Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

The articles that have received the most comments on Disappeared News are not about politics or civil rights or homelessness—they are the articles about the US Post Office sort facility at Richmond, CA.

For many frustrated commenters, when a package enters that facility, it’s as though it disappears into a black hole. When they google for help, they hit the Disappeared News articles, and some leave comments. Some eBay vendors have had to issue refunds because of delivery delays, and there is a hint that at least a couple of buyers in Guam may be taking advantage by demanding refunds, knowing that the promised delivery time would not be met.

I became curious about USPS delays after one of my packages took a strange detour from Arizona to Massachusetts before turning around and heading back to California. There’s still no good explanation for why that happened. At the time, I also didn’t understand that the long delay after it entered Richmond was because they were loading it on a boat—with no scanning of the packages to let people know that.

I discovered that I’m now in the middle of another USPS glitch. Check out the route of this package, which was shipped on November 2 and should have been delivered five days later, if it had not been dispatched on a sightseeing tour of USPS facilities.

I’ve received many packages from the same vendor within 3-5 days. This is the first one that’s gone astray.  It has not yet been delivered, and today is November 23. Here’s the record so far. Read it from the bottom up, and I’ll join you again afterwards.

Nov 22, 2012 4:23 AM
Processed through USPS Sort Facility.
KEARNY, NJ 07032

Nov 20, 2012
Depart USPS Sort Facility.
KEARNY, NJ 07032

Nov 17, 2012 1:28 AM
Processed through USPS Sort Facility.
KEARNY, NJ 07032

Nov 16, 2012 11:41 AM
Processed through USPS Sort Facility.
KEARNY, NJ 07032

Nov 15, 2012 5:33 PM
Processed through USPS Sort Facility.
KEARNY, NJ 07032

Nov 14, 2012 12:45 AM
Processed through USPS Sort Facility.
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL 60007

Nov 13, 2012 9:26 PM
Processed through USPS Sort Facility.
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL 60007

Nov 12, 2012 11:27 PM
Processed through USPS Sort Facility.
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL 60007

Nov 11, 2012 10:29 PM
Processed through USPS Sort Facility.
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL 60007

Nov 08, 201211:36 PM
Processed through USPS Sort Facility.
WALLINGFORD, CT 06492

Nov 06, 2012 Depart USPS Sort Facility.
STAMFORD, CT 06910

Nov 06, 2012 3:02 PM
Processed through USPS Sort Facility.
STAMFORD, CT 06910

Nov 02, 2012
Electronic Shipping Info Received.

Nov 02, 2012 5:10 PM
Shipment Accepted.
DERBY, CT 06418

Ok, so this package is accepted in Connecticut. It goes to Stamford, ok so far. Then to Wallingford. Why not? And then to Illinois. So far so good. Progress is a bit slow, but it’s moving in the right direction.

For some reason it gets scanned three times in Illinois. It finally leaves six days after it departed Connecticut. But then… it’s in New Jersey? That’s backwards. Hey… Hawaii is over here!!

It finally leaves Kearny, New Jersey, on November 20. Ok!

But on November 22, it’s back. What happened? Airplane turned around? Did someone forget to pay the truck driver? Why is it back?

So it’s 20 days after the shipment was accepted and it’s still on the East Coast, no closer to Hawaii really than when it got started.

I hope they don’t send it back to Illinois.

Meanwhile, another order to the same company a few days later was delivered to me within four days.

I can see why so many commenters are frustrated with the USPS. I’m frustrated right now also. And there’s nothing I can do about it.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 11/23/2012 05:57:00 PM