USPS in Farragut

[Guest Nunya]

Walked in with a shotgun and was told I couldn't mail it in-state. Asked to speak to a supervisor and they refused. I didn't want to be the guy who caused a scene with a gun in his hand (though it was unloaded and packaged securely). Came back to my office and called the post-office. Talked to Joyce, a distribution supervisor who assured me it was legal and she would educate them. So, I'm heading back over there...

Just do your job, people. I know the reg.'s, you should too.

[TMF]

I'm sure they knew the regs just fine; guns are just scary. All this nonsense about how awful the failing of our government subsidized carrier and they go out of their way to provide the most poor customer service possible. I'm sure not all postal employees are whiny lazy sacks, just most of them.

[wcsc12]

Walked in with a shotgun and was told I couldn't mail it in-state. Asked to speak to a supervisor and they refused. I didn't want to be the guy who caused a scene with a gun in his hand (though it was unloaded and packaged securely). Came back to my office and called the post-office. Talked to Joyce, a distribution supervisor who assured me it was legal and she would educate them. So, I'm heading back over there...

Just do your job, people. I know the reg.'s, you should too.

Most USPS employees don't know all the regs but they aren't willing to look them up either. Glad it got taken care of, if it didn't, I would have said just come down to the one on Weisgarber. The supervisor there knows his regs.

[Guest Nunya]

Glad it got taken care of.

Finally!

On my second trip, I had to stand my ground with 3 people and read the regs to them (i'll spare you that conversation) but it involved three people telling me the 1968 act changed the regs, but they haven't been updated online. Sidebar-- Al Gore didn't invent the internet until the 90's!

I called the supervisor I had spoken with and here's how that conversation went:

-

Her: Did you sell this online.

Me: Yes.

Her: Are you a dealer?

Me: No.

Her: Well if you sold it, you're a dealer and you didn't tell me you weren't a dealer when you called earlier. If you have a license, you can fill out the transfer paperwork.

Me: This in intra state, within TN, not interstate. I don't need a license and I'm not a dealer.

long puase

Me: Well, this lady just handed me a form.

Her: Fine, if she already has the form out, she can take it.

...

And, thank you for the suggestion of a post office where they know their stuff. I don't know Knoxville, as I am from Chattanooga and just wanted to ship this while I'm 200 milies closer to the buyer.

[peejman]

Wow. What a hassle. It's no wonder the post office is a drain on our tax dollars.

Edited October 29, 2012 by peejman

[Links2k]

Wow. What a hassle. It's no wonder the post office is a drain on our tax dollars.

The USPS does not receive tax dollars.

[gnmwilliams]

Wow. What a hassle. It's no wonder the post office is a drain on our tax dollars.

The USPS does not receive tax dollars.

Yeah. Just a drain on my patience and sanity.

[Guest Nunya]

To be fair, between my first and second trips to the USPS, I stopped by a UPS store. They won't accept hazardous (including firearms), so you have to go to the HUB. If you're not familiar with logistics, these are usually inconventiently (for me anyway) located near an airport. So, I was still going to have to drive across KX. I am sure Fed Ex works the same way. I shipped a handgun a couple of years ago and when I disclosed the contents of the very well packaged and sealed box, you would have thought I was holding the place up. I had to talk to two supervisors on the phone take it home and have home delivery pick it up at my house the next day. PHew!

[Oh Shoot]

.... I am sure Fed Ex works the same way. ....

Fedex will not ship a firearm between non license holders period. It's not in their TOS to do so.

UPS TOS allows for any legal firearm shipment, but depending on clerk, results may be same as your USPS experience.

The sticker is that the only time federal law says you must inform of firearm in shipment is when it's going to a non-license holder. UPS and Fedex demand informing at all times in their TOS's also, but of course that's company policy and not federal law.

- OS

[peejman]

The USPS does not receive tax dollars.

Right. I forgot they changed that a number of years ago. They have maintained their government-like efficiency.

[Patton]

I believe there is a catch to that though. Benefits and retirement is funded by tax dollars.

[R_Bert]

Clinton Post Office has shipped a few shotguns for me, no problem.

[LI0NSFAN]

I have had a TON of issues with the USPS here. Several of my boxes that had gun manufacturers logos on them have been "lost" or were opened for safty reasons and the hazardous material disposed of. I bought ammo brass online and they delivered an opened and empty box and when I contacted them they said it was deemed hazardous and I violated shipping rules and the contents were my loss. I have been screwed out of over $800 lately. I will NEVER use them again and we have closed our Ebay store because of it. UPS is just to expencive to make a good profit. We have also had our kids birthday, Christmas, and Easter cards opened before delivery. We have talked to the Post Master and he said if none of it was insured there is nothing he could do. 2 days after that conversation our trash cans were backed into by the USPS delivery truck. Our neighbor got a picture of the truck going down the road with our can attached to it. I hate the Post Office

Edited October 30, 2012 by Lions Fan

[Oh Shoot]

I have had a TON of issues with the USPS here. Several of my boxes that had gun manufatures logos on them have been "lost" or were opened for safty reasons and the hazardous material disposed of. I bought ammo online and they delivered an opened and empty box and when I contacted them they said it was deemed hazardous and I violated shipping rules and the contents were my loss..

You cannot ship ammunition, primers, or powder through USPS. Let me revise that, you can ship it, but you see what may happen when you don't follow their rules.

You must have bought it through an individual who didn't know the score, no reputable company would try to send ammo through USPS.

Even using UPS or FedEx, it must have an ORM-D notation on outside, don't try to slip it past them without it.

- OS

Edited October 29, 2012 by OhShoot

[Links2k]

These issues are why I do ftf or ffl. I hate any kind of hassle. I have shipped one rifle thru UPS with no issues. I painted the box black, told them that I was shipping to a ffl, got a good rate and was satisfied with the transaction.

[Oh Shoot]

These issues are why I do ftf or ffl. I hate any kind of hassle. I have shipped one rifle thru UPS with no issues. I painted the box black, told them that I was shipping to a ffl, got a good rate and was satisfied with the transaction.

I've shipped two or three, but always for repair back to FFL.

Since I have UPS account, just boxed and printed label and dropped off at UPS Store.

You can do same at USPS (with long guns only) if you have account, drop and go.

- OS

Edited October 29, 2012 by OhShoot

[Links2k]

Right. I forgot they changed that a number of years ago. They have maintained their government-like efficiency.

Check Mr Gores internet. Lots of news over the summer. The USPS pre funds its retirement per Congress since 2006. That's one of the items that the PMG was requesting to stop when he was lobbying to cut Saturday service.

I think that we are one generation away from privatizing the USPS. We still have a few people that remember the mail. Kids like my 25 year old and younger could care less.

My wife has worked for FedEx for 27 years. The USPS could learn a lot from that operation.

[Patton]

I've heard from postal employees that we may see residential mail delivery completely eliminated except for packages. All this assuming the USPS doesn't completely outsource anyway.

[Guest Razz]

I sure hope the USPS doesn't go away. As a small business owner, I use it daily and cannot afford UPS or FedEx.

Sorry to hear about the problems some of you have had. I (or my wife) go to the post office no less than three times a week without a problem. I'm also sorry to hear that anyone thinks these problems don't occur in privatized delivery services. Sometimes I feel like I live on a different planet than most of you.

Perspective is easy to ignor.

[Guest Nunya]

I sure hope the USPS doesn't go away. As a small business owner, I use it daily and cannot afford UPS or FedEx.

Sorry to hear about the problems some of you have had. I (or my wife) go to the post office no less than three times a week without a problem. I'm also sorry to hear that anyone thinks these problems don't occur in privatized delivery services. Sometimes I feel like I live on a different planet than most of you.

Perspective is easy to ignor.

I'm not saying they should go away. They have come a long way in customer service, marketing, and overall competition.

I agree that for the economical shipper, they're great. I quite often print labels at home and put things in my mailbox with the flag up. Short of a business pick-up account, UPS or FEDEX can't do that.

[TMF]

I sure hope the USPS doesn't go away. As a small business owner, I use it daily and cannot afford UPS or FedEx.

Sorry to hear about the problems some of you have had. I (or my wife) go to the post office no less than three times a week without a problem. I'm also sorry to hear that anyone thinks these problems don't occur in privatized delivery services. Sometimes I feel like I live on a different planet than most of you.

Perspective is easy to ignor.

Haha, okay, I want your post office. I could write a friggin book on post office stories. One may call it all anecdotal, I would call it consistent. I have encountered some of the rudest and lazy people in my life going into the post office, and that says a lot considering I used to be in the Army.

[Guest Razz]

Haha, okay, I want your post office. I could write a friggin book on post office stories. One may call it all anecdotal, I would call it consistent. I have encountered some of the rudest and lazy people in my life going into the post office, and that says a lot considering I used to be in the Army.

My expectations of customer service are so low, it's hard to be disappointed. I know exactly what I need to do in order to fulfill my needs at USPS. My wife and I have become very efficient at getting in and getting out. That is not to say I have never had a bad experience at a USPS, I have...but it's no worse than a Walmart, Kroger or any big box store. I just cringe at the idea that privatization of USPS will somehow fix the problems. It won't, it'll simply be more expensive.

[Oh Shoot]

Yeah, in defense of USPS, I've sent and received maybe 2000 packages through them in the last decade, never a one lost domestically. Really no alternative in the 1oz. to roughly 2lb range. Hell, eBay would fold without it, and big shippers like Amazon, Sportsman's Guide, ad infinitum would have to kick prices up a bunch too without USPS involvement.

UPS/FedEx just can't compete with that kind of pricing currently. I guess they could if they changed main business model to deliver to mailboxes instead of to door, and of course they're already the middle man for USPS on several partnerships. But they'd have to have all the biz to do it. They'd also have to essentially take over the existing post office structure, complete with vehicles.

FedEx Express division has been slowing for some time, on way to more and more cutbacks -- there's a diminishing market for purely overnight delivery, and they've already done away with a couple of the slower options. Mainly because Ground already gets everything delivered in 2-3 days, although it's no where near as reliable as the Express division. Lots of reasons for that too, but that's a whole 'nother rant.

- OS

Edited October 30, 2012 by OhShoot

[101]

I believe there is a catch to that though. Benefits and retirement is funded by tax dollars.

Wrong. The only tax dollars the post office receives is reimbursement for mailing election ballots to military.

The post office is 100% self sufficient. The post office also ships twice as many packages as ups and fedex combined. The post office has the largest fleet in the Country (unless you combine the DoD vehicles from all military branches).

Edited October 30, 2012 by 101

[Spots]

Wrong. The only tax dollars the post office receives is reimbursement for mailing election balots to military.

The post office is 100% self sufficient.

Which is why stamps are almost 50 cents and it costed my wife $10-$15 everytime she sent me a flat rate care package on deployment.