WEEK 34: Many online sellers, from individuals selling on eBay or Etsy to huge stores and warehouses
use PARCEL SELECT to send packages. This class which gets SORTED after Priority Express, Priority (regular)
and First Class, does not have built in INSURANCE should the item get lost in transit or damaged.
You can purchase insurance on First Class and other classes if eligible. Check out current Pricing on the
USPS website, open 24 hours per day.
WEEK 34; Unless you are sending a package PRIORITY EXPRESS in the US,
you do NOT have a Guaranteed Money Back Delivery Date; the "Scheduled Delivery Date" on your receipt is the goal
or target date ie. the earlest a package has reached that city before. That goes for regular PRIORITY Class, FIRST
CLASS, and PARCEL SELECT. Again, the only thing truly "scheduled" for a Guaranteed Delivery Date is PRIORITY
EXPRESS which starts at over $20 for a simple letter.
WEEK 33: If a PARCEL SELECT gets sent to
your old address and you have a vaild COA (Change of Address) on file from the past year (365 days), it most likely
will get FORWARDED. If you receive a POSTAGE DUE at your new address, some people refuse the package and just have the
shipper send another. An better and faster and easier option would be to ask the shipper (company ie
Amazon) to reimburse you for the Postage Due. That way you'll get the package quicker, wouldn't it?!
Think of PARCEL SELECT as One Way Postage. (Notr: This class of mail has not tracking or scans during the Return to
Sender.
WEEK 32: You cannot change the direction of your package using a REDELIVERY Request. You
can, however, pay to INTERCEPT A PACKAGE if eleigible. Put the tracking number into the INTERCEPT A PACKAGE area
of USPS.com in time while it's in USPS's possesion but before it reaches your delivery office.
WEEK
31: The USPS advertises that sometimes your package can have up to 11 scans.... The scan Arrival At Unit or Post Office is
your delivery unit where your Letter Carriers work from - all of the other Facilities are the larger ie Sort Facilities.
(Meaning you cannot just walk into them and ask a Clerk to hunt through a container of hundreds of packages. They have
to be scanned Available For Pickup if you indicated you want to pick up the packages via DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS on the USPS
website.
WEEK 30: Your mail isn't late if it's after 5pm. Keep in mind some carriers carry a whole
route before they help out on others. This accounts for the fluctuation in times.
WEEK 29: If you
get your mail around the same time everyday, chances are you have a Regular Letter Carrier. Remember them well
around the Holidays. Put yourself in their position, especially in the rain, sleet and snow. Carriers come
across all sorts of challenges and obstacles throughout the day. (CARRIERS, if you come across agressive dogs, use a
high pitched cutesy voice like their commanders do as well as placing your satchel between you and you may not have to use
dog spray.
WEEK 28: You can create a CASE or INQUIRY (some Care Agents call it an INVESTIGATION) about a package
by calling into the Call Center at 1-800-ask-USPS or .... filing one yourself 24/7 via USPS.com ! It's that simple!
Just click "Help" or "Contact Us" then send an EMAIL. This is the same form
a Customer Care Agent fills out, only your case will start with the two letters HQ (Head Quarters") instead of CA which
is assigned to Call Center CARE AGENTS.
WEEK 27: Customer Care Agents have to wait 5 days to pass before filing
an inquiry on your package or trackable mailpiece, however they can't prevent you from sending an email via USPS.com
(read above).
WEEK 26: The price of a Forever Stamp was reduced in 2016 from 49 cents to 47 cents.
Don't forget to check your meters in your mail rooms. Price arose back to 49 cents Jan 22, 2017.
WEEK 25:
If your package status reads UNDELIVERABLE AS ADDRESSED, it could be that your package wound up on another route across town.
Of course it wouldn't make sense for a Carrier to leave a whole route just to deliver a package across town. It
should be at the Post Office later that night when the carrier returns to the unit, after the windows and lobbies are
closed so you can either schedule a REDELIVERY or pick it up the next day at the Post Office.
WEEK 24:
Some scams come in the form of certified mail. To see the earliest scan on any piece of trackable mail, input the tracking
number into USPS.com and scroll down. Perhaps you can figure out the origin from there. Ask the Postal Clerk
or Carrier to show or tell you the Sender before you give your signature away.
WEEK 23: Scams come in
the form of phone calls (posers pretending to be the IRS or Collection Agencies) and email. Be careful of emails posing
as AMAZON, PAYPAL, eBAY, KOHLS, WALMART, etc. If an email is offering you something "free", don't click on
the link until you verify with the company named as the sender. There is a email circulating stating you have a package
to retrieve from a sender named "Transport Systems" that has nothing to do with USPS and it is a Scam.
WEEK
22: Once you obtain a receipt from mailing an item, hold onto it. It contains your TRACKING NUMBER which
you will need to check the status of your mailpiece. You also need this receipt for postage refunds (Express)
and for insurance claims.
WEEK 21: If you lose your receipt, there is no way to replace it.
If you walk right back into the PO 10 mminutes after a transaction, there is no way for a clerk to find
your tracking number. If you want to create a case without a tracking number or on a Letter without a tracking
number, try sending an EMAIL through the USPS website under CONTACT US if it hasn't reached the recipient
within 5 days.
WEEK 20: You will need an original mailing receipt in order to get a refund on
a late PRIORITY EXPRESS. If the sender used a service such as Endicia or eBay, call them and they
will walk you through printing a postage report and tracking. You will need to obtain a Form 3533 for the
PRIORITY EXPRESS Refund. Local Po's may tell you to visit USPS.com, > HELP > Get Refund and upload mailing
and contents receipt there.
WEEK 19: Sending something PRIORITY EXPRESS in the US comes with $100
built-in insurance if the package is lost in transit or damaged. You must have the receipts for the contents
as well as postage. Priority comes with $50 if lost in transit with both receipts. Only Priority Express has a
GUARANTEED DELIVERY DATE and TIME.
WEEK 18: Sending something PRIORITY (not a guaranteed delivery
date) comes with $50 built-in insurance if the package is damaged or lost during transit.
WEEK
17: There is no insurance if your package is delivered, then stolen. (Utilize DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS on
your tracking page to avoid this happening, ie. "Leave with Neighbor", concierge, Front Office, Back Door,
etc.)
WEEK 16: Customer Care Agents are trained that customers can only put in one VACATION
HOLD for 3-30 days per year. However the system has been allowing multiple mail holds. You can
request your mail hold at the Post Office, Online, or through the Call Center. If one stint is more than 30
days, contact your LOCAL POSTMASTER for approval.
WEEK 15: To pick up a package or
piece of ACCOUNTABLE MAIL (insured, certified, registered), you must show a picture ID that matches the
name and address on the piece of mail to the WINDOW CLERK. Or designate someone who shows his/her ID.
WEEK
14: Your LETTER CARRIER have limted time on the street and must keep moving or their Supervisor is notified
electronically they are at a standstill. Call in your inquiry or file it on USPS.com
WEEK 13:
When you walk into many local POST OFFICES with inquiries, you may be referred to call 1-800-ASK-USPS.
Have your Tracking Number ready when you do so. Digits containing X,Y,Z are the brown couriers, UPS. But
again, sometimes we carry their last mile. Same for FedEx which uses tracking number often beginning with 61
or 74. Two digits (ie 92 or 93) are added on to make the Tracking Number a USPS number. You can find USPS
numbers by scrolling down on UPS, FedEx, etc.
WEEK 12: If you request a REDELIVERY for something that
needs a signature, ensure you are home to sign for it. This is because there is a cap to delivery attempts; some
offices will try twice, others 3 times.
WEEK 11: If you receive a prior tenants mail with FIRST
CLASS Postage on it, it's illegal to throw out. Put it back in the outgoing mail. BULK mail
(one way postage) can get tossed into the trash. USPS puts this class directly into recycling if it
is addressed to a vacant house, apt. office... This is the class advertisers use. To get a name off a list,
you need to contact the sender. Bulk mail is NOT returned to sender, it is recycled.
WEEK 10: When you
complete a COA (CHANGE OF ADDRESS), a letter will be sent to you "or Current Resident" at your
old address showing change was initiated. The letter sent to your NEW ADDRESS will contain a CONFIRMATION
NUMBER and both the old and new address info you should check and correct online by inputting the number and your new zip
code. 1-800-ask-USPS agents can possibly make a change or two. Allow 7-10 business days to start seeing
your forwarded mail with the yellow stickers..
WEEK 9: A MISSING MAIL application was added to USPS
in 2016. First try and find your package or trackable mailpiece and/or contents along the route by filing a CASE online
or at 1-800-ask-USPS UNLESS it is lost in transit and (suggested by a Representative to file the Missing Mail
application which your do yourself online 10 days after mailing. You also do this if your
status reads DEAD MAIL ie. your label fell off and your package was sent to Mail Recovery in Atlanta, Georgia).
Be as detailed as possible, including brand names, etc. so the computer can scan for matches ie. descriptions uploaded
by Atlanta, GA Postal Clerks who receive, describe and enter the items at the MISSING MAIL Department.
WEEK
8: If you suspect someone put in a bogus MAIL FORWARDING (COA) in for your address, call into 1-800-ask-USPS
so an agent can verify that for you. OIG's audit from 2009 reports fraud happens because of mail-in
forms input without verification beforehand.
WEEK 7: The USPS often carries the Last Mile for UPS,
Fed Ex, etc. Again, our tracking numbers are different. USPS tracking numbers are USUALLY 22 digits long,
all numbers, beggining with "9"... Many PRIORITY EXPRESS Mails have two letters in front and end with
US if the addressee is in the US..
WEEK 6: Once you place an order, most likely the company
you're ordering from won't be able to correct your address. Do this by paying for a Package Intercept ($) on
USPS.com if eligible BEFORE it reaches your local post office. If you see a failed attempt scan,
inquire with your local post office if you can pick up your mailpiece at the POST OFFICE the next day. Usually
you CAN'T. Again, you cannot use a REDLIVERY REQUEST to change the destination of a package or letter.
WEEK
5: When a LETTER CARRIER scans a mailpiece as ATTEMPTED, NOTICE LEFT automatically populates on the
status because that's what they're supposed to do. Sending and Shipping Companies may interpret that as
"package back at PO."
WEEK 4: You can have your package or trackable piece status texted
to your smart phone. Just initiate a text to "28777". That is the number 2, followed by last
4 digits of the 800 number, which is "8777." AGAIN: Text the TRACKING NUMBER to "28777"
WEEK
3: When you order from Amazon or another company and they give you a guaranteed delivery date, call Amazon
about it. Again USPS only guarantees PRIORITY EXPRESS. Many companies ship use PARCEL SELECT which gets
sorted after PRIORITY and FIRST CLASS, in that order because it is very discounted One Way postage. (Parcel
selects that get fowarded to new addresess needs extra postage to be forwarded. Postage due may be collected at new
address.
WEEK 2: If you have a dog, ALWAYS ensure its locked up until you receive the mail for that
day. The ones that don't bite sometimes do...Dogs will be dogs! (If you are a carrier, peak to it in a high
pitched voice to confuse it while blocking it with your satchel.
WEEK 1: If you are visiting from
overseas, don't just send something to the USA as GENERAL DELIVERY. Get approval from the applicable Postmaster
first - at the receving office.
