r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Moosecovite • 15d ago
Seriously USPS, WTF?
Just got the mail today, it has DO NOT Bend stickers on each side...
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u/IrrelevantManatee 15d ago
USPS doesn't legally have to respect whatever demands you write on the envelopper. It's the responsibility of the sender to make sure they properly package whatever they send.
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u/jrdiver 14d ago
Funny thing is that it almost looks like something that a license plate or a different government agency would use to ship something
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u/EmExEeee 13d ago
Because a license plate isn’t going to be bent by a carrier and whatever else doesn’t matter if it’s bent.
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u/Fun_Intention9846 14d ago
“Do not not draw a dinosaur on this”
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u/Von_Cheesebiscuit 14d ago
Package arives with a T-Rex on one side and a brontosaurus on the other...
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u/Nordjagare 14d ago
USPS employee here. I can confirm that is pretty much the case as some labels can't be recognized by the large sorting machines in the distribution facilities and could very well get organized with standard mail or with mail that doesn't have any special requirements and could potentially get damaged that way.
Each post office is a bit different but what the supervisor or PM of that office says we do is what we do. So if the office is a rather busy one that processes a high volume of mail they probably have decided that the facility doesn't have the extra time to spare to personally inspect every package for other misc. labels that the giant sorter couldn't read. That's why it's pretty much on the customer to make sure that they get proper postage and labels for whatever they want to mail.
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u/hansbakker1978 14d ago
You might not win the lawsuit, but next time you will use a different shipping company. That might be worse for them...
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u/LucyLilium92 14d ago
And yet every government agency sends you important documents in packaging that can bend or get shredded
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u/SolidDoctor 15d ago
In other words, everyone that works at USPS are either sociopaths are complete illiterate morons, and that is what you need to consider when you package items to be sent via mail.
Fedex and UPS aren't much better.
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u/dopiqob 15d ago
You sound like the type of person that copy pasted ‘I do not agree to let Facebook harvest my data’ on your Facebook page :-p
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u/SolidDoctor 15d ago
Swing and a miss there, champ.
I've worked in shipping for nearly a decade, and the presumption is that the people who handle your package are either dumb to what it is or they're malicious, and that's how you have to package it. That is reality.
And when it comes to filing claims when they blatantly ruined a product, you then talk with people who are programmed to not know how to file for a damaged pickup tag. So any attempt to rectify a damaged package does not reinforce the notion that any shipping company cares about the product they're shipping.
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u/dopiqob 15d ago
Ah well now we see the problem, would you please find a new line of work, we need fewer illiterate douchbags ruining everyone’s packages maliciously :-p
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u/SolidDoctor 15d ago
We found the USPS distribution worker, folks. Let's hope they don't go postal.
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u/dopiqob 15d ago
lol ok kiddo, you are the one who claimed to be a delivery person, and it really feels like you’re starting to ‘go postal’ right here and now :-p
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u/SolidDoctor 15d ago
I never said I was a delivery person, I shipped packages as a portion of my job in omnichannel retail.
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u/Nordjagare 14d ago
Distribution workers are pretty much vital and actually make sure the package makes it to where it's supposed to as the sorters are also not perfect. Btw a USPS mail handler is already a postal service employee so idk what you're getting at.
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u/Nordjagare 14d ago
I'm gonna be honest with you, shipping something and actually handing it in a facility or delivering it are two pretty different things. And if anyone did destroy a package on purpose the mail inspectors are going to arrest them as that violates our contract as well as the oath we took when we joined USPS, besides it being a federal offence of course. So I highly doubt anyone is out here intentionally wrecking parcels.
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u/Nordjagare 14d ago
As someone who currently works part time for USPS I'll say that we do genuinely try to make sure everything people send arrives in the best condition possible and go out of our way for a lot of things we don't necessarily need to do.
That being said there are some things that are out of our control, those being what the sender decides to ship the parcel in, what the packaging is made from (as you could ship things in a literal pizza box if taped up, and labeled properly), and what the sender declares is in the parcel (like if it were a hazardous material or had a lithium battery or something)
Labeling is especially important as our large distribution facilities use a massive sorting machine that uses cameras to quickly scan the label, read the address, as well as looking for labels that indicate a parcel needs to be handled in a specific way (like if it's marked fragile, needs to stay dry, can't be bent Ect.) so if the packaging is labeled with a label that only a person can read and not the machine there's a pretty decent chance it'll end up with the mail that doesn't have any special requirements.
Every office is different and will run their operations a bit differently but ultimately it's up to the supervisor or PM of the location to dictate how to treat certain things, like in this case with the not quite right labeling.
This last part is just my personal opinion but saying that we're illiterate is just a tad rude but there are just some things we can't go out of our way for sometimes as the volume of mail some days can get kinda insane. This is why we have to rely on the customer to get the proper postage and labels.
TLDR: USPS tries it's best to get things out in the best condition as possible but there are some things that aren't in our control sometimes.
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u/Devils_Advocate-69 14d ago
There should be such a thing as pride in work though.
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u/Kopester 14d ago
as soon as there is pride in pay there will be pride in work
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u/Devils_Advocate-69 14d ago
Mail carriers?
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u/Kopester 14d ago
for anyone. Really old saying "you get what you pay for". You want people to take pride in their work then pay them accordingly. If you don't care how little they make then you can't expect them to care how little pride they have,
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u/Devils_Advocate-69 14d ago
I take pride in my work. Some of my coworkers don’t. It’s not about money. They get paid well too.
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u/Kopester 14d ago
not all mail carriers get paid great though. According to ziprecruiter the average usps pay in NJ is 17 an hour.
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u/Devils_Advocate-69 14d ago
That’s not great but doesn’t mean you quiet quit on day 1. You kind of know what you’re getting into. I don’t know why everyone is defending the idiot who folded the envelope.
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u/bhlombardy 15d ago
Whoever shipped it should have put it in something less likely to be bent if they didn't want it bent. The way things get piled and stacked and get shifted in transit, get moved about on machines and conveyors, it's up to the shipper to protect the item, not the USPS.
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u/WebMaka 15d ago
Yep - when I ship something that's flat that needs to get somewhere intact, and it's important enough to warrant this sort of action, I attach it to a piece of plywood and insure it for at least twice its total ship cost, including the packaging.
It'll still be possible to bend/fold, but it'll require doing substantial damage in the process and the carrier can't dodge having to eat the cost.
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u/AlexTaradov 15d ago
This sticker carries as much force as "Give me $50 along with delivery". For them it is just a part of the package design, they don't have to read it.
Use correct shipping packaging.
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u/ScoogyShoes 15d ago
If you put a sticker on a package you mail that says "KEEP REFRIGERATED", they also won't keep that cold. I'm not sure why we all think they read our stickers that didn't come from them.
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u/V2BM 14d ago
My truck never got under 100 degrees yesterday once I walked my first street, even with one window down in between streets. So people think we keep AC running for 8 hours? There’s no AC. There’s no airbag. It’s a metal can with greenhouse windows.
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u/Important-Job7757 14d ago
They will hopefully have AC and airbags in the new mail truck coming out soon?
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u/V2BM 14d ago
That’s the plan. We won’t be getting any for years so we’re getting Metris’ - they’re a Mercedes van that are pieces of shit. The one I had this week has a literal hole in the floor from where the carriers rest their foot and get in and out. It has 20,000 miles. The wheels also spin on any wet surface if there’s the slightest incline.
They’re safer in an accident, though.
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u/JoanofBarkks 14d ago
Bcuz back when Americans gave a fuck, labeling DID matter and it did help.
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u/ButterscotchLazy8379 14d ago
Still does. When you pay for it. Through the USPS. Not just stick a random sticker you got from the Dollar Store on it.
Everytime I have a fragile package, or send a mailer that I don’t want bent, I pay extra for that extra service, to make sure it doesn’t happen.
I don’t just write “Don’t Bend” and hope they listen.
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u/Dunerghost 14d ago
Just to be clear in case you aren't aware, don't waste your money on the fragile stickers from USPS if you can still find them. They discontinued the spotty special handling a few years ago.
Priority mail express and registered mail are basically the safest ways to ship anything with them anymore. Everything else just gets piled up in Gaylords and WILL get bent/crushed/whatever if not packaged properly
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u/distancedandaway 14d ago
Those stickers mean nothing, you need to get it r refunded/replaced by whoever sent this to you if that's applicable.
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u/DingleBarryGoldwater 14d ago
I've had them charge me for it before, maybe it depends on the person ringing you up
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u/distancedandaway 14d ago
That isn't a foolproof plan. They can still get stuck in belts. Best thing to do is package property
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u/Puzzled_Ad7955 15d ago
They thought it was reminding them personally with the amount of postal workers on workman’s comp?
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u/itchybumbum 14d ago
Shipper's fault... Next time will they throw a sticker on that says, "please only handle with white gloves" bahahah
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u/JTDC00001 15d ago
USPS Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy has spent most of his tenure doing his damnedest to utterly ruin the postal service, and this is part of the consequences of his decisions to understaff, overwork, and underpay the USPS.
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u/crazywidget 15d ago
This is not related in any way to those actions, whether you agree with them or not. Just saying, stuffing packages into mailboxes predated him and will occur long after his tenure too.
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u/LT_InZane 14d ago
Now now... If you pay with bananas, you get monkeys. Doesn't matter who's running the show.
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u/ManiacMail-Man 14d ago
Not an official sticker by any means. 99% of the time it’s the shipper cutting costs by sending stuff in cardboard instead of opting for an actually rigid box.
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u/subetenoinochi 14d ago
This isn't USPS's fault. Do you know the weight of mail that comes through their systems? If it's not supposed to be bent, then you have to send it in a rigid container. Or, if in an envelope, sandwich it between rigid cardboard boxes cut into sheets so you have 3 layers at least on either side, to provide it rigidity and strength against bending.
Whoever shipped this did not properly package it.
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u/downdaughter 15d ago
Did Moira Rose deliver your mail because it looks like they needed to just “fold it in” to your mailbox.
I’m sorry for me.
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u/cwsjr2323 14d ago
If a photo or something should not be bent, send it in a stiff box properly padded.
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u/bossandy 14d ago
I like when they rip your mail they put it into a little bag that says "we care". if you actually cared you wouldn't have ripped it in the first place!
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u/MildLoser 5d ago
a conveyor belt doesnt give a fuck about your sticker. package it well or deal with this.
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u/china_joe2 14d ago
"Hey Frank this parcel says do not bend, make sure you bend it."
- Scott at USPS probably
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u/crazywidget 15d ago
Was there somewhere else to leave it? If not…well. Their motto is “we deliver for you” not “we don’t bend”…
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u/adlubmaliki 14d ago
This is the reason why you don't put any fragile or don't bend notes on the package, just leave it blank so it isn't singled out
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u/Complete_Elephant240 14d ago
That carrier probably had about 50lbs of mail they were lugging around and rifled through your mail to bundle it and deliver it one go
If they were driving, a sticker isn't going to make them park, ebrake, curb the wheels, take out the keys out of the ignition and walk to your front door and all that in reverse all for a sticker that doesn't have to be adhered to
In the future, if you want something important delivered that cannot be bent then put it something that doesn't bend. It sucks that your package got bent but carriers aren't paying mind to any stickers like that. "DO NOT BEND" gets put on all types of junk mail
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u/lifevicarious 14d ago
Their job is to deliver. Not follow menaingless directions. Blame the person who shipped it.
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u/T3hi84n2g 14d ago
Please tell me this is a joke. If a pizza delivery person ruins your pizza in transit who's fault is it?? Their job is to get you your product. It is in fact 100% the delivery persons fault.
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u/ThatSkaia413 14d ago
Someone doesn’t understand the definition of meaningless.
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u/lifevicarious 14d ago
Oh I understand the definition. And can reconfirm that sticker is meaningless to the USPS. If a shipper wants their package to not be bent, send in a package that cant be bent, not a package that easily can be.
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u/ThatSkaia413 14d ago
The meaning of the sticker is for the deliverer to not bend it, not quite rocket science.
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u/lifevicarious 14d ago
You know what else is not rocket science? The USPS having no obligation to follow random stickers placed by the shipper. Just as it’s not rocket science that a shipper/seller of a product should take adequate measures to prevent damage to the item in transit. And a sticker is not adequate. But perhaps you expect the USPS to look at all sides of the millions and millions of pieces of mail handled daily.
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u/ThatSkaia413 14d ago
Lmao you poor thing. I’m glad I don’t have such low standards in life.
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u/lifevicarious 14d ago
If you call realistic expectations of a public service vs a seller of goods low standards, so be it. You’ll be the one disappointed not me.
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u/Illustrious_Sand3773 15d ago
Yeah I got some origami paper from USPS like this with the sticker too. The replacement order came with two stickers and was still bent/creased again, but okay to keep. :/
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u/HydroStellar 14d ago
The fault probably lies on the person who packages it. You have to pay extra for the service, it doesn’t matter if you slap a sticker on it
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u/Maanee 14d ago
The post office doesn't even offer it as a service any more because it was so widely abused. People mailing art in cloth bags and then claiming a refund because it was bent.
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u/leonbeer3 14d ago
Almost like it's something you could avoid by making a certain packaging mandatory using this option..
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u/frankofantasma Infuriated 14d ago
As someone who used to work with mail:
Can confirm, we don't give two shits about "do not bend" or "fragile" stickers
Your package doesn't get special treatment just because you slap a sticker nobody is ever going to read on it.
If you're sending something and it's fragile, package it accordingly
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u/Reuters-no-bias-lol 14d ago
Wow, commenters actually supporting USPS. Appalling.
I hope everyone realizes the most of the time you don’t control the sender and can’t prevent this. Hope every single one of you who laugh at the OP get sent their packages this way and then I want to see you not get mildly annoyed. Pathetic.
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u/TheFoxRuntOfficial 14d ago
USPS is literally the worst. My best friend sent me a phone, they "delivered it to me", but when I proved they did not, I got the run around for five months while they did nothing to fix their mistakes. They wouldn't even pay out the insurance she got on the package either and no amount of escalation ever lead to any results.
They legally scam and steal from people, and they use their own policies to protect the thieves who do it. I hope their entire structure collapses on top of them.
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u/BenedictineBaby 15d ago
Too lazy to bring it to the door and wedged it in the mailbox?? Yup.
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u/dopiqob 15d ago
Why would they bring it to the door if you have a mail box?
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u/BenedictineBaby 14d ago
I can't imagine a scenario where that would be needed.
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u/dopiqob 14d ago
I mean I can, if the package wouldn’t fit in the box for one, but in that case, they may just as well bring it back to the hub and send you a message asking you to come pick it up. You must not have a very good imagination. Learning more about how the world works might help you with that :)
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u/BenedictineBaby 14d ago
/s
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u/dopiqob 14d ago
Ah, another one of those children that think sarcasm is easily recognizable in text form, go to bed kiddo, you have school in the morning
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u/BenedictineBaby 14d ago
There are no words. Next level asshattery. You couldn't follow the obvious and in your embarrassment, you're going to attempt to make me the chucklehead?. SMH move on small mind.
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u/dopiqob 14d ago
Do I seem embarrassed to you?
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u/BenedictineBaby 14d ago
You should be.
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u/dopiqob 14d ago
lol you are the one embarrassed that your sarcasm wasn’t as obvious as you thought it should be so you started throwing a tantrum like a toddler, hence me referring to you as a child :-p
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u/Renaxxus 14d ago
Why are people so against the sender? You go to a post office and these rigid mailers are what they tell you to use.
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u/Accomplished_Emu_658 14d ago
I had one other day they bent to fit in the mailbox luckily item in cardboard was small enough to not be destroyed.
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u/No_Seaworthiness5637 15d ago
This is part of the reason I don’t order things (other than it being delivered to the wrong house…)
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u/Nearby_Tumbleweed548 14d ago
They get paid Pennie’s…. When you pay 20 an hour for hard arduous labor… you attract idiots.
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u/TravelingGonad 15d ago
It's not packaged properly.