Chicago USPS sucks and I don't care who knows it

mandrsn1 · 8 months

It is pretty bad up in Lincoln Park too. I have had birthday cards that have been opened and money/gift cards removed.

eighmie · 8 months

Did you report this to Washington? They take shit pretty real over there, especially when you know the place where you left the package. I assume you put tracking on it, right? They should be able to find it, given that it never left the PO, I had a package that they wouldn't leave for a a client because his address did not include a mailbox number, but instead of sending it back, they held it at the post office for 6 months. When I called the 800 number, seems they found the package. Did they hold it for my client, not they sent it back to my old apartment....but the package was found.

Sucks to lose out like this, always insure an expensive item, life lesson you know.

oooeeeoooahhahh · 8 months

When I first got here from LA 3 years ago, I was fucking ASTONISHED to find that the USPS was soooo screwed up. I was missing two out of three packages. You know what fixes it: Make friends with the Mail Carrier. One of my roommates worked at the bar downstairs, and started befriending the one main and two to three alternate carriers. Gave them free take out sodas, etc.. They stated seeking us out to deliver packages. Chicago has those little corrupt edges everywhere..

edit - This was just outside of Wrigleyville, near Southport and Addison.

nikkos350 · 8 months

AGREED. They are the worst and are to be avoided at all costs. I used to defend the Post Office from those whom I perceived to be arguing from an unfettered capitalism/anti-government mindset, but now I wouldn't give a fuck if the Post Office folded tomorrow.

It's no better in the surrounding 'burbs either- the Oak Brook Post Office consistently has difficulty delivering items to me at my office. I have to personally go to the Post Office every single time someone tries to ship something to me at work.

The last time this happened, the woman at the counter could not find my package and told me to call another emp[loyee at the Post Office to rectify the matter. I inquired why I would need to call SINCE I WAS ALREADY RIGHT THERE, IN PERSON. She gave me that bitchy tone of "Sir, you will need to call blah blah blah I can't help you." So I stepped into the lobby and called- and could hear the recipient's desk phone ringing just on the other side of the counter. He was also no help, and when I told him that UPS and FedEx have no problem delivering to me at my place of business he suggested I "use them in the future." I told I would take his advice, bid hom good day, and now I write long comments about it on the internet at every opportunity.

missnikkie · 8 months

I lived in Wicker Park, and ALWAYS had trouble.

If you insure your package, make sure to have the actual purchase receipt of the item you are sending. Otherwise, that insurance purchase was moot.

TaliaChi1979 · 8 months

I had a mail carrier tell me she doesn't bring any packages on her route. She says she just leaves the card (which isn't true either) so the recipient can pick it up. I was expecting a package right before the 4th, and I had my aunt sit at my house all day for the package. Nothing even though tracking said it was at the post office. I get home around noon, thinking I had time to pick it up at the post office. Nope, the asshats closed at noon because if the holiday. Wtf? Then who do you get the holiday off at all? The USPS sucks and they are all about to get laid off anyway.

jack_of_diamonds · 8 months

He ain't lyin!

AtomicLeda · 8 months

When I applied for a new expedited passport, I had them mail it to me after applying in person; I had to get to work and couldn't wait 3-4 hours for processing. The agent said to expect it in 5-7 business days.

When it hadn't arrived after 14, I called the Passport Office. They confirmed they had the right address and told me to check with USPS.

The first three times I called the Wicker Park post office, they didn't even bother to answer. It rang out. The fourth time, they were nonchalant: "Oh yeah, we delivered that to 1529 W. ____ a week ago." I'd been at 1528 for 2 years, with my name on the box.

USPS delivered the passport to the building across the street. There were 3 mailboxes for 4 apartments. I had to ring every doorbell and try to convey to the elderly Polish-speaking-only residents that my passport had been delivered to the wrong address. They were hostile and suspicious, probably because a frantic stranger was pointing at their mailbox and asking to see its contents. I never recovered the passport. Had to cancel it...hopefully I'm not on a no-fly list somewhere now. Thought I'd have to cancel the vacation I was taking my aunt on, but luckily I didn't need a passport after all to cross into Mexico on a ship.

More USPS horror stories:

-A friend of mine posted a pic of a check she received in July '11...postmarked September '10.

-On that thread, another woman mentioned a 4-month-old pile of moldy mail that was dumped on her steps.

-The entire last summer I lived at 1528, I got mail for nine different addresses on the block. I had to deliver the mail my damn self.

WTF, USPS? Especially you, Wicker Park office.

hoagiej · 8 months

I ship books out fairly regularly, and I haven't had a problem in 4+ years of doing this. I always get delivery confirmation on them, just in case. I find this to be worth the cost. I'm sorry to hear about everybody's horror stories. I have a feeling that I'm gonna encounter some hell tomorrow. I have to ship something from the post office at 75th and south shore tomorrow. According to the Google reviews, it is the worst post office in all of Chicago. Wish me luck, you sexy people.

rachelgimbel · 8 months

Here's a tip:

if you have Netflix - and they send the email that asks "when did you receive ..." always go with the latest. Keep doing it. Again, again, again.

Netflix is a HUGE postal customer. They will do your heavy work for you.

jennybold · 8 months

I live on the north side, and also have terrible USPS service. I actually stopped paying my rent by mail a few years ago because they were only making it about once every 5th time. We also get mail addressed to others in our building on a weekly basis, and everything is labeled clearly in the mail and on the mailboxes.

I've lived in a number of other cities and have only had these problems here.

[deleted] · 8 months

I live in the near west burbs and had an USPS package go missing earlier this year. Long story short, the package was stolen from the doorstep.

So, they did in fact deliver it, but left it out in the wide open on a busy street where anyone could see it and take it. They could have at least made the effort to put it behind the outer door.

Since it wasn't my fault, I did manage to get a refund from the retailer, but that was quite a hassle and a few weeks-long process.

kinderdoc · 8 months

My mother just sent me a bereavement card stuffed with my grandfather's pictures, mass card, and favorite sayings which I never got. I hope whoever stole it feels a tiny bit bad about themselves.

420is404 · 8 months

This is a USPS issue, not a Chicago USPS issue, and the problem is simple, and technical: there's no tracking. It's unacceptable to use them for anything of value and this is the reason. From the time your letter or package leaves its origin to when it (hopefully) arrives there is no per-piece scanning.

I used to work for UPS loading/unloading trucks, and even with very deliberate tracking and location software we came upon undeliverables, for one reason or another, quite often; other packages were lost, rendered unreadable, or simply stolen. I now work for a location that accepts about 5-15 UPS/FedEx packages a day, and even with us being in a static location open 24/7 there are 4-5 lost packages a year. The difference is, we're able to pinpoint where...if it was lost in sorting we'd otherwise be hopeless.

This issue isn't unique to Chicago though; it's likely your individual carrier. Mine's awesome, reliable (never lost anything in 5 years in my current 'hood), and after I started tipping him at Christmas, goes out of his way to make sure I get packages.

JustPlainRude · 8 months

Never had any problems in the city or when I lived in Evanston. I almost always have stuff shipped to me by Fedex or UPS, though. The only mail I get is junk mail.

Mr_Ballyhoo · 8 months

I swear my mail guy in Albany park is Newman. He never leaves me notices for packages and is too fucking lazy to even bring them the day they are supposed to arrive. "Oh I didn't think you would be home so I left it back in the truck." Only to never return or leave a slip for me. Now whenever I order i always ask them to please not send it via UPS or FedEx.

r4ygun · 8 months

Everyone has known this for years.

olialm1 · 8 months

I've only had one package disappear and some asshole stole it from my porch.

erikwithaknotac · 8 months

I'm on the south side and ship a lot from my ebay business. No issues like you're having..

briancurtin · 8 months

I don't usually get that much mail at home since I get anything of importance at work, but I recently had this debacle occur:

For probably three weeks, due to the sticker having my last name falling off the mail box, all of my mail was returned to sender. However, the box still very clearly has #1 on there, and all of my mail is addressed with "Apt #1" in the address. Additionally, the other three boxes for our building only have numbers, no names. Throughout those two weeks, I received mail for three previous residents of Apt #1, obviously zero of which are listed on the mailbox.

I had to find this out when Chase called me to change my address since everything got bounced back to them (thanks for the call, switch me to paperless), then I heard from three other places about the problem. My grandmother tried to send a birthday card to me twice - rejected both times. After sending it to my mom, I got the envelope and it was addressed perfectly. I wouldn't have written my own self a letter addressed any other way.

I called USPS - no explanation. Not even a "darn, that shouldn't have happened, I'm sorry"...just an "oh, well maybe it'll start showing up" (and it did).

Now my box has my name written on it in thick, black, permanent marker. It's also circled. I also wrote three or four more "#1" on it, and circled all of them. Fuck you, USPS.

nyaliv · 8 months

It has been taking my paycheck four (4) to six (6) days to make the trip from the payroll department of the University I am employed at (downtown) to my residence in Riverside, IL. There are approximately ten (10) miles between these two locations.

While this isn't a gigantic concern, it can suck heartily when I have bills that are due immediately following my payday.

Yes, I have filled out the forms for direct deposit, but my Credit Union filled out the forms incorrectly and thus they didn't go through, so I had to resubmit the forms correctly. Factor in the "2 pay periods to take effect" and I am looking at 5 months of waiting almost a week for my damn checks.

crazedcow77 · 8 months

I ordered a pretty expensive necklace for my SO for our anniversary right after we moved into a new apartment. I got two day shipping, and two days later USPS listed it as having been delivered, but it certainly had not, nor had any other mail for the week we'd been there. I tried calling and they told me it would take a week to run an audit to see where it had gone. They couldn't even tell me the address. Package showed up randomly a week later.

We still sporadically don't get mail for a few days and then a huge pile shows up. Also we have a sunken patio about 10 feet down from the sidewalk and USPS routinely just tosses packages down there without even ringing our doorbell.

yankin · 8 months

I never received a $60 dollar package that was a birthday present for a friend. After a month of waiting, it took me a week of contacting the office, being put on hold, hung up on, told I would be called back, before someone finally told me the package was supposed to have been delivered weeks before. When I told the worker I never received the package, her solution was that she would ask the delivery man what he remembered. Because for some reason, she thought he would remember that specific package at our specific apartment on that specific day and time. Needless to say, he didn't.

nicrosin · 8 months

Our carrier is usually pretty good, we've even had mail delivered twice in a day... although sometimes he/she will occasionally dump the entire building's mail on the foot of the stairs. Sometimes, half my mail will end up in my box and the rest on the floor (as if halfway through went, "fuck it, I'm out of here").

twinkletits · 8 months

On the north side, I've had a couple packages delivered via USPS and gotten all of them so far. I'll keep this in mind if I have to ship anything valuable though..

Fap_Left_Surf_Right · 8 months

The solution is to not use the USPS in Chicago. It's formally rated one of the worst in the country and everyone has horror stories. I'm unsure why people continue to use it thinking that things will actually be delivered, all historical data shows they're going to screw it up.

I mail/ship everything through FedEx or USPS. It's vastly more expensive but the spite of it pays off. (Not kidding). I'll pay $7 to mail a birthday card before I pay any money to the USPS. They're a proven failure and their model should die. Please stop supporting a failed system and put these degenerates out of work.

eighmie · 8 months

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