IRS "Priority" Mail

[RWG1950]

Have normally had good Postal luck over the years with regular first-class mail.
Recently sent two separate Priority Mail envelopes from my WI address to The Villages in FL.
More than two weeks have elapsed since they were sent & no delivery has been made.
Post office seems to be of no help on this.
Although these come with tracking, this has been as useful as t*ts on a hammer.
The two envelopes appear to have fallen into a black hole. Fortunately they are not time-sensitive.
I should have Fed-exed these & will do so in the future.

[New York Enrolled Agent]

It's easy enough to blame the IRS for its "sins" but do you think you should change your topic title?

[RWG1950]

What do you think my topic tile should have been ?

[Mark from Ohio]

have had the same experience with priority mail. sent two envelopes same day and time from Ohio to new yourk to one address. One arrived within 3 days but other took 15 days. Had other issues with my local mailings also.

[Uncle Sam]

I have had the same experience with USPS Priority Mail services to tax clients to the Florida area. So you're not alone.

[RWG1950]

It just hit me why the title of my post was questioned. It had, of course, nothing to do with IRS.
I had meant to use USPS. It's a ***** getting old. Avoid it if you can.

[Lion]

I like getting old vs the alternative!

[FEDUKE404]

I'm not sure if "Priority Mail" is not just a fancy word for larger / heavier pieces of USPS First-Class Mail. And I think tracking is optional??

Although it is costlier, I routinely use the Flat Rate mailer (provided free by USPS) which now has a fee of ~$10 and includes tracking number, no distance charges, and no weight limits (if it fits into the heavy folder, it's good!). (There is also some "free" insurance included.) I can send a two-page document to a nearby client or a 40-page tax return with documents to the other side of the US for the SAME price.

The only glitches I have seen involve, for whatever reason, the postal worker sometimes does not scan the item upon delivery. Last history item shows "out for delivery" and client confirms it was received on that date.

I do not have any clients in FL.

FE

[kathyc2]

Although it is costlier, I routinely use the Flat Rate mailer (provided free by USPS) which now has a fee of ~$10 and includes tracking number, no distance charges, and no weight limits (if it fits into the heavy folder, it's good!).

FE

That's what priority mail is. It has a tracking number where you can follow it through the system. If you print your own label it's a little less than going into the post office. It does not require a signature from receiving party.

There is also Priority Express, registered and certified the last two of which require a signature.

USPS has many problems including lack of vehicles. The LLV's are basically held together with duct tape and strings. They no longer have contracts Dodge or Mercedes. The new "duck" vehicles are coming out very fast.

On the USPS site you can sign up for informed delivery and get an email each morning as to what mail you will receive that day.

[FEDUKE404]

That's what priority mail is. It has a tracking number where you can follow it through the system. If you print your own label it's a little less than going into the post office. It does not require a signature from receiving party.

There is also Priority Express, registered and certified the last two of which require a signature.

USPS has many problems including lack of vehicles. The LLV's are basically held together with duct tape and strings. They no longer have contracts Dodge or Mercedes. The new "duck" vehicles are coming out very fast.

On the USPS site you can sign up for informed delivery and get an email each morning as to what mail you will receive that day.

I'm not in a mode to argue or dispute, but in the past I have frequently sent / received "Priority Mail" that had NO tracking number. To my foggy recollection, if an item (envelope) exceeded a certain weight (13 oz?) it could not go "First Class" but had to go "Priority Mail" which also has a distance surcharge factor. Perhaps about the same time as, instead of weight only fees for First Class, there is a surcharge for a "large envelope" and etc. And I also remember a client tax packet that was returned to me as "undeliverable" (it had proper postage and correct address) a couple of weeks later. I had placed it in a post office mailbox on the way to work. It was rejected because it exceeded weight X and was NOT first handled by a postal official who apparently had to play the 20-question game for security reasons.

Water over the dam. Mail delivery is going the way of dial-up internet and VCRs. I send some "large envelope" First Class Mail stuff, and for heavier items I just use the Flat Rare Priority Mail envelope. On very rare occations I use the more costly Flat Rate Express Mail envelope. Yes, both have tracking numbers that I check on the USPS website. and, yes, I am aware they can send me email tracking updates.

The USPS is quickly becoming a dinosaur. Most of what I now receive goes into the shredder / recycle bin. A couple of days ago NO ONE in the neighborhood received any mail. . .it had been raining. . .

FE

[kathyc2]

I'm not in a mode to argue or dispute, but in the past I have frequently sent / received "Priority Mail" that had NO tracking number. To my foggy recollection, if an item (envelope) exceeded a certain weight (13 oz?) it could not go "First Class" but had to go "Priority Mail" which also has a distance surcharge factor. Perhaps about the same time as, instead of weight only fees for First Class, there is a surcharge for a "large envelope" and etc. And I also remember a client tax packet that was returned to me as "undeliverable" (it had proper postage and correct address) a couple of weeks later. I had placed it in a post office mailbox on the way to work. It was rejected because it exceeded weight X and was NOT first handled by a postal official who apparently had to play the 20-question game for security reasons.

Water over the dam. Mail delivery is going the way of dial-up internet and VCRs. I send some "large envelope" First Class Mail stuff, and for heavier items I just use the Flat Rare Priority Mail envelope. On very rare occations I use the more costly Flat Rate Express Mail envelope. Yes, both have tracking numbers that I check on the USPS website. and, yes, I am aware they can send me email tracking updates.

The USPS is quickly becoming a dinosaur. Most of what I now receive goes into the shredder / recycle bin. A couple of days ago NO ONE in the neighborhood received any mail. . .it had been raining. . .

FE

I don't know if Priority always had tracking number, but it certainly does now. I have a few out of state clients that refuse to use portal and send their info via mail and want me to then send them back along with return via mail. In the past I always just used first class mail. Indy hub had massive problems this year so I sent everything Priority so I could track where it was in process.

I doubt rain was the reason for not receiving mail. More likely it was due to shortage of vehicles or workers. Postmaster or manager can make the decision to curtail mail for a day in those situations.

[RWG1950]

As an update to this case, my USPS "priority mail" flat rate envelope was finally delivered after 15 days.
Interesting to note that the customer provided a return document by "certified" mail that was delivered to me in just 4 days.
Not sure if the problem is with the Villages retirement community post office in Florida or something else,
but using the Priority mail cost $10.10 vs only $5.30 for certified mail.

[RAG1775]

While I always use certified return receipt, I had an instance where this method was used to send information to an institution for a RMD request. It never arrived and USPS couldn't help since someone forgot to scan the envelope. While I continue to use this method, things happen, people forget what they should do, lapses in processes and unless it gets scanned.......no one at USPS can figure out where it is.

[Twin Turbo Z]

This last year has been bad for USPS on our end too. We always send flat rate priority mail. And this year we sent 4 letters from our home town to Columbus, Ohio (50 mile trip). Three got there in two days. One took 20 days. We tracked it all over the state of Ohio !!! Had another flat rate priority mailer go to Florida. Usually takes 3 days. Well it got stuck in Columbus for 10 days, then was shipped to Puerto Rico !!! Spent 3 days there, then went to client in Florida !! As usual flat rate mailers have tracking number so we sent number to the client so they could track it too. But we are about to stop mailing stuff all together. If our snow birds can not figure out using our portal, then they can use someone in Florida to do their taxes.

[FEDUKE404]

This last year has been bad for USPS on our end too. We always send flat rate priority mail. And this year we sent 4 letters from our home town to Columbus, Ohio (50 mile trip). Three got there in two days. One took 20 days. We tracked it all over the state of Ohio !!! Had another flat rate priority mailer go to Florida. Usually takes 3 days. Well it got stuck in Columbus for 10 days, then was shipped to Puerto Rico !!! Spent 3 days there, then went to client in Florida !! As usual flat rate mailers have tracking number so we sent number to the client so they could track it too. But we are about to stop mailing stuff all together. If our snow birds can not figure out using our portal, then they can use someone in Florida to do their taxes.

Some time ago I sent a Priority Mail flat rate package (around $9 at the time) to a client who lives within 30 miles of me (I'm in a southern state). Should have taken two days, and possibly only one. Well. . .it went to NYC. . .with multiple trips between a Manhattan facility and a facility in New Jersey. Finally someone must have figured it out, and package then made its way south. From date of mailing at a post office to date of delivery was 15 days. Again, we're talking about a ~suburb of my residence.

As for putting much credence in a certified mail receipt, for all intents and purposes that just means it got to the ADDRESS which for something like the IRS could be nothing more than a specialized mail facility, or at best a very large mail room.

FE