For those woodworkers that use the US Post Office for mailing to customers, here is a recent problem I had that you may be interested in.
They have a new program called Clip-N-Snip for Internet users. This (like FedEx and UPS) allows you to print shipping labels and have the cost billed to your credit card. But, unlike FedEx and UPS, the Post Office uses the weight stated by the customer and immediately bills your credit card. FedEx and UPS waits until they have received and weighed the packages before billing your credit card.
I under estimated the weight of a 4 pound package by 1 ounce and the Post Office returned the package to me the next day marked “Insufficient Postage”. This made me so mad that I ripped off the USPS shipping label and sent it out via UPS.
I then went to the USPS Clip-N-Snip web site and requested a refund. The next day I got an Email back stating that since the label had been used, they could not provide a refund.
So, if you are using this feature with the US Post Office, be VERY accurate weighing your packages! Or, just use FedEx or UPS.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
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Our gubment at work!
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
Buy a scale and stop complaining. The USPS mail handling has not changed for 30 years at least. They return mail for insufficient postage. Had you added postage to the packeage they would hve delivered it.
And yet, about a year ago my wife sent me off to mail a large padded envelope (pictures of the kids) to her mother. The envelope was in the middle of a stack of others, and I tossed them all in the mailbox at the PO.
She asked about it when I got home, and did I ever get it! Seems I was supposed to go inside, and have postage put on the evelope.
PO delivered the envelope, no postage due, from TX to MO. I'm guessing I got lucky, and a whole string of PO employees goofed, but what do I know?
The PO also got a box of day old chicks from IA to TX in about 26 hrs, and called me to come pick them up at 7:30 AM on a Federal holiday. Birds had hatched at ~3 AM, I was called the following morning! Sunday-Monday, no less.
Not to say they are not also capable of amazing screw ups....
Since becoming a private company, they are changing albeit slowly. Adding the ability for customers to print their own labels, for instance. Something that FedEx and UPS has had for several years. But, on that point, I feel that they will have to change their policy on when the credit cards are actually billed. I did my best to get that point across to them! I figure that if no one ever COMPLAINS, then nothing will ever get done.
Our local post office here has 10-15 people in line at any time of the day, any day. Waiting in such a line is not an option for me. I usually just put enough stamps on and leave packages with the route mailman. I was hoping the online thing would relieve me of the necessity of buying stamps.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood
If you are weary of the ineptitude of the USPS, read this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/28/international/europe/28newc.html
It would seem the Royal Mail in the UK makes our postal service look like a finely oiled, model of efficiency.
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