What Is Up With The USPS?

I have no clue as to what's going on at the USPS, but given the adventure a book I ordered back in December has been on, it appears there are individuals who need some geography lessons. 

The book is a Christmas present for Funny Delightful Son's girlfriend, who is taking a graduate course this semester. She has several books on the reading list, so I ordered four of the books for her as I remember how it was to be a grad student with not a lot of money but a lot of books to buy. The other three books I ordered arrived well before Christmas. This one, though, has been on a journey.


It started out in Maryland. From there it went to Pennsylvania then up near Chicago then to Champaign. For a week, it sat in the Champaign distribution center. Logically, it should have shown up in my mailbox a few days after arriving in Champaign. At the very least, if the post office didn't want to deliver the book, it could have just called and I would have driven to Champaign to pick it up. That's how close I am to Champaign.

Instead, some genius decided to send the book to Michigan, where it ended up in not one but two distribution centers. It then sat for several days in the one distribution center. From Michigan, it went back to Pennsylvania. Someone in Pennsylvania thought it should then go to St. Louis. And now? Now it's back in the Champaign distribution center. I'm hoping the book arrives sometime next week, but I'm certainly not going to hold my breath.

I emailed the USPS Customer Care Center right after Christmas to see if someone could explain to me what was going on and why the book was sent to Michigan from Champaign. An automated response said someone would be in contact within 48 hours. After four days, I sent another email pretty much saying their customer care left a lot to be desired. That got an immediate response, one that said I needed to go to my local post office for help, that the online Customer Care Center could not help me. So much for "Customer Care."

Classes for Funny Delightful Son's girlfriend start on Monday. I'm really hoping this particular book isn't the first one she has to read. Although, I guess she could just tell the professor the USPS ate her book.

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