A few days ago, I mentioned how crappy the United States Postal Service tracking service was.

I can now elaborate. They SSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKKK!!!!!!

I bought a video mixer from eBay. The guy shipped it via USPS Priority Mail, from Seattle, and gave me a tracking number. Using that number, I could see that it took two days (!!!) just for the USPS to enter the package into their system. Then two (!!!) more days later, it finally came to my door…after a tease.

A copy/paste:

Processed, November 07, 2008, 1:10 am, SANTA CLARITA, CA 91383
Processed, November 05, 2008, 6:13 pm, KENT, WA 98032
Electronic Shipping Info Received, November 03, 2008

The postal lady came, and dropped off the usual crap mail. Nothing else. No package. Anger coursing through my veins, I made a pointless call to 1-800-ASK-USPS (which is not easy to dial on a BlackBerry Pearl, since the letters are not matched up the normal way on the keypad!). The automated system sent me through loop after loop. After entering the long-ass tracking number, I was told I could not talk to a service representative (despite the fact that I kept screaming “OPERATOR”, and hitting “0″), and then the damn thing hung up on me!

After I was hung up on, the postal lady did a faint knock on my front door (again, ignoring as always the sign on my door that begs for all delivery people to RING THE BELL, which is RIGHT NEXT TO the sign!), and left the crumpled mess of poorly taped cardboard you see in the above image.

Four days for expensive 2-day express shipping. Fuck.

Never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never use the USPS for ANYTHING!