GRRRR - Canada Post.

[westcoastblondie]

I don't know what is up with the mail lately but it's driving me insane. Every time that I go to the post office they tell me something that's not true. Living in Northern BC does not mean that I live somewhere the mail doesn't go to or leave from, so why do they have such a hard time with mail in my town?

In April I did two trades, one to Vancouver and one to Ontario. They told me 3-5 business days for the Vancouver envelope and 5-7 for the one to Ontario. I'm pretty sure the one to Ontario took like 14 days and the one to Vancouver took just about the entire month. All it had to do was travel south. It's the same province - I don't understand how they could screw that up. Vancouver's a pretty well known city. I felt so bad for the people I was trading with. I received my envelopes and theirs took so damn long in spite of me ensuring I dropped with the lady at the post office to make sure it would go out on the mail truck that day. It took so long to get to them I thought they were lost in the mail.

Now, I've done a couple of trades this month - well I guess they're occurring now because Canada post once again is being stupid. After asking them about last months issues shortly after it happened they said "it was route changes and we had some glitches with our new route systems, everything's fixed now." I sent two trades out on the same day as two people sent me their envelopes. Then, the next day I found another coupon that one of the people I was trading with, I thought they might like. So, two days following me sending them the initial trade envelope we talked about, I dropped another envelope with the lady at the post office. The only one that's been received is the one that I sent two days after the initial two! How does that work?

Like, I'm actually going to cry. I feel so bad that people aren't getting their envelopes as fast as they should be and I don't even know what to do. Once these trades that I've sent off already are completed (if that ever happens and Canada post decides to get it together) then I think I'm just going to quit trading because it's not fair to the people on the other end if Canada post keeps doing this. I feel like I should be making contingency plans of sending people I'm trading with giftcards or something in new envelopes with tracking numbers just so I can make for absolute positive they make it to them. I don't know what else to do. I feel so bad.

[anastasia1009]

Don't feel bad mine is the same and I live in Ontario but my route is home, Stoney Creek mail station, then Hamilton, then Toronto and then maybe to the place its going. For me to deliver within Ontario it still takes 3 to 5 days and when I mail out east or west for me maybe 7 to 10 days. Canada Post is driving us crazy too been waiting for something from Ottawa and its been 8 days. I could drive there and back.

[torontogal12]

Don't feel bad, I got the Timothy's FPC last week. That's 4 months after everyone else. People understand Canada Post delays

[iceblueraven]

We did an experiment once, drove around one day and mailed envies to one specific person...one in each mailbox in town, plus one to each postal outlet. Each envie contained the info about the location used.

Not even kidding, the spread of delivery was 2 to 30 days. 30 DAYS?! Are you kidding me? Some of the slowest were from the outlet locations, where you physically hand it to a person. ALL FROM THE SAME CITY TO THE SAME CITY,IN THE SAME PROVINCE. WHAT?! CP baffles me.

And throw in a holiday? fuggedaboutit. All bets are off.

You could get it postmarked, which doesn't help if it get lost, but does help to prove what day you mailed it. I say 'help' b/c seriously, there have been instances of postmarks being days later than actual drop off. I make mine stamp it in front of me, and then I check the date.

They don't like me much.

Most people are pretty understanding about CP issues, we've all had them.

[sweet sparrow]

Another trader (out-of-province) and I recently went through the same issue. We've traded before and we received each other's mail really quickly - maybe a week or less for mine? We traded recently and it was over three weeks before she got hers, and about two weeks to get mine. I was getting worried that she'd think I hadn't sent my end of the trade.

She actually got hers soon after she mentioned it at her post office and I logged a service ticket on CP's website. Maybe that's worth a try?

[saveadollardiva]

Don't feel bad, we all know people get their trades out as soon as possible and we all know Canada Post can sometimes be stupid. I would just explain the situation your having with Canada Post to anyone your trading with, just so they know heads up and don't give you a bad rep later. Also, people can see when the stamp by Canada Post as to when it was received at their post office. So if they see it was stamped by them like that same day or the day after you decided to trade with someone and it gets there like 2 weeks later, people will know it is Canada Post and not you.

[Tbites]

It's frustrating but at least it made it right ? Just had my first trade get lost in the CP abyss .... we waited 4 weeks to see if it would show up... nopes. Sent a replacement envie and that one made it in less than a week, go figure

[couponlovingcanuck]

Don't feel bad at all! I still got your envie! Canada Post was just as slow for me sending things! Defs don't stop trading over CP most SC members understand their delays

But I'm pretty sure I have the worst CP office! It's so disorganized in there! I don't even know if my mail gets sent the next day! I would switch but that location is just too convient. Maybe next time I'll have to try a different location....

[OgresWife]

Ugh, CP

1) I get my freebies and samples pretty much two weeks after everyone else seems to.

2) It takes 1-3 days for my envie to arrive at a friends house two hour drive away, but when they send me one, I can expect it to take over a week.

3) When my samples DO arrive, they are just barely stuck in my PO box. Just enough so they'll sit there, but if I don't pay attention and just reach in it will fall out on their side.

4) I'll go for days without any mail and then all of a sudden I get two days of an over stuffed box.

5) I cannot confirm this, but my particular Post office has been rumored to withhold checks. As in any EI/baby bonus etc checks that come out early due to a holiday, they will withhold until the regular day it was supposed to be issued. Again, I cannot confirm this, but it has been told to me by several people it has affected.

6) I have had things simply never arrive. 3 packages gone *missing* from one person is a bit more than a coincidence......

[nessa23]

I think everyone is frustrated with CP lately. I mean, to a certain point we can expect a gov't agency (essentially) to be slow and careless..... but I can't believe what I read about the same city-different drop points experiment. WOW REALLY CP!?!?! I would have submitted all that information to them. There is absolutely no need for that. No wonder mail gets lost.

OP - I live in the Fraser Valley, and sent an envie to Nothern BC 2 weeks ago. I haven't heard that it has arrived..... i'm starting to get worried and sad because that envie was STUFFED full of coupons!!! There's no way I could replace something like that......

edit: OMG i just double checked and it's not even going that far!!!! only about 7-8 hours away. i'm really worried now....

[salady]

I've had so many issues with CP that I've now lost count. Missing mail is the most common occurrence with me followed by the mail being delivered to the wrong address. Yes, I receive my neighbours' mail and they receive mine...this actually happened 3 days in a row this week! Finally got so fed up and lodged a complaint with CP. I cannot believe how ridiculous this is becoming. It's a huge privacy issue and also one that can lead to identity theft...I don't need to know what mail my neighbours are getting and I don't need them knowing about my mail. Also, what about the neighbours who are getting my mail but not giving them to me?? What are they doing with it? Grrrrrr. I'm going to go postal (pun intended) if CP doesn't fix their ways!

[macw1960]

I have had only one with lost trade (knocking wood), so I can't really complain about CP. I address all my envelopes on 3 lines only with proper abbreviations for the province as that way they are read by a machine and not a human.

Other than the fact that my mail person never seems to have a regular time I can't complain as they are great about delivering my trades, freebies and samples. I do wish that once in awhile they would give my bills to someone else though.

[kparker1786]

I worked for CP for about 6 months and I agree that it is SLOW! Had some customers who waited two months for passports... It's ridiculous. The problem is, they send ALL the mail in Ontario to Ottawa, then it gets sorted to a smaller, but big city, like Kingston or Thunder Bay, goes there, then smaller and smaller. I live in a town that is about 400 people, mail takes forever if you're not in a big city. It's rather annoying