Canada Post is so sloooooooooooo

[Jake]

Despite my better judgement I decided to mail a small parcel with Canada Post on the 29th using 'regular parcel'. The big poster said "normally 2-5 days". Here we are October 5th (6 days later) and the parcel is still showing as "accepted at the Post Office". Whoopee! I decide to call to see if this is normal. I get into the menu system. I am presented with 6 or 7 options. I listen to them all. At the end I was expecting to hear the menu choices again or at least an option to repeat instead the voice tell me to call back during regular hours and 'click' it hangs up. Great system they have there.

PS: I you look on the website it says 9 days for regular parcel. I guess the poster is a typo.

PSS: The parcel was going from Gatineau to Mississauga. Not exactly remote.

[cooper83]

I feel your pain.

Ordered a Steve Nash jersey from eBay, shipped Sept 22 from Montana. Auction said shipping via UPS, but ended up using USPS. The game is tomorrow and no sign of the jersey. The gf is not a happy camper.

On a related note, check out this package process from Mono price via UPS. A simple California-to-Victoria delivery. It got to Richmond, then to Kentucky...really??

VICTORIA, BC, CA 04/10/2010 17:04 DELIVERED
04/10/2010 6:18 OUT FOR DELIVERY
RICHMOND, BC, CA 02/10/2010 10:18 DEPARTURE SCAN
02/10/2010 8:31 IMPORT SCAN
02/10/2010 7:26 ARRIVAL SCAN
SEATTLE, WA, US 02/10/2010 6:53 DEPARTURE SCAN
02/10/2010 6:45 DEPARTURE SCAN
RICHMOND, BC, CA 02/10/2010 6:01 PACKAGE DATA PROCESSED BY BROKERAGE. WAITING FOR CLEARANCE / RECEIVER'S CUSTOMS BROKER HAS BEEN ASSIGNED. THE SHIPMENT IS NOW RELEASED TO MOVE IN TRANSIT
SEATTLE, WA, US 02/10/2010 5:53 ARRIVAL SCAN
LOUISVILLE, KY, US 02/10/2010 4:22 DEPARTURE SCAN
02/10/2010 2:36 ARRIVAL SCAN
RICHMOND, BC, CA 01/10/2010 20:51 REGISTERED WITH CLEARING AGENCY / SHIPMENT SUBMITTED TO CLEARING AGENCY
01/10/2010 20:51 REGISTERED WITH CLEARING AGENCY
01/10/2010 20:16 PACKAGE DATA PROCESSED BY BROKERAGE. WAITING FOR CLEARANCE
ONTARIO, CA, US 01/10/2010 20:06 DEPARTURE SCAN
01/10/2010 19:16 ORIGIN SCAN
01/10/2010 18:35 PICKUP SCAN
US 01/10/2010 11:39 BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

[David Susilo]

Shipping an audio CD from here to a small hamlet in UK: 4 business days
Shipping an audio CD from here to Montreal: 8 business days

where's the logic?

[Fry1989]

Everybody in every country likes to complain about their postal service, but you gotta give it one thing, it's decent prices for decent service.

Imagine a world without it. You can send a letter with Canada Post, ANYWHERE in the country, and for cheap. There are places UPS and other pay services wont ship to, cause it costs them too much. Wanna mail to Butt-end Labrador population 60, good luck getting it there.

[David Susilo]

Yes and no regarding the decent price (and or shipping time).

Because I send a lot of CD/DVD/BD master (they all weigh approx the same, with cover letter and track markings, 128 grams including the case & envelope) I can say a lot regarding pricing

1 item within Canada, approx $2.00 - usually arrive within 10 business days
1 item to the US $3.5 - usually arrive within 15 business days
1 item to outside US (HK, Indonesia, UK, Australia)$ 7.00 - usually arrive within 5 business days (huh?)

the same item being sent from US, $1.40 - usually arrive within 15 business days
the same item being sent from HongKong, approx $1 - usually arrive within 1 month
the same item being sent from Indonesia, approx $10 (yes, TEN dollars) - usually arrive within 5 business days.

I never receive consistent-sized items from UK and Australia so I can't say squat. But from UK or Australia to Canada usually takes 10 business days

However, for one item (a sound module that I ship around during my studio days)

Canada -> US $100
US -> Canada $40
Canada -> UK $150
UK -> Canada $50
Canada -> Indonesia (that's a 24-hour travel) $100
Indonesia -> Canada... get this: $400 !!!

[JamesK]

Imagine a world without it.

I remember when they had stickers on the red boxes telling how long it would take to get to various parts of the country. They took those off because they weren't even close to meeting the target. There is absolutely no reason why first class mail should take 4-5 days to get across the country, when a flight from Vancouver to Toronto is only about 4 hours. Even train or truck can do better than that. Then we get to other mail that takes days to get across town. In the apartment building where I used to live, I almost never received mail on Modays or Fridays. Why's that? In that same building, I'd often find those parcel delivery attempt notices that said no answer. Funny thing, I was working the evening shift at the time and was normally home when the mailman arrived. Why was I never, not once, in 13 years, called down to the lobby for a parcel?

Yes, with "service" like that, we have a right to complain. In this day & age, computer tracking is very easy to do, which would alert the post office to problems. Why isn't that done?

[David Susilo]

My biggest question is only for one thing though:

why only 4 days (ship Monday, received Thursday at the latest) to reach a tiny rural town in UK whereas it takes usually 8 business days (ie ship Monday, received the FOLLOWING Wednesday) to downtown Montreal?

[Fry1989]

Originally Posted by JamesK

Yes, with "service" like that, we have a right to complain.

Not saying you can't complain, just don't go overboard like some of the Crazies in the US calling for privatizing or shutting down the US Postal Service

[Jake]

I don't have a problem with lettermail. I agree it is cheap. This is a parcel and I paid $9 to send a book sized parcel (0.767kg) 500 km from a major hub to another.

[cooper83]

Originally Posted by Fry1989

Not saying you can't complain, just don't go overboard like some of the Crazies in the US calling for privatizing or shutting down the US Postal Service

That's because it's Communism!

[recneps77]

I haven't had any speed problems but price, yes.

Sending a package from Whitby to Barrie.. $13.
It's like, the size of a kleenex box and light.

I could drive it to barrie and back myself for that.
Are they telling me they're personally sending a truck to deliver it?
There isn't a truck already going from whitby to mississauga sorting centre anyway? So my package is just a few more pennies among the hundreds/thousands already going that day?
Same thing on the way out to Barrie?

I dunno. It just seems absurd when a package can be sent across the country (5000km) for about the same price it can be sent 75km.

I understand they average prices on some services (e.g lettermail) to give a consistent rate. But when parcels are variable in cost like they are, there's no reason it should cost me so much to send such a short distance.
Unless they're paying their drivers $100 an hour...

[David Susilo]

Well, they do get paid a lot. One of my uncles used to work for Canada Post until
he threw his back.

[admin]

Everybody in every country likes to complain about their postal service, but you gotta give it one thing, it's decent prices for decent service.

Agreed. I find most letters get there the next day or two days.

[David Susilo]

Actually, according to Toronto Star study, local lettermail usually arrive in 3 to 5 days with the median of 4 business days. In fact, 20 years living in the GTA, I've never received any lettermail earlier than 4 business day with the exception of government letters which on ocassions received in 3 days. Even that is few and far in between

considering the number of letters and packages I send and receive, I can't complain other than question the anomalies I've experienced.

[peano]

I use Canada Post Expedited Parcel and GTA to Montreal is 1-2 day service and the same price as regular parcel. You need to sign up for Venture One but it is worth the trouble.