Grrr! Plant shipment FAIL

[modern_fumie]

I mailed a vanilla orchid to a friend in early July, and after discovering that she STILL hadn't received it I checked tracking. My orchid was held at my local branch office for a week! What gives?? Now we are both disappointed. I am certain the plant is dead because we just had a heatwave of 100+. I am now skeptical about shipping people orchids.

Any suggestions for better luck in the future? I really don't want to pay the $$$ to overnight a plant, but that may be the only way to make sure it arrives alive.

[lotis146]

Maybe it sat somewhere that wasn't so hot...? Wishful thinking I know but don't give up hope yet.

I've bought a lot of plants through Ebay & from distant/online vendors but only once have I had a plant get 'lost' (& subsequently found). It arrived with some damage and lost two outtta three buds but I've still got it and it's happy. This falls into the 's*** happens' category and unfortunately it happened to you this time. Don't give up on mailing orchids. Most of the vendors I've dealt with use priority not overnight/express shipping. I'd say if it's a particularly important plant overnight it but otherwise you should be good and I would consider this just one of those things.

Do file a case though with USPS, they may or may not do something about it but at least it's in the books. Sorry for your unluck.

[wintergirl]

I have had many plants shipped to me. The trick is to watch the tracking daily. If it is sitting somewhere you can call them and get it moving.

[silken]

I'm in Canada, but I too agree that keeping an eye on the tracking is helpful. Also if we do 2 night shipping in Canada, it is often the very same price as regular slow old parcel post, or so close that it is worth it. That gives insurance included for up to $100.00. I also plaster the package with comments of 'live orchids please do not chill or over heat'. It still could be OK if it was in a warehouse, but best to get making some calls.

[Subrosa]

USPS Priority is fine in all but the most extreme weather. I do spring for Express if the weather is iffy, but in my case I'm normally more worried about cold than heat. The flat rate boxes are very reasonable, and you can get a surprising amount of plant material into even a small one.

[gerneveyn]

Styrofoam coolers are great for extreme weather as you can keep the cold or the heat out. I ordered some phals from the Nortons in mid-summer, and they packed the phals in a styrofoam cooler within a cardboard box. A lot of biomedical and some chemical reagents are packed on ice or dry ice using styrofoam coolers within cardboard boxes. Most labs just toss these so if you're near a college or med school you could get the packaging from them.

[Orchid Whisperer]

If there is an urgent reason to send or receive plants in mid-summer or midwinter, pay price for 2-day or ground-rate commercial shipping and pack/insulate well. Otherwise, send in the fall or spring when weather is mild, and do as suggested above; track daily, call the shipper if the shipment is delayed; US priority mail/flat rate boxes are fine.

[AnonYMouse]

USPS earns their bad rap.

75% of the time, they do well for the volume of items that move in their system. That is poor performance in other businesses.

Completely inexplicable that junk mail arrives on time.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by AnonYMouse

USPS earns their bad rap.

75% of the time, they do well for the volume of items that move in their system. That is poor performance in other businesses.

Completely inexplicable that junk mail arrives on time.

I disagree. You get what you are willing to pay for. USPS priority mail delivers a trackable package at MUCH lower cost than Fedex, UPS or similar couriers. They don't guarantee a delivery date. If you want a guaranteed date, go with Fedex or a similar carrier. BTW, from experience, the commercial carriers also mess up plenty of shipments.

[AnonYMouse]

A cheaper cost isn't an advantage if not delivered in a timely manner. So increasingly, they will be carrying more overstuffed flat rate packages, probably more labor intensive.

USPS has lost business to the major carriers because it can't compete in service quality. The ONLY reason anyone in a metro area considers USPS is cost. If I have to pay for express mail, I'll go with FedEx or Brown. Yes, they have problems, all human systems do but Customer Service picks up the phone.

My metro area has Amazon logistics, so USPS lost a chunk of Amazon business. Walmart and Target only partially rely on USPS. If it weren't for Ebay and junk mail, I wouldn't need them at all.

I do think that the post office should be preserved but they seriously need to rethink the "service" and bulk rate junk mail (cheaper rate for nuisances that use the same system? Great business plan).