Automated USPS Machines

USPS - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082

130 Corridor Road

Automated machine for shipping

The other day I sent a letter Priority Mail in one of the letter mailers to a lady in TX (from Florida). I didn't make it to the post office in time to get a real person to post my mail, so I used the machine. I was kind of iffy about doing it because I was sending a Cashier's Check for $650 to someone for a puppy. Well, that was on Sept. 9th. It was a Saturday and I also mailed another item (electronics to someone who bought from me on Ebay). I couldn't track either of the numbers online... it showed up NO RECORD of this ITEM. I took the slip to the P.O. on Sept. 12 and got a print out from their "Intranet" stating that one of the items was delivered (not the Cashier's Check)on Sept. 11th... I asked WHY I could not look up the tracking numbers online and got some half baked answer about how those machines don't always scan properly. Well, now I am out of a Cashier's Check that the woman who has our puppy does not have yet and I can't put a stop payment on it until 30 days are up. So we just lost our chance at a puppy because the lady doesn't want to wait a month and we can't afford to pay another $650. In order to stop it right now I'd have to insure the cashier's check by paying for an insurance bond of twice the amount! Is that ridiculous or what? I am SOOOO mad that they could track the one online and produce a piece of paper saying it was delivered, but this other letter, which went in the SAME BOX on the SAME DAY didn't get where it was supposed to go. The kicker is that the other box made it to MICHIGAN which is way far away from Florida in only 2 days time and the one to TX is still floating around somewhere. I could have WALKED it there.

Of course, the Post Office says that there is nothing they can do about it and I didn't have any insurance on it, just that I certified it and sent it Priority.

I'm telling ALL my friends that the automated machines are CRAP and not to use them or they will be sorry, like me. I'm really so angry!

I am so happy that Karla also made a complaint about these machines and posted it. I am sorry for what happened to her. More people need to know about this. Thank you, Karla, for confirming what I thought in my gut was going to be a bad transaction. This was only the second time I ever used the machine and I just had a feeling it was not going to be worth it. I was right. Go with your gut every time. I'm with Karla, DO NOT USE THE AUTOMATED MACHINES!!! YOU'LL BE SORRY!

Rose Herczeg

Ponte Vedra, FL

Comment On This

I'm sorry your check was lost in the mail. However, those automated machines are not to blame. All they do is print postage for you. If you had given them to a human postal worker, you still wouldn't have been able to look up numbers online because the postage machines and the online site are not networked. I know from experience. I also work in Information Technology and have a good idea of how these systems work. What may have happened is this - your parcel is touched by many hands before it reaches its destination. However USPS does not scan every place in between like UPS does. They only scan once the letter gets to the door of the recipient. So they do not "track" your letters - and in their decription of Certified Mail they say nothing about tracking - "Certified Mail provides proof of mailing at the time of mailing and date and time of delivery or attempted delivery. A delivery record is maintained by the USPS. Certified Mail is available with First-Class Mail and Priority Mail. For an additional fee, Certified Mail may be combined with restricted delivery or return receipt." It could be it got genuinely lost. Or, perhaps you didn't put the Certified Mail sticker on the envelope which comes out of the machine and that woman made off with your money. A good rule of thumb is if your parcel is worth a substantial amount of money, buy the insurance. Also, if you want to track your package, use another mailing service like UPS.

Comment On This

Who in their right mind would entrust a $650 check to a machine..you could have mailed the first letter that's fine..but the check that was beyond stupid!! Especially since you said yourself you had a bad feeling about it!! Why not wait until the next day to mail the check? I would have..Sorry, the blame is on you not the machine, after all you're suppose to be smarter!!