Rant on shipping

[Dftodd]

I encountered on odd problem with mail theft back close to 20 years ago when I lived in Florida.

I was installing alarm systems at the time.

I was at one customers home for a service call when the home owner motioned for me to look out the living room window, specifically at his mailbox across the street.

He had a locking mailbox and his elderly neighbor was trying her best to get into his mail box.

Come to find out she had dementia and kept steeling his mail, thinking the box was hers. So that's why they installed a locking mailbox.

 

[Oaktree]

Amazon uses UPS, USPS and FedEx around here. USPS for light items from 3rd-party sellers. UPS and FedEx for heavy items (not trucked)

I didn't think Amazon used Fedex...read someplace several years ago that Amazon tried to lowball them on price and Fedex told them to stuff it. Maybe 3rd party vendor?

 

[ultrarunner]

No problems with mail theft is. We just use a regular mailbox at the road. Keep your thieves out on the left coast.

I hope it stays that way...

Mail theft comes with strong penalties but for the most part nothing happens even with clear video showing in the act. Letter carriers getting robbed for postal keys happens multiple times.

Its very much the same for theft under $950.

Police here cannot go after a property crime in progress if the thief runs away... need I say more?

Business keep closing because the cost is too high... often the items stolen don't amount to much but the damage done when a stolen car is used as a battering ram ripping out mail boxes or storefronts can be quite costly.

How does a thief reach repeat offender status when nothing happens regarding past theft.

One morning I bent back straight a dozen mailboxes on my road... everyone with a locking box was hit.

Even 25 years ago when I managed apartment buildings the mailboxes were in constant repair.

 

[kenmbz]

Wow, Federal offense and no repercussions. Sad

 

[DarkBlack]

Lately Amazon ships UPS and UPS last tracking notice says it has been given to the local USPS for delivery.
That adds a minimum of two days for delivery.

That’s UPS “SurePost”. Better than mule back…..

 

[Jstpssng]

That’s UPS “SurePost”. Better than mule back…..

Yes. Apparently part of the contract states that the package won't get put out until the day after the post office receives it.

 

[goeduck]

No problems with mail theft here. We just use a regular mailbox at the road. Keep your thieves out on the left coast.

Unfortunately, we have them. They head out here from all over the country (and other countries) for the free lunch and no consequences. Enough said.

 

[Tinhack]

I didn't think Amazon used Fedex...read someplace several years ago that Amazon tried to lowball them on price and Fedex told them to stuff it. Maybe 3rd party vendor?

Somebody better tell them. I just received my 80-pound tool yesterday. I ordered it off Amazon and the tracking number was FedEx. I watched for a couple of days. I didn't look at any labels on the crate, but I will--It's still sitting in the bed of my truck this morning. It was all I could do to get it there from the ground down front. I'll be using the tractor to get it to the shop. My back is killing me this morning. I'm old and weak.

I've gotten lots of FedEx deliveries from Amazon. And I hate FedEx, but I don't have a choice of shipper when I order off Amazon. You should review your information because, apparently, it's stale.


Photo Update:
Original Amazon Order

Label on shipping crate:

 

[ponytug]

@ultrarunner I can't speak for all of California, but around here both the USPS and law enforcement take mail theft very seriously. We've had our mailboxes finger printed more than once, and once the fingerprinting at least allowed an ID of a perpetrator, and a neighbor's video has resulted in multiple arrests. My favorite video of theirs is of a male and female pair, where the guy stops the car in the middle of the road on a hairpin, hops out to get the mail, discovers the box is locked, comes back for a tool, meanwhile the woman kindly turns on the hazard lights, giving great video images of both them. Both apparently residents 50 miles away from what I heard. When we have gotten information on some of the arrestees, they have turned out to be not local, some coming from 50-100 miles away.

For us, the adage off "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun at least one other person" seems to apply. We upgraded our mailbox, and then about a third of the folks on our rural road did the same, plus some video cameras and mail thefts have gone to zero. The mailboxes in town are easier to get to by far. Of course, prosecutions, fewer folks getting checks in the mail, and other factors could certainly be part of why there aren't as many thefts.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ultrarunner]

@ultrarunner I can't speak for all of California, but around here both the USPS and law enforcement take mail theft very seriously. We've had our mailboxes finger printed more than once, and once the fingerprinting at least allowed an ID of a perpetrator, and a neighbor's video has resulted in multiple arrests. My favorite video of theirs is of a male and female pair, where the guy stops the car in the middle of the road on a hairpin, hops out to get the mail, discovers the box is locked, comes back for a tool, meanwhile the woman kindly turns on the hazard lights, giving great video images of both them. Both apparently residents 50 miles away from what I heard. When we have gotten information on some of the arrestees, they have turned out to be not local, some coming from 50-100 miles away.

For us, the adage off "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun at least one other person" seems to apply. We upgraded our mailbox, and then about a third of the folks on our rural road did the same, plus some video cameras and mail thefts have gone to zero. The mailboxes in town are easier to get to by far. Of course, prosecutions, fewer folks getting checks in the mail, and other factors could certainly be part of why there aren't as many thefts.

All the best,

Peter

My box signals when the slot opens and it has been opened in the very early morning hours and mostly weekends.

A lot of my experience is local to the SF East Bay where profitable business like In and Out shuttered...

What surprises me is mail falls under the postal inspector with broad enforcement powers so it would seem to leave local LEO out if the loop...

 

[ponytug]

My box signals when the slot opens and it has been opened in the very early morning hours and mostly weekends.

A lot of my experience is local to the SF East Bay where profitable business like In and Out shuttered...

What surprises me is mail falls under the postal inspector with broad enforcement powers so it would seem to leave local LEO out if the loop...

Our video tags tend to be in the middle of the night as well.

I think we have had both the sheriff and the postal inspector.

We both live in proximity to areas with, shall we say, low respect for laws. That apparently most of our identified thieves were from elsewhere a longish distance away suggests to me that the word is out on the local streets that our area is not "ripe for picking". Who knows? I would not want to read too much rationality in to the thought process of someone who might be, ok probably is, consuming mind altering chemicals.

I wish it weren't the way it is.

All the best,

Peter

 

[JasperFrank]

I get mail all the time addressed to neighbors that have been dead for over 7 years. Seems you live forever in a data base somewhere.

 

[3Ts]

This is a 2 part post. The first is about USPS, the second is about UPS.

I ordered a package from Amazon and it was shipped for delivery by USPS. It was delivered to a different address on a different highway. It's been raining all day today. Whoever received the box put a note on it that it was delivered to the wrong address and left it sit out in the rain. Apparently waiting for USPS to pick it up and deliver it to the right address. Did I mention it had been raining all day and the box had been sitting out for hours. The cardboard was mush. Now the second part, UPS apparently made a delivery to that address and saw the box and recognized my name. He picked it up and delivered it to me personally. That's several miles out of his way. It was very much appreciated and he had no obligation to do that.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^^
Experiences may vary. Years ago I was working out of state and needed supplies. I placed an order, paying extra for expedited service so that it would arrive when I was home.

It didn't arrive on time, so I placed a waterproof Rubbermaid box on my doorstep with a note stating "UPS, please leave package in this box."
When I came back 3 weeks later I found the package... setting ON the waterproof box.

 

[mrmikey]

That's as bad as the courier company they use out here for Amazon, Intellicom who I call Stupidcom. This is the sign I have on my front door, the lean to is right beside the garage which is 30' or so behind where I would be standing to take the pic. Last time I got a delivery in a box it was placed or more likely thrown, directly below the sign sitting on the deck....in the rain. Could be the inability to read English either that or the ability to give a s**t.

 

[NoTrespassing]

This is a 2 part post. The first is about USPS, the second is about UPS.

I ordered a package from Amazon and it was shipped for delivery by USPS. It was delivered to a different address on a different highway. It's been raining all day today. Whoever received the box put a note on it that it was delivered to the wrong address and left it sit out in the rain. Apparently waiting for USPS to pick it up and deliver it to the right address. Did I mention it had been raining all day and the box had been sitting out for hours. The cardboard was mush. Now the second part, UPS apparently made a delivery to that address and saw the box and recognized my name. He picked it up and delivered it to me personally. That's several miles out of his way. It was very much appreciated and he had no obligation to do that.

USPS is a disaster right now and has been going downhill for decades. My father has delivered rural mail for over 60 years and he is disgusted with the way the service is run. He cannot seem to find a substitute driver that will stay on the job longer than a few months and the subs he gets don't do a good job. The mail arrives by truck at the post office late all the time and sometimes doesn't show up at all. Together, my father and grandfather delivered mail for over a combined 100 years.

 

[jyoutz]

USPS is a disaster right now and has been going downhill for decades. My father has delivered rural mail for over 60 years and he is disgusted with the way the service is run. He cannot seem to find a substitute driver that will stay on the job longer than a few months and the subs he gets don't do a good job. The mail arrives by truck at the post office late all the time and sometimes doesn't show up at all. Together, my father and grandfather delivered mail for over a combined 100 years.

I guess it depends on the local post office. In my area the most reliable are USPS > UPS > pony express > FedEx.

 

[LouNY]

When the label is printed the email is triggered. You won’t see any tracking information until the package is scanned at the actual shipping facility

Same thing happens with Amazon occasionally

Quite often.

 

[caver]

I had a box coming from a vendor via scAmazon. N.H. business. First day it travels 60 miles via USPS. Then next day 160 miles. Then a few more short trips and the next update 12 hours later and says it's in Jacksonville FL. I live in MO. Several days beyond it's due date it just shows up at my porch. Days after that the tracking is still live. It eventually says delivered in Puerto Rico. UPS is not any better. Had a package NOT from scamazon and it blew past it's estimated delivery date a few days. I thinking tracking now is just a very loose suggestion by both parties.

 

[ponytug]

I had a box coming from a vendor via scAmazon. N.H. business. First day it travels 60 miles via USPS. Then next day 160 miles. Then a few more short trips and the next update 12 hours later and says it's in Jacksonville FL. I live in MO. Several days beyond it's due date it just shows up at my porch. Days after that the tracking is still live. It eventually says delivered in Puerto Rico. UPS is not any better. Had a package NOT from scamazon and it blew past it's estimated delivery date a few days. I thinking tracking now is just a very loose suggestion by both parties.

I still keep an eye on the tracking, mainly to be able to start tracking/loss processes as soon as it hits the shippers "missing package" date. More often than not, starting the loss process seems to shake the package loose from the machine so to speak, and getting the item is my goal.

I can't complain much, due to our locally high prices and low stocking rates, it is only cost effective for us to shop locally for perishable or heavy items. Almost all of them are good about not leaving packages out in the rain, or at least bagging it. Sometimes a substitute driver gets creative on where to stash an item, but so far at least, we haven't lost any.

All the best,

Peter