<p>My S was able to pick up a package last year without a slip. </p>
<p>Tracking showed it had been delivered to the PO Box but no slip had been placed in his box. He went to the counter and asked and they did give him the package.</p>
<p>Thanks! I’ll have D go as soon as I get confirmation of delivery. Of course, it would be nice if I could figure out what time of day has the smallest lines, but I guess that’s wishful thinking.</p>
<p>I still don’t understand why USPS can’t deliver to Paty.</p>
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<p>I’m getting the feeling that there isn’t a “magic” time! I would not have thought that so many would be lined up 15 minutes before opening! But I guess if they are needing a package that contains a textbook, that would be motivation to get there early.</p>
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<p>no idea, but guess that it may be a contractual thing because the USPS is also on campus.</p>
<p>There was probably some internal issues as to why USPS no longer delivers to Paty. USPS does not handle mail delivery on campus. USPS delivers to UA Campus Mail, which delivers to the various departments. This allows departments to send intra-campus mail for free.</p>
<p>The new student mail service will be a combined Package Delivery/Post Office ran by UA Campus Mail employees in a currently undecided location. I had a very productive email conversation with a senior UA administrator in charge of the changes who confirmed many of the details and denied many of the rumors that were being spread.</p>
<p>OK, so the post office is really causing a bunch of problems based on tweets I just saw. Students that have been in line for over 1.5 hours. Is there anything that we can do, or anyone that we can contact to help with this problem?</p>
<p>I believe I posted the contact numbers for the Postmaster and his boss (the MPO) in an above post. Contact them and complain as they have responsibility over staffing.</p>
<p>I’m kinda astounded that there is no campus mail system. All other universities we have ever visited have mail + parcel delivery right to the dorm itself. </p>
<p>The one thing USPS could do is have a section of large mailboxes (large enough to accommodate parcels) and whenever students get a package, they get a slip in their box, along with a key to the larger mailbox. The student uses the key to open the large mailbox, retrieve their own parcel, and the key stays in the mailbox (once it’s opened, it sticks in the keyhole, like an airport or bus terminal locker). This is what apartment buildings have and clusters of mailboxes in rural areas. This is obviously not an option for such a large university, but it is an option for later in the year, after all of the move-in parcels are delivered and things slow down a bit.</p>
<p>I think the ultimate solution will take an act of Congress…</p>
<p>Thanks Sea Tide, I do remember you posted that info and will look for it.</p>
<p>Just looked at USPS’s site. Priority Mail (how I just sent a package to my son) has absolutely no guarantee. However Express Mail is guaranteed to be delivered as scheduled or your money back (and if he doesn’t get a slip in his PO box, I’ll argue that is NOT delivered). I think I’m going to send a couple items Express Mail and maybe after the post office pays for my shipping a few times, they’ll establish some new policies.</p>
<p>"The new student mail service will be a combined Package Delivery/Post Office ran by UA Campus Mail employees in a currently undecided location. I had a very productive email conversation with a senior UA administrator in charge of the changes who confirmed many of the details and denied many of the rumors that were being spread. "</p>
<p>I have finally started to look at all of the Post Office issue posts here on the UA forum and my mind is reeling! We are a heavy user of on-line retailers for books and school stuff for DD1, and I am now getting worried that we will have to change how we do everything (and end up spending more money) to avoid the horror stories I am reading.</p>
<p>So, to all the experts out there who have been living through all these changes, a question or two: Is all of this just symptomatic of a slow and lurching transition to the kind of mail delivery system other universities have, or are these new problems a new layer of complication that we uninformed parents will need to master? </p>
<p>Do you think the post office issues will ever be resolved?</p>
<p>Considering that UA is larger than many cities/towns, it needs some sort of post office. I requested that the replacement service deliver and accept USPS, UPS, and FedEx packages for mailing. Package acceptance from all these carriers is key when companies choose which service customers need to use to receive/mail packages. For example, shipping an item via FedEx from UA requires either finding the appropriate truck or going to the FedEx Office location on McFarland. UA should also not charge rates beyond those charged by the mailing/shipping companies charge themselves.</p>
<p>I do see these issues being resolved. Come September, less packages will be arriving.</p>
<p>One thing many private companies do when faced with increased demand in one area is to temporarily send employees over to help with the situation. For example, there are many student employees, such as myself, whose job duties include mail delivery. If asked, I would certainly go over and help out at Paty or the Post Office (though only USPS employees can currently work at the latter) when things are slow at my current job (UA or Housing would pay the sending department for employee wages plus a convenience fee.) Much of Paty’s delivery problems could be fixed by adding a laptop that is logged into the package management system and 1-2 people to operate the laptop and find the packages.</p>
<p>Up until this fall, I would go to my local mail/shipping service with the two UA shipping addresses typed out. They would weigh my package (and I usually send something at least every two weeks) and let me know the cost of each service, as well as delivery time and insurance fees. That ceased to work this year because of the sub-contracting. So, for the interim, I will send everything either to the P.O., or use FEDEX express which does not (I am told) subcontract to USPS. There, of course, is still a problem: the time element and the cost…</p>
<p>I doubt the delivery services conferred with UA or foresaw the problems that would arise. One would think the P.O. would provide extra help during this time. The extra packages bring in extra money…good business??? But, as a long term government employee in the past, we used to say if the word ‘should’ was involved, it wouldn’t happen.</p>
<p>So, thank you Sea-tide and we’ll just have to await UA’s decisions. I hope not too many students started classes with a set-back due to books not arriving.</p>
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<p>But many students will still be in line to pick up packages delivered mid-August! ;)</p>
<p>Good one Vlines!!!</p>
<p>As I’ve explained in another thread, it is difficult for individuals to ship via a UPS or FedEx service that subcontracts the delivery to USPS. UPS Mail Innovations and FedEx SmartPost, the services that use USPS, are used primarily by high volume shippers. You’ll be fine using UPS or FedEx ground services as well as express services as UPS/FedEx employees, not USPS, deliver the packages.</p>
<p>Remember that when shipping to Paty or the Post Office via UPS and FedEx, there is no need to may a surcharge for shipping to a residential address as both are commercial address. In the case of FedEx, you would use FedEx Ground rather than FedEx Home Delivery.</p>
<p>Latest news on daughter’s package…after being in line this morning before the PO opened and waiting an hour to ask for her package that tracking states was delivered Friday morning but still no slip in her box, she is told it isn’t there and that she should check at Paty??? </p>
<p>I immediately called customer service (don’t get me started on the menu system and trying to actually talk to a person!) and we now have a case number for her “missing” package. The soonest she will be able to stand in line again is Thursday. And for the record, the nice gentleman I spoke to on the phone said that they do not have to have a slip in their box to get the package, just their name. So even if I had accidentally switched a number or two when writing her box number, she should still be able to get it.</p>
<p>Since her dad is going down there this afternoon for a seminar, I am sending fresh cookies to replace the week old ones I sent for her birthday :(</p>
<p>And I think I am going to have her get a PO at the UPS store, since the one she has isn’t working to well this year!</p>
<p>There is a student discount (with a coupon) for $78 at the UPS store. My D did not ask about it when she got the box and she was charged $99. I called and they are going to refund the $21. D’s new student guide arrived to our home in TX while we were moving her in early for AA. Anyway, just a head’s up for your student to bring the coupon or at least ask about the discounted rate when she rents the UPS box. </p>
<p>We’ve shipped two packages to D so far and it has gone smoothly. She gets a text/email when the package is received.</p>
<p>Thanks for the heads up lattelady! I will look for a coupon.</p>