[Navy_Guns]

I sent my Form 1 application to West Virginia in a USPS Priority Express envelope on November 3rd. $5.95 with "estimated delivery" the next day... it wasn't delivered until the 15th. I went back to the post office where I mailed it to get a refund and they said it's not a guaranteed service. Really?

Sorry, had to vent. Just a warning that Priority Express is a scam since it isn't guaranteed. I'll use FedEx next time.

[medalguy]

Good post. I was standing in line at my local PO on Wednesday behind a woman wanting to get some papers to her relative and they "had to be there on Friday." The clerk told her she could send overnight which was guaranteed the next day, Thursday. She said they don't need to be there until Friday, so the clerk said they could send via Priority Mail which was 2-3 day delivery but not guaranteed.

They discussed the merits (?) of Priority Mail and she decided to go that way. The clerk kept telling her "We can't absolutely guarantee 2 day delivery, but we'll try as hard as we can to get it there in 2 days." It was all I could do to not step forward and tell her she was likely looking at 3-5 days for delivery but I kept my mouth shut. My wife would have been proud of me. :rolleyes:

There's no guarantee on Priority Mail and sometimes it makes it in 2-3 days, often not. They advertise it like it's a sure thing, but as you found out, and many of us have found out, it's not.

[GoingQuiet]

There is no priority express.

Priority mail is priority mail.
Express mail is express mail.

Next time, just put $1.08 of postage on it and send it first class.

[dogtown tom]

GoingQuiet There is no priority express.
+1

If you had sent the letter Express Mail it would have cost you $16 and it is guaranteed.

[Jim K]

Gee, folks, what's wrong with plain old first class mail? I have sent all kinds of important stuff that way and it has not gotten lost. Just allow 3-4 days if out of the immediate area.

It is odd to read, in this day of jet planes, that in the 1860's mail from the War Department in Washington to the Colt factory in Hartford was delivered over night. The Army could mail a question on Monday and have the reply on Wednesday. Betcha we can't do that today.

Jim

[o Unforgiven o]

If you are mailing paperwork that absolutely has to be somewhere by a certain time, USPS Express Mail is a great choice. It is $18.30 for a USPS Express Mail flat rate envelope, and you won't have to go to FedEx because express mail is outsourced to them.

[OARNGESI]

Why the rush wont it take 5 months to be approved

[FadingSwordsman]

Unfortunately, you have no real choice when you're sending non-urgent letters. UPS and Fedex are packages or urgent letters only, originally to deal with a huge influx of packages back in the day. It costs a lot more than the post office to get an letter delivered through a USPS "competitor"... (Since it has to be urgent)

Isn't governmentally enforced monopoly wonderful?