would be a pretty big hassle for me to make treks to the PO to check my mail. I'm over 70 have have NEVER had a package coming to me that was not delivered. Oh, I've had the slips when I was at home from a lazy delivery man but other than that, no complaints. My experience with PO boxes when selling coins and shipping them is no difference than non PO boxes...they all get delivered. The USPS is top notch in my humble opinion.
bob
Years ago when I was buying and selling via Ebay and other venues, I had a PO box at a local "Kinkos" type shop. I was also working tons of hours. They would call me when an insured parcel arrived.
The remote PO box allowed me to pickup and send packages after hours - things I could not break away to do during the day. The added advantage is that buyers/sellers did not know my true street address so I wasn't turning my home into a target.
At some point, I didn't think it was worth the expense and shut it off.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
For 20 or so years, we had no choice but a P.O. Box, but even after delivery started, I stayed with the P.O. Box for the personal touch. Being a small town, there are only about 400 P.O Box users and they stay unavailable unless someone dies or moves away. Not very often. I have only had 3 instances for concern and all three were held up as much as 10 days in Indianapolis. Have no reason why, but I request that my items are not routed that way if anything can be done about it.
I personally have never lost anything nor had a insurance claim, so I always praise our post office.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
The Kinko's or Mail Boxes Etc. type places are not real PO Boxes, of course. They are PMBs (private mail boxes). Very expensive compared to the USPS in my opinion. Reliable, convenient, but costly. And I might be wrong, but in my mind they add an extra layer of potential incompetence or theft. I had one once or twice - no complaints.
One thing for me is longevity. My family's PO Box has been ours for nearly 50 years. Most PMBs in retail storefronts aren't around nearly that long. But, maybe sometimes temporary is good....
in an earlier post i misses posted the message
I ment to say the USPS has NOT been a first rate service since the 1950's or 1960's
the 2 disagrees there a agree with my bad!
I fact I am expecting a flat rat package from the west coast and it has been almost a week and no package yet!
Can't argue with this at all. Do/did they balk if you refuse to divulge such info? I sure wouldn't offer it up.
I'm paying $20 a month now, started at $10, 20 years ago. No problems or losses. Key to get your mail at any hour, a lot more hours than usps which takes every holiday possible.
USPS says 2-3 days for Priority Mail (assuming that is what you have coming). So, don't worry - it will arrive four days ago.
What happens when they put the key in the wrong PO Box?
I got the license back from them before they could write anything down. They were not happy, but that ended the matter. Since then they have asked for an ID, but they don't see the address, only a name a picture.
You're right................It won't.
I've watched the USPS slowly decline from the inside for 36 years. It is really not the delivery employees total fault. New schemes by delivery supervisors to save hours, new computer software that is supposed to show that more work is needed for a route on any given day, new employee tracking scanners...................the usual GARBAGE.
Pay the price. Get a P.O. Box. You can designate what you want sent there. It will not leave the P.O.
Ben Franklin where are you?
Pete
your shoddy service is better than my regular. the "sorry we missed you" slips are in the box one to four days after the alleged "attempted delivery." Speaking of that, they NEVER attempt delivery. Never. Mail is misdelivered regularly (read: weekly). If it weren't for electronic tracking, I might never know that something was coming my way and/or available at the PO for pickup.
When you get to the pickup place, it is 20-60 minute wait. Simple stuff like Amazon packages that would fit in a small cluster box, you got to wait for those too.