4/11/2013

USPS vs. UPS.... Grrrrrrrrrr!

Our United States Postal Service mailbox is on the main road, 1/2 mile from the house.  Years ago we had the police show up with a large box of mail addressed to us. It was from a mountain of stolen mail found in a police raid.  At that time we rented a mailbox at a small post office near town and have had everything delivered securely there.. When I order online I want my packages delivered there unless it is something very large or very heavy not handled by United States Postal Service....

Now occasionally (as with the paisley ordered) I run into companies which will ONLY ship UPS... no matter the size of the package or my preference... which presents a whole new set of problems... Rural robberies are now frequent in our area... trucks are backed up  to small farms and load it with scrap metal, tools and anything salable at flea markets.. So we like to lock the big gate when we leave... People could climb over anyway but it would be difficult to haul stuff out... Why make it easy for them?

So if I'm expecting a UPS delivery I must leave the gate open for days or have my package sitting in the weather or on the road.  I now refuse to order from companies who refuse to support United States Postal Service and ONLY ship UPS.  It also irritates me that UPS is willing to spend, $10 on gas, driver salary and truck use to deliver a small package to a rural address in order to create a monopoly which shuts out the United States Postal Service.

ADDENDUM:  We have now been notified by the police that when we leave town and have our paper delivery stopped that this very fact has become a salable item... They have found that newspaper carriers  who for a price let thieves know when and how long you will be gone... Police advise having a neighbor collect your papers rather that advertising you will be out of town.. It's all very depressing,

9 comments:

Marilyn said...

I can sympathize with you. For the longest time, UPS wouldn't even come here and now they drop off parcels at the convenience store, which is preferable. My biggest problem with UPS is that a couple of times I got nailed $25 brokerage fees on something I ordered. It has to be something I really need for me to order from a company that won't ship via the Post Office. There are lots of robberies at the farms around here too - not mail so much because there is no delivery. Everyone has to pick up mail at the post office. The world is not such a nice place any more.

crafty cat corner said...

As my Mum used to say 'What's the world coming to'.
It's a sad fact that over here in the uk things are no better. I remember when I was a kid my Mum used to leave the front door key on a string behind the letter box for us to get in, you couldn't do that now.
Briony
xx

Kate said...

I have found that if UPS cannot deliver a package they drop it off at the local post office. This has happened twice to my father in Arizona, and a couple of times to my self as well. I was expecting a deliver from UPS and it came from USPS by way of what is called a mail drop, even though it was shipped by UPS.

Amy in LA said...

Gerry: I agree with you, it is really disheartening that newspaper carriers are teaming up with thieves to steal from their customers. We have had mail stolen from our subdivision out of mailboxes, and recently a truck pulled right up to an open garage door ready to steal, but the homeowner walked around the corner and ran him off. I agree with you, I am behind our postal service and want them to stay in business.
Hope the economy gets better soon and people's ethics improve as well. Amy in LA

Mosaic Magpie said...

It is a whole new world we live in. Our home was broken into....in the middle of the day. Happens quite frequently in our area. It makes you not want to own anything nice, because it may be stolen.
Deb

Cathy said...

We have a security system, and never stop our mail or newspapers when we're gone. Instead, we have our grown kids come over regularly to collect it all and check everything. I think that UPS costs an arm and a leg, and prefer USPS hands down. But I will give our Local UPS driver credit. When we don't answer the doorbell, he will put large packages around by our back door.

Gerry, Liberty of London is now sold through many stores in the US, and they have some mahhhhvelous paisleys!!

margaret said...

what is this world coming to, has no one got respect for other people and their possessions, it is so sad reading how things are where you live.
I do have a burglar alarm and live in a not very good area of Leeds but the crooks seem to go to the wealthy areas for their burglaries, so far that is the way it is.

Laurie said...

That *is* so depressing! I have had two items stolen from my mailbox within the last few years. Now the postal carriers know me by name and are very careful.

Anonymous said...

Wow. Who would expect that in a rural location? I guess I'm glad I live in a neighborhood after all.

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