Reliability varies with branch. I've been generally quite content with the USPS, but my current home has:
* mail regularly misdelivered (1-2 piece of mail/month, including small packages that fit in the mailbox). Who knows what mail I've missed that went to someone else's house.
* They won't deliver larger packages to my house (busy street), BUT the office remains ignorant of this despite regular visits and I usually have to get bumped up to a manager before they "find" my package after insisting it is on the truck.
* ...But they do deliver packages on Sunday (When Amazon is paying them to)
* Package slips aren't always given. Followup slips DEFINITELY don't happen.
After being happy with the USPS most of my life, I now have all my amazon packages delivered to a locker because it's easier to always have a small amount of inconvenience than have general convenience (UPS and FedEx to the house direct) mixed with extreme inconvenience (USPS making me wait longer to get the package, at hours that don't work well with a 9-5 work schedule)
There's one main mail carrier who delivers your stuff and he's slacking. He'll continue to get away with this if you don't complain.
UPS and FedEx are no better. I guarantee if you had a problem with one of those services, you'd complain. I've had a FedEx guy park across the street from my house three times, only to not deliver my laptop (I think he was just letting his truck get a GPS fix on him being there) and I only finally got it when I chased the truck and then his eyes were totally bloodshot. Guy didn't even get out of his damn truck.
In my particular case, the postmaster is part of the problem, and doesn't really care too much about anything but the policy, even when it means mail is being refused delivery. The oversight office complains that this branch doesn't pick up the phones - and places where they are asked to contact you about a problem, they do not. So yeah, depends totally on the branch, but they seem to know they have immunity.
I have very good luck with UPS. And again, I think that depends on the driver/route/branch/etc.
I used to use DVD service a lot at my old address and it was great, I wouldn't attempt it right now.
Indeed--we use the dvd service routinely (most of their movies aren't available for streaming), and it is almost always two-day turnaround on disks. (One day in each direction)
Personally, my regular mail carrier is fine, but there's a different system for parcels (this is in Brooklyn, NY) where it's always someone different. The majority of the time, they don't even get off the truck and try to deliver the item, they either just leave a 'notice left' sheet, or none at all, and mark the item as 'unable to deliver, notice left' or 'undeliverable as addressed.' Or they mark it delivered, and don't deliver it.
Then, when you schedule a redelivery, they just don't redeliver it. If you call the post office, which I have to do at a secondary line I discovered (apparently for carriers), since their main line seems to be left off the hook or turned off, they will report that they have it there, and you can pick it up if you want.
* mail regularly misdelivered (1-2 piece of mail/month, including small packages that fit in the mailbox). Who knows what mail I've missed that went to someone else's house. * They won't deliver larger packages to my house (busy street), BUT the office remains ignorant of this despite regular visits and I usually have to get bumped up to a manager before they "find" my package after insisting it is on the truck. * ...But they do deliver packages on Sunday (When Amazon is paying them to) * Package slips aren't always given. Followup slips DEFINITELY don't happen.
After being happy with the USPS most of my life, I now have all my amazon packages delivered to a locker because it's easier to always have a small amount of inconvenience than have general convenience (UPS and FedEx to the house direct) mixed with extreme inconvenience (USPS making me wait longer to get the package, at hours that don't work well with a 9-5 work schedule)