Posts by Brian Mitchell44

Lisa Martinez82 said:Just because a thread gets locked doesn't mean everyone who was insulting people, trolling, or otherwise breaking the site rules gets a free pass. I have no idea where people get this notion that closing a discussion acts as some kind of universal amnesty for everything that went down inside it.

Oh, I see. So that's how it works then. 🙂

Just to throw my two cents into the ring—if we’re really going to start sanctioning Innocent, then why stop there? Why not go after every other troll cluttering up this space? 🙄 👎

Jason Jackson60 said:Question... what on earth do you do when a USPS carrier signs for a certified package under someone else's name and then just fails to actually deliver the damn thing? Is there even a way—or a place within the postal service—to verify exactly who signed for it and precisely when?

So, the mail carrier forged your signature but never even left the package? 😕
If you receive packages regularly, they should already have your actual signature on file; why not tell them to compare the two? Go down to the local branch, demand they track down where that signature came from, and threaten to involve their legal department. Once you start talking about legal action, people tend to find answers very quickly. It certainly wouldn't be the first time this kind of nonsense has happened. 🙄

It was most likely sent via certified mail back then. 🙂

Drew Gonzalez75 said:...

Honestly, I don't even know how to respond to that. 🤷 I have never once had anyone give me grief for simply following the rules exactly as they're laid out on their own websites—period. Though, I will admit, there was a time when my local Post Office employed some woman who felt the need to measure absolutely EVERYTHING down to the millimeter. Goodness, I would have lost my mind. 😁 😠

Oh, and get this: one time at a Post Office near the beach, this lady actually asked me what I was shipping and if it happened to be perfume (heaven knows where she got that idea 😕). I told her straight up that I wasn't shipping any liquids, and then she started questioning whether I was "absolutely sure" 😕 😁 about it. So, naturally, I just asked if she was actually going to ship the package or if I should just take my business to a different branch. In the end, she finally processed it. 🙄

Michael Sanchez7 said:This kind of backwards thinking needs to be completely eradicated. Amtrak and their marketing schemes have absolutely nothing to do with this discussion—I only brought them up as an example of what a competitor looks like, regardless of who they are. Honestly, yours are the only posts I bother reading once you decide to latch onto my thread just to spout nonsense. What am I supposed to do with you? Enjoy yourself.👍

Oh, how wonderful that your posts are just overflowing with brilliant wisdom. 😉

Maybe try actually studying this topic for once so you can grasp what people genuinely need here. And for the record, CE is irrelevant to this entire conversation (at least to me, and clearly to everyone else since I haven't seen a single soul using their services), even though you were the one who dragged the conversation toward how they are real competition for HP. 🙏
May God help us if that’s what passes for competition these days. 👍

Michael Sanchez7 said:So, we’ve finally reached an impasse. I suppose what I wrote was worth the effort after all. In the end, it all boils down to the fact that this is just your subjective opinion. Still, the lecture was decent enough; the reality of the situation is a bit more nuanced than it appears at first glance. Let’s summarize. Through market liberalization, new operators have been allowed to enter the sector. The USPS still maintains a monopoly on UNIVERSAL POSTAL SERVICES (which is clearly where you're getting hung up), but we now have multiple players in the market—meaning the market is liberalized—so there isn't a total monopoly anymore, and other companies are also handling the transport and delivery of mail (companies like FedEx operate with legal entities). The question is simply a matter of when change will actually arrive, and if HP doesn't undergo restructuring and modernization—a point I've made repeatedly—the outcome won't be pretty. And you were wondering why someone living where I do would ramble on about modernizing the postal service. Furthermore, you can't speak for everyone by claiming that YOU (who exactly is "you"?) don't care about what I've written. A huge number of people read this forum, most of whom don't even bother to reply. There is always the "ignore" option available for those who find a certain person too tedious to read.

No, you've got it backward. For your information, everything is perfectly clear to me; nothing is confusing me. Thank God I have a college degree under my belt, and let's be honest, Google does a massive amount of the heavy lifting, and if even that fails, I just pester the employees whenever I need specific answers. That first point is minor, but the latter two are incredibly useful for gathering information—something I suspect would benefit many people here, though it seems most people either don't know how to read or find reading too much effort, leading them to post the exact same questions over and over again.

And that’s exactly where we started—the idea that the postal service lacks sufficient marketing🙂 when, in reality, all people actually need is—a little bit of reading.

FYI—Amtrak has pretty pathetic marketing for a supposed "competitor," not to mention the state of the information on their website. ☕
Besides, I get the feeling you aren't really reading my posts very closely, if we're being honest about that, too. 🙂

Michael Sanchez7 said:Sure, corporate clients bring in more revenue than individuals, but that’s not even the point here. The real issue is that the USPS lost its slice of the pie because CityEx stepped in; if they hadn't, the USPS would still be holding onto it. That’s why HP Inc. isn't a monopolist. They were a monopoly back in the day, until someone else showed up to offer services in that same arena. Besides, CityEx handles legal documents and still manages certified mail to this day. Why would the USPS even care about CityEx? Why would they want to buy them out if they aren't in the same line of business and aren't actual competition? The USPS is a massive organization and needs decent marketing, but changing that isn't a magic fix. Tomorrow, some huge foreign corporation could swoop in and buy CityEx, or they might not—it doesn't matter. If the USPS doesn't adopt a modern approach to customer service and stop stagnating, they're going to bleed profits, which is exactly what's already happening. They're going to get eaten alive. Whether you want to admit it or not, CityEx is a competitor in this market. Just remember one thing: markets are categorized into monopolies, oligopolies, duopolies, or perfect competition. That’s how market structure works. If there's only one player, it's a monopoly; two players, it's a duopoly; several, an oligopoly; many, it's competitive. The hallmark of a monopoly is that entry into the sector is blocked, and so on. I don't know what part of this is confusing you. Maybe it's just throwing you off. Anyway, I won't drone on further; I think I've said everything that matters.

Oh, wow. Thank you so much for the free lecture on what a monopoly, a duopoly, and all that other jargon means. Honestly, I clearly have no idea, and thank God we have someone on this forum to explain basic economics to me. 🙏 🙄 And where on earth did you get the impression that anyone on this board actually cares about what you just wrote?

And you didn't even address my actual post; you're just rambling about things that are completely irrelevant to us. I couldn't care less who does business with CityEx if they don't offer decent services to me as an individual consumer—and if you're looking for service that'll make you jump for joy, CityEx doesn't have it (unlike the USPS, which does). The fact that JPMorgan Chase, Avon, and everyone else sends their letters and packages through CityEx doesn't interest me one bit either. They likely send stuff through them because they have corporate contracts in place, and obviously, they get some kind of deal out of it. That's all I need to know.

As far as I'm concerned, CityEx isn't competition for the USPS because I am still going to use the post office for my shipments. And I will continue to do so as long as CityEx fails to introduce a better pricing structure for certified mail like the USPS has. And honestly, if they haven't introduced something like that by now, they probably never will. Just look at the profits of HP Inc. versus the profits of CityEx, and please, for the love of God, compare the number of CityEx locations to the sheer number of USPS post offices. You don't need to be some genius to figure out who actually dominates the market. ☕

Michael Sanchez7 said:Success today requires marketing; those days of socialism and communism are long gone. Not everyone lives online or spends their time lurking on forums. I have to disagree with you regarding the monopoly—don't forget that FedEx is out there handling a significant amount of mail. A solid number of banks actually rely on FedEx services. Go ahead and check http://www.fedex.com/index.php?id=12 and get informed before you start spouting nonsense about monopolies. There are plenty of clients out there. Here, let me paste this for you:

The real question is simply a matter of timing: when will a new service provider finally enter the market, most likely from overseas? As I mentioned earlier, the United States Postal Service still has a massive amount of work to do if they ever want to truly enter the 21st century. Just look at how much AT&T, Verizon, and the others invest in marketing and how hard they try to keep customers informed about their services. Even retail chains blast flyers about their products. The USPS is the only one that seems to think everyone already knows everything about their services and that nothing needs changing. But reality tells a completely different story. Should everything just stay exactly the same as it was 50 years ago? Just look at what the post offices look like. It’s as if time stood still. But passivity and lethargy come at too high a price. It would be a crying shame to let such massive potential go to waste instead of implementing radical changes. The government should play a major role here, given that the postal service is state-owned.

What planet are you living on? 😁

No offense intended, but companies like FedEx cater to corporate entities, not to us mere mortals. Please, just take a look at their service price list and then tell me exactly how they constitute any real competition for UPS.

FedEx might make sense if you're shipping a package, but their numbers are basically identical to UPS, and when it comes to sending certified mail, FedEx is way too expensive compared to the USPS. So, please, spare me the talk about "competition." What kind of competition is it where sending a simple flat envelope costs $10. ☕

Michael Sanchez7 said:They handle express deliveries, sure, but they carry standard letters too. They deliver massive amounts of reports from banks. For instance, they bring me my auto loan statements from JPMorgan Chase and my American Express bill from Wells Fargo. They’ve definitely taken a slice of the pie from UPS. Of course, they aren't as widespread as the USPS, but they deliver mail all across the country, not just express items. They have those guys on motorcycles who deliver letters just like regular mail carriers. And as for that part you took from the business section, I have no comment, because as far as I know, nothing has actually been achieved regarding that takeover yet. Whether people want to admit it or not, UPS needs to prepare itself for the future, and everything I previously stated stands without question.

Yes, FedEx carries standard letters, but as I’ve already said—it’s for businesses. I have never heard of anyone sending anything through FedEx unless it was a package. If we’re being honest, we could also have a little chat about FedEx's marketing, which is even worse than UPS's marketing if we're really going there.☕

So, tell me—are you actually on the payroll at CityEx, or are you just here to spout your "expert" advice for free? 🥳

velvetgull36 said:I couldn't agree more with that last post!! Personally, I honestly have no clue what kind of services they even offer, and when I finally show up there, I'm at the mercy of the staff—who, let's be real, aren't going to lift a finger to help because anyone walking through those doors is nothing more than an unwelcome interruption to their day.🤣🤣

Exactly. That money goes straight into their pockets or they get some commission on the transaction, so why wouldn't they try to screw you over?🙄

You just admitted yourself that you don't know what services are available, yet everything is laid out clearly right there in your very first post in this thread; besides, even if it isn't explicitly listed on their website, you can find EVERY bit of necessary information online.

And it's simply not true that they won't help; you just have to know how to ask the right questions.☕

velvetgull36 said:That’s it!!! I am absolutely DONE with the United States Postal Service!!!! I headed out to the post office today to send off three separate packages, and what happened? Just like every other single time, they were tossing my packages around like they didn't matter! They were shaking them, rattling them—completely mishandling everything! Is anyone actually in charge over there? Does anyone care about the contents of these boxes? It's just constant negligence! I finally went ahead and signed that confirmation of receipt for the certified letter. Is there anything more tedious than dealing with this kind of paperwork? It feels like just another hoop to jump through in a system that never seems to get any simpler. I explicitly stated the value on both the confirmation paperwork and the package itself. $17I already paid for those three packages! $33Seriously, who is actually losing their mind here???? HELP!!!!!! 🤷 🤷 🤷

No offense intended, but it’s painfully obvious you don't actually understand the difference between WHAT you're sending and HOW you're sending it. If you had even a shred of clue, you would have sent that item as a package instead of trying to pass it off as a certified letter. Of course they charged you the postage rate for a letter—that’s just how the math works based on weight. Nobody conned you here. Honestly, isn't this just one of those life lessons we all have to learn the hard way? 😁

velvetgull36 said:So, here’s the deal: according to their ridiculous little tariff system, I’m supposed to pay shipping based on exactly how much the package weighs. Are you kidding me?! It’s absolute madness! From now on, I am only considering private couriers. Honestly, I’d rather just shell out the cash for gas and drive the damn thing to its destination myself than hand over a single cent to those vultures. 😠

Well, of course they told you that! You were sending it as Certified Mail, not as a standard package—so naturally, you paid a higher rate for the postage. If you had just sent it as a regular parcel and actually filled out the proper shipping forms, you would have only been looking at $14 or... $5.00.

Michael Sanchez7 said:It exists, sure, but let’s be honest—it’s nowhere near enough. In today's market, if you aren't aggressively pushing your services through targeted marketing and hyper-tailoring everything to the specific needs of the user, do you even exist? It isn't just about landing a sale. The real goal—the only goal that actually matters—is securing a satisfied client. But even that is secondary to the true prize: building a client who is so impressed by the sheer quality of your service that they wouldn't dream of going anywhere else. They recognize excellence when they see it, right? Or at least, they should. Unfortunately, most people don't have the slightest clue what real quality looks like. Is there anyone actually using the official United States Postal Service website lately? I’ve been staring at their interface for what feels like an eternity, trying to track a package, and I have to wonder: does anyone over there even realize how outdated this thing is? Is it too much to ask for a website that doesn't feel like it was coded back when dial-up was still a thing? It makes you question the entire infrastructure, doesn't it? One would think a massive institution like the USPS could manage a functional digital presence, but here we are. Even when they offer a free phone, where is the proactive marketing? Shouldn't there be some actual guidance to point customers toward the right department instead of leaving them wandering aimlessly? And don't even get me started on the United States Postal Service—they have a massive amount of work to do if they ever hope to drag themselves into the 21st century.

What on earth are you even talking about? The United States Postal Service has a monopoly, and thank God they aren't going to go messing around with things like that. Besides, why would they bother when their website is already more than good enough? It lays everything out from A to Z—how to ship, what the dimensions should be, how to fill out the forms, and so on and so forth. Everything you need is right there.

And get this—in my very first post on this thread, I laid everything out! I explained exactly what constitutes a shipment, the step-by-step process for sending a package, and how to handle a shipment as a registered letter. But apparently, reading is too much to ask? Because instead of actually looking at the information provided, everyone just keeps jumping in with the same mindless, repetitive questions. Honestly, does anyone even bother to read here? 🙄

People have been raised to expect everything handed to them on a silver platter, haven't they? They want the world served up without lifting a finger. And my absolute favorites? The ones who just drop off their packages without even bothering to ask about the best shipping options, only to come crawling back here later, hysterical, claiming the USPS completely screwed them over. 🙄

Give me a break—it’s not like we’re five years old. ☕

Taylor Bennett said:I was actually hoping someone could lend me a hand here too...
Basically, I’m looking at buying a phone from the USA, and this would be my very first time
navigating a transaction like this—you know, dealing with the mail service and everything...
I’m honestly just lost on how the whole process works, and frankly, the last thing I want is to get scammed
and end up losing my hard-earned cash and everything else.

...so, could someone walk me through the entire setup?
The package arrival, the payment side of things, the whole nine yards!
Thanks in advance! 😉🙂

Check this thread out; there’s a massive discussion going on about online shopping, so you should head over there and ask, provided you include some specifics such as:

- exactly which vendor you're planning to buy the phone from
- your intended method of payment

As for shipping, it's straightforward. The sender can provide a tracking number so you can monitor the shipment online. But seriously, go ask around in that specific thread first. 🙂

slyotter80 said:who's actually responsible for paying $1.75, the sender? Because I've never once been asked to cough up cash before...
I've spent my whole life just receiving packages, nothing more.

$1.75 You pay when some guy shows up at your door in a FedEx van. If it's just your usual mail carrier delivering standard mail, then those $1.75 aren't required.

And frankly, you better demand a receipt for $1.75 every single time—unless, of course, you want to give them a free pass to line their own pockets! 🙂 😳

Charles Ramirez59 said:Interesting idea, though I should probably warn you upfront—while the suggestion is definitely constructive, it's not going to happen.

The admins (working alongside Anderlon as the head) prefer maintaining control over who becomes a moderator. Moderators are given enough authority to completely derail a sub-forum, and that isn't a level of influence we're looking to relinquish. I’m not saying every moderator has been perfect or that every decision was a stroke of genius 😳, but I believe it’s better if we select our moderators rather than letting them be chosen based on popularity contests.

Let's be honest: moderation isn't exactly a popularity contest. It shouldn't be about being liked—moderators need to steer discussions, prune off-topic posts, manage insults, lock threads, and ultimately ban those who repeatedly break the rules or disrupt the flow. Mods essentially act as the police, and how many people here actually enjoy the police, especially when they pull you over for not wearing a seatbelt or 12 miles speeding? 😬

People who land the job through sheer popularity would either fail to enforce the rules just to stay liked, or they'd do their jobs properly and lose that popularity because they'd eventually have to ban friends or supporters. 😁

So, as I said, the proposal won't pass. That said, I really appreciate seeing constructive ideas like this, even if they don't go anywhere. Thanks for the thought and for posting. 👍

As far as I'm concerned, this topic is settled, but I won't lock it myself—I'll leave it to the moderators to decide if it needs to be closed. Feel free to keep talking about it if you want, but just keep in mind that I don't intend to get drawn back into the debate; the decision has already been made.

And honestly, how is any user supposed to provide helpful, concrete feedback when you shut down a suggestion right at the starting line? 😕

It’s true; this specific proposal is flawed simply because running polls every three months is just too much overhead. Once a year would be more than sufficient to gauge which moderator is actually performing, who might need some "refresher training," and who really ought to step down from their position.

But since we are on the subject, let me ask this: why don't certain inactive moderators just resign? Is there some sort of mandatory "leave of absence" policy or whatever they call it? Look, I can't tell if certain moderators are actually working behind the scenes, but if someone hasn't posted a single thing on the boards they supposedly oversee in ages, what is their actual purpose here? 😕

Sandra Reyes said:Can someone else pick up my package using my ID, or am I stuck going there myself?

It depends entirely on where you are. Some locations won't hand over so much as a gum wrapper without the right paperwork, while others couldn't care less and will give it to anyone.

Rebecca Reed said:Oh, thank goodness I actually remembered this while reading through these comments!!!
The thing is, those folks driving the yellow UPS vans always charge me $1.75 as if they're bundling everything together. For example, if I have two or three packages, they just charge me a flat $5.00 for the whole lot.
And we usually get the same delivery guy—a little guy, quite a boisterous character.
Then one day last week, this other tall fellow shows up in a yellow truck with three packages. He tells me $5.00. Since I didn't have any change, I gave him $6.75.
And he has nothing to give back, $1.75so he claims we should just "remember" it and that next time I won't have to pay for one of the packages.POTATOES, I NEVER GOT A RECEIPT; IN FACT, I ALMOST NEVER GET ONE.

Well, wouldn't you know it? Just yesterday, a small package arrives in a little truck, and it’s my usual stout little driver. I tell him, "Hey, you were here yesterday and you still owe me $1.75."
And his response? "I don't know anything about that; I wasn't the one here, I just have this bill that needs paying now."

👎 👎 👎 It's absolutely appalling. This is straight-up theft. You people have really reminded me of something; tomorrow I'm heading down to the local Post Office to file an official complaint. It isn't even about the $1.75, it's the principle of them stealing from people.👎

😠

They ALWAYS demand a receipt! Without it, you have zero leverage! $1.75, whatever, once you have your $1.75, you at least have proof you paid. Personally, I always make sure I get a receipt. 🙂

If you’re dealing with a tiny package, just shove it into a larger yellow envelope, wrap it up tight with some twine, and send it off as a standard parcel. That’s my go-to move every single time. Let her keep playing pretend with those registered letters. I mean, seriously, one time she automatically charged me for a certified letter and slapped a postage stamp right on the envelope, even though I explicitly told her I wanted it sent as a regular package! 😬 But then she just went ahead and peeled it right off 😁

Joshua Chase said:How are we feeling about those Miss Sixty jeans?

Honestly, their numbers are completely broken. Good grief, what are they even doing over there? 🙄 👎

Laura Reyes5 said:Where can I find some? I need black pants ASAP, but I'm not looking to break the bank...

Once a month, my city hosts one of those massive flea markets—you know the type, just a sprawling sea of everything and anything, mostly overflowing with clothes. I headed out specifically looking for a pair of black jeans, and wouldn't you know it? I found them on the very first try, and to top it off, they were actually... $33 😍
I’ve washed them several times already, and they look exactly the same. Is there even a point? 🙏
I’ll definitely be picking up another one next month. No doubt about it. 👍

Carol Palmer44 said:Hey, quick question: when someone ships you an item and you pay cash on delivery, do you also have to cover the transaction fee?
Or is it just $5.00 the shipping costs and the actual price of the item?

No, you have to pay the transaction fee too. It’s a certain percentage of the total amount, though I don't know the exact rate they charge. 🙂

Alex Watson93 said:How does one actually ship via UPS?
How do you fill out the paperwork, and how does the whole process work?? I need help!!😢

If you look back at my very first post, I laid out a complete example. I explicitly detailed exactly what needs to go where on that shipping manifest you fill out and attach to your package. Just go back and review it. 🙂

So, just at the start of the month, I finally picked up these black trousers—they’re just a tiny bit slim-fit, pitch black, and honestly? They are absolutely divine 🙏
They actually have some stretch to them, the waist sits exactly where it should (not too low, not too high), and the fit is just... perfection 😍

But you know what the absolute best part is? They were on sale $33 🙏 😁