It'd be nice if shippers stepped into the 20th Century

[OcalaFlGuy]

Taking a pen to be mailed out today (sniffle, sniffle, baabye you pretty little Copper SJ) had me asking some questions at the PO which then precipitated

me calling Fedex for more info.

 

A Somewhat hypothetical scenerio; Let's say I send a primo restored pen to 461 Ocean Blvd., Miami, FL [1] and it is misdelivered to 641 Ocean Blvd., Mijami.

Now, yes the package WAS insured, but I don't want the insurance $, I want what I PAID FOR, THE PEN I SENT, delivered to THE ADDRESS I SENT IT TO, no more, no less.

 

Question; Since it was insured and the mail carrier DID hit his little "item delivered" button on his scanner at the point of delivery, can he then go back into the scanner and determine (say via something so miraculous as GPS) WHERE the item was ACTUALLY misdelivered TO?

 

Answer; Nope, not at the USPS they can't. (I had to bite my tongue almost half off when the clerk ACTUALLY SAID <and she also mentioned that her and her

adjacent clerk HAD BEEN prior carriers themselves> "We couldn't have that, the carriers wouldn't want it known where they were every minute of the day..." (Imagine my total unshockednicitiness...)

 

To add further to the hilarity, the clerk actually said that even if it was misdelivered, the carrier would a week or so later, be able to REMEMBER where he had misdelivered it to. Sheyeah. Right. And I'm a bleedin' Space Shuttle Commander...

 

Shirley this is just the USPS archaic "gubmit" way of doing things, right? Shirely, a high tech, efficient carrier like Fedex has this magic ability, right?

 

Bzzzzt. Wrngh answer. Thanks for playing. Nope, Fedex can't tell where they actually misdelivered a package to either. (and remarkably, they SWORE TO ME, that their carriers have EXACTLY THE SAME super human powers of memory the USPS carriers have to be able to recall a week later where they actually (mis) delivered one (out of God knows how many they deliver a day) package to.

 

I just mailed this pen to a little town in Texas. I went to Google maps (street view) and saw a Realtor type full page photo of THE HOUSE itself the pen is going to and since there was a bit of a question on the actual address, was actually able to VERIFY BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT with the buyer that this WAS their house. (Me; The house has a black mailbox on a wood post down at the curb, 2 individual garage doors with Tudor style trim over them and 3 large trees in the front yard. Is this the right house? Buyer; Yep, sure is.)

 

And NO SHiIPPER can actually tell me the For Real Actual Address they delivered a package to?

 

What's wrong with this picture?

 

<mini-rant mode off/>

 

[1] and for 10 extra credit points. Does that address mean anything to anyone? (ANGH!ANGH!ANGH! no fair Googling!)

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Edited July 22, 2009 by OcalaFlGuy

[AllWriteNow]

My sincere sympathies.

Here's my tale of postal woe. It happened just today.

 

I sent via EMS Insured a pen to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Tracking and all...

Client checked on delivery and discovered that the parcel has been marked "Delivered"

Only One issue it says it was delivered to VIETNAM?????

After 45 minutes with the USPS. They discovered that 8 parcels in one sack have been wrongly delivered to Vietnam.

All were addressed to Dubai, UAE.

 

It should be able to be cleared up. Still client has to wait another 10 days or so for his pen.

 

Steve

[blopplop]

Bruce,

 

Sadly, I had a situation last year (or so) where Fed-X delivered 3 packages to the wrong address at different times within a couple month period. They were clueless about how to figure out where they had actually left the package. Our local UPS guy ended up discovering that our packages were delivered a few doors down (I forget how he found out--it was amazing at the time). He went the extra mile and helped us retrieve our packages delivered by another courier. Go figure.

 

I know that we all have our stories about our favorite and least favorite couriers. Our local Fed-X has always been incompetent, and I dread whenever someone is shipping something to me from them.

 

It is too bad that don't have a sure fire way of knowing whether something has been delivered to the right address. But at least our courier system is probably better than most other one's worldwide.

 

Dave

[OcalaFlGuy]

It would be so simple if they could/would spec their scanners out to log a GPS reading when the "Delivered now" button is pushed. I really don't need nor do I much care about it logging the carrier as sitting for 2 hrs every afternoon in his local family cafe like one near me does, but I WOULD GREATLY appreciate the simple ability for them to be able to hit, "Recall package # BlahBlahOhBlahBlah" and have it tell them EXACTLY where they misdelivered a package to.

 

Even the lady at Fedex admitted that function would greatly help her in HER job.

 

It's really pretty simple.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[FarmBoy]

It'd be nice if shippers stepped into the 20th Century

You mean 21st century right?

[jmkeuning]

Hee hee.

 

I love the us postal service.

[dcwaites]

My sincere sympathies.

Here's my tale of postal woe. It happened just today.

 

I sent via EMS Insured a pen to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Tracking and all...

Client checked on delivery and discovered that the parcel has been marked "Delivered"

Only One issue it says it was delivered to VIETNAM?????

After 45 minutes with the USPS. They discovered that 8 parcels in one sack have been wrongly delivered to Vietnam.

All were addressed to Dubai, UAE.

 

It should be able to be cleared up. Still client has to wait another 10 days or so for his pen.

 

Steve

It doesn't just happen to parcels.

 

I was at the University of PNG, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, organising a conference of Marine Scientists.

 

We got a phone call from the secretary of one of our eminent scientists, saying that "Professor XXX has just left for Guyana by Air Surinam." Wrong airline, wrong country, wrong continent, wrong hemisphere...

 

 

 

[oceansportrait]

On a more basic note----I'm always surprised how the post office, if I am not there to receive the package and the package doesn't request a signature, leaves it right there on the stairs in front of my door in plain view of anyone walking/driving by. One package was worth (written on the "value" in the customs form) over $100 and they just left it there for anyone to steal. My neighbors who live right across from me though are a retired couple, and thankfully, they have eyes like a hawk so I'm just glad that it didn't get taken.

 

I also wonder what would happen if it had been stolen? Sure, they had it "delivered," but they left it on the steps. Would they have then compensated me for the stolen package?

[tfwall]

It would be so simple if they could/would spec their scanners out to log a GPS reading when the "Delivered now" button is pushed. I really don't need nor do I much care about it logging the carrier as sitting for 2 hrs every afternoon in his local family cafe like one near me does, but I WOULD GREATLY appreciate the simple ability for them to be able to hit, "Recall package # BlahBlahOhBlahBlah" and have it tell them EXACTLY where they misdelivered a package to.

 

Even the lady at Fedex admitted that function would greatly help her in HER job.

 

It's really pretty simple.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

Maybe out in the country it might help, but it'd be pretty worthless in the city or denser suburbs.

 

You're going to get something like 20 ft resolution at the best of times, so you could narrow it down to the right block of a suburb. Maybe.

 

Coming out of a skyscraper or apartment tower though, the GPS would have to hunt for satellites for a bit before it could stamp the coordinates and the driver could be 10 blocks away now with only 50 m resolution due to all the tall buildings. So, that narrows it down to what? Fifth Arrondissement or somewhere in mid-town Manhattan. Doesn't sound all that helpful. Especially for the huge added cost that we'd all have to pay for as users.

[Nabster]

OK, so here's another question. When a package is delivered to the wrong place, why don't the people it's delivered to either bring it to where it belongs (it has the name and address right on it after all) or alert the carrier of the mistake? Surely they'd notice it's addressed to someone who doesn't live there, and the address is different before just ripping it open? We get mail for people whom live on the next street over but have the same house number on occasion, we simply go deliver it or just put it back in the mailbox and the carrier delivers it.

[eric47]

Shirley this is just the USPS archaic "gubmit" way of doing things, right? Shirely, a high tech, efficient carrier like Fedex has this magic ability, right?

I've wondered about this sort of thing. Sorry for the hastles.

 

And...Stop calling me Shirley. (Airplane!)

Edited July 23, 2009 by eric47

[rroossinck]

461 Ocean Blvd. = Clapton, right?

[OcalaFlGuy]

461 Ocean Blvd. = Clapton, right?

 

DING! DING! DING! we have a winner!

 

Yes, 461 Ocean Blvd is a most x-cee-lent album of his AND the address of HIS HOUSE at the time in Miami where they actually recorded the album.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

It'd be nice if shippers stepped into the 20th Century

You mean 21st century right?

 

No, I meant the 20th. They'd only have to make it THAT far (the latter part of it anyway) to get a clue on Geo-tagging. They won't make it to the 21st

Century techwise in MY lifetime anyway...

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

Doesn't sound all that helpful. Especially for the huge added cost that we'd all have to pay for as users.

 

Do mail carriers actually make door to door package deliveries in high rises? I sure didn't think so. (Certainly could be wrong there though.)

It wouldn't be any added cost if the scanners were speced out with that ability. I wouldn't be surprised if they already were but the ability just isn't

being used. USPS, Fedex and Oo(u)ps buy metric butt loads of those scanners, they can get on them whatever they want. Geo-tagging is pretty basic tech

these days.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

[tfwall]

Doesn't sound all that helpful. Especially for the huge added cost that we'd all have to pay for as users.

 

Do mail carriers actually make door to door package deliveries in high rises? I sure didn't think so. (Certainly could be wrong there though.)

It wouldn't be any added cost if the scanners were speced out with that ability. I wouldn't be surprised if they already were but the ability just isn't

being used. USPS, Fedex and Oo(u)ps buy metric butt loads of those scanners, they can get on them whatever they want. Geo-tagging is pretty basic tech

these days.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

For those buildings who don't get apt delivery, it'd be even worse. The carrier would claim they delivered to the building mailroom and they lost it. You'd just know that the package was delivered somewhere on that block (with the best resolution). You'd have no way of knowing if the box went to Apt 641 or 461 or to Apt 641 in the next building over. The carrier wouldn't be able to help you any more than they did the other day and you'd have paid more.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Chemyst

[OcalaFlGuy]

Of course there are instances where it would not work (as well) with the current GPS technology.

 

At least according to the 1990/2000 census, 82% of families live in either single family houses or buildings with LESS THAN 5 units. Thusly, the VAST MAJORITY would benefit from the geo-tagging. I think even the current GPS technology WOULD narrow it down to the building (multi-unit) itself, which is still more verification than you have right now.

 

I still stand behind my original premise that it's current (actually, several year old) technology that WOULD help MANY people with lost packages, help the carriers out (by admission of one of their employees who apparently actually has to help find the lost packages herself) and if it isn't already in place on their currently used scanners (and just not being utilized) could be there easily and for probably not much added price to the scanner.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Edited July 23, 2009 by OcalaFlGuy

[jpl]

Hee hee.

 

I love the us postal service.

:roflmho: :roflmho: :roflmho: :roflmho: :roflmho: :roflmho: :roflmho: :roflmho: :roflmho:

I could not stop laughing for minutes

[Vulcan1066]

I had an experience similiar to this. I called ups to see how much it would cost to mail a package to new mexico, the operator infomred me that they do not deliver to foriegn countries. I explained that new mexico has been a state in the united states since around 1912 and she still didnt belive me.

[HLeopold]

I had an experience similiar to this. I called ups to see how much it would cost to mail a package to new mexico, the operator infomred me that they do not deliver to foriegn countries. I explained that new mexico has been a state in the united states since around 1912 and she still didnt belive me.

 

I have had packages mailed from the east coast (USA) to the state of Kansas end up in Canada at least 3 times. I guess that Kansas, like New Mexico, is in some other country.