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U.S. postal service failure..

Started by Guest_Nightwing_* , Feb 02 2008 08:33 PM

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#1 Guest_Nightwing_*

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Posted 02 February 2008 - 08:33 PM

Yes...I am very, very upset.
I sent some blackchin shiners to Brian Zimmerman, for his native fish tank project at OSU. I sent them 2nd day express on Wednesday(last week)..and right now, as far as I can tell, they are sitting in an unheated storage truck in Toledo some place after being mis routed TWICE! I had them double check the address they have on record, and it's completely correct..so no excuses there.
I "may have some recourse" to recover partial shipping costs(that's how the person I talked to today worded it), but after the fish I had shipped a couple of weeks ago turned up nearly a week late..I have ZERO confidence is the postal service.
Does anyone have any recommendations on alternative shipping methods, that don't end up with the fish killed??
I feel responsible for the fish, as I captured them..and to think of them dead due to the idiocy of the postal service, just burns me.
Sorry...just need to vent a bit, I guess!!

#2 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 02 February 2008 - 09:29 PM

All may not be lost. Temps are about perfect in Ohio right now for native fish shipping. They may still make it intact.

#3 Guest_dsmith73_*

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Posted 02 February 2008 - 09:29 PM

Yes...I am very, very upset.
I sent some blackchin shiners to Brian Zimmerman, for his native fish tank project at OSU. I sent them 2nd day express on Wednesday(last week)..and right now, as far as I can tell, they are sitting in an unheated storage truck in Toledo some place after being mis routed TWICE! I had them double check the address they have on record, and it's completely correct..so no excuses there.
I "may have some recourse" to recover partial shipping costs(that's how the person I talked to today worded it), but after the fish I had shipped a couple of weeks ago turned up nearly a week late..I have ZERO confidence is the postal service.
Does anyone have any recommendations on alternative shipping methods, that don't end up with the fish killed??
I feel responsible for the fish, as I captured them..and to think of them dead due to the idiocy of the postal service, just burns me.
Sorry...just need to vent a bit, I guess!!

You can always give UPS or FedEx a try. They will most likely be a bit more expensive though. I have to say that I have used USPS hundreds of times and have had maybe 2 or 3 delays. I have never lost a fish due to the postal service. It does appear that some areas of the country have more of an issue with USPS than others though. If it were me, I'd give them another chance, but I totally understand your frustration.

#4 Guest_Nightwing_*

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Posted 02 February 2008 - 10:04 PM

You can always give UPS or FedEx a try. They will most likely be a bit more expensive though. I have to say that I have used USPS hundreds of times and have had maybe 2 or 3 delays. I have never lost a fish due to the postal service. It does appear that some areas of the country have more of an issue with USPS than others though. If it were me, I'd give them another chance, but I totally understand your frustration.

Just two weeks ago I was a winner in one of the fish lottery's here. The fish were shipped on Monday, and never arrived until l that following Saturday. Thanks to the excellent packing of the sender, they all survived. This was with priority mail, so it was not confirmed ship..but still, should not have taken nearly a week.
Now, THIS time I used express for the specific desire to avoid any such hassles..and it's looking like it will take even longer, IF they ever arrive.
I guess it's just difficult to believe that the ONLY two times I've dealt with live fish in the mail..both times went sour.
The other problem is Brian was counting on these for his display, and I really don't have any extras left now to send, assuming these not make it(and at this point...I pretty much have to assume that, as they won't even be shipped from Toledo UNTIL Monday evening, according to the USPS rep I talked to on the phone today).
I have some fish shipping to me tomorrow, and if I had not already paid, I'd cancel that order use fed ex or UPS.

#5 Guest_farmertodd_*

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Posted 03 February 2008 - 12:01 AM

Yeah. Man, I'm sorry that's happened to you, it sucks. This is part of the reason I got out of the aquarium industry. The only way to guarantee delivery is to hand it to the person. When I had my shop, it was all tropical stuff, so it wasn't fond of the winter times. At least you have that working for you. I had bags of fish that were lost on the tarmac at Detroit in Feb. The water was so cold it made my hand hurt, which meant it was just shy of freezing. Another time I had live rock lost for a week. I got a whopping $200 back for that ($1000 shippment). At least I had the gratification of cracking everyone of the boxes open and making the terminal people inspect them before I left. After the first one they said "We believe you they're all dead." and I was like "Oh hell no, you're gonna stick your nose in every last one of these!"

Todd

#6 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 03 February 2008 - 12:35 AM

I've been shipping fish for the past 3 or 4 years with increasing frequency to the point of prety much weekly now using USPS and have really had very little trouble. I would say 4 or 5 shippments that have not made it out of well over 100. For the most part those were caused by delays or a crushed box, but it has not been very frequent. Maybe I'm just lucky. Who knows, maybe these fish will show up alive yet, as Matt mentioned temps are prety good here and that may help them out.

#7 Guest_BTDarters_*

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Posted 03 February 2008 - 03:25 AM

Nightwing,

I stopped shipping with the USPS quite a while ago for the same reasons as you have mentioned. Shipments that were supposed to be guaranteed they wouldn't stand behind and frequently the fish didn't get there anywhere near on-time. The carrier I use now is DHL (http://www.dhl-usa.com). They always accept the fish, even in boxes marked "Live Fish", and I have never had a problem with on-time delivery. Sure, they cost more, but the expense is worth it in my opinion.

#8 Guest_diburning_*

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Posted 09 February 2008 - 02:44 AM

I ship USPS. Jsut make sure you don't tell them it's fish. The people that work there aren't versed in their own postal terms/laws. If it says fish on the box, then some people might pick up the box and shake it. Also, USPS uses FedEx which sometimes does not allow fish onboard their planes.

DHL costs a little more, but not too much more. UPS is also an option if you aren't shipping too far. FedEx is the most expensive of the bunch.

#9 Guest_threegoldfish_*

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Posted 09 February 2008 - 09:40 AM

I ship books for a living and generally have many more problems with UPS than the postal service and don't even get me started on FedEx and DHL. I think it depends on your local branch.

#10 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 11 February 2008 - 10:47 PM

I'm a little late on this the fish have long since been happily swimming in the tank at the museum where I work but just for all of you who may have wondered the fish did arive alive despite it taking a full week and one of the bags being almost completely empty. I was very surprised the 2 in that bag were alive. Anyways if I think of it while I'm at work tomorrow I'll try to get a pic of the tank and fish in it to complete the ending of the story. Here is a pic showing the almost empty bag still in the box just after I opened it.

#11 Guest_Nightwing_*

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Posted 12 February 2008 - 12:09 AM

It's still amazing that the fish were alive in such a small amount of water! FWIW, both bags started with about the same amount..so that one must have had a very slow leak, or it was just a tiny bit more permeable. I noticed the same thing when I got the NRB's via the lottery...the packing material around the bags was soaked, and both bags were pretty low(although, neither case THAT low!).

#12 Guest_scottefontay_*

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Posted 12 February 2008 - 01:06 PM

The first time I recieved fish was with USPS priority, they arrived on-time, but dead due to leaky bags and wet newpaper fouling the breather bags. I sent fish once also with the USPS priority, they arrived alive and on-time. I used both conventional bags (double bagged) and breather bags in two seperate boxes. I used packing peanuts instead of newspaper though incase the breather bags leaked.

Both times (recieving and shipping) the boxes were marked "PERISHABLE - LIVE FISH" "THIS END UP -->" &"KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT" the woman at my local PO wouldn't do it at first, but the original "priority" box I recieved still had the fish stickers on it (i reused the box and styrofoam cooler) and I said that "it came IN priority, it CAN go OUT priority!"

#13 Guest_Nightwing_*

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Posted 12 February 2008 - 10:01 PM

Before I ship again, I'm going to either get some packing peanuts(great idea!) or some open cell foam and just cut a template out to place the bags in. I think the foam will work well, because being open cell it will pass oxygen just fine, yet, it will be unaffected by the slow leak of the bags. My worry about the peanuts is that it's difficult to find them made of anything except corn starch now...which will of course melt and become ineffective as a shock-protecting medium, once that happens.

#14 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 12 February 2008 - 10:12 PM

Before I ship again, I'm going to either get some packing peanuts(great idea!) or some open cell foam and just cut a template out to place the bags in. I think the foam will work well, because being open cell it will pass oxygen just fine, yet, it will be unaffected by the slow leak of the bags. My worry about the peanuts is that it's difficult to find them made of anything except corn starch now...which will of course melt and become ineffective as a shock-protecting medium, once that happens.

I think you would have to lose almost all the water in the bag before peanut dissolution becomes a major problem.

#15 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 13 February 2008 - 09:43 AM

I've always shipped via Priority Mail. I had one case where the bag broke open. This is a small town and I know the postmaster personally - there's never any problem with "you can't ship fish", etc.

Otherwise they've always arrived OK. Frequently I used Petsmart fish boxes for shipping. I seldom ship fishes these days.

#16 Guest_Nightwing_*

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Posted 22 February 2008 - 07:40 PM

I don't have to ask, I know why!

Need to make a movie ........Lost somewhere near Detroit.

Yep...
Day 3 of "next day service" today...still nothing....
Did I mention that I really, really dislike the USPS at this point? Must be a Karma thing...I apparently am not supposed to send or receive fish in the mail, and the Gods are letting me know this!

#17 Guest_Nightwing_*

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Posted 24 February 2008 - 09:42 AM

Yep...
Day 3 of "next day service" today...still nothing....
Did I mention that I really, really dislike the USPS at this point? Must be a Karma thing...I apparently am not supposed to send or receive fish in the mail, and the Gods are letting me know this!

And..as of yesterday, still no sign of the fish I had "next day" shipped on Tuesday...
As today is Sunday, at best that means tomorrow..and I have zero hope of that, as they were reported "lost" in Detroit. Things lost in Detroit rarely fare well...

#18 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 24 February 2008 - 09:42 PM

I think your just cursed, I have never seen or heard of anyone having as much trouble as you!

#19 Guest_Nightwing_*

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Posted 24 February 2008 - 10:01 PM

I think your just cursed, I have never seen or heard of anyone having as much trouble as you!

No doubt...this is just unbelievable! I can see a day or two, ONCE..but a week or more(and likely completely lost this time) every time, BOTH Directions? Tellin' ya...I am cursed!
That..and there is no way to avoid the apparent black hole that is Detroit if you send mail out or into Michigan..

#20 Guest_Nightwing_*

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Posted 12 March 2008 - 10:45 PM

I think your just cursed, I have never seen or heard of anyone having as much trouble as you!

You would not believe how right you are.... :angry:

Tom Glassburner a month ago graciously offered me a pair of greenside darters to keep my lone female company.
I accepted, and arrangements were made to send them express next day(I didn't trust priority after it took so long to get the dace I won in the fish lottery).
The first shipment was sent out, next day as requested...and completely lost.
Fast forward to now...
The second shipment was sent Monday..express..next day...
and they have not arrived, and I presume, lost.
That's 4 fish shipments I have been involved in, in the last month and a half or so.
We are running a 100 percent failure of delivery date rate, and a 50 percent(so far) complete failre of delivery rate.
I am quite honestly speechless at the moment(and Tom will tell you...me being speechless is a rare thing..).
(edited to add, I do NOT in any way hold Tom in any fault in this....just want to make that clear).

Edited by Nightwing, 12 March 2008 - 11:01 PM.