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USPS problem


LynnS

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:angry2:I just got a e-mail from a FLA customer.She ordered before and a couple candles were broke. Again broke.She transferred them to other jars without problems.I don't like that and ticked.I have PO put FRAGILE.I send orders to 5 other customers many times throughout the year and the orders are much bigger.Not one candle breaks but send to FLA(Miami)and always broke.

It has to be her PO.In fact I sent a order to NC the same day and she said her candles were fine. That NC order arrived to her within 2 days.It took 8 days for the Miami FLA lady to get hers. :confused:

I know get insurance and have before but all other orders are FINE.I told her to call her PO.I know when the order was sent. :mad:

It got shuffled somewhere and likely where she lives.

LynnS

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Interesting,FOOTBALL??? My husband told our postmaster to put Fragile on the box but he probably didn't.I try to watch but once I did tell him and he said he would.We are getting Fragile stickers and I am writing on the box myself red FRAGILE in red.

This has only happened to her. I bet it got lost in the shuffle and tossed about. After that long in getting to her it was in the way.

Thank You I have learned something about the PO. The rates are so good everytime I send a order but UPS is outrageous when I have checked their cost to ship

LynnS

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I have had the same thing happen when I mail candles to a customer in Maine, this time she said it even had tire tracks on the box...I always insure the candles but have been told not to mark fragile it seems to give the post office workers a reason to play football or bumper cars with it. :confused:

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Interesting,FOOTBALL??? My husband told our postmaster to put Fragile on the box but he probably didn't.I try to watch but once I did tell him and he said he would.We are getting Fragile stickers and I am writing on the box myself red FRAGILE in red.

This has only happened to her. I bet it got lost in the shuffle and tossed about. After that long in getting to her it was in the way.

Thank You I have learned something about the PO. The rates are so good everytime I send a order but UPS is outrageous when I have checked their cost to ship

LynnS

Since you know this is an issue with the PO in Miami, can't you do anything to better protect her candles as far as packing them goes--not just marking the exterior of the box, but securing them and cushioning them inside the box? You're smart to buy the fragile labels and write it on the boxes yourself because it's not the PO's responsibility to mark your packages.

Another thought...have you received proof that the candles were damaged--either photos or the merchandise returned to you? This probably isn't the case with your customer, but there are scammers out there who would stop at nothing to get free products.

Of course, you can buy insurance, but that really lets all parties associated with the handling of the package off the hook--no one has to own up to creating the damage. Why not file a complate with the Postmaster in that area? You might also try delivery confirmation as a cheaper alternative to insurance just to see if a tracking record might lesson the damage and slowness of delivery.

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I have wondered about complaining to that particular area since only 1 candle has broke with another customer in MO in the years I mailed. I asked the one customer in NC if her order was OK and she said "I NEVER have a problem".Everything is so nicely packed and arrives safely.She orders more than 20 candles at a time.

The lady wants me to be OK with it.She said she make amends with other jars she has and gets the candle in those.I refused to cash her check.She was upset.Said NO you MUST cash it.BUT I am going to that PO since it seems to be a problem area like you mentioned.Tell them HEY why is it just her.

She has it rough and is so excited to get my candles when she can .She is taking care of her elderly mother and really is a loving woman. I am sending her more.

When I pack my candles they are soooooooooo tight you can't feel /hear a jar move.I make sure of that. You would never be able to tell glass is in the box it is so tight. I do have my name which has candle in it.So likely but not Always it would be breakable.

A few days later this lady did e-mail me that I had the wrong zip code.It took over 7 days to get to her.When they corrected the zip they put it in big letters (RED) and corrected the zip.THey must have tossed it about because they didn't know where it should go. All they have to do is look it up.They know the areas. With the size of Miami I know they have more zips but that is their job to look it up. That is no excuse.

LynnS

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EVERYTHING gets broken on the way to Miami. I used to work for a wholesale club down there. No matter what we got or how it was shipped, about a third of everything we received came in damaged. We had a night stand that Old Dominion freight lines destroyed 4 times. They replaced each one but they didn't have to listen to the customer.

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A few days later this lady did e-mail me that I had the wrong zip code.It took over 7 days to get to her.When they corrected the zip they put it in big letters (RED) and corrected the zip.THey must have tossed it about because they didn't know where it should go. All they have to do is look it up.They know the areas. With the size of Miami I know they have more zips but that is their job to look it up. That is no excuse.

LynnS

Wow, you have a lot of faith in the PO. I bet the postal employees probably see things much differently than you do! They could have been real a-holes and returned the package back to you, stamped "address not found" because you used the wrong zipcode.

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I guess they could have sent the package back .Won't make much difference. I will be replacing the order.IF they sent it back I would put the RIGHT zip code but instead it got (I am sure) tossed around. Either way it costs me shipping twice AND I will make more candles since it got tossed about and the candles are in pieces.

Like I mentioned it happened in the same area and same customer. She wouldn't tell me every order I send her is bad.She is humble and OK with the whole thing.I'm not!!!! She did say she has problems with the PO delivery service. I made a simple mistake and put the wrong zip. I am sure it happens.Transposing numbers in the wrong place.

Like others have said they see them throw packages around like footballs. Sounds like the job is FUN and at times not taken seriously with our mail/packages. I sure wouldn't throw things around.

I will ask my Postmaster what he does if there is NO zip code. Send package back or look up the RIGHT zip.

LynnS

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Thank You Dustpuupy. Just what I was thinking. Why the same area and same Post Office??? Only her orders everytime. I probably should insure her orders.I guess I will go the nine yards, have her send the order back and make a report.I guess the right protocol???

I don't insure a order for 100 candles and they arrive safe!!!!! Not one broken but mail 3 and 2 are broken.:confused: :rolleyes2 :angry2:

LynnS

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UUUGH! this just happened to me this morning with a package to NY from Chicago. 6 of 12 items were broken!!!! They were packed so well I thought the recipient would laugh unwrapping it all. It just makes me sick to my stomach that people(USPS workers) don't treat boxes as their own, it's become the Walmart of shipping!!

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felixncharlie,

That is ALOT. I would be ticked. I am not sure they pay attention to FRAGILE even if it was on the box. I know I made one mistake but the lady from Miami's order before had Fragile and it was also broken.

When I got a wholesale account one lady was adamant.NO USPS.I told her the cost estimate from UPS and the estimate from the USPS. She said try it. When the candles arrived she was so pleased.None broken.She mentioned everytime a order for tiny glassware was delivered to her everything was broken. I assured it the candles will be fine and at least try it.She has ordered 3 times and always perfect.

I pack mine the same way. I shake it a bit and it is so tight nothing will move. I've dropped candles(not packed) on cement and they never break but when they are packed tight with bottom, top and each candle snug they break. :confused:

(Those I drop are MINE to burn).AND they are fine after they were dropped on the cement.These shipped have to take quite a beating to get broken. To many damaged IMO. 2 out of 3 for me and 6 out of 12 for you. :angry2::shocked2:

LynnS

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We were told by a postal employee ( in Canada ) not to put a fragile sticker on any package , ever ( they don't insure anything glass here ) . It means lets play soccer with it . Out of over 3500 things we have shipped 1 glass item was broken .

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On the zip code thing, look at it this way: If you have the wrong zip on the package, that means about 2 more times the post office is gonna have to handle that package. That's 2 more chances for them to break something.

Even if I agreed that it was their job to look up the zip, it's just one extra thing that can go wrong.

Not to mention the fact that some of them might just kick the thing one extra time for having to go to the trouble.

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Contact the postmaster general and file a complaint. Several years back, every time I sent, via USPS, a package of my stuff to the Sacramento, California area, my package never arrived. It was always stolen. It never mattered the address it was going to, but any address in the Sacto area never recieved my package. 2 packages to my brother, a couple to my sisters, a couple to my parents. A few to my friends and a few to some customers. All shipped at various times. Not one arrived. Package after package this happened to. It was really making me mad. I always had insurance and was paid for the lost packages, but I would have rather had the packages arrive to the destination, and in good condition. So I filed a complaint with the PMG and let them know that I would insure the hell out of my packages for which they would be paying me for them since there were crooked USPS workers in the Sacto area. I told them that if they wanted to continue to pay my insurance claims, it was going to cost them quite a bit. Guess what, my problem was suddenly solved.

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I have been shipping for 10 years via USPS and have only had a couple of candles broken in all that time, when using priority mail, and I always put a fragile label on the box. I don't have good luck with parcel post, and don't use it anymore. I tried UPS which was a disaster. I remember a wholesale account I shipped to a couple of Christmases ago...I'd ship a large box as I got the candles made, and after sending three boxes, each box has extensive damage. On the fourth, I took it to the UPS store first, and unknown to me, they opened it and repacked it via their specifications. That box had extensive damage also!:angry2: That was it...I switched to FedEx and haven't had a problem since.

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My experience has been that all the shipping companies, including freight lines tend to get sloppy, when business is good. When they start losing customers due to damage or poor service, they get serious about things and watch/fire employees and such. A year or so later they've cleaned up their act and one of the others has gotten sloppy, so they start getting the customers back. Then they start getting sloppy again.

In short, they take turns being assholes.:sad2:

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I agree dustpuppy...i ship UPS and I have no problems betwee Dec 26th and November 15th. After that I make sure insurance is added toi every package, and I have done several claims. I've actually had a box returned to me that was round like a ball! The sad thing is that some customers think you send boxes to themn that way. I had a nasty letter from a customer that she was mad becusae I shipped out a box with a giant hole in it. DUH!

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barncat

I am sure they do blame us. That way they get us to thinking we better make things RIGHT FAST. They just have to send it back and of course we pay that too but we have the complaints, paperwork, and redoing the and shipping.

Dustpuppy

I am sure they had a blast with the order.Must have had a blast with the others I have mailed.I always had the right zip then but still she had problems with candles broken.This was the first time she said the order had a wrong zip.

Meredith

Sound like you are on the right track.I bet eventually things were straigthened out and they found the thief. you will never be told.:embarasse

Great idea to insure bigger bucks.For all the trouble we should be reimbursed for the hassle if nothing else.So many here have said it goes on more than we know. :shocked2:

LynnS

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