USPS shipping vent

[Methos1979]

I just can't win with USPS shipping.

Last week I ship a guitar from New Hampshire to Kentucky, Priority Mail 2-Day (not guaranteed, btw) on Tuesday. Should be there by Thursday. Doesn't even start to move in their (really awful) tracking system until Thursday, gets to New Jersey and disappears, calls made, investigation started, eventually starts moving and get's delivered the following Tuesday.

This week I buy a guitar from a guy in Montana and he ships USPS Priority Mail 2-Day on Tuesday. Should be here on Thursday. Yeah right. Usually crappy tracking. Shows it on the road somewhere but nothing else. My wife get's home from work late tonight (Thursday) and finds the guitar as been delivered. Left outside, in the cold, no signature! AND, it's still in the tracking system as en route.

Can you say, FedEx? The only bright spot is that after making calls the for the first issue they inundated me with questionnaires about their performance for which I was able to delightfully and truthfully give them extremely low marks, assure them I would not recommend them, and used the name FedEx in every answer I could.

And they wonder why they are struggling!

[teleamp]

I try to avoid doing business with anyplace that can't fire an employee for poor job performance.

[Brucebubs]

I'm on the other side of the planet and I've bought items and guitars from the USA.
FedEx have always been excellent and USPS have also been OK.
The new 'low' belongs to Ebay's global shipping - nothing moves for days and days, sits in a massive depot in Kentucky.
Actually Australia Post handled the item when it arrived in Australia and their tracking system was brilliant - they even sent me email updates on the items progress with a truly accurate delivery time.
I was so impressed I rang them to let them know - they have a 'complaints' number but not a 'compliments' number.
I think they were pleasantly surprised.

[justonwo]

I've had good experiences and bad experiences with all of them.

[brencat]

I agree... FedEx all the way. Glad your situations worked themselves out.

[RP]

I've had mostly good luck shipping guitars via USPS but have also had the same experience as the OP. Their tracking system sucks when things go wrong...

[Ditch]

I am having issues right now with Fed Ex. They were suppose to pick up a guitar from the builder last Fri. Never picked it up and they don't know why. They rescheduled it and it was not picked up again. Someone put the wrong code in. Next time they said no one was home, B.S. Never contacted the builder or myself about any of this. It's suppose to be in route now, but I have my doubts. There tracking system and customer service folks need some retooling. You know there getting a nasty gram.

[tadol]

I've had alot of good experiences with USPS, and a few bad as well. FedEx is usually good, but they certainly aren't perfect, and they are a heckuva lot more expensive.

[BrunoBlack]

I have found that USPS is the most inconsistent of any delivery option. And I share your disgust with their tracking system. It's the worst. Luckily your guitar didn't get rained on; and thankfully it wasn't 20 below zero this week. Glad it worked out for you.

[TBman]

I've seen mail that took a almost a month to get from one side of NYC to the other.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by justonwo

I've had good experiences and bad experiences with all of them.

Ditto. Eventually all of these shipping threads here come down to this. Sorry about your experience, OP.

[Jabberwocky]

As long as my guitar is delivered within 2 weeks from the date it was shipped out with no damage I am happy as a clam.

I have had one experience with Canada Post and the parcel was handed off to USPS. Trackable all the way. It was delivered one day later than estimated but it was all right. The parcel was clean and it arrived in very much the same condition my seller shipped it. I am only happy that my guitar was not mistreated along the way.

The worst experience I had was with UPS 2-Day. The parcel had a 4" gash in the side. It was clear that the forklift penetrated it. The TKL hardshell case bore two nicks and a crescent dimple. My seller packed it tightly with foam worms. That saved it as the forklift pilot could feel it penetrating the box and stopped just on time. Without the foam worms it would have gone straight through until it penetrated the first dense object it felt: the TKL case and the guitar inside.

I can understand the OP's frustration but more haste, less speed. Nothing compares to the heartbreak of getting a guitar broken in shipment. So, slow, steady, be late but not too late but get it here safely, please.

My best bud living on the other side of the globe just received his guitar. The seller had packed it in a huge U Haul Wardrobe Box. Would have cost too much to fly it to him so he sent it by sea freight. After a 45-day journey in a container stacked upon other containers onboard a ship it arrived...in the same condition as the seller in Baltimore, Maryland sent it!

[DavidE]

USPS was supposed to deliver a guitar to me today so I stayed home to sign for it. Nothing. Their tracking still says expected delivery today and it's 11:30 pm.

[guitargoat]

Unfortunately USPS is an inefficient cluster. Kind of what I expect these days.

[nedray]

I've had nothing but good experience with USPS Priority, but have to agree their tracking system is almost worse than nothing. I've had problems with the others, which are also much more expensive. So there ya go...