Canada Post delays....absolutely OUTRAGEOUS.

[javax.swing]

I'm ready to take back everything good I've said about CP. Ever since the rate hike these guys have been fumbling both my outgoing and incoming packages which have been delayed for days...one particular situation has me a bit concerned as there is a rebate with the item that must be postmarked by Monday (24th). Item was sent this past Tuesday before cutoff from Toronto to Cambridge (ON) and was guaranteed to arrive Wednesday via Expedited Parcel so this shouldn't have been an issue. Tracking however shows:

2005/01/21 04:17 KITCHENER, ON Received/processed at sortation facility
2005/01/20 12:00 MISSISSAUGA, ON Received/processed at sortation facility
2005/01/18 15:09 DON MILLS, ON Received by Canada Post

Another incoming package from Richmond Hill to Toronto (all of 10-15km from me) shows:

2005/01/21 01:28 MISSISSAUGA, ON Received/processed at sortation facility
2005/01/19 20:20 RICHMOND HILL, ON Received by Canada Post

...and no delivery today either.

Another few packages that were supposed to arrive Monday or Tuesday showed up on Thursday after showing "Out for Delivery" on tracking for 3 or 4 days straight...someone was home, but my package was not.

For those of you who have been doing this longer than I, is this common for CP? If it is, I'm moving to a courier...since the rate hike, not one of my incoming or outgoing parcels has arrived on time.

[sunset_sports_cards]

Geez....I had a package come from B.C. to Dryden Ontario. Now ....if you know where Dryden is located, it is about 4 hours east of Winnipeg and 4 Hours west of Thunder Bay. The package went all the way to Mississauga which is 26 hours east of where I live and then comes back this way.Go Figure! No wonder the rates and service are horrible.

[sunward-hobbies]

I haven't been using CP parcel service lately, so i can't comment. But the service with first class mail (small parcels ) is nothing more than a joke.

In the same city, and it can take up to 2 weeks.

Service is bad at times. But the biggest problem is the rates. Way too high.

Angelo

[recped]

From Canada Post....Delivery Standards

"Regular Parcel delivers within 3 business day locally, 4 to 6 business days regionally and 5 - 10 business days nationally between major Canadian centres."

Toronto to Cambridge is Regional so 4 - 6 days is the standard. If you needed it faster you should have selected Xpresspost which has a a standard of "next day" regionally.

Ben

[javax.swing]

Expedited Parcel from Toronto to Cambridge is *One* Business Day GUARANTEED.

[recped]

Standard I quoted are for "over the counter", business standards are as follows...

Expedited Parcel delivers the next business day locally, 1 to 3 business days regionally

None of this should be taken as unwavering support of Canada Post. My biggest problem is with my carrier, he regularily delivers mail for 255 Xxxx St. but that's the street around the corner I actually live at 255 Yyyy St. He also likes to drop mail for 225 (I'm 255) in my mailbox.

I also receive mail redirected from 255 Xxxx Street so he's making the same mistake both ways. I can sort of understand the 225 / 255 thing but the wrong street? ok maybe every once in awhile but it hit the height of absurdity last week when I left an incorrectly delivered letter for him to redeliver and he left a new letter with the same mistake in exchange (it's a good thing my eBay payments go to another address!

Ben

[auctiondropnship]

Why haven't *YOU* signed up for the Canada Post PowerSeller discount yet?

[recped]

Why haven't *YOU* signed up for the Canada Post PowerSeller discount yet?

Basically because I ship only 1% of my orders within Canada that are NOT sent by regular lettermail.

I was thinking of signing up to access the old Small Packet rates but I'm understanding from the discussions here that this "discount" might have just been a short term glitch (or does it still apply if you use EST?).

My option is to use USPS (Buffalo/Lewiston), due to "issues" I cannot visit the USA myself so I'll be looking to join up with another Seller here in Toronto. Will post a separate thread on that topic at some soon but if anyone is interested please contact me. I'm averaging about 50 packages per week.

Ben

[javax.swing]

The discount for Small Packets was glitch. Discount pricing starts at only 50,000 units per year. This is all in another thread though...

By the way, electronic shipping tools desktop shows you the on-time guarantee sevice standard right below the postage when it gives you a rate quote. No need for me to guess what the service standard is and the whole point of this thread is that Canada Post has not once this week lived up to that standard...if it continues, they're going to do an awful lot of free shipping for me.

[auctiondropnship]

javax.swing

Guarentee??
Are you talking about gound too the USA
Or
Air parcels to the USA?

On packages over 1 kg

Todd

[javax.swing]

I'm talking about Expedited Parcel in Canada. There is no on time guarantee for Expedited USA.

[aabros]

javax is right when saying

"Discount pricing starts at only 50,000 units per year"

I just called them today. So here it is:

All the prices for small packets (USA/Intl) have gone up to the new published rates unless you ship 50,000 units per year, period. Their small packages levels are for more than 50,000 parcels/year (laugh)

All shipments within Canada, if you have signed up with the powerseller contract linked to CP, you get level 2 (there are 10 levels), which would normally be 1000 packages shipped, annually. (so if you ship less than 1000 parcels a year within Canada you are better off with the powerseller discount and not with your "own" account)

All shipments to the USA (Expedited and Xpresspost USA) you get a level 1 (there are 5 levels) which is for anywhere between 100 and 1500 parcels a year. You get this level 1 with your powerseller discount. If you open up your own account, you get the same discount as the V1 card or small-business account holders, which is level 0 on 5, and an average of 1-99 boxes shipped out using the 2 services above to the US.

The lower your account level is, the higher you pay for your shipments.

Hope this helps.
Anthony

[aabros]

javax is also right as for the "There is no on time guarantee for Expedited USA."

The guaranteed shipments are within Canada, through Expedited, Xpresspost, PP and Purolator Air ONLY.

The guaranteed shipments to the USA/Intl are through Xpresspost or Purolator Overnight only.

Please remember that there are delays because of the bad weather, which means CP will not refund your shipping charges even if they are late 😞

[shoplineca]

I cant believe that there are 10 levels in Canada. Someone has to be pulling your leg.

I am at level 3 and must ship a "minimum" of 4,500 parcels per year via Expedited / Express Post.

If a level 3 ships a minimum of 4,500 per year how many would a level 10 have to ship? 1 million? 10 million?

Who in Canada does that type of volume shipping of Expedited and Express Post?

Malcolm

[aabros]

Hi Malcolm

That's exactly what I said to myself.

Apparently it's true... there are 10 levels and level 10 is 100,000 parcels a year. No, the rep was not laughing on the phone when he told me that.

Anthony

[recped]

I know of at least two myself. Neither operate with a name that would be known to the general public.

I get my bubble mailers via one of these companies as I know the person in charge of mailers (yes they actually employ one person to do nothing much more than ensure a stable supply of mailers & packing tape). They receive at least one 18 wheeler every day filled with bubble envelopes! All this from a non-descript warehouse in Markham.

Other obvious ones are The Shopping Channel, Bell, Chapters/Indigo etc.

@Javex - I'll also take back everything good I ever said about CP in sympathy for your current troubles.

Ben

[aabros]

Ben

Bell, Rogers and DELL uses Purolator only for shipping. Money goes in the same pocket anyway.

I wonder who would ship that much here in Montreal...

Anthony

[shoplineca]

Ok I stand to be corrected. I just pulled all my documents and my original CP contract. Level 3 is 2500 - 4,999 per year.

I am Level 3 for Canada Express and Expedited (and Purolator), Level 2 for the US and International Express Post and Level 1 US Expedited.

So it wuld be possible for a Level 10 to start at 100,000.

I just dont understand why CP complicates their system with so many levels, it really doesnt make sense.

That has to be some pretty inexpensive shipping though and what is amazing is the big guys mark up their shipping when charging customers (eg Shopping Channel) so does Indigo. Shipping must be a realy big profit center for them.

Malcolm

[rd1000]

I thought it was only me. I sent 4 envelopes before Christmas to diffeent locations. None of them reached theor destination. I resent all 4, and two customers were still complaing non-receipt after 10 days. The one in Ontario just got hers yesterday. I mailed it on the 8th!

I asked her to tell me date on the postage mark so I would know if it was the first or second one, and get this - there is NO postage mark! Nothing.

Something screwy is going on. I would call, but I don't want to waste my time. I have more productive things to do then listen to CP tell me there is nothing they can do.

Maybe I need to make a contribution to the Liberal Party. Oops! This is the wrong thread. Sorry. X-)

Rob

[aabros]

Malcom

Do you really have that volume in order to get Level 3 Canada and 2 US Express? Or they simply gave it to you because they were fedup or arguing? Thanks

Anthony