New USPS Fragile Surcharge

[lovebeam]

Be careful if you mark your boxes fragile. The post office now charges an extra $9.95 for a special handling charge. Guy at the PO was quite unhelpful. I had 2 well packaged boxes marked fragile and there is no way in all the fires of Hades that I am shelling an extra $20 for you to not crush my package. 

[NovelNerd]

Yeah I think they started that last year. I just pack super heavy anymore. I buy those cheap rolls of tp and cover up what ever item I'm shipping in whatever I'm using then wrap in tp on the outside of the covering to avoid t getting stuck. No way I'm paying extra for them to do their job. They shouldn't be playing football with any of the boxes as it is, but they always look like they have.

[LadyMoondancer]

4.1.10.2 The special handling fee must be paid on all parcels that must be given special attention in handling, transportation, and delivery, such as parcels containing fragile or breakable items, live plants, or laboratory specimens.


Hmmm, good to know!  The change seems to be that now they actually take the "FRAGILE" marked packages out of the normal stream of postage.  Whereas before it was just a marker that you put on, hoping the package would have slightly more care shown towards it.

[Ringlets]

ridiculous!  if they handled the parcels the way they should do there wouldn't be any need for people to blinkin write fragile on in the first place let alone pay a crazy high amount on top for better handling!! . Stupid PO 

This thankfully does not apply in the UK *hugs roll of "Fragile" tape which goes all over my boxes*   

[PinkieShyPony]

That's so weird! I sent a package just a week ago that they stamped fragil but I wasn't charged any extra. I would hope that they would actually treat a package differently if they are gonna charge 10 dollars extra

[flying_narwhal]

Wow, I ship things almost daily and had no idea about this! Thank you so much for the heads up!

ridiculous!  if they handled the parcels the way they should do there wouldn't be any need for people to blinkin write fragile on in the first place let alone pay a crazy high amount on top for better handling!! . Stupid PO 

^Yes, I agree!! I think it is so ridiculous that they want to charge an extra $10 for "fragile" handling... US postage rates are constantly increasing anyways and it is annoying that they want to add on another fee for something they should already be doing. 

[Leave a Whisper]

This thread got my hopes up, then crushed them. I thought it meant that careless workers were gonna be charged for treating fragile packages like crap. 

Nice post office, go ahead and punish your customers for your employees carelessness.

Wait'll everyone switches to Fed-Ex or something. That'll cook their goose!

[dragonfly]

That's interesting. My post office people remind me every time I mark a package as "fragile" that it actually doesn't get any special handling. I'd be willing to pay extra for it to actually be handled with care. I'm doubtful that they do, even with the surcharge.

[LadyMoondancer]

Wait'll everyone switches to Fed-Ex or something. That'll cook their goose!

Fed Ex and UPS are waaay worse than the PO when it comes to crushing boxes. I've had multiple bad experiences with each of them, including one instance where I happened to be home when they made the delivery.  It was raining, and my package was wet.  And why was my package wet?  Because there was a GAPING HOLE IN THE TOP OF THEIR TRUCK.

And when I say the package was wet, I don't mean "a little damp on the outside."  I mean the box was disintegrating in my hands and the interior contents were soaked.  The delivery guy didn't even apologize.

That's interesting. My post office people remind me every time I mark a package as "fragile" that it actually doesn't get any special handling. I'd be willing to pay extra for it to actually be handled with care. I'm doubtful that they do, even with the surcharge.

I read up on it a bit more . . . if you pay the surcharge, your packages don't go through the postal sorting machines, but are moved about "by hand."

However, if it has "fragile" stamped on it but the surcharge isn't charged, then it goes through the mail sorting machines along with everything else.

[Leave a Whisper]

Wait'll everyone switches to Fed-Ex or something. That'll cook their goose!

Fed Ex and UPS are waaay worse than the PO when it comes to crushing boxes. I've had multiple bad experiences with each of them, including one instance where I happened to be home when they made the delivery.  It was raining, and my package was wet.  And why was my package wet?  Because there was a GAPING HOLE IN THE TOP OF THEIR TRUCK.

And when I say the package was wet, I don't mean "a little damp on the outside."  I mean the box was disintegrating in my hands and the interior contents were soaked.  The delivery guy didn't even apologize.

That's interesting. My post office people remind me every time I mark a package as "fragile" that it actually doesn't get any special handling. I'd be willing to pay extra for it to actually be handled with care. I'm doubtful that they do, even with the surcharge.

I read up on it a bit more . . . if you pay the surcharge, your packages don't go through the postal sorting machines, but are moved about "by hand."

However, if it has "fragile" stamped on it but the surcharge isn't charged, then it goes through the mail sorting machines along with everything else.

That reeks!

[Ringlets]

I thought it meant that careless workers were gonna be charged for treating fragile packages like crap. 

I wish this was what it meant !!  

[ponyqueen]

I write "Do Not Bend" on my sturdy envelopes (containing arts) hoping that the final postal deliverer doesn't warp it into someone's box... but even that is a gamble. Are these guys literate? 

[Leave a Whisper]

Well, they better bring peoples' packages to them on crushed velvet pillows in pristine condition for that price, because if your just paying extra for the same ol' treatment, then they got another thing coming and huge backlash from angry customers.

[Mermaid]

Well, they better bring peoples' packages to them on crushed velvet pillows in pristine condition for that price, because if your just paying extra for the same ol' treatment, then they got another thing coming and huge backlash from angry customers.

Lmao! Agreed!

[Taxel]

This is insane... postal workers as a whole are so lazy and mishandle packages constantly, to the extreme. They should be punished instead of having customers charged even more :/ All packages should be treated with care instead of being thrown around, kicked, stepped on, crushed, bent, etc by employees.