Stealing from USPS

[Aethian]

We get in a lot of packages and that's a wonderful thing, it really is. But whats starting to show up more and more are people re-printing labels with different addresses and using the same delivery confirmation number. One sender was found to use the same number on over 40 different boxes going to various places. Only one of those were actually paid for. That company however is being looked over but they still send out packages.

Another problem are the ones who will send a box with pre paid postage and only have it be for a flat envelope. Because we can't always see the amount paid we're getting stolen from there as well. When we do catch the price discrepancy usually it's us carriers who get yelled at. Then the item goes back postage due before the seller/original sender can have it back, so now we've lost of on full postage one way and whats already owed, and then most times the sender won't pick up the item and it goes unclaimed!

Just...GRRRR

[Whirly_bird]

And people say its the post offices fault for low profits.

[Nekojin]

Well, strictly speaking, it's Congress's fault for that stupid "pre-fund the retirement account for 75 years" idiocy that's sinking the USPS. Prior to that, they were the one profitable branch of the government.

[HYHYBT]

I'd have thought the delivery confirmation number problem would be self-correcting; surely, when the other 39 people check up on their packages and find the site claiming they've been delivered, there'd be trouble.

The other, the post office *could* fix itself, by requiring that the amount or type be shown. At least, I can't think of any reason it couldn't fix it that way.

[Aethian]

I'd have thought the delivery confirmation number problem would be self-correcting; surely, when the other 39 people check up on their packages and find the site claiming they've been delivered, there'd be trouble.

The other, the post office *could* fix itself, by requiring that the amount or type be shown. At least, I can't think of any reason it couldn't fix it that way.

The problem is I think the company doesn't hand out the DC number. And they come to us all four ways. FedEx drop ship, UPS drop ship, Mailers drop ship, and then from our own firm pick ups. So who ever found the flaw is really a genius. One way I know we could stop that is when someone says a label didn't print is to make a new DC number with the other being flagged as invalid. Our machines would catch it as a flagged parcel and should pull it out of the system. But that is something above my pay grade...but something I will suggest.

As for the other part I have no clue WHY we stopped having that info on the labels. Because the clerks could catch it even just glancing at the box. We have some clerks that are so good they can usually guess weight in a few ounces.



Nekojin, please don't pull that issue into this thread. I don't want it to dive into politics.

[Peppergirl]

Nekojin, please don't pull that issue into this thread. I don't want it to dive into politics.

No disrespect intended, but it's really not your call to tell another member what can and can't be brought into the thread.

One of the nice things about Fratching is that we allow for quite a bit of leeway on thread drift. Unless someone is being abusive or making an argument personal, it can stay.

Thanks.

[Nekojin]

The easiest solution is that in addition to tracking whenever the package is scanned, also marking what kind of scan is being done - initial entry into the system, transit, or delivery. A package should only ever have one Entry and one Delivery scan. If it has a second Entry scan, or even a second Exit scan (in the case that someone sneaks them past the Entry stage). that throws up flags.

[Ree]

I think some people feel that the USPS is some faceless entity, just raking in the cash, and their out of control rates give customers a valid excuse to steal.

I'm sorry, but there is never any excuse to steal. Period.
I think thieves are the lowest form of life.
These thieving idiots don't realize they are shooting their own feet off.

Theft hurts everybody.It results in losses being compensated through higher prices.

Just pay the damn postage like other honest people and deal!

[Andara Bledin]

And here I was all ready with a rant about people who steal the boxes and repurpose them for shipping things with other carriers.

Which is just as much theft, but far less deliberate and scummy.

Although I am honestly shocked that a person can opt for delivery confirmation and get multiple packages through the system without it getting flagged at first repeat.

[Aethian]

Andara, I'm honestly not surprised anymore when I see a priority sticker on a fedex box. At least with some of the boxes now you can't turn our "free" ones inside out. On one side is express flat rate and the other side is priority flat rate. Hopefully those will choke out the blank boxes.

The thing is when they made the program it gives the option of saying whether the label printed properly. If it didn't you weren't charged and were able to check the label and try to print it again. What I think someone learned was that they could say that they didn't print correctly and just put in a new address. Thus getting free postage. It was first noticed when one route got five packages all with the same dc number which flashed a problem with our clerks "In Office" or "Office Arrival" scan.

Looking up that one number it was shown to have multiple city and boxes connected to it. Now with FedEx drop ship you have multiple cities on that one number but that number is only meant to show internally that the boxes were picked up. So maybe someone thought that the DC number was the same thing but I know the postal inspectors have contacted that company and it's offenses have lessened but haven't stopped.

The problem as I see it, is while we are connected we're really not. One district doesn't get the DC numbers of another district so unless you look it up in the internal search you don't see multiple packages on one number. It's really really weird and I wish I could figure out how it hasn't been flagged before.

Bleh...as I said before one way to fix it is if the first label doesn't print correctly to have the DC flagged as bad and have it not used again. I dunno...

[HYHYBT]

I understand that it's wrong to pick up an unused, free box from the post office and make its first use anything other than mailing though the post office. Is there anything wrong with taking a package you've received and re-using the box, and if not, how do you know the difference (other than by a single point sending out large numbers)?

[Nekojin]

I understand that it's wrong to pick up an unused, free box from the post office and make its first use anything other than mailing though the post office. Is there anything wrong with taking a package you've received and re-using the box, and if not, how do you know the difference (other than by a single point sending out large numbers)?

According to the USPS, those free Priority/Express boxes are only ever supposed to be used for their appropriate USPS mail service, and nothing else. It doesn't matter if it's the first time passing through the system or the 20th, it still belongs to them, and you're not allowed to do anything else with them.

Legally speaking, that is. I don't know that anyone actually gives a damn if you take the Flat Rate box that your Great Aunt Lucy sent you that Fruitcake in and use it to hold your Hot Wheels Car track pieces.

[protege]

I don't know that anyone actually gives a damn if you take the Flat Rate box that your Great Aunt Lucy sent you that Fruitcake in and use it to hold your Hot Wheels Car track pieces.

Even if they did, there's not much they could do about it. There's no way they could track those boxes after they reach their destinations. Plus, would they really go to the effort of tracking down a *free* cardboard box? If they do, I sure hope they're careful when removing the oil-slicked box from under my project car

I admit that I do reuse the boxes. I can't see wasting *another* box...when the old one is still OK. Reduce, reuse, recycle, in other words. When the box has outlived its usefulness, it gets cut up and recycled. However, it always gets a new shipping label (I pay for the shipping), and if it has to go with another carrier, the USPS logos are usually covered.

[Ree]

We have to pay for boxes at our post office (Canada Post), so, quite frankly, if I've paid for the box, I think I should get to use it to ship by whatever method I want. If I get a better rate with a courier, then I'm going to do it.

On the other hand, I would never reuse postage.

[protege]

If I get a better rate with a courier, then I'm going to do it.

I usually use a courier anyway. When shipping USPS, I don't always get a tracking number. If I'm on the receiving end and getting an expensive item, if I know when it's to arrive, I can have one of my relatives intercept the package, and bring it inside. Plus, if I have to ship back a bad part--like the hard drive I had replaced last month under warranty--it's nice to know that it arrived safely and been signed in.