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*Farmgirl Swap:  Missing and Delayed Mail  |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 15 2011 : 6:01:30 PM
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Hi Girls -
I have received a couple of emails now from girls who haven't seen posts from their Secret Sisters in one of the swaps I'm hosting, and they are concerned. I know that I've seen in other swap posts that mail has suddenly disappeared (never having been delivered), or has been seriously delayed. So I thought I should share with everyone what I learned today, in the hopes of helping to make sense of what is happening.
I, too, have been waiting for a package delivery mailed out to one of my Secret Sisters at the beginning of last week. It was sent via Priority Mail, and, according to USPS tracking information, should have arrived no later than the 12th. As of today, the tracking information indicates it has yet to arrive at its destination.
Frustrated (not only by my own package's shipping delay, but from everything I've been reading in the posts), I called the main 800 number for the Post Office this afternoon to see what is going on - why this delay with the mail? They were of little comfort OR concern. I was informed that whenever a package is mailed via USPS Priority Mail, delivery is not guaranteed to happen within 2 - 3 days - that delivery date they give is just an "estimate." I was informed that actual delivery can take up to 5 days. They didn't offer any reason as to why the mail might be delayed at this point in time, but did offer that I give it "one more day." If it isn't delivered to my recipient tomorrow, I should call back. (How comforting!)
The agent also checked her screen's tracking information which matched the information I was seeing online. She said that the tracking information isn't guaranteed to show all points between shipping and destination, only when it arrives. So basically, I can tell it left my state, but where it is at this very moment is anyone's guess! What's the point of tracking, then? Up until now, I've always been able to see all the tracking information with all the postal checkpoints noted on any other package I've sent! SO frustrating.
So, even though I took what I thought would be extra precautions for my package to arrive safely and in fairly quick time, it's still not happening, and the Post Office isn't really offering any explanations or accepting any responsibility. Basically, it's "just wait and see."
Yes, my sisters, the mail is extremely wonky right now. There is definitely a delay with the mail - and apparently there is no real explanation as to why. It just "is what it is." Normally I'd consult my stepdad - a USPS retiree - to help me figure this out, but he's out of town right now. Nevertheless, I want to assure all of the swappping farmgirls out there that I am sure that your wonderful farmgirl partners are doing their part. If you're waiting for anything to be received by your partner or to arrive from your partner, please try to hang in there. This has not been the norm in the past - as far as I can tell, it's just a temporary little speed bump with the mail. Hopefully everything will show up soon!
I just feel so bad for my Secret Sister who probably thinks her Secret Sister has forgotten her - I didn't, honest! I assure you: "It's in the mail!"
Hugs to all - Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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debtea2
True Blue Farmgirl
1853 Posts
deborah
nutley
nj
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2011 : 7:12:19 PM
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this is also happening with Mailart we too are missing packages something is going on
i mailed something 3 weeks ago and it has yet to arrive.
very weird.
inch by inch we find our way
jersey farmgirl
#1330
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Sitnalta
True Blue Farmgirl
4208 Posts
Jessica
NJ
USA
4208 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2011 : 9:55:06 PM
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it has beenn happening with everything from ebay., to b&n, to swaps. The post office is gummed up somewhere. The sad thing is that they are going to raise prices yet again and they haven't the quality anymore to deserve to do so. :(
hugs
Jessie
"Wonder Woman hasn't got a cape, she just turned her apron around"
Farmgirl Sister #235 |
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star-schipp
True Blue Farmgirl
942 Posts
Starletta
Middletown
Indiana
USA
942 Posts |
Posted - Feb 16 2011 : 06:16:18 AM
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Please just remember to not take out your frustrations on your carrier  They are very hard working folks and can only deliver what makes it to the station that day. My Dad was a carrier and I'm telling you, he came home exhausted every day. Carriers are being cut and routes being made longer and longer and they have to fight the cold at this time of year. Sometimes the only thing that could get my Dad warmed up was a long, hot bath and a shot of whiskey! LOL
If you can't feed one hundred people, then just feed one. -Mother Teresa
Star - farmgirl sister #1927
Master Food Preserver |
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edlund33
True Blue Farmgirl
1510 Posts
Marilyn
Renton
WA
USA
1510 Posts |
Posted - Feb 16 2011 : 07:03:06 AM
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It's even affecting international mail. I sent a small package to a friend in Jamaica one week before Christmas. I paid the airmail rate which guaranteed delivery by January 1st and I purchased tracking and delivery confirmation on top of that. It finally arrived in JA customs last week and she was notified three days later that it was ready for pickup. Until last week there was no information about the package whereabouts in the tracking. Frustrating to say the least!
I agree with Star - we can't take it out on our carriers because they aren't to blame. Our mailman is the best.
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Feb 16 2011 : 09:02:47 AM
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Oh my gosh, absolutely! My mail carriers are angels! :) I call them "Santa Claus" because they're always bringing me great "presents" from my farmgirl sisters! LOL! One of them is a real hoot - somedays he'll come huffin' and puffin' up the front steps just to tease me about the heavy load he is bearing on my behalf! LOL! We hear his clomping footsteps on the porch, my eyes light up and my son will say, "Got some good stuff in the mail today, I bet, Mom!" LOL! My stepdad actually retired from the Post Office at a relatively young age and at the first opportunity presented because of the toll the stress took on him. He's a much happier and healthier man today, thank goodness! :)
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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levisgrammy
True Blue Farmgirl
9438 Posts
Denise
Beavercreek
Ohio
USA
9438 Posts |
Posted - Feb 16 2011 : 4:58:40 PM
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It is a good idea to use delivery confirmation as you can track where your package is and when.
farmgirl sister#43
O, a trouble's a ton or a trouble's an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you make it!
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,
But only--how did you take it?
--Edmund C. Vance.
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LakeOntarioFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
933 Posts
Brenda
North Rose
NY
USA
933 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2011 : 03:18:34 AM
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Hey girls! I work for the post office(I work the counter, and sort mail, and everything else involved on the home end)at our little town post office, and pretty much work alone, and am hear to tell you to definitely not blame your carriers! :) It comes from farther back, who knows where, but it is absolutely true that you should always use Delivery Confirmation if you want to make sure you know where your package is. Humans err, and the machines err too sometimes, but at least if it has a way of being tracked, it is less likely to get lost.
Hope everyones packages arrive where they're supposed to!
Brenda
FarmGirl # 711
"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. "~ Mary Pickford
http://theviewfromhere-brenda.blogspot.com/ |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2011 : 08:03:10 AM
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Brenda - I used Delivery Confirmation, but from what they told me, it really didn't do anything more than tell us where the package was. They said the tracking is only guaranteed to show when it leaves your post office and arrives at the destination - they are not required to track or show any information about where the package is while it's in transit (if they do, that's a bonus). I know our local Post Office can usually find the package in the system when what I'm seeing doesn't say anything, but when I called the 800#, she had no more information that what I did. Just wondering... What is the Post Office able to do in a case where the tracking information stops and no further information is available? Are they usually able to locate it to ensure the package arrives at its destination? And also, is Priority Mail guaranteed at any level? This is the second time in a year that I've paid for Priority Mail and it hasn't arrived within that five day period. When that happens, does the Post Office offer any refund, even if partial? Like I said, I'd call my stepdad, but he's out of town. :) Thanks so much! - Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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DuckGirlMass
True Blue Farmgirl
218 Posts
Candida
Leicester
MA
USA
218 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2011 : 12:53:30 PM
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from selling on ebay for over 12 yrs, I have learned that the tracking ( delivery confirmation )only works if the clerk scans the barcode on the tracking sticker attached to the package. They dont always do it at every location the package arrives at. You would think they would since we pay extra for that service. I have yet to lose a package that has delivery confirmation on it though, so I dont know if they would cover the cost of the item. I doubt it because they also offer insurance that you can purchase.
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.....
Candida
Farmgirl Sister # 1507
www.etsy.com/shop/SomethingWiccan
http://stores.ebay.com/Something-Wiccan-Buffalo-Carvings
www.somethingwiccanwares.com |
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mywunderfullife
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Amanda
Douglas
WY
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2011 : 5:25:29 PM
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Some great information on here, Thanks so much. I need to send mine with Delivery Confirmation. I am sometimes lazy about that. But I will from now on. Thanks for making the phone calls and finding out all this stuff.
"don't outsmart your common sense and never let your praying knees get lazy"
Farmgirl #2424!! |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2011 : 5:39:12 PM
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Thanks, Candida! How ARE you?! SO nice to "see" you! :) It's frustrating, but even when you have little speed bumps in the process like we've seen lately, it really is a little bit comforting to have tracking and delivery confirmation on your packages! I don't think that Priority Mail covers the cost of the item lost, like you said, without insurance on the package. It just seems that if you're going to be paying a little extra to "ensure" your packages get there within a relatively short and somewhat specific period of time that the Post Office should have to reimburse you for part of the shipping costs when they don't fulfill their part of the purchase, you know? Oh well... nothing in life is guaranteed except death and taxes, right? ;)
Hi Amanda - I'm glad we could be a little bit of help in clarifying all of this. I just want to let you know that when you purchase your package's postage online through the USPS website, I am almost positive that they automatically include delivery confirmation with that postage at no additional charge. As a matter of fact, when you purchase that postage online, it actually ends up being a little bit less expensive than if you were to bring your package to the Post Office and buy the postage there in person. All you need is the shipping information, the package size and weight, and then you'll receive options for all of the different mailing methods available and their costs. They even give you a comparison of what it would cost purchasing your postage online vs. at the Post Office. It's pretty cool, actually. We've done shipping like this for a while. All we do is print up the postage online, package up the box, slap the mailing label on and drop it off at the receiving area with the postman working in the back. Online, they even have an option where you can schedule next day pickup for your pre-posted package, which is pretty convenient, too. Either way, it's a lot easier than waiting in line, truly! You might want to check it out! :)
- Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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LakeOntarioFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
933 Posts
Brenda
North Rose
NY
USA
933 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2011 : 5:50:38 PM
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Candida is exactly right... when I first started of course I didn't always remember to scan each package when I was supposed to. We call those failures. When it arrives at our post office it is supposed to get 2 scans- arrival at unit, then delivered. If an attempt to deliver is not successful, it would also get an attempt scan, then eventually a delivered scan.
I have not been there long enough, and our post office is so small, that honestly I don't know what happens when a package is missing. There is no way that could happen if it came through us, but I am not sure about the bigger post offices. If a package is undeliverable, then it is sent back to the sender. We have to actually mark those "return to sender".
I can only guess that if things get lost before even making it to us, it has happened at the central processing unit, which is usually the nearest big city. Those plants are huge, so I can only imagine what happens there!
I once had a package mailed to me, it was scanned delivered, but I never received it. The carrier claimed right in front of his boss that he put it in our mail box, but how it got out again without me getting it, is still a mystery!
It does happen. I make sure I scan everything now, even the barcodes that beep at me, when I am not sure if I should scan them or not. I pretty much always use delivery confirmation when I mail something personally, because I know that if something happens, I have a much better chance of finding it with that than without.
Nini- Express mail is guaranteed- that's overnight or 2 day. Of course you have to pay a fortune for it! Anything that is not guaranteed will probably not get you a refund. If you live far enough away from a certain size post office, you will almost certainly not be in that time frame, my mom and dad aren't, which a kind postal worker explained to me about 5 years ago, so I never send them anything priority thinking it will get there in 2-3 days. You could try asking for a refund though, it never hurts to ask.
And, sometimes packages do find their way "home". I once mailed a Christmas package over to London to my daughter. 6 months later, it found its way back to me! At least it wasn't completely lost, but when I heard I would have to pay the $30.00 over again to resend it, I said no way, and sent her money orders for the rest of the time she lived there.
And, please let us all know what your stepdad says when he gets back from vacation!
Brenda
FarmGirl # 711
"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. "~ Mary Pickford
http://theviewfromhere-brenda.blogspot.com/ |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2011 : 5:59:27 PM
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Thanks so much for clarifying, Brenda! I'm sure he'll just laugh and tell me exactly what you've just shared with us... Then he'll remind me why he retired at the first opportunity... which means I'd better set aside some "special" time for that phone call, indeed! LOL!!! ;) I really do appreciate your help. :) Thanks again! You're the best! Hugs - Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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DuckGirlMass
True Blue Farmgirl
218 Posts
Candida
Leicester
MA
USA
218 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2011 : 6:31:45 PM
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Hi Nini! I am doing good over here now that the 3ft + of snow is starting to melt! How have you been? I just cant bring myself to print my postage at home ! I live in a small town, and look forward to going to the post office and smoozing with the girls there... lol, but I do see the convenience of it, especially if you live in the boonies !
Be well!
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.....
Candida
Farmgirl Sister # 1507
www.etsy.com/shop/SomethingWiccan
http://stores.ebay.com/Something-Wiccan-Buffalo-Carvings
www.somethingwiccanwares.com |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2011 : 8:48:25 PM
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So glad the snow is starting to melt for you, Candida! We've got family in MA and RI and have been receiving the most hilarious picture emails about the misery you've all been encountering. Thank God for that great Yankee sense of humor! :) We had a nice teaser of spring over the past few days, but today the snow is back in full force and we've already received another 7" of the white stuff with more on the way! :( Oh well, it IS winter, I suppose...
I know what you mean about getting out to visit with the girls! LOL! When we first moved to PA, I knew virtually no one. My new best friends were the mail lady/Postmaster at our Post Office (who was an absolutely delightful double for Minnie Pearl), and the Schwan's man (I liked him - he brought me dinner every two weeks - LOL!). We moved here a couple of days before a huge blizzard and I was stuck in what at the time I felt was "the most God-forsaken place on earth" (my opinion of which has now completely changed for the better, of course!). The town we lived in was a little mining town - plows never came up or down our five or six streets. As soon as it was safe enough to bravely hoof it down the hill to the Post Office, I would trek down there every day - our mail lady was an absolute breath of fresh air and sunshine to me! I don't think I could've survived this move without her, bless her heart! :)
It's always good to "see" you, Candida! Please email me when you have time so we can catch up! Stay warm and keep cool! :) Hugs - Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
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cathys828
Farmgirl in Training
46 Posts
Cathy M.
Dansville
NY
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2011 : 06:29:03 AM
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I would rather use the Post Office, I am familiar with the system.
I am more interested in the "Secrect Sister". Being new to this group I would like to know more......I hope for some feedback, but I will look around for the secret answer!
Walk in Peace Sisters, Cathy/ Sisterhood member #1300 |
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ceejay48
Farmgirl Legend/Schoolmarm/Sharpshooter
13664 Posts
CeeJay (CJ)
Dolores
Colorado
USA
13664 Posts |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2011 : 06:47:41 AM
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Hi Cathy! Welcome! Sue Feely is actually heading up the Secret Sister Swap, and I'm hosting this quarter of the Secret Santa Swap. They're similar.
Here is the link to Sue's Secret Sister Swap sign up: http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=47812
Here is the link to the Secret Santa: http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=47830
The first post on the Secret Santa page basically explains how this kind of swap works. :)
There will be another sign-up for the Secret Santa swap sometime in April for the next quarter. I am sure Sue will also be having another round and sign up when this round is coming to a close, too.
I hope you'll sign up for either or both when the new sign ups are posted - they are so much fun!
If you have any other questions, I'll be happy to answer them. You can email me by clicking on my blue screenname to the upper left of this post. It will bring you to an info screen where you'll find the option to send me an email. :)
'Hope this helps! :) - Nini
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
Farmgirl Sister #1974 |
Edited by - Ninibini on Feb 22 2011 06:48:48 AM |
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*Farmgirl Swap: Missing and Delayed Mail |
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Missing and Delayed Mail
