USPS efficiency - UPDATE

I received the phone today 9 January. It was postmarked 31 December. Ten days to deliver a package by priority mail. Even allowing for the holidays it is 6 business days, but their own website says it is from the date of postmark. Nevertheless it is not guaranteed, so they are off the hook.

From USPS.com F.A.Q. section:

General Information

Priority Mail® provides a fast and affordable way to deliver mail to every address in the U.S. In most instances, delivery is made in two (2) postal business days. Priority Mail provides the customer with an option of sending mail based on weight and dimension or via flat-rate envelope or boxes. All First-Class Mail® items over 13 ounces are sent at the Priority Mail® service price. A customer can also request that mail content less than 13 ounces be sent at the Priority Mail price (to add an Extra Service that cannot be used on First Class Mail, for example).

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Estimated Delivery Time

• If a Priority Mail package is going to a major city, or is traveling less than 600 miles, it should arrive in two (2) days. Otherwise, it should arrive in three (3) days. (Specific delivery standards can be found when postage is calculated ) This is not a guaranteed service.
• Date of delivery is not guaranteed. Delivery by a specific date at a specific time is not available.
• Estimated delivery time begins on the date postmarked.
• Priority Mail service can NOT be tracked and the delivery status can NOT be verified unless one of the Extra Services (i.e. Insurance, Delivery Confirmation™, etc.) was purchased at time of mailing.

USPS efficiency bodes well for nationalized health care.

Last week i ordered a phone. The vendor shipped the item or at least sent the electronic notice to the USPS on Dec. 31. So to give them the benefit of the doubt, the holidays intevened and the item was not actually in their hands until Monday, Jan. 4.

Sunday, Jan. 3 I went to the wonderful, warm and fuzzy USPS site where tracking information is found. It said that they had received notification on Dec. 31.

Wanting to be informed of progress of the shipment, i requested emailed progress reports.

Tonight, January 7, I received notice of an update. Wanting to be certain I again visited the USPS site. The report was correct. The package has moved from Yuba City, CA. to Sacramento, CA.

In seven (7) days my phone has moved 43 miles; a grand total of 69.2 kilometers. I am so proud of my postal service I could weep.

Even If I had started on Monday, I could have WALKED to Sacramento from Yuba City in less time. Even the pony express would have made it in hours.

I hope no one in this country is ever subjected to government run health care. The prospect is too ugly to contemplate.