Packages and Amazon and Thousand Trails, oh my!!

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herekittykitty

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Joined
Oct 26, 2013
Posts
443
Location
Birch Bay, WA
Well, I learned something the hard way this week that I wish I'd known beforehand!

Here's the important set-up details:

(1) I don't have a toad. I have an electric scooter with a max 20 mile radius. In most places, UPS stores are not an option for me.

(2) I've lived in rural locations all my adult life, and the PO where we lived last accepted all packages from UPS and just handed 'em over. Not that we planned it that way, but with larger merchants, you often have no control over or choice in how things are shipped, and you just guess (or use the street address of the post office for everything you order).

I'm at TT Seaside for 2+ weeks, so based on my experience above, I used the General Delivery address for my latest Amazon orders. Big mistake! Unlike when you pay the PO for a post office box, with General Delivery the PO is performing a service for which they receive no payment, when handing over packages from other carriers.

So if something is sent via UPS or FedEx instead of USPS, your only 2 choices are to refuse the item (be nice to the clerk), or pay the full postage cost to pick up your boxes!

Yeah, THAT'S not going to happen.

Now that I know they're going to ship via UPS for everything I'm having sent to this zip code, after refusing all the packages, I reordered everything using Prime 2-day shipping and had it sent to my space in the park. (Ironically, the day after I did this, I got a call from the UPS driver asking if I wanted her to just bring the refused packages to me in the park! If I'd know I'd get that call... Oh, well.)

Many TTs won't accept mail OR packages, or they charge a package handling fee, so if you KNOW something is coming UPS, you have to make sure your space number is in the address so UPS can just drive in and give it to you. As for how to have something shipped when you have no idea how it's coming... you're on your own.

I spent more than an hour on the phone with 2 Amazon reps trying to find a way to fix this for mobile people, but there isn't one, yet. Which is a pity, because I rely on them heavily.

Because I'm only staying in rurally-located TT parks (which I guess is most of them), my strategy going forward is going to be (1) Order everything using 2-day shipping, and (2) Assume it's coming UPS and give them my space number.

I'd love to hear everyone else's experiences, and methods for dealing with packages when you can't know or control the method of shipping.
 
herekittykitty said:


I'm at TT Seaside for 2+ weeks, so based on my experience above, I used the General Delivery address for my latest Amazon orders. Big mistake! Unlike when you pay the PO for a post office box, with General Delivery the PO is performing a service for which they receive no payment, when handing over packages from other carriers.

So if something is sent via UPS or FedEx instead of USPS, your only 2 choices are to refuse the item (be nice to the clerk), or pay the full postage cost to pick up your boxes!

Would you please clarify. I know that the USPS delivers parcels sent by other carriers in there "last mile" program.  Is this what you are referring to, or are you talking about other carriers just dropping off parcels at the post office that are not "last mile delivery" parcels?

Also, are you saying that if you had a post office box, they would have delivered the parcels to you without any additional payment?

 
Paul & Ann said:
Would you please clarify. I know that the USPS delivers parcels sent by other carriers in there "last mile" program.  Is this what you are referring to, or are you talking about other carriers just dropping off parcels at the post office that are not "last mile delivery" parcels?
The latter.
The services you're asking about are FedEx SmartPost and UPS SurePost.
I LOATHE those things, but don't know how the PO would treat them with a General Delivery address.
But you'll only find that out if you choose some retailer's free shipping options.

Paul & Ann said:
Also, are you saying that if you had a post office box, they would have delivered the parcels to you without any additional payment?
Yup.
But in my case, that was because the postal service doesn't deliver mail to my S&B house, AND because it was a rural post office. "Delivering" just meant handing something over the counter, and they knew my PO Box number by heart.
 
With Thousand Trails check with park management. SOME will accept UPS/Fed-Up, er, Fed-EX, and USPS packages. (not envelopes)  I have Med's shipped to TT parks most of the time.. Where I'm stuck (private campground) the owner accepts all sorts of things.  Save UPS.. UPS comes to my site.  (Have yet to get a Fed-Ex here.. Fed UP yes (That' Fed-exed to the nearest USPS and then UsPs from there)

 
Maybe it's just the area you are in. We've used General Delivery for packages and never paid anything to pick them up. Right now we're at TT Orlando and they will receive all mail and packages. They told me to not put my site number in the delivery address unless I had a TTO mail box. This is a big place with long term residents.
 
We've used General Delivery for packages and never paid anything to pick them up.

Are you talking USPS package delivery, or UPS/Fedex packages?  I've not come across a US Post OIffice that would accept any UPS/Fedex package, free or fee, but its been years since I inquired about that.

I suspect the local postmaster has a lot to do with it. Maybe something they do in small offices as a personal service rather than a USPS function. I know the substation near my home in Florida is a UPS drop as well as a USPS substation (it's in a hardware store, so there is a staff there all the time). As an aside, the postmistress there once told me she was not allowed by USPS to have anything associated with UPS anywhere in the physical area dedicated as the postal substation. They had to maintain entirely separate spaces for packages, forms, etc.  Maybe that has changed now that USPS does "last mile" delivery  for UPS.
 
For the past 5+ years I've used Amazon 2 day prime shipping hundreds of times and have my stuff sent to campgrounds all over creation. I've had extremely good luck in all but one campground.

I too travel with NO toad, but I do have an electric assist bicycle.  However, I am typically camped out in the middle of nowhere, so nowhere to ride my bicycle to shop though plenty of places to ride it for fun and exercise. Over the years Amazon has become hotly competitive in RV parts as well as many other items. For me, it means I can do oodles of research before buying something, I can pick the exact color and model and so on rather than being forced to settle with whatever a store has in stock that particularly day.

Amazon saves me a ton of gas, time, headaches, traffic jams, going from store to store trying to find the exact thing I desire. I have been fulltiming 24/7 for over 5 years in only 28 feet of Class C with no slides, so I like my stuff to be the "perfect thing" that can often do triple duty to justify the space it consumes. Sometimes I need RV parts and Amazon has very often been a winner all around in that department. Sometimes I even order the parts I need even though I will have to pay someone else to install them, at least I show up with the part I want rather than being forced to settle with what that RV repair facility might have on hand that day, that  I might not like. I know I am kind of picky... but with such limited room and being a fulltimer on an efficient budget, I want to be happy with the stuff I buy, I don't have a sticks and brick garage to pile up unwanted items...

I typically address my Amazon stuff like this:
My Name (exactly as shown on camp reservation record)
Care of Such and Such Campground, Lot Number XX
street address
city state zip

By the way... did you know you can verify an address at USPS.com for correctness? I've discovered some RV parks and camps don't even know their correct address, verifying this before hand can insure that a package arrives at the right place.

Amazon tells you exactly what date your stuff will be delivered (often in 2-3 days if you have Prime membersip) and typically I am in a place at least 14 days at a time anyhow. If I see that Amazon might not get it there in time, then I cancel the order and wait until the next camp etc or if it's critical, I can opt to pay the overnight rate.

In some parks UPS and FedEX and occasionally the USPS will bring packages right to my lot number, in other places they routinely drop it at the office. It varies widely!

On the day I am expecting a package, I try to be home nonstop on my camp site until the package arrives. If I have to walk the dog for his business, I typically leave a HUGE note on my door to leave the package and have my folding table set up by the door to make it easy on the driver. Amazon has real time delivery information, so I monitor that throughout the day. If Amazon suddenly shows my package has been delivered and it's not at my door, then I bolt for the office, all smiles and politeness to inquire if they have a package for me, so I can get it out of their way. 99% of the time this has not been a problem at all. Many clerks are astonished that I often show up minutes after the package has been dropped off.

In one state owned campground, a clerk fussed at me for getting package at the office (my campsite was listed on it but the driver chose to drop it at the office). I found out later, that state park had NO ban on this. Anyhow, on that day, it happened to be medical supplies from Amazon, so I explained to her, all smiles and politeness, and apologies,  that I traveled without a car, needed these medical supplies and Amazon was my lifesaver. This particular state park was 20+ miles from the nearest drug store.

She was suddenly super nice about it and ironically, I needed some RV parts later that week and when they came to the park office, I ran up on my bicycle (it has baskets) to snatch the box and the same clerk was on duty, she was super nice about the box this time. They can't tell if medical or RV parts are in there, from the outside of the box anyhow. So if she assumed it was more medical stuff, I did nothing to alter her assumption. Just thanked her profusely all smiles and got it out of her way.

By the way, Amazon is offering 30 day free trial on Prime membership:
http://amzn.to/1JwP004
 
Did they tell you what the charge is for?  And how much did they want to charge you?  Sounds to me like the postmaster treated the parcel the same as if UPS mailed the parcel to you from the post office where they dropped it off, but I dont understand the difference between whether you had a post office box, or received in General Delivery?
 
@DearMissMermaid, Great post!

I too am now FT, but i just started last week!

And like you, I am picky and would like "just what I want" and being able to do my research ahead of time... even before  last week, when I had a car and a decent store 10 miles away, I bought almost everything on Amazon. But then, it didn't matter how they shipping something;  it didn't matter how they chose to deliver a package, because I'd always get it. I've had Amazon even send something via SurePost when I ordered Prime 2-Day!

Are you saying that when you order something with 2-Day shipping, they always use UPS?
If not, about how often do they use USPS or even SurePost?

In thinking more about this, I've realized that while I may not know how they're going to ship when I check out, I DO know how they shipped once I get the ship notification. So perhaps my strategy going forward will be to just have everything sent to the park address, and then if I discover that they've shipped something via USPS instead, let the office know, blame Amazon, and ask nicely if they will accept it when it arrives. My understanding is that TT parks which don't accept mail have that policy because they'd be doing nothing but sorting flats all day. An accidental package or two shouldn't add much to their workload.

And, as you've pointed out, being very nice and polite gets a person WAY farther than does being a jerk.  :D
Was having a very bad day the day I discovered that the local PO wouldn't just hand over UPS packages, but I didn't take  it out on the clerk; just told him it was the first time I'd done this, I didn't know, etc. Being only a mile and a half from the TT park, that probably happens a lot to them, and they're probably used to getting yelled at over it.
 
Paul & Ann said:
Did they tell you what the charge is for?  And how much did they want to charge you?.... I don't understand the difference between whether you had a post office box, or received in General Delivery?
Well, not that I can justify it, but when I had a PO box, we paid for that service. PO boxes aren't free. But the PO gets no "delivery charge" money from General Delivery. (Yes, I know: They will actually send out a vehicle and deliver to your HOUSE for free. I didn't say it had to make sense.) I do kind-of understand their reluctance or outright refusal to handle packages from a competing carrier when they don't even get a paltry "last mile" fee for it, though.

I think perhaps my experience with small rural post offices where the carrier knew my name and box number when I walked in the door may have been the exception; that they are so "local" that things are run a bit looser.

And what Seaside would have charged me to pick up my packages was full retail (I assume) postage charges -- the same as if I'd walked in the door with those 3 boxes and mailed them somewhere else.
 
Although, I am still not 100% clear on what happened, my view is that if this parcel was not a "last mile" parcel, the Post Office should not have accepted it at all, because it would be the same as someone walking into a post office and wanting to mail a parcel without putting any postage on it, and expecting the customer to whom the parcel was addressed to pay the postage when they picked the parcel up.  If a postmaster was nice enough to do this, the rate he would charge the customer would be the the rate for mailing a parcel locally, but no way should the parcel be handed over to the customer for free, regardless, if the the customer's address was General Delivery or if the customer had a post office box.
 
We too often get Amazon packages sent to campgrounds. Other stuff too, via UPS, Fedex or USPS. The point here, though, is that many of the Thousand Trails campgrounds do NOT accept mail or packages, or make it difficult to do so. That they are so crappy about that (and other) customer services is a subject for another thread. The discussion here is how to receive those packages when the campground will not cooperate.

Had not ever heard about this charge that kittykitty paid. Searching around, I found another RV blog site where a person reported they paid a $2.00 "delivery fee" to pick up a UPS package at the US post Office in West Yellowstone, MT.
http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=106818

I didn't know Amazon would even ship to an address that was just  name, General Delivery, and City/state/zip, but an article on the PCMech website says they do, and that the PO will accept it for you. Doesn't mention anything about a charge, though.
http://www.pcmech.com/article/how-to-use-usps-general-delivery-when-online-retailers-wont-ship-to-a-po-box/

For those with a PO Box, Amazon will ship to it, but they claim they always ship via UPSP mail when the address contains PO Box xxxx. No UPS if the address is a USPS PO box. Note this is for a PO Box, not a PMB.
 
It's maddening that there seems to be NO consistency among not only TT parks, but POs as well!

I actually agree with @Paul & Ann -- why would a PO accept a package from UPS?

I'm just starting out on this FT journey, and this is the first TT park I've been to (they'll all be TT parks, since they're "free" to me). It's perfectly fine to me if they refuse to accept mail & packages, as long as the UPS truck is allowed to drive in and deliver to a site number.

My complaint isn't with the parks or the PO; it's with retailers who won't commit to telling you HOW they plan to ship your order. That's what really tweaks me. So far I haven't heard any better way to deal with this than @DearMissMermaid's habit of checking delivery status frequently, and being pro-active.

FWIW, if you're stationary, have a PO Box, and don't know how a retailer will ship, the fix is an easy one:

Your Name
Street Address of Post Office, #your box number
City, State Zip
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
Are you talking USPS package delivery, or UPS/Fedex packages?  I've not come across a US Post OIffice that would accept any UPS/Fedex package, free or fee, but its been years since I inquired about that.

I suspect the local postmaster has a lot to do with it. Maybe something they do in small offices as a personal service rather than a USPS function. I know the substation near my home in Florida is a UPS drop as well as a USPS substation (it's in a hardware store, so there is a staff there all the time). As an aside, the postmistress there once told me she was not allowed by USPS to have anything associated with UPS anywhere in the physical area dedicated as the postal substation. They had to maintain entirely separate spaces for packages, forms, etc.  Maybe that has changed now that USPS does "last mile" delivery  for UPS.

It was UPS and I think you're right the local postmaster has a lot to do with it. Until this post I never gave it any thought and never had a problem. In the future I will call the local post office ahead of time and inquire as to what they will accept for General Delivery. Camp grounds I always inquire first.
 
Note that some PO do not accept General Delivery at all, so you should always inquire anyway. Or lok it up (the PO directory has that info, and it can also be found online). In a city with multiple post offices, normally only one is designated to handle GD.

I found this blurb about someone else who paid a postal fee  to receive a UPS package. Guess its a fact!
http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=107313
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
I found this blurb about someone else who paid a postal fee  to receive a UPS package. Guess its a fact!
http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=107313

That page had another tip on it, as well: "One trick I tried with Amazon once, and it worked, was to make the shipping address 'Post Office Box General Delivery.' Their system is set up to automatically ship by USPS to any address with the words 'Post Office Box' in it.  But, it is not set up to do that with the words 'General Delivery.' "

I can certainly attest to that last sentence! I'll bet he's right about the first one, too.

So, now we have a way to make Amazon ship something via USPS.
Just not a way to ensure they ship UPS.

FWIW, I've never ordered anything so dire from Amazon that it would kill me to have the package refused. With Prime, they bear the cost of return shipping, too. So, the PO can just refuse it for all I care (which is what I did when I got there).

Eventually they'll have to fix this for rural people and mobile people, both.
 
Howdy HereKittyKitty,

herekittykitty said:
That page had another tip on it, as well: "One trick I tried with Amazon once, and it worked, was to make the shipping address 'Post Office Box General Delivery.' Their system is set up to automatically ship by USPS to any address with the words 'Post Office Box' in it.  But, it is not set up to do that with the words 'General Delivery.' "

I can certainly attest to that last sentence! I'll bet he's right about the first one, too.

So, now we have a way to make Amazon ship something via USPS.

Awesome! On our last US trip, we bought some stuff from eBay and had the seller ship it to a USPS Office for general delivery, and everything went great with no issues at all -- but would not risk it for Amazon, even having Prime, due to the UPS-to-USPS delivery uncertainties. For the Amazon stuff, we ended up renting a PO box in a UPS affiliate store further up our trip (in Pahrump/NV) and had Amazon ship it there, but it cost us dearly -- if memory serves, $60 for a 3-month rental (minimum time they would rent one) plus excess charges because we ended up receiving "too many packages" (on the order of 10).

It's great to know that we can have Amazon send it via USPS by just setting up the address the way you mentioned -- thanks for posting this tip.

Just not a way to ensure they ship UPS.

I think UPS is pretty much Amazon's "default" for Prime... it never happened that we purchased anything from them on Prime that they didn't ship via UPS.

Cheers.
--
  Vall.
 
VallAndMo said:
For the Amazon stuff, we ended up renting a PO box in a UPS affiliate store... but it cost us...$60 for a 3-month rental...plus excess charges because we ended up receiving "too many packages"....

Yeah, that's the thing I refused to do, after checking that out.  :-\

VallAndMo said:
I think UPS is pretty much Amazon's "default" for Prime... it never happened that we purchased anything from them on Prime that they didn't ship via UPS.

That's great news. Has certainly proved true for me in Seaside, OR.

Prime is turning out to be my BFF as a full-timer -- I'd rate it now as an essential tool, where in my S&B it was just nice to use it and get a free digital credit for having them ship whenever they felt like it.

They won't even tell you how they're going to ship, but they do tell you when you will receive it before you order. I have safely ordered items expected to arrive the day before I leave (stuff I really needed yesterday).
 
VallAndMo said:
I think UPS is pretty much Amazon's "default" for Prime... it never happened that we purchased anything from them on Prime that they didn't ship via UPS.
Amazon is using USPS more and more, and especially for Prime. About half or more of my prime shipments now come via USPS, when using the default 2-day delivery included with prime. For me it is mostly a benefit, as I get my mail at 10:30 AM whereas UPS arrives anywhere from 4:30 PM to 8 PM. Around here Amazon began using USPS, regularly, around May of this year. Before that it was UPS nearly exclusively. Yesterday (Saturday) I received a package I ordered on Thursday. If it was UPS I would have had to wait till Monday for delivery.

Here is an article about it:
http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2014/11/26/amazon-ups-usps/

By the way: That above article's author doesn't like Amazon partnering with USPS because he claims packages aren't being left and he has to go to the PO to retrieve them. That has never happened to me as well as many of the people who commented on the article.




Mike
 

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