shipping rant

Ok, I would say everyone on the west coast avoid the shipper Ontrac. Terrible, terrible service. In the last few months I've had 6 packages sent to me using them. 0 have been on time, 2 were delivered 1-2 days after tracking said delivered, 1 was a few days late, 2 were a week late, and the package I'm currently waiting on is 8 days late.

They are also just about impossible to get an answer out of. I sent an email 4 days ago, no response yet. I called 2 days ago and spent 45 minutes on hold to be told "we have to email the warehouse and will call you with an update within 48hrs". Well it's been over 48hrs, I've been on hold 30 minutes trying to call again, and they changed the tracking info after my last call. Screenshots are wonderful to have as evidence.

If I don't get a straight answer when they finally pick up I'm calling rockymountainatv to try to cancel my order. My daily rider is down until I get my tires, and this is getting stupid. I'll take fedex and never updated tracking info over this crap, they atleast get the package to you.

People don’t realize just how much the various parcel shipping companies , the Postal service, UPS, Fed Ex, and yes...OnTrac, all intermingle. For the last 25 years of my working life, I worked at various postal delivery stations.
For a lot of shipping companies, the Postal Service provides the last leg of a parcels travel, the delivery.
Every day the other big delivery companies , back tractor trailer rigs up to the docks of local post offices and offload
Containers loaded with parcels , for the USPS to deliver for them. All the big companies are professionals, they are on time, the employees conduct themselves in a professional manor, they drive modern , well maintained trucks....all of them.....except OnTrac. They are a clown show all the way. Their vehicles are old beaters, the employees are low paid and unmotivated, you never knew when or even if they would show up when they were supposed to.
They were supposed to come to our office twice a day at set times. Sometimes they would miss two or three days in a row.
I’m with you, any time I see OnTrac is delivering a parcel of mine I cringe!

Yeah. I've had fedex stuff dropped off by usps, but it's never been more than a day late. Annoying, but not going to be a problem. UPS has left an attempted delivery slip after not knocking while I was home, again annoying but delivered properly the next day.

I spent an hour on the phone today to get told " well tracking info shows its ready to load on a truck". Well it has said that for 2 days, it has sat in tacoma for 8, can you tell me when they'll deliver it? " no, it'll go out in the order we got it". Ok I'm calling the people I ordered from to see if I can cancel this order since you can't do your job, the other package from the same order was tossed in my front yard sunday at noon when tracking showed delivered saturday at 930. "We can cancel it from our end". No I'll call the business I ordered from since they are capable of doing something in a timely manner.

Unfortunately despite the number of complaints rockymountainatv has gotten recently about ontrac shipments they can't do anything since it is shipped. So they've been told I will never order from them again as long as they use ontrac.

I'm about to order another set of tires from a different place, I would probably get them before ontrac can bother to put my current order on a truck. I already told rockymountain I'm going to order from someone else and return the tires since they chose a shipper that can't fulfill their obligations.

That’s a shame, I’ve done business with Rocky Mountain ATV numerous times and always had good results.

The only thing they did that bothered me and I told them was to not say shipping was through ontrac. If they had that info there when you chose the shipping method I would have paid extra to get my stuff in a timely fashion. They got the order out their door the same day I ordered. They just use the worst shipper out there.

Just an update on here, 12 days late and still no package. Tracking hasn't update at all in 5 days. Their customer service line now plays a recording and hangs up on you. Still no answer to an email sent a week ago. Their facebook idiots promised it would be delivered yesterday, still no package.

Rocky mountain still won't do anything except sell me another set, so that I can pay upgraded shipping, and return these IF they show up. So they've permanently lost me as a customer. Looking at their facebook they've had people with the same issue with ontrac since earlier this year.

So I finally ordered another set through chapmoto yesterday. Being delivered through ups with a delivery date of thursday or friday.

My gripe with USPS is that they should ignore state borders. When I order out of state the package is sent to Detroit, then it is usually sent to Lansing. That package can bounce back and forth between Detroit and Lansing two or three times. If they ignored the state borders my packages could be sent to Toledo or Fort Wayne first, half the distance from me than Detroit or Lansing.

Scott

i can see that. I've had issues with every shipping company at one point or another. UPS not knocking, just leaving a slip. Fedex not updating tracking until the package is delivered 2 days late, or trying to "deliver" the package in the wrong state. Usps not knocking on a package that needs signature, or sending it to the wrong distro center.

By far ontrac has been the worst. Still no tires from ontrac, but I got the ones chapmoto sent through ups already. Pretty sad that tires ordered 2 weeks later show up first.

Continued rant on USPS and state borders.

Consider my example here. I live 30 miles from my post office, where my mail is sent and where my mail is delivered from. But the closest post office to my house is only 2 miles away in another state. Now consider all of the state borders in the US where this same inefficiency is happening, and all of the mail that goes to a distribution center that makes no sense because it currently has to go to the state that it is delivered to instead of the distribution center that is the most efficient regardless of state borders.

Change all of that inefficiency in that combined huge area of all of the state borders and you would probably have a USPS that would be 33% more efficient than it is now.

But, then we enter politics, federal workers, federal jobs.

Another shipping rant.

I can receive a package from China, delivered by USPS, item and shipping total $2. But I can't ship a package USPS for $2.

Hmm, never heard that questioned before, wonder why?

Shipping would be a good racket to get into, or, maybe shipping is a racket?

Had an Ebay purchase that originated 35mi west of me (seller wouldn't do local pick-up), headed further west to Lansing. From Lansing to the hub in Grand Rapids, back past my house to the hub in Detroit, 65mi S.E. of here, then turned around and came here. USPS logic.

Shipping and logistics is complicated, Post office is far from perfect, but the distribution makes sense.
Everything goes through automated centers that can sort efficiently. A letter to your neighbor goes to the local PO then a DC with high speed sorters then back to the PO, to your carrier and neighbor cuz it's faster than could be handled in the local office. (really it's faster, more efficient, I worked the PO long enough, to see how much faster it was) It helps when you realize that a single route typically deals with a stack of letters 8 FEET tall every day, can be two, three times that during christmas, 20 FEET of mail, plus packages literally piled out the back door.
Yes there is politics involved and unions, Sigh. UPS and Fedex are constantly trying to hobble the post office (lobbies and cash) to their benefit while at the same time using them as a way out of performing long, non economic last mile deliveries, especially during the christmas rush. Those carriers have kept the PO from modernizing parcel delivery the PO could do a lot more cheaper with infrastructure improvement but politics keeps a choke hold on their throat.
Cheap China shipping, Sorry but Trump tried to fix it this year, got cut off at the knees, there's an international postal rate commission that (gasp) uses the rates as a social equalizer. China CONTINUES to enjoy near zero postage rates as a "disadvantaged" country. So the post office delivers China parcels for free and you pay more to cover the operating deficit, Politics again Grr.
Well the insane Christmas crush is nearly over and things will soon return to normal.
Box I just got from Hoos; $10, 6 stops, door to door in two days flat during the busiest shipping time of the year! Three times normal volume???)

December 18, 2019, 10:36 am
Delivered, Left with Individual
BARABOO, WI 53913
Your item was delivered to an individual at the address at 10:36 am on December 18, 2019 in BARABOO, WI 53913.
December 18, 2019, 7:10 am
Out for Delivery
BARABOO, WI 53913
December 18, 2019, 5:54 am
Arrived at Unit
BARABOO, WI 53913
December 18, 2019, 5:42 am
Arrived at USPS Facility
BARABOO, WI 53913
December 18, 2019, 12:33 am
Arrived at USPS Facility
PORTAGE, WI 53901
December 17, 2019, 11:46 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
MADISON WI DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 17, 2019, 9:11 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
MADISON WI DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 17, 2019, 7:29 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
OAK CREEK WI DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 17, 2019, 5:05 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
OAK CREEK WI DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 17, 2019
In Transit to Next Facility
December 16, 2019, 8:45 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
MILAN IL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 16, 2019, 5:41 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
MILAN IL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 16, 2019, 12:27 pm
USPS in possession of item
DAVENPORT, IA 52806

Near everyone in shipping is too exhausted to be happy at Christmas, just relieved it's finally over.

mrtwowheel said:

Another shipping rant.

I can receive a package from China, delivered by USPS, item and shipping total $2. But I can't ship a package USPS for $2.

Hmm, never heard that questioned before, wonder why?

Click to expand...

It's part of an unfair trade agreement. US gets the same deal in China. Hotwing Glass called it quits. He has to spend $40+ to send a package to the west coast. The Chinese get US destinations for next to nothing. It's a good deal if you have a lot of customers in China. If you buy one of those Vietnam manufactured seats, you'll pay $65 to $90 for shipping. If they came from China, it's $2. Politicians are involved.

gggGary said:

Shipping and logistics is complicated, Post office is far from perfect, but the distribution makes sense.
Everything goes through automated centers that can sort efficiently. A letter to your neighbor goes to the local PO then a DC with high speed sorters then back to the PO, to your carrier and neighbor cuz it's faster than could be handled in the local office. (really it's faster, more efficient, I worked the PO long enough, to see how much faster it was) It helps when you realize that a single route typically deals with a stack of letters 8 FEET tall every day, can be two, three times that during christmas, 20 FEET of mail, plus packages literally piled out the back door.
Yes there is politics involved and unions, Sigh. UPS and Fedex are constantly trying to hobble the post office (lobbies and cash) to their benefit while at the same time using them as a way out of performing long, non economic last mile deliveries, especially during the christmas rush. Those carriers have kept the PO from modernizing parcel delivery the PO could do a lot more cheaper with infrastructure improvement but politics keeps a choke hold on their throat.
Cheap China shipping, Sorry but Trump tried to fix it this year, got cut off at the knees, there's an international postal rate commission that (gasp) uses the rates as a social equalizer. China CONTINUES to enjoy near zero postage rates as a "disadvantaged" country. So the post office delivers China parcels for free and you pay more to cover the operating deficit, Politics again Grr.
Well the insane Christmas crush is nearly over and things will soon return to normal.
Box I just got from Hoos; $10, 6 stops, door to door in two days flat during the busiest shipping time of the year! Three times normal volume???)

December 18, 2019, 10:36 am
Delivered, Left with Individual
BARABOO, WI 53913
Your item was delivered to an individual at the address at 10:36 am on December 18, 2019 in BARABOO, WI 53913.
December 18, 2019, 7:10 am
Out for Delivery
BARABOO, WI 53913
December 18, 2019, 5:54 am
Arrived at Unit
BARABOO, WI 53913
December 18, 2019, 5:42 am
Arrived at USPS Facility
BARABOO, WI 53913
December 18, 2019, 12:33 am
Arrived at USPS Facility
PORTAGE, WI 53901
December 17, 2019, 11:46 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
MADISON WI DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 17, 2019, 9:11 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
MADISON WI DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 17, 2019, 7:29 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
OAK CREEK WI DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 17, 2019, 5:05 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
OAK CREEK WI DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 17, 2019
In Transit to Next Facility
December 16, 2019, 8:45 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
MILAN IL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 16, 2019, 5:41 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
MILAN IL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
December 16, 2019, 12:27 pm
USPS in possession of item
DAVENPORT, IA 52806

Near everyone in shipping is too exhausted to be happy at Christmas, just relieved it's finally over.

Click to expand...

Atta Boy Gary! You just put into words all of my thoughts as I was reading this. I just didn’t have the energy to type out the thorough explanation that you gave.

I worked in the only big processing center in Arizona ( back when I first started at the PO)
Every single letter and package mailed in Arizona funneled through that center every day. Millions and millions of pieces of mail daily. And yet every piece of first class mail that entered the building by 5:30 pm, got sorted and put back on an outgoing truck to its next destination before the sun came up. It really was something to see.

mrtwowheel said:

Another shipping rant.

I can receive a package from China, delivered by USPS, item and shipping total $2. But I can't ship a package USPS for $2.

Hmm, never heard that questioned before, wonder why?

Click to expand...

FAKE NEWS! Ooops...

Regarding OnTrac - they should change their name to OffTrac...

Amazon gets a special deal from the post office and we get the shaft.
Shipping has about quadrupled in the last 8-10 years.
Small business is being eliminated by the big guys and the small guys
just charge what it costs them. The government is not on the small biz's side

Mailman said:

Millions and millions of pieces of mail daily. And yet every piece of first class mail that entered the building by 5:30 pm, got sorted and put back on an outgoing truck to its next destination before the sun came up. It really was something to see.

Click to expand...

I have seen the sort at the FedEx hub at Memphis (much of it is USPS). You're right. You see it and wonder how it can happen. I used to watch Delta sort bags every day with amazement. How do any of them get to the right place at the right time?

USPS automated systems

A package that I'm waiting for just went from Detroit to Jackson, not a bad route really, message in the tracking says MISSENT. Soon it will go back to Detroit and then bounce between Detroit and Lansing a few times.

Just my $0.02 worth here.

I've been living at the edge of the Earth for 25 years. Back in the day whenever I ordered something, a standard clause was please allow 6-8 weeks for shipping. A couple of weeks ago I ordered something at 8PM and it arrived at 2PM the next day via USPS. Amazing.

For the last 15 years I have been mailing 120 pieces a day at the lowest rate the post office offers. During that time I've only had a handful of complaints.

For the volume of shipping traffic that occurs today , the big carriers seem to do a pretty good job of keeping the flow going.