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#1 by earl on June 22nd, 2010
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a box of rocks doesn’t understand simple
#2 by gary on June 22nd, 2010
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at my office we still accept them and just date stamp and scan them as accepted. We need leaders with just a little common sense.
#3 by Roger on June 22nd, 2010
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If I made the businesses on my route adhere to this, I’d have to reject half the mail.
#4 by Sam on June 22nd, 2010
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Click and Ship scans cost nothing, or very little. They don’t get any acceptance scans. If that’s what the customer wants, then they have to pay full price. This has been in place since the inception of Click and Ship. It’s employees who don’t follow the rules, management at every office who do things differently (when we all have the same set of rules), that make the problems you’re seeing. We’re one company; let’s do things the same.
#5 by Zoe on June 25th, 2010
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I just learned today that Click and Ship rules changed within the past month. IF A CUSTOMER REQUESTS IT, the package can be accepted, scanned and receipt generated without an extra charge. Only one lady at the facility knew about this latest USPS “memo”. It’s a very simple process that takes a only a few seconds.
#6 by Mrs C., An EBayer on August 14th, 2010
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Hi. I am meeting with alot of opposition in requesting my sellers (I’m the buyer.) requesting my package to be scanned because they are using programs like Click-N-Ship, not because of themselves. Rather, the post offices are being downright unprofessional and acting as if this is not part of the USPS Service Network for which we BOTH pay. Other than asking people to start advocating for themselves and calling USPS directly to obtain the number for the USPS Consumer Affairs Division for their local post offices, do you have any insight into where I can locate the reg.? Perhaps a site so in the event sellers meet with opposition, or myself, something is tangible that can be provided to the post offices if need be? Any suggestions appreciated. Suggesting to a seller the concept of a scan sheet has been my sole recourse outside of trying to empower them with the truth that we pay for this and it is not as if it creates MORE WORK since the seller printed the label, etc. at home! Thank yuo bunches. I truly DO appreciate the pos offices and postal employees of the USPS otherwise.
#7 by Bill on June 23rd, 2010
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USPS Management does a similar thing with Delivery Confirmation for scoring data purposes. “ALL” delivery confirmation packages are scanned as delivered on the day of delivery. Exception to this is when a known business or customer is not available, we are then instructed to scan the package as “Attempted” to quote “STOP THE CLOCK” on the package. We do this when we don’t even take a package and attempt to delivery it. MIS-MANAGEMENT by USPS Management, to only fool the data system for the purpose of boosting delivery on-time scores.
#8 by Elaine on June 23rd, 2010
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Just give it to your carrier, they don’t check the dates just to see if it has postage.
#9 by Joseph Breckenridge on June 23rd, 2010
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The date on the Click N Ship label may have legal significence akin to a Postmark and this may be behind the reluctance to change the date on the label.
Also, marking through the date or over-stamping it with a round date does not change the date of record in the electronic tracking system, which is how on-time delivery is measured.
However, I think it’s worth asking the Postmaster to look more deeply into the matter. It makes sense that, since Sunday is not a day on which mail is accepted, that Click N Ship packages bearing labels generated on Sunday could be accepted the following mailing day (usually Monday) without compromising service scores.
If this were not so, then it should be asked why the Click N Ship system applies a Sunday date — a day on which mail cannot be entered into the system.
There’s a lot of moving parts in the system and some of the requirements may seem odd at first. However, seen in the context of the whole, they make perfect sense.
#10 by fir3bu1k on June 24th, 2010
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The Domestic Mail Manual states that the mailer is authorized to print a date correction for PC postage. The postmaster is guilty of criminal obstruction of the mail and should be issued a letter of removal.
.4.1 Date and Postage Corrections
Mailers may print a date correction or additional postage indicium directly on the mailpiece or on a USPS-approved label under the following conditions.
a. A date correction indicium is required for any mailpiece not deposited by the date of mailing in the indicium. Only one date correction indicium is permitted on a mailpiece. For all postage evidencing systems except PC Postage systems, a date correction must show the actual date of deposit and zero postage value (“0.00″). Place the date correction as follows:
1. On letter-size mail, place the date correction on the nonaddress side in the upper right corner or on the address side in the lower left corner.
2. On flat-size mail or parcels, place the date correction next to the original indicium, except when applied by an ink jet printer on barcoded flats.
b. Indicia for additional postage on shortpaid mailpieces must equal the total amount of required postage.
#11 by DannyNJ on June 25th, 2010
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Its just like the PO having to re-weigh and put a machine stamp on Media (Book) Rate packages when they are dropped off already stamped as part of their AIRLINE SECURITY program when we both know that Media rate packages don’t go anywhere near an airport, and are strictly ground transportation only. But still they waste the time…………and the line of angry customers grows longer……………….
#12 by Zoe on June 25th, 2010
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Does anyone know the date and/or number of the USPS memo that states that Click n Ship packages, at the request of the customer, can be accepted, scanned and issued a receipt?
#13 by Chris on August 12th, 2010
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Does this mean that you can print the correction by hand or does it have to be a zero value label printed by the clerk?
#14 by Gail O on October 8th, 2010
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I use Click-N-Ship on an almost daily basis and have never had any problems. I almost always print the label out the night before I drop it off.
#15 by Mike on November 29th, 2010
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I usually just drop mine in the drop-box that you can just drive by, except when the package is too large. And even then, I usually just put it on the counter and tell them I’ve already paid and just leave. Never had a problem.
#16 by R on November 17th, 2011
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Sorry, but I just came across this site. I was a team member at Compaq Computers that developed all of the behind the scenes web services for Click-N-Ship in the late 1990′s. The stuff is damn impressive at the back end. At that time I recall that many USPS officials (and union members) were very much concerned about how allowing end users to generate indicium (the printed postage) would alter and impact USPS operations, such as measuring the effectiveness of delivery times (hey, since you may be generating an Express Mail label outside of the USPS control, we don’t want your lack of following postal instructions to cause the package delivery to take longer than the Express Mail guarantees – gee that might affect how the unionize employees at that facility get scored and affect their salary raises and bonuses). Also, the recipient can claim a refund if delvery was not prompt enough. Get the point? You are screwing with some blue collar’s job and livelihood and the profitability of the USPS. Maybe we should not go through with this Click-N-Ship brainstorm and make you stand in the postal line every day Mr. Internet Salesman.
Also, you may be giving false hopes to your package recipient, who thinks you already mailed the package when you really have not yet done so. There is not always an acceptance scan done when you drop off your package. This varies upon your venue.
Also, to sweeten the public acceptance of printing their own postage, the USPS throws in discounted delivery confirmation, etc. So you do have an incentive to follow the instructions (i.e. save a few cents and your convenience of not standing in the long customer line at a post office). Are the few rules in place too hard for you to follow.
And for the record – there ARE many metropolitan Post Offices that do process and sort mail in the back rooms on SUNDAYS (Saturdays too, actually 24×7 in a few regional sorting centers), so if you dropped off your package or put it into the slot on Sunday, it may actually begin movement for delivery on Sunday. While I feel your pain, is it too much trouble to select the actual ship date when you print your postage labels (especially when you know you will not go by the Post Office on Sunday). If this is beyond your capacity, then may I suggest you print the label without postage, and buy a big sheet on stamps and lick away when you are in the mood to enter the packages into the mail stream.
Sorry, this is not rocket science, but it is also not “Shipping For Dummies” either. Using a computer and sophisticated software that interfaces with the second largest business in the world (behind Walmart) requires a bit more understanding on your part than that of the Walmart greeter.
For those that have gotten away with sloppy procedures in the past, please do not complain that it took awhile for some savvy postal employee to recognize the game you are playing. (I.e. hey I will sell you this item on eBay and although I will charge you Express Mail postage, I will generate the label but mail it several days later and you can complain at your local post office and get your shipping costs refunded, thus saving you money and making me one of the folks on eBay that you will love to purchase from because my total costs beat my competitors, all because we are taking advantage of the dumb ole dinosaur USPS which should have gone outta business years ago, blah, blah, blah).
Sorry for the rant, but there are two sides to this story, and while I have some (but not much) sympathy for you printing the wrong ship date on a label, it really takes no effort for you to do things right the first time. Get with the program or go stand in line.