US Postal Service to begin Mail Premium Forwarding Service

[Ron]

Interesting announcement that the USPS is going to provide premium mail forwarding service.  Following is a copy of the USPS announcement found at http://www.usps.com/communications/news/press/2005/pr05_043.htm


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media Relations 202-268-2155
May 11, 2005
News Release No. 05-043
www.usps.com

LET YOUR MAIL FOLLOW YOU DOWN THE ROAD
"Premium Forwarding" designed to meet the needs of a more mobile society

ATLANTA, GA - Traveling business executives, military personnel, college students, summer renters and "snow birds" all benefit from a service announced today by the United States Postal Service.

The Postal Service's Board of Governors approved a two-year test of USPS Premium Forwarding Service, a personalized service for sending mail from a primary residential address to a temporary address using Priority Mail. It is designed for residential customers who want to receive all of their mail at a temporary address.

With Premium Forwarding Service, the Postal Service boxes and reships mail to a temporary address for customers who are away from their primary address for at least two weeks and up to one year.

"Customers won't have to wait for important correspondence and favorite magazines until they return home," said Stephen M. Kearney, Vice President of Pricing and Classification. "Premium Forwarding gives customers one more way to enjoy their mail in a timely manner."

Interested customers simply complete an application at the Post Office servicing their primary address. Necessary information including name, address of primary residence, temporary address, contact numbers and start and end dates is required. Premium Forwarding Service is temporary, but it does not replace the temporary or permanent Change-of-Address option.

The Postal Service collects the mail, boxes it and sends it to the temporary address once a week by Priority Mail. Express Mail, First-Class Mail or Priority Mail packages too large to fit inside the Premium Forwarding Service package are rerouted separately at no additional charge.

Premium Forwarding was designed to make life on the road or separation from friends and family a little easier.

"Convenience to the customer is key," said Nick Barranca, Vice President of Product Development. "Whatever your situation may be, the Postal Service has several convenient service options for handling your mail. You may be away from home, but your mail doesn't have to be."

There is a one-time enrollment charge of $10. Customers are charged $10 for each weekly shipment during the period they are enrolled in the Premium Forwarding Service. The Postal Rate Commission approved the proposed fee structure in April. Premium Forwarding Service is expected to begin in August.

In addition to Premium Forwarding Service, the Postal Service also offers Hold Mail Service, permanent forwarding and temporary forwarding.


Since 1775, the Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 142 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of more than $69 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume- some 206 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year- and serves seven million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide.


This will be interesting.  I wonder if the USPS will be able to compete with the excellent service provided by Escapees or the FMCA and at what cost.

 

[Ned]

At $10/shipment and only one shipment per week, I don't think the other services have anything to worry about.  As this is just an extension of the existing temporary forwarding service, it really doesn't fit for the fulltimer with no permanent residential address to forward from.

And when has the USPS EVER been able to compete in the private sector successfully?  And why should they?

 

[Ron]

At $10/shipment and only one shipment per week, I don't think the other services have anything to worry about.? As this is just an extension of the existing temporary forwarding service, it really doesn't fit for the fulltimer with no permanent residential address to forward from.

And when has the USPS EVER been able to compete in the private sector successfully?? And why should they?

IMHO you are 100% correct Ned.  We have the Escapees Mail service and I am absolutely positive the USPS will ever be able to provide as reliable service as Escapees does. 

I just posted that item since I thought it would be interesting.  Might work for part timers if they don't move too often.

 

[BernieD]

This will be interesting.  I wonder if the USPS will be able to compete with the excellent service provided by Escapees or the FMCA and at what cost.

Ron

The cost was stated, $10 enrollment, $10 weekly. The biggest negative that I can see, outside of cost, is that there doesn't seem to be any provision for changes of destinations during the forwarding period. You do have the ability to receive all your magazines and junk mail at no extra cost.

 

[Jim Dick]

Ron,

I doubt the USPS will compete with Escapees or FMCA. They already have a $10/week charge according to the message and I'll bet that does not include the postage! I also doubt they will be as flexible as the others. Many people move every week which would entail contacting USPS and changing the address.

It will be interesting to see how it pans out as many don't use the Escapees or FMCA. We're lucky since TGO works just like Escapees and we can stop the forwarding since our mail comes to our own box at TGO. Best of both worlds.

 

[BernieD]

They already have a $10/week charge according to the message and I'll bet that does not include the postage! I also doubt they will be as flexible as the others.

Jim

The $10 weekly fee includes postage, but that is an awful lot compated to the $3.85 postage my mail forwarder puts on each envelope.

 

[Ron]

Ron

The cost was stated, $10 enrollment, $10 weekly. The biggest negative that I can see, outside of cost, is that there doesn't seem to be any provision for changes of destinations during the forwarding period. You do have the ability to receive all your magazines and junk mail at no extra cost.

I don't think they could even keep up with us.  This year we sent a message to Escapees giving mailing instructions to send our mail on a particular day to a particular addresses to meet our travel plans.  This amounted to four different addresses. over a period of two months.  Never had to wait mail always arrived an the anticipated day at the desired address.

 

[Ron]

Jim,

I don't really think the USPS will give any competition to Escapees or FMCA.  From how I read it they would only work for somebody that goes from point A to point B and doesn't need mail in between.  Would never work for us since we often change our plans and mailforwarding plans.

 

[Jim Dick]

Jim

The $10 weekly fee includes postage, but that is an awful lot compated to the $3.85 postage my mail forwarder puts on each envelope.

Bernie,

That is quite a bit more than ours as well. Of course, ours varies depending upon how much mail is in the package.

 

[Jim Dick]

Ron,

That's how I interpreted it as well.

It's really strange at TGO. If one owns a home, they can give the U.S. post office a temporary change of address and the mail will be forwarded thus not incurring a fee. If one owns a lot, they cannot use a temp address! Can't imagine them being more flexible with the new arrangement.

 

[JerArdra]

All,

Not so quick with all the negatives.  Just think of all the many thousands of folks who live in a house and go to a summer cottage or take a long vacation at a single address.  It could even be a "non-RV couple" that needs to visit the wife's mother for a few weeks each year.  It might really appeal to them.  Remember, there is another world out there besides us RVers. ;D  ;D  ;D

JerryF

 

[BernieD]

Not so quick with all the negatives.  Just think of all the many thousands of folks who live in a house and go to a summer cottage or take a long vacation at a single address.  It could even be a "non-RV couple" that needs to visit the wife's mother for a few weeks each year.  It might really appeal to them.  Remember, there is another world out there besides us RVers. ;D  ;D  ;D

Jerry

Quite true, but except for forwarding magazines and bulk mail, the PO does the same thing faster (daily forwarding) and cheaper (free) via temporary address change.

 

[Ned]

I have a problem whenever the USPS goes into competition with the private sector. ?With the protections they have as a quasi-governmental agency, they have an unfair advantage. ?Of course, they've not shown that they can take advantage of it ?They always seem to screw it up somehow.

 

[RLSharp]

Interesting announcement that the USPS is going to provide premium mail forwarding service.

We are sorry to see this notice. Our Post Office has been offering, as a courtesy, this exact same service for free to us for the least 13 years. They forward our weekly collection of mail on Friday via Priority Mail. We always receive the package on Monday; they even continued to send magazines after the usual 60 day forwarding period. It looks like the $10 plus $10/wk is really expensive--especially based on what we have been charged since 1992. This fall, I will fill out the Temporary Change of Address as in the past and see what happens.

Thanks for posting this notice--I think. <BG>

Regards,

Richard

 

[Ron]

I'm sure the new service will benefit some folks but will probably be a negative for others. Guess we will see what happens.

 

[Pat]

If I remember correctly, Escapees mail goes to Livingston TX.  Where does FMCA mail go?

--pat

 

[Ned]

If I remember correctly, Escapees mail goes to Livingston TX. Where does FMCA mail go?

Cincinnati, OH.