Can we please just privatize the USPS?

[TitanDiddly]

I hate the USPS. It's the worst business I've ever seen. The lack of competition just makes the whole sector stagnant- the USPS has no motivation to offer a decent service because they have a government-mandated corner on the market. It's the same way with Amtrak- did you know that Amtrak is run by the government? I thought one day- "Hmm, Amtrak really sucks. I wonder if the government runs it" I looked it up, and sure enough- government run. This seems to be a common theme- government = suck.

Up yours, big government bureaucracy!

 

[imported_Mike]

There's no competition?

 

[Coquito]

First class is still the best deal around. Nothing else physically goes so far for so little.

 

[intogamer]

I agree. USPS can be a very successfully if operated as a company. Just get several airplanes and a better infrastructure.

 

[thepd7]

I have to disagree, I love USPS for the price and reliability.

 

[SinfulWeeper]

Hrmm.... life to date.
USPS - 0 packages lost, 5 late deliveries.
UPS - 4 packages lost, 100% late delivery.
FedEx - 9 packages lost, 100% late delivery.
DHL - 1 package lost, 25% late delivery (only 4 packages though them in my life though...)

As far as I am concerned, especially when all other private sectors charge the prices of Sandra Bullock's titties for delivering prices to Alaska/Hawaii. Leave USPS alone. They do a fine job and if the private sector want to do better, then maybe they will start coming to their heads

 

[TitanDiddly]

The problem that I have is that nobody except the USPS is allowed to deliver mail. Only the USPS can put mail in mailboxes. Sure, First class is great, but all their other services are bad- Priority, which you pay extra for but is not guaranteed(I have had trouble with this), and even worse, Express mail! I missed my flight and was laid over in Los Angeles 2 DAYS because of late and mismanaged express mail. The USPS just isn't motivated to perform because there is no chance of them going out of business due to the mandated monopoly. They can do whatever they want- even outside of the realm of putting mail in mailboxes- and not care about service, success, etc because they have no reason to do better and no reason to avoid failure.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

It's the only thing the government makes money at. If anything it's proof that, on occasion, in rare circmstances, through blind luck and probably by accident... the government can run a successful program.

 

[Shadowknight]

Originally posted by: thepd7
I have to disagree, I love USPS for the price and reliability.

Oh yeah. When I sold my old 9800 Pro to a guy in Australia, I checked out the prices for UPS and USPS:

UPS: $130 to get it there in a month.
USPS: $24 to get it there in two weeks.

In this case, the government wins. I mean, paying more than five times as much to get it there two weeks later? Yeah. Right.

 

[TitanDiddly]

Ironically, managerial postal employees have been increasing in numbers. There are currently approximately 8 managerial employees for every craft employee in the USPS- in comparable organizations: UPS- 1 managerial employee for every 50 employees- Fedex- 1 managerial employee for every 150 employees. This is a facet of postal operations that is seldom mentioned, and is the premiere reason for the undue level of postal "stress" that is so endemic in the postal workplace: too many bosses, with too little to do, and so much incentive to harrass. (See "Letter Carriers" above...)

 

[blurredvision]

I'd rather use USPS Priority than UPS any day of the week. Most of the time it's cheaper, and in my experiences, all of my smaller packages get across the country in 2 days.

 

[Czar]

they are doing that here in iceland, only brought us higher prices and worse service

and there is still a few years till its fully privatized and other companies can compete with them

 

[13Gigatons]

41 cents to mail a letter anywhere in the usa isn't that bad, although if ups and fedex didn't exist shipping prices would probably be much higher.

 

[Analog]

Originally posted by: thepd7
I have to disagree, I love USPS for the price and reliability.

True.

If it was privatized, 1st class postage would be over a dollar.

 

[0roo0roo]

ah a enron mail company f*cking us over would be wonderful.

 

[Reel]

The reason that the government keeps them with a monopoly is that the country is so spread out with lots of rural areas. If you were to start a postal company, you would only take the high revenue areas. You'd start with cities and there would end up a cutoff point where it is no longer profitable to deliver mail to a certain level of city or rural area. By keeping the postal service in monopoly of the deliveries, they are obligated to service those areas as well.

 

[Ctrackstar126]

Although I was displeased with USPS new revisions on package prices a while back they still cant be matched in price. When your used to USPS and they hike the prices it sucks but when you look at people like UPS and FEDEX you realize its still all good. Plus you get free mailing supplies.

 

[ISAslot]

Greyhound buses also suck but they're not government run. Besides, if the government didn't do Amtrak, then there would be no people train service. It's just not a profitable business model imo.

 

[jjones]

Cheap regular mail and probably the most reliable mail service in the world. Try using mail services in other countries and you'll get a new appreciation for the USPS.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
I'd rather use USPS Priority than UPS any day of the week. Most of the time it's cheaper, and in my experiences, all of my smaller packages get across the country in 2 days.

 

[Oscar1613]

i had a package sent to me via USPS a few weeks ago. when i looked up the tracking information, it said my package had been delivered. funny, i live in apt complex so i have a locking mailbox which only myself and the mailman have a key to. so i called the post office 3 different days to find out what happened to my package. each time they went back and talked to my mail carrier, and each time they came back and told me "he definitely remembers leaving it in your mailbox" and suggested i contact the shipper, like they could do anything about it. so on the 4th day i get up early to head to the post office and yell at these people in person, but as i'm on my way out the door, i get a call back from the post office. somehow they magically found my package that had been "definitely" left in my locking mailbox!

 

[kranky]

Originally posted by: Analog

Originally posted by: thepd7
I have to disagree, I love USPS for the price and reliability.

True.

If it was privatized, 1st class postage would be over a dollar.

Probably WAY over a dollar.

There's room for improvement but overall I don't have any complaints about the USPS. I have 24/7 access to my PO Box which I can't get from any other company. 1st class mail is a screaming bargain considering the cost is not distance-sensitive. They offer a ton of different services so there's something to fit every need. Does any other shipper offer a service that will deliver 365 days a year like Express Mail? No.

I've never had a piece of 1st class mail or a package lost by USPS. Packages haven't always been delivered as quickly as I would like, but as long as it gets there, I can live with that. If time is critical, I'm using FedEx anyway.

 

[Triumph]

I completely disagree. The ONLY thing bad about USPS is poor online tracking. But when the packages get their quickly, who cares? It is cheap, it is fast, they have free Saturday delivery, and there's a post office in every single town in America (probably). I have never ever lost a package or had one damaged through USPS. Can't say the same for UPS. I ask for USPS every time I can when doing online transactions.

Sent a 12 pound box to my sister in Colombia (the country) on Friday. $24. It was there yesterday. Fedex/UPS would have cost 3 times that.

USPS :thumbsup:
UPS :thumbsdown:

 

[TallBill]

Yup, USPS priority mail has been amazing for me. I've shipped probably 50-60 packages and never once had any issues.

 

[bucwylde23]

I love USPS. Much much much more reliable than UPS/Fedex/DHL and cheaper in most cases. Plus they deliver on Saturday, so I think we should keep things the way they are.