August 4: Pitney Bowes Hate Day
7As goat I hereby declare today to be Pitney Bowes Hate Day. The reasons for this holiday should be obvious, but for those who have yet to experience the abject awfulness of meh’s standard shipper, let me tell you the hate is well deserved.
Here are a few suggestions for celebrating this spite-laden holiday:
–Order something from nearly any reputable online seller, i.e. almost anyone but those in the Mediocre group.
–Order a custom-made “I hate Pitney Bowes” t-shirt, or better yet a mug to sit near your computer.
–Share your Pitney-Bowes horror stories in this thread.
- 11 comments, 14 replies
- Comment
My packages get to see more of the world than I do
I was going to shoot off fireworks to celebrate, but PB has not delivered them yet!
@tinamarie1974 They knew!
My last 2 packages shipped by pitney bowes have been “lost”.
PB mistakes packages for soccer balls and practice goalie drop kicks. They hope they will score a delivery that way without having to do anything else.
Just the one day?
@blaineg yeah, it was supposed to be in May, but the holiday took a longer time to arrive than expected.
PB is a 100 year-old company with ~$3+ billion in revenue and with over 14,000+ employees in more than 100 countries, but whose stock generally is at or below $5/share. They are best known to the general public for postage meters, but are into shipping, logistic, and digital services. I generally thought well of them until they became shipper of choice for Meh, etc.
I have no idea what their problems are, but I would sure like to know more. Is it incompetent management in warehousing and trucking enterprises? Are they trying to do too much on the cheap? Do they use their own trucks and drivers or do they use contract or independent truckers and trucks? Do they own and operate their own warehouses or are they contracting this out as well to a third party? Is the root of our poor service problem in Grapevine,TX or is it endemic throughout this rest of the company?
The real issue is the fact that we can all see our tracking information. Tracking information has become the norm for much of direct to consumer shipping (Thanks, Amazon!) and as such its very availability sets expectations. Wording of some of the tracking statements is likely contributing as well.
Here is an example for an item ordered on July 23rd, which I have yet to receive as of today, Aug 5th.
August 4, 2020 5:03pm ET Arrived at Pitney Bowes Facility College Park, GA
July 28, 2020 7:17pm ET Departed Pitney Bowes Facility Grapevine, TX
July 28, 2020 2:00am ET Jul 28 2020 Picked up and Processed by Agent Loganville, GA
July 27, 2020 7:21pm ET Jul 27 2020 Inducted into Pitney Bowes Network Grapevine, TX
July 24, 2020 4:49pm ET Electronic Shipping Info Received Carrollton, TX
July 24, 2020 7:30am ET Label Created
July 24, 2020 2:30am ET Label Created
On July 24th two labels were created some 5 hours apart. Why two labels? Was there no glue on the first one?
Meanwhile…hours and hours later that same day, a computer was plugged in or maybe rebooted and a message was sent/received in Meh headquarters in Carrollton at 4:49PM. But apparently that computer was steam fired or operated hydraulically by falling dominoes for it took just over three days for the message/package (??) to be “inducted” into the PB Network in Grapevine, TX. Now, I cannot find the shipping warehouse for PB in Grapevine using either Google or Google Maps, but Grapevine is about 18 miles +/- from Carrollton and Mediocrity center.
Then on July 28, something was “picked up” at my local town destination of Loganville, GA. Maybe this was just an electronic “get ready” message, for surely no product actually moved. Oh no. That comes later that same day when we see that the package left Grapevine and was “in transit” for a total of seven days to get from Texas to Georgia. Not only that but it is across town from me some 50 miles away +/-, and has not yet been handed over to either the USPS or some other agency for actual delivery.
Being able to see ill-worded and poorly phrased tracking information with words like “inducted” (did my item have to swear an oath?), “picked up and processed” (did that mean that someone lifted it, but then put it down again as being either too heavy, too light, or just right?) sets expectations and leads to exasperations and poor understandings of what is actually happening.
To be fair, it has been 13 days since I placed my order. I wasn’t expecting second day service, and was in no particular hurry. It is likely going to be a few more days before I see the item, however, for it isn’t out of the clutches of PB. If it comes to me via the USPS, likely I would have it in a day or so.
Much of the ire against PB, me thinks, is brought on by their incomprehensible tracking information and old-fashioned shipping and delivery speeds. Amazon, FedEx, UPS, and the USPS operate at orders of magnitude faster transit rates, which we have come to expect. If so, shame on PB, for they are ruining their reputation with each and every package.
What say you?
@Jackinga I think there probably is a lot of unintuitive statuses on their shipping which adds to the ire of patients but a lot of it also comes down to being plain slow.
I do think Meh deserves a slither of the blame there too because it can sometimes take a long time before they even ship the product and I think they also created the shipping invoice days before shipping in some cases… But Pitney Bowes is the only one who can be blamed for a product sitting in a warehouse for 6 weeks in some cases without moving… Or at least without an update.
@Jackinga They just won a 5 Billion contract with the government (see a different thread) to ship timely, sensitive information between fed gov offices. ROTFLMAO. Not. As I said on that thread I do hope whatever federal department is involved isn’t one that affects us day to day.
@Jackinga @Kidsandliz I’m sure there is a higher level of service given to government mail than ours. Although with Trump trying to knee cap the USPS who knows. To be fair the fuck up with the USPS started way before him but he’s really trying to drive it home.
@Kidsandliz Or one involved in national security (if that’s any different).
I am late to the hate celebration, much like Pitney Bowes is always late. I think Mediocritee should sell a couple of shirts with slogans against PB and ship them via PB.
@JanesDiary They lose those packages I am sure.
@JanesDiary Don’t worry; EVERY day is Pitney Bowes Hate Day.
@JanesDiary I love peanut butter. Mostly the spread but the dog is ok.
https://bojackhorseman.fandom.com/wiki/Mr._Peanutbutter
It ain’t just Pitney Blows. I spend time in Mexico and anything that is coming to me via DHL always gets stuck in the local warehouse.
Example: I ordered something from Amazon.com.mx. It shipped DHL from Kentucky the next morning, arriving in Guadalajara and clearing customs in < 24 hours.
From there it went on a truck to my local DHL distribution center, arriving 5 hours later. Where it sat. For SEVEN days. Like clockwork, every day I got a text message “Shipment on Hold.” (No explanation why, obvs…)
Finally, on the 8th day it went on another truck and was “Out for delivery.”
This isn’t unusual. In fact, pretty typical for DHL, at least it is here. It makes absolutely no sense why a package would sit on a shelf in a warehouse for a week where it can get misplaced, “lost” (cough-cough), or damaged. My instinct would be to “get that damned thing outta my warehouse so I’m not on the hook for it!”
My suspicion is there is a lot about the shipping / logistics bidness that we mere mortals cannot fathom.
@TrophyHusband DHL isn’t much better anywhere else either.
@TrophyHusband Terms used in inventory and cost of goods accounting are FIFO and LIFO. FIFO or first in, first out in an inflationary economy means lower cost of goods sold (COGS), higher profit, and higher taxes. LIFO or last in, first out in an inflationary economy means higher COGS, lower profit, but also lower taxes. Look it up to learn more.
And then there is Pitney Bowes and maybe DHL in Mexico too. These methods of FIFO, LIFO are OK. But not for them because they use WTHCBWHMIGPEANSOUO (who the Hell cares because we have mass incompetence, goods piled everywhere, and no sense of urgency - oh).
PB/DHL-mex warehouses are run by hoarders, who have piles of stuff up to the rafters – Hell, in the rafters, too – and a great reluctance to get rid of anything.
That is the way hoarders are, you know.
When the pile of boxes moved by a front loader gets in the way so that they can’t get to the break room, well, then, and only then is it deemed urgent enough to consider shipping a few of them.
“We would make a delivery, but the truck, she is broke down. Maybe next week, eh? Maybe mañana. Maybe not.” – not quoted by an unofficial spokesperson.
@Jackinga @TrophyHusband
You forgot AABWHAIWIIA (and also because we have no idea where it is anyway)
I ordered a Turquoise meh shirt on June 18th, estimated delivery Monday, July 13th - Friday, July 17th…
Label wasn’t even created until July 15th though, so that seemed unlikely.
Meanwhile, once it hit Pitney Bowes 5 days later on July 20th, it moved surprisingly quickly through Texas to Indiana to Royal Oak, Michigan (about an hour a half away) in only 3 days… which seemed like a record!
Only… it hasn’t moved or updated in the two weeks since.
UPS has their moments too. This gift is supposed to arrive in Maryland today, and it may, who knows? It is the radio silence that is disturbing.
Tuesday, August 4 3:55 PM
Package arrived at a carrier facility
Riverside, CA US
3:34 AM
Package has left the carrier facility
Riverside, CA US
Monday, August 3 7:17 PM
Package arrived at a carrier facility
Moreno Valley, CA US
6:05 PM
Package arrived at a carrier facility
Riverside, CA US
Package has shipped
Sunday, August 2 9:38 PM
Package arrived at an Amazon facility
Moreno Valley, CA US
I saw a pitney Bowes box truck today! SOMEONES PACKAGES ARE MOVING!!! I made sure to let the driver know how y’all feel about them. @sammydog01 it was going toward your city. Did you order that much?!?
@willdavi The new tattooed me doesn’t need to buy useless shit to be happy. Although maybe a motorcycle…
(Do you have a use for a hue switch? I need to find it a home.)
@sammydog01 lol. I was wondering what was 1 dolla this mornin. I ain’t got the money for that fancy philips hue shit. But thanks.