posted on January 10, 2009 08:44:44 AM new
I just dropped off some packages with delivery confirmation and stamps.com printed labels. The post office informed me that they are no longer allowed to scan packages that are coming in to be shipped. It was a directive sent out 1/7/09 by the USPS to all offices. Therefore, when sending out a package, you will no longer have proof of mailing, only proof of delivery if it arrives.
The Post Office used to direct them to scan everything along the way, and delivery confirmation could be used for tracking. Now we can't even prove it went in to the postal system.
Guess they don't want Ebay business anymore? No wonder they're going down the tubes...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Caroline
posted on January 10, 2009 09:53:30 AM new
What a dumb thing for them to do!! They want the money for delivery confirmation but aren't willing to do the very simple work to make it worth the money. Wonder what PayPal will do since we can no longer prove a package was mailed?? Oh, and by the way, there will be the usual annual postage increase this spring following the Priority Mail increase this month.
posted on January 10, 2009 10:36:17 AM new
If you pay for the DC when you bring the package to the PO, it will be scanned. It has been the PO discretion from the beginning that if you get the "free" DC when you print your labels online whether they will scan at the PO or only scanned upon delivery.
Proof of sending is not enough for PayPal anyway. You need to prove that the item was delivered. If the PO loses your package in route even if it was scanned as sent you lose with PP. That is why you need insurance if the item is valuable. Catch 22 and 23.
posted on January 10, 2009 11:15:29 AM new
Well they were told it is no longer at their discretion, they are not to do it on the free labels effective immediately - I did not ask about the confirmation purchased there at the P.O....
Even though it does not work in Paypal claims when it is tracked in the system - it does appease the customer to be able to see that it has gone out and is on its way. Now we don't have that, all we can prove is that we printed postage. Maybe now is the time to start looking in to ups again. I just didn't want to start paying for boxes.
Merrie - don't you mean catch 222 and 223?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Caroline
posted on January 10, 2009 01:05:22 PM new
If you want to pay extra,there is a certificate of mailing you can take out to show you have mailed the package.
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
posted on January 11, 2009 06:32:09 AM new
I don't think a certificate of mailing would do anything for paypal. Plus you have to stand in line to get one.
Maybe the post office is trying to force all of us to purchase insurance. That will be the only way you are covered if package doesn't show up and even then the USPS may not cover it as you won't have proof that it was really mailed.
Yeah may have to go to UPS.
posted on January 15, 2009 05:44:14 PM new
I think this is a really bad move by tye Post Office, mostly from my perspective as a shipping customer, but also from the perspective of the Post Office itself as they are losing valuable FREE automated informaation about how they are doing in terms of delivery time, and lost item statistics. As a Postal Customer I have in the past very often used the free electronic delivery confirmation it has been very helpful it being able to let customers know that items have shipped and when there is a delay of some sort to reassure them that the item is indeed on the way
Just today a book customer emailed me concerned that a book shipped a week ago via media rate a total distance of about 35 miles still had not arrived! I pulled the EDC info and plugged it into the USPS.com site and saw that using impeccable Post Office Logic rather then sending the book directly the 35 miles it had been routed to a facility out of state to the south of me and then to a facility back in the home state much to the north of me and then finally delivered late today 7 days after mailing having traveled a distance of at least 500 miles during the week to make the 35 mile direct route trip!
I can also see this being a huge issue with Paypal when customers claim items have not shown up. I think all of us have been in the position of having items delivered using EDC that NEVER get scanned even at delivery so this is going to make it a lot worse.
I am thinking that maybe I will have to consider shipping using UPS Ground as the other poster mentioned as they include $100 of insurance and the actual electronic tracking (not just EDC) for free. It may justify the additional costs just to avoid the aggrevation that is sure to result from the USPS decision to not scan at acceptance.
A clerk at the PO did tell me that they would scan a summnary sheet if you brought one in with the packages (I think this prints out when you do postage in batch mode in paypal but I am not sure).
Overall it seems to be that the Post Office often makes decisions that are decidedly anti-small business. Whether this is intentional or not the result is the same.
Two more complaints while I am typing. MANY months ago when the PO first offered the new larger $12.xx flat rate box I emailed paypal and asked them to add this as a check box option in paypal shipping payment, they emailed back that they would look into this and then they never did anything.
Now we have THREE posssible flat rate box rates and I dont see that Paypal has done anything about this in paypal shipping payment options. Are they just tone deaf to the needs of their customers or so stupid they cant figure out how to make the programming change?
Last comment. The service at my local post office got so bad in terms of not enough clerks on duty and long lines that I complained to the Post Master, didn't get an answer so I emailed the Post Master General which generated a phone call from the local Post Master and a follow up mailed letter from a regional Post Master. Several months later what is the result?
Well the lines are just as long (but I seldom use them as I am using paypal shipping as much as possible) BUT the main thing that happened is the Post Office took down the BIG Clock mounted high up on the wall where you could see how long you had been waiting in line! Took it down and left the mount up on the wall! LOL! I think in Post Office logic this is the way that the have "solved" the problem of long customer waiting times!
posted on January 15, 2009 06:08:43 PM new
a certificate of mailing is not meant to protect you from Paypal dispute,neither is USPS scanning incoming package at 'your ' post office.
Most packages do arrive in a timely manner,not scanning on the shipping end saves the post office.
Dont you think it is a lot of work for 18 cents?scanning at both ends?
How often do we need to prove we have shipped the package? I have been selling since 1996 and I dont recall any incident when I have to prove I shipped the package.
If you have more than your fair share of 'prove you have shipped your package',you may want to find another shipper !
As for taking out insurance ,does the post office deny insurance if the DC shows it has been delivered?
I kind of recall someone reported her claim (missing package) was denied by USPS as the DC shows it has been delivered or arrived at destination post office.
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
posted on January 15, 2009 06:20:08 PM new
Postcardman,
I hear your gripes.
It is not that USPS is anti small business but
Businesses are all cutting cost,our local post office would rather prefer us to drive and ship our packages instead of having the postman come to the door.
Our local bank is closing some branches and some stores are closing early.
Local PBS offers a coffee mug if you give money for charity but we have to pay for shipping,same with National Geographice,one year subscription is like 12 dollars but please send us extra for postage.
I would not be surprised Paypal IT dept in India is still working on the programming changes.
*
Economic Reform act of Chairman Obama of the socialist States of America :
10 ounces of meat per month,half a yard of cotton per year per adult.
Hellilujah!
[ edited by hwahwa on Jan 15, 2009 06:27 PM ]
posted on January 16, 2009 02:56:04 AM new
On the flat rate priority mail a friend has been printing out the postage and just now noticed that the amount was the same for regular and large boxes (no place to check for large box) and their packages have been going through just fine. I guess no one at the post office even pays attention to how much postage is on the boxes!!
posted on January 16, 2009 10:05:40 AM new
Fortunately my local PO is still scanning DC when I take them to the counter.
NOT scanning DC will be a poor business decision for the PO. It currently takes the counter employees only a minute or 2 to scan my packages. If they are told to stop scanning I have already decided I will stop printing my postage online and will tie up more of their time buying my postage and DC at the counter.
It will cost me a little more but is still less expensive than purchasing another tracking option, plus I will have a receipt.
The PO only gets .18 per 1st class DC I print, zero if is it is Priority BUT their decision to stop scanning means it will cost them more in man-power.
I will still print my labels with DC using Click and Ship but instead of paying for them online, I will take them to the counter. The clerk will spend more time calculating the postage and checking the affixed label. Not to mention the extra time for casual conversation.
My extra costs, .68 a package. Their extra costs 10 to 15 minutes of manpower. Who loses in this equation? the PO
As for the value of DC, if you have proof of deposit it does buy you some time with PayPal when a buyer complains of non-receipt. If you can provide PayPal with proof of shipping and an open Lost Mail claim number they will keep the claim open longer. Also, with an open claim and the PO knows you have a counter receipt, the package usually surfaces because someone started asking questions.
So don't be so quick to write off the value of DC.
Caroline 