[Elecraft] OT: Package shippers

[Rick Tavan]

The radio world seems to be converging on your opinion, Ken. Almost all
packages I've received in the past few years have come via UPS and I use it
myself for my occasional outbound shipments. That being said, there is a
disturbing relationship between UPS and USPS: In some rural areas, and
maybe elsewhere, UPS can hand off a package for ultimate delivery by USPS.
Seems reasonable except that the two providers have different conditions of
carriage. UPS agrees to deliver to a home doorstep while USPS requires that
a home have an official USPS mailbox which they use when able. If USPS
delivers a package too large for the mailbox, then they will deliver to the
doorstep. However, if there is no mailbox, USPS will not deliver any
package of any size. They return the package to the sender, no notice to or
recourse for the intended recipient. UPS and mail-order shippers don't
disclose this occasional glitch (at least I've not seen it) so both
shippers and recipients get screwed. Moral of the story: If you don't have
a mailbox, don't order packages that will be shipped by UPS. Better, use
someone else's delivery address that has a mailbox. If you have a PO box,
some US Post Offices will accept courier packages addressed to their own
street address with an appended box number. But the shipper must specify
that street address because UPS will not deliver to a PO Box explicitly!
Catch 22.

73,

/Rick N6XI

On Wed, Apr 26, 2017 at 10:56 AM, Ken G Kopp <kengkopp at gmail.com> wrote:

> I suspect for each of us our view of shippers will vary widel.
>
> While certainly not a "large" shipper, Rose (Elecraft Covers)
> ships a number of packages a week, with many going to
> foreign destinations.
>
> She -always- ships via the USPS and mostly via Priority Mail.
> In almost ten years she's had one package go astray, and
> that was due to me typing a wrong ZIP code.  A Priority Mail
> package will reach any US destination in no more then three
> days.
>
> FedEx is absolutely terrible!  One fat envelope of legal papers
> from our bank was left on the driveway, laying in two inches
> of water.  Another was tossed over a fence into the yard.  Yet
> another was dropped near the BACK door of the house.  Didn't
> find it until a trace was instituted for the "missing" delivery.
>
> When we order fabric, webbing, Velcro supplies, the vendor
> is told in no uncertain terms if the order is sent vis FedEx it
> will be the last one they get.  A gawd awful company! (:-)
>
> FedEx problems may stem from their use of non-company
> contract drivers in their trucks ... at least in this area.
>
> UPS is OK in our view ... all of Rose's orders are shipped via
> UPS or the USPS.
>
> Trivia:  A case shipped to Istanbul via USPS Airmail was
> delivered in Turkey in -five- days!!
>
> FWIW ...
>
> 73!
>
> Ken - K0PP
> ElecraftCovers at gmail.com
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-- 

Rick Tavan
Truckee, CA