Complaint Thread

[Mr_Coat]

On 11/12/2024 at 5:35 PM, LegoWalker4 said:

Being able to BrickLink the parts for the JEK-14 Mini Stealth Starfighter - San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Exclusive set (comcon032) and then not being able to find the instructions online to build it.   

 

[$20 on joe vs dan]

3 hours ago, Mr_Coat said:

 

you need instructions?  I mean based on that picture it's a glorified advent set

[Mr_Coat]

Picture is a link to a Flickr account with the whole booklet...

[Darth_Raichu]

Already closed my store (for this season) yesterday / Tuesday.  I am too old for this 😛

[LegoMan1212]

1 hour ago, Darth_Raichu said:

Already closed my store (for this season) yesterday / Tuesday.  I am too old for this 😛

I shut down around the 12th every December.  I will not play the game of hoping USPS delivery the orders in time.  

I think you made the smart move, regardless if you are a little exhausted.  You have saved yourself grief of that one customer who would complain cause they ordered too late in the season as well.  

[gmpirate]

1 hour ago, Darth_Raichu said:

Already closed my store (for this season) yesterday / Tuesday.  I am too old for this 😛

Me too.  Just pulled the last big weekend and shut down Monday.  First year I've done mostly FBM and it was a lot of work.  Didn't realize how much it was exhausting me until finally I felt good at the gym again last night.  I don't mind it, but man it's a "lot of work".  Next year I'll be more efficient however 😝

[tk79]

1 hour ago, Darth_Raichu said:

I am too old for this 😛

I say those words every q4 but this year, it's really true. 

Enjoy the holiday

[exciter1]

I shutdown yesterday at noon. Finally cleared out all pending orders. I couple were out there 4-5 days and figured they'd drop off. They finally processed last night. My on-time delivery rate really suffered with some stuff I sent via USPS Priority Mail. There was a backlog after Cyber Monday.

[landphieran]

Last week there was an uproar in my local reddit about the push to privatize USPS. Everyone was fawning over how perfect USPS operates and it doesn't need any change. I generally feel very at home in my local community but boy do I disagree with the efficacy of USPS. My experience mirrors everyone's experience here. I avoid shipping USPS as much as humanly possible.

The USPS locally has all of their drop-offs go over the counter so there is always a mountain of stuff toppling over. The line is always out the door so if you need a confirmation you have to wait an hour in line. In the past I've needed a full shipping bin to load my orders and they refused to let me load it via their dock. UNTIL, I filled half of there store, then they told me to carry it to the back.

UPS recently closed most of the distribution hubs and that has been painful. I now have to go through a retail location and they don't have the layout to handle the volume they are getting from local businesses.

I'm surprised the shipping business's haven't adapted to the volume they are getting now. Same old layouts and same old stuff. I just want a drive up conveyor I can load my stuff on, it gets scanned and go about my day. The things I dream about are sad sometimes 🤣

[spener90]

26 minutes ago, landphieran said:

Last week there was an uproar in my local reddit about the push to privatize USPS. Everyone was fawning over how perfect USPS operates and it doesn't need any change. I generally feel very at home in my local community but boy do I disagree with the efficacy of USPS. My experience mirrors everyone's experience here. I avoid shipping USPS as much as humanly possible.

The USPS locally has all of their drop-offs go over the counter so there is always a mountain of stuff toppling over. The line is always out the door so if you need a confirmation you have to wait an hour in line. In the past I've needed a full shipping bin to load my orders and they refused to let me load it via their dock. UNTIL, I filled half of there store, then they told me to carry it to the back.

UPS recently closed most of the distribution hubs and that has been painful. I now have to go through a retail location and they don't have the layout to handle the volume they are getting from local businesses.

I'm surprised the shipping business's haven't adapted to the volume they are getting now. Same old layouts and same old stuff. I just want a drive up conveyor I can load my stuff on, it gets scanned and go about my day. The things I dream about are sad sometimes 🤣

The older I get the more I realize that most people in the world are generally incompetent, even those who are technically "smart." There are a few outliers who are able to change/improve industries.

Most of the shipping industry has failed to adapt to changing environments in one way or another. I think it's entirely possible that Amazon expands to become a full shipping company (not just their own stuff) at some point and kicks the traditional powers in their teeth.

[Mr_Coat]

The problem isn't USPS per se. The problem is the people put in charge of it who were put there to make it fail. The goal is to damage and cripple USPS to the point where they can say "see, it doesn't work! We need to privatize it" and then shift that business to the private sector so that they can make a profit for the few vs providing a service to the many.

USPS is mandated by the Constitution. It has to provide mail services to everyone and is not expected to turn a profit. Private business wants to generate as much income for the least amount of work. Look at how USPS often does that last mile delivery for UPS and FedEx when doing so isn't profitable for them. Privatize the USPS, and watch your UPS/FedEx rates skyrocket as they no longer have to compete with USPS and can shift those last mile delivery costs onto the consumer (you).

[landphieran]

4 minutes ago, Mr_Coat said:

The problem isn't USPS per se. The problem is the people put in charge of it who were put there to make it fail. The goal is to damage and cripple USPS to the point where they can say "see, it doesn't work! We need to privatize it" and then shift that business to the private sector so that they can make a profit for the few vs providing a service to the many.

USPS is mandated by the Constitution. It has to provide mail services to everyone and is not expected to turn a profit. Private business wants to generate as much income for the least amount of work. Look at how USPS often does that last mile delivery for UPS and FedEx when doing so isn't profitable for them. Privatize the USPS, and watch your UPS/FedEx rates skyrocket as they no longer have to compete with USPS and can shift those last mile delivery costs onto the consumer (you).

I've heard this defense before. It may be true to extent, however I find it difficult to believe that for the past 12 years (how long i've been selling) that USPS continues to be hot garbage. There have been better and worse years throughout that time, but never have they been good. In reality, I'm sure they are underfunded and over burdened with volume and it results in a mediocre service. Ideally our taxes, get funneled to better pay for the services but that is a pipe dream.

We've recently had a local last mile delivery service pop up and I talked to the guy that started it and they had major contracts with walmart, macy's, shoe stores, target, etc. in their first year. They've been doing the work out of civics and dodge caravans so the private sector may come for them anyway.

[Mr_Coat]

As is often the case, the issue isn't taxes, but what the taxes are spent on. In the case of USPS, they are supposedly self funded, but have been sabotaged to not be profitable.

For over a decade, the United States Postal Service has been saddled with prefunding its retiree health care benefits as mandated by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) of 2006. The mandate requires the Postal Service to prefund its retiree health care benefits 75 years in advance (~72 Billion dollar fund), paying for retirement health care for individuals who haven’t been born yet.

That's why they can't turn profit. That's why they have to endure various service cuts (reduced hours, reduced locations, etc).

The crisis is intentional.

 

USPS may suck, but they exist to serve the US people. Want it to not suck? Complain to your congress critter to stop kneecapping them.

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 10:28 PM by Mr_Coat

[Darth_Raichu]

Memorizing a new cc 3 digits security code since my old cc expired.  Harder now since I do not buy as much LEGO anymore  

#Iamgettingold #firstworldproblem