I can now add to my “collection” of “famous” people autographs—previously
consisting of Brett Favre’s on a Green Bay Packer mini helmet—that of
Cindy Williams, which I discovered after receiving a signed copy of her book being
sold by Amazon (meaning that fans of
L&S should mosey on over there and buy her book). I can say that this
discovery was the only thing that put a smile on my face after the conclusion
of that frustrating road called the “privatization” of mail service.
What am I talking about? I have been a frequent
consumer of products sold on Amazon over the years, and it is my decided
opinion that its level of service has been “slipping” of late. It isn’t just
during the holiday season, but all year. The “quality” of employee I see coming
out of the Kent Fulfillment Center does not inspire confidence, mainly because
I’ve seen how these “kids” take their work “seriously” at other places of
employment. Unless you pay for “prime” treatment, it takes days before orders to
be picked and shipped when they are supposed to be in stock, and sometimes even
if an order is listed as “shipping today” that does not necessarily mean
“today” is actually “today.”
But the one thing that makes me cringe more than
anything is to see a “standard” shipment order being shipped by anything other than
straight USPS. Yes. I know that small and anti-government types whine and
complain about how “incompetent” the “government” is, and how much more
“efficient” private enterprise is. That is such a crock, and nowhere more so
than in mailing business. There is no “competition” between carriers that leads
to lower prices, and you have to pay out the nose for “efficiency” from Fedex
or UPS, both of whose ground service is as ridiculously high-priced as is
“their time” schedule, meaning non-“priority” mail will just sit for the
weekend. “Competitors” like Ontrac and DHL might
cost less, but you “get” what you pay for. While USPS actually works weekends
on all mail, these private carriers just snore.
It took three days “shipping today” before the book
actually shipped, and then it was scheduled to be delivered four days after the originally “promised” delivery
date. This was because it was being shipped UPS “Sure Post,” a misnomer if anything.
I was pulling my hair when I learned
this; “Sure Post,” like Fedex “Smart Post,” is private ground package delivery that is so incompetent and slow
that it still requires support from USPS to make the actual delivery. Things
can be so bad that Fedex and UPS are often forced to bring in temporary labor
with no prior experience in mail sorting to assist them. In the case of this
order, I was informed that it would not be delivered by the updated “promised”
date because the “truck” arrived a few hours late that Friday, so there would
be no “handoff” to the Post Office until the following week. I have to admit I
was incensed, especially when I was told by UPS “customer service” that I
should contact the shipper and not further encumber them by asking them to
explain themselves. I did contact Amazon, and received a refund on the shipping
charge.
Private carriers like Fedex and UPS are profitable
not because they provide efficient service, but very expensive service. Even
their “standard” mail service is far more expensive than USPS’ priority and
First Class package service, and of course less reliable. Part of this is
because USPS operates seven days a week, not taking the weekend off like the
private carriers do. USPS also has a much larger and more efficient delivery
network than the private carriers. While email and online bill paying has
caused “regular” letter mail handling to decrease, this isn’t necessarily mail overall. With
online retailers like Amazon overtaking store retailing—particularly for videos,
music CDs and books—the need for mailing services is as great as it ever has
been. And USPS delivers more cheaply and usually more reliably than the private
carriers. This isn’t “pro-government” propaganda—just the damn fact.
USPS is losing money, but not for the reasons the
public has been led to believe. First off, Congress mandated that it must
insure that it has enough funds to pay for pensions and medical coverage for
the next 75 years today, why this is
must surely be part of an effort to “kill” it, because no other government or
private enterprise is “required” to maintain such an upfront fund, and no
logical explanation has ever been given for it. Much of USPS’ revenue is being
directed to creating this 75-year “buffer,” and won’t be completed for another
five years or so. USPS could raise postage rates by 7 percent now and meet
operating costs, but it is prohibited by law to raise its rates more than
inflation index; private carriers, of course, don’t abide by this rule—and they
still can’t be relied for the prices they charge.
Let’s not be kidded by the anti-government,
supposedly “cost conscious” lawmakers, Republicans mainly. The USPS has been a
quasi-business since 1970 without government subsidies, meaning it is expected
to at least operate like a business. But it is not allowed by Congress to act like your typical business. True privatization
of the mail system will result in
skyrocketing prices to consumers—especially for the most “profitable” parts of
the “business” like package shipping and express mail, while the less
profitable parts (like letters and actual delivery) will receive less
attention, and thus less service. The busting of postal unions leading to the
eventual creation of a low-wage workforce, and the likely raiding of the pension
fund, which many private companies are already doing their own now, is also a
likely result of privatization. The only “winner” will be the few who line
their own pockets with millions of dollars in personal compensation. The
losers, of course, will be consumers, especially those who think things are
“bad” now.
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