US Postal Service

[Rhonda Svoboda]

OMG! So sorry about your orchid. Were you able to get a refund from the place you ordered from? I've also expierenced similiar issues this summer.
I could point the finger at **** residing in D.C., but we all know who the problem is. Lets hope this issue is resolved soon.
Thanks for the tip on Priority mail and that $100.00 guarnatee.

[MJG]

Originally Posted by Rhonda Svoboda

OMG! So sorry about your orchid. Were you able to get a refund from the place you ordered from? I've also expierenced similiar issues this summer.
I could point the finger at **** residing in D.C., but we all know who the problem is. Lets hope this issue is resolved soon.
Thanks for the tip on Priority mail and that $100.00 guarnatee.

Thanks Rhonda. The USPS will pay the refund for the cost of the postage AND the plant. It's a bit roundabout. The seller (vendor) is the one who has to file the claim (USPS rule). Then the vendor will pass along the money to me. So I don't have it yet, but I will.

The USPS has FAQs on their website that are helpful. I think with straight Priority Mail you have to buy insurance at an extra cost if you want the merchandise covered from damage. I used Priority Mail Express which includes the $100 insurance.

[Roberta]

If the vendor offers FedEx or UPS as an option (and lately more of them are), price difference between those and USPS Priority Express is not large - and 2 or 3-day is really 2 or 3-day, with more robust tracking (fewer "black holes" where tracking just says "in transit"). For non-living items, USPS Priority is fine if there is no urgency. But for a plant, there's a lot of difference between 2 days and 2 weeks in transit.

[estación seca]

I've received two packages recently where the USPS tracking site said they were not yet picked up at the shipper... and they arrived on my doorstep.

[MJG]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I've received two packages recently where the USPS tracking site said they were not yet picked up at the shipper... and they arrived on my doorstep.

That's deadly in your location.

[estación seca]

Fortunately I was home. Thank you virus.

[Leafmite]

I read that the new man in charge has been ordering the machinery that scans the mail to be removed from many post offices so that the mail must now be sorted completely by hand (like it was long ago when there was much less mail). That just doesn't seem to be wise or helpful in any way. I really hope that this is not true. If it is, that could explain the delays and lack of tracking.

[Dollythehun]

As with anything we read or hear these days, there's a deeper truth. Sometimes we can't asertain it.

[Keysguy]

Not to jinx myself but USPS has been good to me this summer. 3 plant shipments from CA to NH and they arrived in 2,3 and 4 days. Not bad at all.

[Fairorchids]

Had 2 shipments come in this past week, both USPS Priority. Both shipped on Tuesday:

MS shipment arrived Thursday
FL shipment arrived Friday

I am having a debate with a CA vendor right now (not orchids, tropical Hibiscus). They want to ship UPS (Ground $27 or 3 day service $73). I have asked them to ship USPS Priority instead (but to insure for full value). I wonder whether they are aware that UPS does not want to handle plant shipments.