Re: Priority Mail Service (PMS)--lengthy

> Many customers have complained that it took a week to receive their order.
> However, today I received two packages sent the same way - one from NY and
> the other from UT, and they were both mailed on 7.21.  I am beginning to
> think it is the local post office that is messing up.
> 
>         Anyone have a similar experience?

Here is a commercial garden's view point on Priority Mail vs UPS.  This
year we made a major shift to almost totally UPS shipping and there were
reasons.

Prior to this year we had used Priority Mail for most all smaller boxes,
but the delays became frequent, unbearable, and unacceptable.  We almost
NEVER got the 2 days service and too often than I'd like to say, boxes
took up to 10-14 days to reach their destinations (some as close as 150
miles).  And when we shipped Priority Mail, we used Priority Mail tape
and stickers all over the boxes.

We were receiving complaints from customers as to where is my order--we
told them it "was in tha mail" and you know the response--yea, right! 
Our credibility was being jeopardized and we had NO control over it, we
were at the mercy of postal workers.

With Priority Mail there is NO tracking, NO insurance (unless you pay
their very high rates), and NO guarantees.  It's just a "crap shoot"
once you give your box to your local post office until it arrives at the
receiver's post office.  They say they can track it, but how can they do
a great job of tracking with no number, etc. on the box??  We have had
ABSOLUTELY ZERO success tracking lost/delayed Priority Mail packages.

So this year we went to UPS shipping, sure our customers in the East
must wait over a week-end for their delivery, but we feel it is SAFER,
more EFFICIENT, and more DEPENDABLE.

There are no guarantees on delivery days with either UPS or the Post
Office, unless you pay for expedited service (which we offer and few
accept).  But in our experience, when delays occur, and they DO with
both carriers, the Post Office delays usually are a week or two, while
with UPS, the delays are usually only a day or two.

And those with internet access, can track the packages on their own by
simply visiting the UPS home page.  All they need is the box number,
which should be readily available from the shipper.

And let's don't even consider talking about parcel post delays, we used
this last year for boxes within our own zip code sorting center
only--some boxes took 31 days to go 15 miles!!

These are our experiences gained over 11 years of shipping iris all over
the country.  Sorry if we offended any postal workers on the iris-L, but
those are our own true experiences. ;-)

It seems that many other growers are beginning to use Priority Mail
more, but we used Priority Mail quite often before many of these
shippers did and we didn't have pleasant experiences.  For our business
right now, we feel UPS is safer and more consistent.

Roger
Superstition Iris Gardens
Central California Sierra Nevada foothills--Zone 8--only 88 with clouds
today and a touch of humidity--very strange indeed for late July!
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