[meteorite-list] Question about lost shipment and what to do.

From: Michael Gilmer <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 13:02:53 -0500
Message-ID: <AANLkTimv3LXf61GpEaoznmKJEywU1w25K1M8dy4ThK+m_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi Mike, Gary, Al, Bernd, Chris, and List,

I concur with Gary on this one about USPS. Now, I don't completely
disagree with Chris Peterson's assessment of the postal service,
because they have their fair share of inefficiency and waste - and
that is why they are hemorrhaging money to the tune of billions of
dollars.

Perhaps I have just been lucky with USPS. It is very rarely that I
lose a package without a trace. I've been selling a wide-range of
collectibles online since 1999 and I can count on one hand the number
of times USPS has lost a package (or damaged it to the point of being
a total loss). This handful of lost packages was the minority in
thousands of successful mailings.

More frequently, a package will be slow through USPS and take several
days (to weeks) longer to arrive than it should. Delays of a few days
are not uncommon and delays of weeks happen about once a year. In my
personal experience, the "hiccup rate" with USPS is about one package
out of a few or several hundreds.

On the other hand, I have shipped via UPS about 20 times in my
lifetime. Out of those 20 times, I have had major issues about a
half-dozen times. This includes lost packages, damaged packages, and
very poor customer service. My personal hiccup rate with UPS has been
about 25-30% of packages shipped. For this reason, I ceased using
them entirely about 2 years ago. I don't even like buying from
vendors who use UPS and I tend to avoid sellers who ship via UPS in
favor of those who ship via USPS or FedEx.

I've never had a problem with FedEx and find their service to be
reliable, albeit more expensive.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites

Website - http://www.galactic-stone.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
News Feed - http://www.galactic-stone.com/rss/126516
Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone
Meteorite Top List - http://meteorite.gotop100.com
EOM - http://www.encyclopedia-of-meteorites.com/collection.aspx?id=1564
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

On 12/21/10, Gary Fujihara <fujmon at mac.com> wrote:
> Aloha Mike,
>
> Sorry to hear about your package going AWOL, but as everyone has already
> mentioned, there is hope that it will eventually arrive at its destination.
>
> FWIW, despite everyone's grim perspective of the USPS, I have found their
> service to be exemplary, especially when compared to UPS who gouge us in
> Hawaii and lose or damage packages on a seemingly regular basis. Gotta also
> remember that its the busiest season of the year for the post office, who
> are operating under a constrained budget with less staffing than in years
> past. Good luck getting your package to its destination Mike!
>
> gary
>
> On Dec 21, 2010, at 6:18 AM, Mike Miller wrote:
>
>> Hi all, I shipped a priority flat rate box on Dec 6th and it was
>> scanned and left the Las Vegas sort facility on the same evening. Now
>> ever since it has just said it was in transit to its destination. I
>> did use a signature confirmation. The bad news is it is a meteorite
>> that I sold for several thousand dollars.......I know but it is too
>> late to register and insure the package. I am hoping there is some one
>> who investigates something like this because I don't think the item
>> was lost it was in a flat rate box, hard to miss that lying on the
>> floor. So if it is gone then I am guessing someone has stolen it.
>> Input would be helpful....and I guess the moral of the story is
>> shipped expensive items insured and registered, they can go missig
>> even from state to state.
>>
>> --
>> Mike Miller 3835 E Nicole Ave Kingman Az 86409
>> www.meteoritefinder.com
>> 928-757-1378
>> ______________________________________________
>> Visit the Archives at
>> http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html
>> Meteorite-list mailing list
>> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>
> Gary Fujihara
> Big Kahuna Meteorites (IMCA#1693)
> 105 Puhili Place, Hilo, Hawai'i 96720
> http://bigkahuna-meteorites.com/
> http://shop.ebay.com/fujmon/m.html
> (808) 640-9161
>
> ______________________________________________
> Visit the Archives at
> http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>

--

Received on Tue 21 Dec 2010 01:02:53 PM PST