Thread: USPS and Canada Post

Okay, I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation but does anyone know why when Canada Post and the USPS get together, they seem to feel the need to try to out do one another in slowness? :P

To receive something from just across the border (a two hour drive) it takes a week and a half or so to get here. Same with if I'm sending something to the U.S. about a week and a half to two weeks depending how far it has to travel. Yet I can get a package to Germany, Poland or the U.K. and receive one between 3 - 5 days?

It's getting to the point where I look to buy stuff from Europe as opposed to the U.S. because I know it will get here sooner. :P

I know what you are saying.I got a razor recently from Canada,and it took 22 days to clear customs and get here.I could have walked over and gotten it sooner.

I was dating a woman in Windsor, Ontario for a while. I'd write her pretty much weekly and the letters always, always took at least nine days to go from Connecticut to Windsor (which is just across the river from Detroit). I was planning a big surprise to her and decided to wrap up the surprise weekend with a letter that would get to her a few days after I left. I mailed the letter saying, "It was a great weekend with you and blah blah blah." Thursday, the day before going out there. When I got there Friday, she knew about my visit! I asked her how and she pulled out the letter I had only mailed 36 hours earlier. It was impossible! I was furious. I was trying to count on the slow service and they screwed me.

I work for the USPS. I too have had problems sending packages to Canada, Ontario to be exact. It was less than 2 lbs and it cost me 23 USD. That was the cheapest way with insurance. The member did receive it in a timely fashion though, which was impressive. I think it took a week or so. Maybe he'll see this and chime in.....I'm not sure why the Post Office doesn't seem to have any aggrements with Canada. We are having our share of hard times right now. Constanly loosing money.
Peoples jobs are being excessed, There's talk of a lay off if you have less than 6 years. that's never happened before.
Plus the Post Office is not really a Gov't agency like it used to be. We used to be Dept of the Post Office. The Postal reorginization act took care of that. Now we're the U.S.Postal Service. No longer Civil Service. We make no money, and if we did we have to hand over our profits to the Gov't. We were self supporting, meaning tax dollars does not pay our salaries as people think. Now with the economy being so bad, The Post Office is Billions in debt.

I don't know that they're that slow. I just got a item from ebay today and I'd sent the payment on the 17th. I don't know where in Canada it came from, but I do know that I'm in Rochester, NY.

Originally Posted by Cobo

To receive something from just across the border (a two hour drive) it takes a week and a half or so to get here. ...

You're not doing too bad then.

X

I got my razor from Arizona US, to Nova Scotia, Canada It took 2 weeks (10 working days). I mailed a book from BC to NS, and it took almost 3 weeks to get there I could never understand how the Postal service works...

Slow service in nothing compared to the OUTRAGEOUS prices. You cant send a package to the US for under 15 bucks.

If you can jam it through the slot to make it a international light packet you're okay for price. I believe the slot is 1.5cm? Maybe 2?

As for bizarre and slow, yeah, sending something to Kingston (once again, about three hours drive) was a 5 buisiness day affair.

Also, get this, I can send an envelope back to nearly Ottawa, about a five to six hour drive and it gets there in three days. If my family sends me a package, traveling the same distance going the opposite way it's 6 or 7...

I think it's likely cut backs. Mail is likely traveling further to go to sorting stations and taking strange routes there. I know Toronto has a huge sorting station, I wouldn't be surprised if mail coming from Ottawa doesn't get bounced around to a couple different sorts before it gets sent on to T.O.

It could also be that they are just hauling mail less. For instance, cutting out one truckload a day out of the big sorting stations or something...

Honestly though, it was not always this bad.

I think we need to bring back mail cars with teams of balding middle aged men in glasses sorting mail via transit.