USPS- EEDIOTS!!!!

Hmmmmmmm. Seems like I was right. There is something stinky in the Atlanta metro USPS system.

Once I was lost, and then I was found....

Bought an A.I.R. check valve off of fleabay. After about 3 weeks of it saying "USPS awaiting item" after the label was created, the seller refunded me. I bought it on Feb 23.

I learned today it was supposed to be delivered. First it had to go on a tour of the U.S., apparently. Whut? I guess it loved going back to Atlanta.

86LK said:

that Atlanta distribution center must be really disorganized and screwed up

Click to expand...

It most certainly is. And has been for a while. Used to be pretty good. I think they're re-routing stuff that moves in and out of the airports to a "palmetto, GA" facility close to the airport now. This is when the problems started. They had trucks having to park and wait for DAYS on end for them to process everything. It used to go to "Atlanta North" and now it doesn't. Which used to be pretty darn quick, at least coming in my direction. Not sure what they're doing now, except slowing everything down. They suck.

Whoo hoo! Even more USPStupidity.

So I'm shipping something to Canada using USPS International shipping. I know, dumb idea.

Rulebook says you have to have an "electronically generated form" for shipping. Ok.

Fill out all the stuff, print out label, and lo and behold, there's no place to add a phone number as you fill out the online form for the recipient, but there is for the sender. There is a little phone icon next to it though on the label when it prints out, with a blank space. NP. I'll just write in the phone number to it just in case they need to contact the receiving party. Good deeds and punishment.

Take the junk to the post office, and apparently asked the laziest person on earth to check and make sure all my junk was good to go, if there was anything else I needed to do, etc., etc. They're the experts, right?

Lazy person looks it all over for a minute, then says oh yeah, I just need this form, that form can go back to you, and then it's ready to go.

Great.

It went to Miami for U.S. customs. 3 weeks later the recipient contacts me to say hey, wtf, the package is going back to you. I'm dumbfounded. I don't know.

Turns out, if you write ANYTHING on the forms, Customs will kick it back. Make darn sure everything you do is documented on the forms and FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T HAND WRITE ANYTHING ON THE FORMS. I went to try and resolve the crap with the person who checked it and she was apparently in a "f you" mood and I wasn't getting any refund and if I wanted to pay another shipping fee to get it sent I could, but basically, f- off. Customs kicked it back, but the lazy azz at USPS should have helped me understand that was a no-no instead of just letting me get fooked. Went back and read the "rules" again and it doesn't say anything about adding hand-written junk on the "electronically generated" form. I'm here to tell you- DON'T.

PSA: Think twice about writing anything on a package going internationally, even if the intent is noble and you think it would be helpful. It was mistake that cost me nearly $50. Just be mindful of that.

So my lawn mower (Cub Cadet) has a steering problem. They all do if they use a sintered metal bushing on the lower steering shaft. It's a consumable item, yet it's a huge PITA to fix.

So I ordered up TWO new bushings and 2 pinion gears for it in case it ever happens again I won't be held hostage by shipping times. Came to less than $20 shipped for the parts. Can't get them locally for some reason. Local shop can get them too, but he'd have to order them (high wear item, never in stock, WTF?) too, so why pay his markup on them?

Anyway, I ordered them straight from Cub Cadet, and they shipped it in TWO shipments. Really? Both UPS Mail Innovations. Meaning they ship it to a nearby USPS hub and USPS takes it the rest of the way.

Got the first shipment of the pinion on like August 3rd. Not bad since I ordered on July 29th.

The bushings?

See for yourself. They got all the way INTO MY TOWN!!! FFS!! (red circle). Then off they went again. Back to Atlanta. And NOW back to me. I could have had them on Saturday at latest. Now they add 2 more days to the merry-go-round. FU*K their logistics. It makes absolutely NO DANG SENSE. NONE. Bring it to your town, then ship it right back out again so it can come back? WHY? JUST WHY? It'd be easier to just ship it with USPS in the first place. This isn't Cub Cadet's fault. They just do what they normally do. But USPS logistics isn't logistics. I used to teach logistics courses at the nearby "bomb plant" and if we'd have done that, we'd lose wars.

And people wonder why the mail system sucks huge donkey dongs. Get off my lawn, USPS.