What is up with UPS transferring things to the USPS?

[leebee]

Twice in the past week or so I have received notices from UPS that, due to ice/snow/wind/rain in Memphis, the entire system has experienced delays and to please bear with them. This might be part of why things are being sent to the USPS and explain all of the crazy routing. Don't really know; everything I have ordered has been delivered in a timely manner.

 

[Carl]

Hate Smartpost.

 

[DVC-Don]

I recently had a drug order "Smartposted". It took one day to arrive at the main post office about 30 miles from my house. It then took 6 days to make the last 30 miles.

 

[jcemom]

Add me to the list of SmarPost haters. It's ridiculous. I've had it happen numerous times this holiday season...from both UPS and FedEx packages. I'm following the tracking, it's getting closer to me, then, POW, it gets switched to USPS and is sent all around me but not TO me. It makes no sense whatsoever. No wonder the USPS is in financial trouble. When my package is at a post office 5 miles from my house, do they bring it to MY post office? No, of course not. They send it 20 miles away, then 60 miles away, then 5 miles away again, and THEN, finally, to my post office.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't get it.

 

[DizBelle]

On doing a little research I found this happens on "basic/standard shipping" . Would be nice if we were informed of this before shipment giving a chance to request ground delivery.

I'm sure if you read the shipping policy it is stated what the expected delivery time for standard shipping is - probably around 10 days to 3 weeks. Only after that time, if you haven't received it, can they start to do something.

Bottom line, if you want faster shipping, you'll have to pay for it.

 

[DizBelle]

It usually is noted, when you choose shipping, that its Fedex Smart Post. But most people don't realize what Smart Post is. If you see that, it means UPS will deliver to a post office and then USPS will deliver to you. I hate it as Im anal about tracking things. I avoid it if possible.

For the record, for Fed Ex it is Fedex Smart Post. For UPS, it us UPS Mail Innovations.

 

[LilyWDW]

Guess I am the odd person out. I have never had an issue with this. It gets to my post office within a couple days and then makes it to my house within a day or two (depending if it goes right to my local or to the town 15 minutes from us). I have never had it sit there or take a long time to get from the post office to me. In fact, that is all I have used this holiday season (yay Amazon super saver shipping). Longest an item took to get to me was a week and that was because it took 3 days for it to actually ship.

 

[manning]

I'm sure if you read the shipping policy it is stated what the expected delivery time for standard shipping is - probably around 10 days to 3 weeks. Only after that time, if you haven't received it, can they start to do something.

Bottom line, if you want faster shipping, you'll have to pay for it.

Bottom line you should know what method is being used and what that method is. Right?


Evidently they didn't know. Luckily you do.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

I just had one that made NO mention that it was going to be transferred to the post office for final delivery. I got the shipping confirmation from the company..."shipped via UPS, tracking number..." whatever (and it WAS a UPS number). Tracked it up until the day prior to the scheduled delivery date...when all of a sudden on the UPS site, it said, "Package transferred to local USPS facility for final delivery," gave a completely new USPS tracking number, and also said, "Scheduled for delivery" the next day.

So I checked the USPS website. Of course, there was no record of that tracking number. The package was NOT delivered the next day "as scheduled." I checked every day and nothing changed; the USPS site kept saying "No record." The package was finally delivered three days later

 

[jetskigrl]

I agree ... I'm actually waiting for an order from amazon.com that was shipped via Fed Ex & delivered to my local post office (1 mile away from my house), which then mis-shipped it to another post office (in another town far from me), which then had to ship it back to a USPS processing facility (really far away from me), which I guess will now have to ship it back to my local post office again! ... So basically I don't know when, or even if, I will ever end up receiving it ... Just makes me wonder how's it going to be when USPS starts closing it's processing facilities & post offices in the Spring ...

I had the same thing happen to me. Something was shipped and made it all the way to my city and then the tracking states "missent" and was sitting in a processing facility across the country (where the status stayed the same for two weeks). I finally contacted the place I purchased the item from and they say they would send another. I received the item the next day but I have no idea if it was the original or the replacement. I guess I will have to wait and see if the second one ever shows up.

What I really don't like about this process is that I have things sent to my work so that there is someone available to receive/sign for the item. If it comes by one of the carriers, it gets delievered with our corporate delivery. But now that they started transferring it to USPS, they try to deliver the item on Saturdays sometimes, and then it ends up back at the PO because no one was at my work to receive it

 

[HannaBelle]

I had something sit at the post office for almost 3 weeks and was then sent back...they never even attempted to deliver it! I was refunded my money, less return shipping fees. It took me over 30 minutes on the phone to get that one sorted out.

I am a huge internet shopper, but I won't continue if this is the way things are going to be shipped when you get free shipping!

 

[disneyofcourse]

It sucks!! I've had a bunch of packages come this way and its taking forever for them to arrive. They just get sent all over the place and then stay overnight and back and forth. I actually gave in and went to get one package(after calling in to check if it was there like the tracking number said) I go and they tell me its been transferred to another place farther away! I have 3 that are (going by estimated time)supposed to arrive the few days before I need to leave for travel. Those few packages have been back ordered between twice so far by 1 week and then 2 weeks. now that's a whole other story.....

 

[momof1princess]

well, after calling best buy yesterday afternoon and getting nowhere, i went to my local post office this morning, was first in line when they opened, in fact, and i left with two packages....but not the ones that are missing. MY Christmas gifts are the ones that are missing, of course. the postal clerk looked up the tracking numbers for them, and found nothing. then, he went in the back to look for them, and came back with two packages i wasn't even concerned about. so, long story short, i still don't know where the packages i was supposed to get two days ago are. all i know is, there's been no computer trace of them for 3 days. i'm sick to death of this crap. I WANT MY GIFTS!!!

ETA: my package came! now i only have FOUR more to wait on!

 

[Brit17]

well, after calling best buy yesterday afternoon and getting nowhere, i went to my local post office this morning, was first in line when they opened, in fact, and i left with two packages....but not the ones that are missing. MY Christmas gifts are the ones that are missing, of course. the postal clerk looked up the tracking numbers for them, and found nothing. then, he went in the back to look for them, and came back with two packages i wasn't even concerned about. so, long story short, i still don't know where the packages i was supposed to get two days ago are. all i know is, there's been no computer trace of them for 3 days. i'm sick to death of this crap. I WANT MY GIFTS!!!

I feel your pain ... I want my gifts too! ... I tried to track my package again this morning and there is no update ... the last update was that it was at some USPS processing facility a few days ago ... I tried to call the PO too, but they could not give me any additional info either - hmmm, I thought that's what "tracking" was for - to keep info updated & current ... but I digress ... I just emailed amazon.com and am waiting for a response to see if they can help with anything ... it's just sooo frustrating ... the irony here is, the package was actually delivered to my local PO at 11AM on 12/6/11 - I could have actually walked there to pick it up myself ... but noooo, they shipped it to another PO in another town - don't quite understand how that happened, but it did ... oh well, I guess I just have to wait like the rest of you ... good luck everyone ... I hope we all see our packages soon ...

 

[torinsmom]

When I check my tracking number at USPS, I get this...

The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on December 02, 2011 to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date. Delivery status information will be provided if / when available. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.

WTH? The other tracking site says:

Dec 2 2011 7:34AM Shipment Info Received by Post Office GREENSBORO, NC
Date Description Location
Dec 2 2011 Package transferred to Post Office GREENSBORO, NC
Dec 2 2011 Ready for post office entry
Dec 2 2011 Package received by dest MI facility Durham, NC
Dec 1 2011 Package transferred to dest MI facility Atlanta, GA
Nov 30 2011 Package processed by Mail Innovations Atlanta, GA
Nov 30 2011 Package received for processing Atlanta, GA

So, it went from Durham, which is 7 miles from me to Greensboro, which is 30 miles from me and it has been there since last Friday. I guess I will call Buy.com back and see what they can do. If they say they will send another card, I will pay for upgraded shipping, because this SHIP is not working for me.

 

[undertheradar]

The way that I understand how this works, the USPS receives pallets of packages from UPS, FedEx. They are then sorted and distributed as the USPS has time. There is no time limit on these as compared to say a 3 day select package.

 

[whatsup]

Fedx uses USPS also. Apparently if they don't have enough deliveries in an area they have USPS deliver it since USPS will be delivering in that area already. Cost saving for UPS & Fedx

 

[Pamlur]

Twice in the past week or so I have received notices from UPS that, due to ice/snow/wind/rain in Memphis, the entire system has experienced delays and to please bear with them. This might be part of why things are being sent to the USPS and explain all of the crazy routing. Don't really know; everything I have ordered has been delivered in a timely manner.

That is SO not really true! We've had some hard rain, but how does that affect package delivery? We went to bed one night with blizzard-like conditions; it warmed up in the night, and no trace of white the next morning. Yesterday we woke up to major snow, but none of the schools even thought about closing (and this is Memphis where the first hint of a snowflake usually sends cars sliding off the roads and empties all grocery shelves instantly) because the streets were warm enough to not freeze over. We haven't had ice or bad winds.

 

[FINFAN]

SAME HERE! I thought I was imagining it because I was anxious for a particular package to arrive. I was tracking it and all was well while in UPS hands, but then USPS took another 6 days to get it 1.5 miles to me! I finally begged our postman to look into it , as my tracking said the package had been received, but we never got it. 2 days later he delivers the package, thankfully. Like Torinsmom, I called the various contacts with no luck/results. I will pay extra for any other items this holiday to stay in UPS or FedEx system. Kinda nuts how many here are/have dealt with an issue..can you imagine how many others not on the DIS are out there?

 

[canopynut66]

It's driving me CRAZY! So, here is my item, speeding right along through UPS and then suddenly it is transferred to a PO 10 miles away and it takes 3 or more days to get here? First it was my Nook Color, which took from 11/21 to 12/3 to get to me. Now, it is an Xbox Live card that was ordered 11/28. That one was transferred to a PO 30 miles away on 12/2 and the tracking has it still there. Two different companies--Barnes and Noble and Buy.com. They might as well use the USPS the whole way if they're trying to save money; I think it would be quicker.

I agree as had Kohl's ship UPS and then came one item UPS and the other sent USPO has happened twice now do not get it?