Good old US Postal Service.

[justfishin]

About a month ago I sent a reel ( Abu Garcia C-3 ) that was my spinnerbait reel and after all these years of slamming it a spring broke inside. I just fiqured I would send it to Reel Mech for a good going over. These reels are awesome. Anyhoo, I never heard anything and after a few weeks I called the USPS with a tracking no. and it was lost. No, I am a tighta** and did not insure it. I got a phone call the other night from a guy in NJ, yes, NJ and he said his wife recieved a reel with a note inside. He was very gracious and sent it back to me. I just got it back this morning. I got his address and am sending him shipping cost. How in the he** did my reel get to a house in Jersey when it was sent to Reel Mech,lol. LBH, your up !!!

[flechero]

You are lucky it showed back up.  I had to quit using USPS for shipping rods.  A large percentage of them end up broken inside of a PVC pipe, or just plain missing!!  Insurance claims take about 12 weeks to get paid out and they require ridiculous amounts of documentation and paperwork.  I have yet to have UPS or Fedex break or lose one... I think usps used the tubes as parking bumpers for trucks.  ...lol

Just fyi- insurance is cheap considering how likely it is you will need it with USPS.

[5bass]

I'm glad to hear you at least found your reel. Thats half the battle.

I bought a rod online and it arrived in 2 pieces. It was an open and shut case....postman delivering saw that the tube was mangled and stamped it as damaged material before he left my house. I filed the "official" insurance claim during the second week in May and am still waiting on my money. What's up with that?  

[flechero]

I filed the "official" insurance claim during the second week in May and am still waiting on my money. What's up with that?

I've waited as long as 4 months for them before...  you'll get it, eventually.   >

[.ghoti.]

You should see the sign in my local post office. For years, the stamp vending machines have been basically useless. You never knew what you were going to get out of them; you never knew when they would take your money. After years of complaints, they finally solved the problem.

How, you ask?

By removing the machines, and putting up a sign that directs everybody to the gas station across the street to purchase stamps.

I wish I were joking.

[mattm]

How, you ask?

By removing the machines, and putting up a sign that directs everybody to the gas station across the street to purchase stamps.

I wish I were joking.

Thats classic

[Fisher of Men]

While we're bashing the postal service, the thing that bugs me the most is that they keep going up on postage stamps claiming they're losing money.  Well, don't pay multi-million dollars to cycling teams, etc. for advertising AND why does every little podunt town in America have to have an immaculate brick building with a landscaped lawn out in front of it?  I'm sure they could work out of a metal building for a LOT cheaper.  OK, I'm through venting.

-Fisher  

[Guest the_muddy_man]

OH OH  I SENT THE MOOK SHIRTS VIA USPS< I hope this is not a bad sign, that's what we need another chapter of mookiness

[flechero]

Fisher of Men,

Just for you... the P.O. in Flat, Tx. is an old run down, small mobile home that's been converted to a P.O.  Does that help at all?   ;D

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Don't look at me!!!!  If you had sent it with us, I could have told you exactly where it was, every minute of the day and I'd put a Ben Franklin on the table that says it wouldn't have been in NJ!!!

That nice couple saved the day, not the USPS.

PS- Send them a Gift certificate for the movie theater near their house you tightwad!!!   ;D

[Gatorbassman]

The only problem with UPS is I can't find a place to ship it. I live in the second largest city in Georgia and I have called everybody and even looked on the UPS website. What do I do?

[cart7t]

I've had just the opposite service.  I've lost track of all the rods and reels I've shipped over the last 2 1/2 years using USPS but I've never had one lost or miss delivered.

Now that's using USPS Priority mail, OTOH, if you use parcel post to ship you take your merchandise in your hands.  A guy I bought some reels from shipped them parcel 2 1/2 weeks ago and they still aren't here.  I had some other reels come from Bull Shoals Arkansas to my house, distance about 260 miles, and it took 2 weeks.  I could've rode a horse there and back faster.

As for rods, I've had USPS crush a couple tubes with only some minor damage a couple times.  OTOh, I've had UPS and Fedex absolutely destroy some PVC tubes that rods came in.

What's sad is these things are supposed to be moved through their process via hand due to their length.  How something hand delivered gets snapped in half is a mystery.  

[justfishin]

Two things LBH. You are a nice guy and you are right, I should send them a little something for their trouble and will. Next thing, the box was addressed to Reel Mech and you know his address. How in the he** did it get to NJ and that particular house? I mean, duh !!! The guy that called was cool. He said his wife just grabbed the package off the porch without looking at it and thought it was for him. My name, address and phone no. were inside. He asked me to send a bottle of Chivas Regal next time, but, I probably would not get that back,lol.

[t bend tex]

Just think of the post office in charge  of our medical system!

When I have something shipped to me, I always  specify UPS or FED X.  some vendors only use usps (*** for one).  

The ups driver just picked up a package at my back door (a return item from my wife).  She would have had to drive 7 miles to the POST OFFICE to send it usps!

Larry g

[Raul]

Well, to be fair, I don 't know if when you become an employee of one the multiple shipping enterprises they give you a course on how to screw up for good. I ordered a GPS and clearly typed in the adress where it had to be delivered: 1820 SOUTH 10TH, see ? that cardinal point that points exactly the opposite of north, guess what ? it was delivered to 1820 North 10TH.

Ok, the person who recieved my package even called me to Mexico to ask if the package belonged to me and asked what did I want to do, I asked him to keep the package and that I would pick it in a couple of weeks. Went to his working place and he even took me to his home to give me the package, you have no idea how appreciated the gesture.

Here 's the point, the UPS sticker attached to the package is about 12 x 12 inches, the letters with the adress are about 2" in height, it reads:

1820 SOUTH 10TH

But attached to the package on one side there was another tiny sticker about 4 in long x 2 in width, with teeny tiny letters you can hardly see with your bare eyes: 1820 North 10TH

How can the delivery guy pay attention to a teeny tiny sticker when on the other friggin side of the danged package you 've got a sticker 5 times larger with BIG letters with the correct adress !  >  Am I missing something here ?  :-?

[Long Mike]

I have a friend of mine who used to work in the local sorting room of either FedEx or UPS. I can't remember which.  About 90% of the sorters were part timers who worked two jobs.  They started in the sorting room about 3:00 AM and were usually finished by 7:00; just in time to go to their day job.  There was one person who stood at the top of the sorting belts and was supposed to direct packages by zip codes.  Since personnel turnover is about 100%, there were times when one of the lazier, don't give a S##T longer term employees would be placed at the top of the sorting belt and would just go through the motions.  This resulted in a great many misdirected packages.  At the bottom of the sorting belts were a group of folks whose responsibility it was to scan the zip codes and to place the packages onto one of the four or five delivery trucks parked in their bays.  When those folks at the bottom of the sorter started receiving misdirects, they would, litterally, throw them as far as they could away from their belt.  If the package was heavy they would just push it off the belt onto the floor.  It truly amazing how many packages these folks deliver every day, intact, and to the correct address.

[5bass]

I really dont have a problem with the Post Office as far as shipping stuff and them delivering to me. Of all the times I've used the PO, that broken rod has been the only major problem I have had.

My biggest issue with the Post Office is how slow they handle insurance claims. There really is no good reason for them to be that slow. They've had over $200 of my hard earned money for almost 4 months now. Ridiculous.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Good point Mike, during Xmas, in one day, we will process and deliver over 1/4 million pkgs.  1 day.  250,000 pkgs.  1 hub with 400+ routes and we are not a major hub here in Providence.

Cart- The "irregulars" are not necessarily handled "by hand".  It just means that they cannot go on the conveyors.  They are toted around by electric train from one loading belt to the next.  These pkgs still have to endure the load in the trucks, trailers, etc.  Many times, they don't get messed up (rod tubes) till the driver takes the first corner and lots of stuff from the shelves has a chance to fall.  Tubes, because of length are loaded on the floor.  Right where said packages would land should they come off the shelf.

My point is,...it's not actually 1 guy with your rod tube, using it as a baseball bat.  It's the nature of the biz for things to get damaged, sad but true. It's not personal

Gene- I'll look into this for you.  Worst case, we will come to you for $10 and pick it up.  Well worth it if the closest outlet is a decent ride away.  Figure what your gas and time are worth and the $10 isn't so bad.

[Fisher of Men]

Fisher of Men,

Just for you... the P.O. in Flat, Tx. is an old run down, small mobile home that's been converted to a P.O. Does that help at all? ;D

Thanks,  it does a little.  But give them time.  I'm sure after this last stamp increase they'll be building a new brick one soon.  

[Alpster]

I just went through a mini trauma at the post office. Tried to ship a rod to CA. The nice lady measured it up and it exceeded the limit by 5". The shipping rate went from $17.95 to $132.65,    and that was parcel post (delivery between 10 days and two years). UPS shipped it for $30. Whew!

Ronnie

[flechero]

I just went through a mini trauma at the post office. Tried to ship a rod to CA. The nice lady measured it up and it exceeded the limit by 5". The shipping rate went from $17.95 to $132.65, and that was parcel post (delivery between 10 days and two years). UPS shipped it for $30. Whew!

Ronnie

What in the world are you sending, a one piece steelhead rod???   ;D

[Alpster]

I just went through a mini trauma at the post office. Tried to ship a rod to CA. The nice lady measured it up and it exceeded the limit by 5". The shipping rate went from $17.95 to $132.65,    and that was parcel post (delivery between 10 days and two years). UPS shipped it for $30. Whew!

Ronnie

What in the world are you sending, a one piece steelhead rod???   ;D

8' 4" swimbait rod with a couple of extra inches for secure packing in a 3" PVC tube. The limit is 108" (length + girth) The tube was 103" plus the circumference of the tube about 10" = 113". The post is office CRAZY!  

Ronnie

[Zel]

I won't do anything via shipping with rods anymore, and will only buy them retail, or from tackle shows.  I've never had any luck.  They were always broken or lost, and I have used both USPS and UPS.  The last time was the final straw.  A friend of mine that builds rods was up from Florida for a visit and came to our club meeting.  I gave him two rods I had in the back of the SUV, one to redo the guides and the other to replace the handle and redo the guides.  He took them with him on his drive back to Florida.  I told him I would send him a rod case via UPS and include an ARS tag in it.  After 3 weeks he called me to find out where the rod case was.  I contacted UPS, and after some investigation they said they realized the rod case was empty, so they threw it away.  I told them the rod case was the shipment and it cost me $50 for the case.  I put in a claim, which was denied because they said I could not make a claim against a shipping container.  Well my friend shipped the rods back to me via USPS in PVC pipe, and you guessed it the rods were broken.  I couldn't figure out how in the world they broke them because the rods were packed so carefully.  I sent my friend payment because he did his part and yup, the USPS lost my letter with the check in it.  I sent him another check (which he did get rather quickly), and three months after that he received my original check from the postal service.