44 posts shown.
Sandra Brooks91 said:Look, I call them "package people" because I’ve had nothing but headaches dealing with them. At my old place, I actually had a great mail carrier, so if you’ve read my posts, you’d know why I don't have anything but bad things to say about HP.
I sent off a package once and paid $14.40, but it just sat there because the recipient never got a single notification. You want to know the excuse I got at the post office? They told me their regular guy was on vacation and the temp covering for him is basically clueless.
I totally believe her, too, because even at my old apartment, my reliable mailman is being replaced right now by someone else who never delivers anything—at least they leave a paper slip.
My carrier always hands me bills directly, so I have no idea what you're talking about regarding them being filed away at the station.
Unfortunately, I didn't know about this system, so I ended up tossing those bills. Just another way they ripped me off. Great.
See, what the carrier writes right in front of you is just the payment receipt, which is usually on the $1.75, whereas the delivery log shows the actual amount they calculate at the station—like COD fees or shipping costs. Honestly, I always tell customers that if they run into trouble, they should just walk into the post office with or without their receipt and try to sort it out whenever they feel a carrier isn't doing their job properly. There is nothing more annoying than hearing someone on the phone go, "But my mailman has been doing this for years," or "He's done this ten times before..." blah blah blah.
I mean, what do you expect them to say to you? Besides, "Ma'am, you really should have come in sooner instead of complaining about what happened a year ago."
Sadly, we have all sorts of people working at HP, but there are also plenty of incredibly hardworking folks who shouldn't be lumped in with the irresponsible carriers.
Sandra Brooks91 said:Alright, fine, you do the math then. Why on earth did I get a full 100% refund, $4.75 plus $1.75 shipping costs back? Is ANYONE actually auditing the receipts these mail carriers are handing out around town?
Also, I had this whole thing happen the other day. The woman who sent my package totally messed up the house number—just missed a couple of digits—and my mail carrier basically told me he had to go through all this extra trouble to track down the right address and that he should probably be compensated for the hassle. I was like, compensated? What, a salary? Look, I figure a decent, conscientious mail carrier is someone who knows their route and the people on it, so they just fix a typo without making it a whole production! But no, this guy wanted something extra...
And in the end, I was just like, $1.75, "Fine, can I just have my receipt?" And then... oh man, looking at that bill... it honestly spiked my blood pressure first thing in the morning. 😁
There are only two ways you get a 100% refund. Either they overcharged you, in which case you take your receipt or confirmation to the local USPS office and ask why the amount is so high, or you just miscalculated something on your end. Just tell me exactly what kind of service you used and what the total charge was, and I’ll look up what the standard refund rate is for that specific service.
Second thing, we don't call them "mail guys" like that—it's pretty disrespectful. If your carrier hears you talking like that, don't be surprised if the next time someone sends a letter to the wrong address, he isn't exactly rushing to save your skin. 😉
By the way, if you realized that being off by just two digits can mean a radius of several hundred yards—meaning an entire neighborhood and at least half an hour of wasted time—you might actually appreciate it when a carrier tracks down a package sent to a wrong address. 🙂 Now, obviously, that doesn't mean you owe him a tip or anything, but it's good context to have.
The shipping fees that customers pay aren't decided by the individual carriers; those rates are set by the logistics and distribution departments.
Look, I’ve been working at HP for quite a few years now, so let me clear some things up for you guys.
If you sent someone an express package, a certified letter, or used FedEx with a COD (cash on delivery) option, that "express" label applies strictly to the physical package itself—it doesn't speed up the money being returned to you. When cash is sent back via a money order, the postal service treats it like standard mail. It isn't "urgent," so don't expect it to land in your hands the very next day like a FedEx shipment would. From what I see on the job, it usually takes about 2 to 5 business days for that money to actually reach you.
When you're sending regular packages, the rule of thumb is that you need packing paper and twine (especially if the box is heavy), unless you're just dropping it off in a blue USPS collection box (in which case, maybe just some twine for the heavy stuff). But honestly, that's just how it works on paper; in reality, sometimes the clerks will look the other way and let it slide. In major cities that handle package deliveries, like Cleveland or Washington, D.C., the delivery fee is $1.75 and that's always covered by the recipient. The sender is always the one footing the bill for the initial shipping cost of a standard package.
The only service we offer where the recipient can pick up the tab for shipping is FedEx.
If you want to know what causes the biggest headaches when shipping anything, it’s definitely those COD money orders.
At the counter, you’ll pay a fee that's 3.66% of the money order's total value, with a minimum charge of $3.00 and a maximum of $27. For a standard money order, the minimum is $1.75 and the maximum is $27.
So, here's the math: if you send someone a COD package and you already paid $17 upfront, but you're asking them to pay, say, $167, then they're going to end up paying $6.00 for the COD fee plus $1.75 for the actual delivery.
With FedEx, the same rules apply to the money order part, but not to the delivery fee.
Now, listen up: any package that gets sent back to the sender because the service wasn't prepaid (like if it was sent via FedEx marked "bill recipient") will cost you the original shipping price plus an extra 50% penalty for the return trip. This happens if the recipient doesn't pick it up, can't be found, or just refuses the delivery.
If the service *was* prepaid, the sender still has to cough up 50% to get the undelivered package sent back. If anyone is wondering why that exists or thinks it’s a raw deal, just use your head for a second. We drove all the way to Washington, D.C. with your package, and if your recipient doesn't grab it, you don't think we're just gonna drive all that way back for free, right? 😉
If you decide you don't want to pay for the return, the package just sits at the post office until it eventually goes to a public auction or gets tossed out.
There's plenty more I could tell you, but I'm running out of steam here. I'm sure there's a ton of other details I missed, but this should give you a solid starting point.
If you have any specific questions I might be able to answer, feel free to ask. 🙂
There isn’t a single moment in this show where things feel steady or hit that sweet spot of good vibes, even when you factor in how much that last season absolutely tanked.
🙏