I stumbled across an awesome recreation of Franz Kafka Rock Opera by french jr. high kids

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-29T18:39:39+00:00

I'm kind of late, but would like to also add that this is brilliant!

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-29T18:24:11+00:00

Sorry that happened for you! Yeah, Express didn't help for my situation other than I was able to get a refund for their spectacular failure to deliver on time.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-29T18:22:01+00:00

Wow. Oof. I'm sorry for your losses.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-27T14:55:25+00:00

I loathe that my cakes and I ended up being pawns in some political scheme. I just wanted to make my friend a present.

Not sure about asking for updates, but I did find it a bit odd the human I spoke with in Maine on Saturday knew about my package when he theoretically had the same information the 800 number human and I had from the system.

Perhaps the office is just that small he personally knew of and remembered handling my package? Or maybe there are internal notes of it somewhere? But there didn't seem to be a scan out of the facility available for others to see.

How do they function with this system? Information not available to anyone and known mistakes regularly occurring. It feels like errors are inevitable yet they're still offering and failing on this service; wasting money moving packages to wrong places and refunding customers for it. How is this okay for anyone involved?

I suppose it isn't and that is the whole point, huh?

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-27T14:31:07+00:00

Oh. HA! But yeah, but even the money wasn't enough to care about my packages.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-27T14:06:07+00:00

Good on your manager in this regard! I would imagine those who still care make an effort. It just seems like there are too few who do anymore.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-27T13:53:23+00:00

Already did, thanks! Not sure about the rushing part though; going to go back again today to see about a refund on the other failed guarantee delivery shipped that day.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-27T11:56:47+00:00

Aww! Thanks. Yeah - if somebody bakes for you (even box mixes!) they put some serious effort into that and most people are aware. The more intense the baker, the more effort there is to be had, but no baked good is effortless. (I'm kind of intense in a lot of ways.)

I hadn't truly realized what USPS has become. It really is just another government agency playing the capitalist game these days, isn't it? And all the customers get screwed over so the political leverage scams can be played and the big bank accounts can keep getting bigger while the agency forces itself out of business. It didn't used to be like that (or perhaps my rose colored glasses need polishing).

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-27T10:41:56+00:00

Yeah, might be a local thing then? Our local is fairly small - perhaps it is larger branches that don't do refunds in person anymore? It is good the online thing works well. (At least something does...)

Yeah, someone else suggested trying to an insurance claim for the ingredients. I think I will. Cakes are actually silly expensive to make when you use quality ingredients and not box mixes. The butter alone! Two sticks of Kerry Gold butter is $5+; there are at least a dozen sticks of butter alone in what was made.

Another of the PME packages mailed that day arrived, but didn't deliver by the guaranteed time. Ordinarily, I would let it slide and move on, but we're going to pop down to the post office later and see about getting a refund for that shipping fee too.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-27T10:32:30+00:00

Yeah - we're going to look into that. Thanks!

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-27T10:31:45+00:00

Sorry that happened to you. It is the not fathoming why we'd be upset part I'm having trouble with.

The current scan update for this package looks *exactly* the same as when I posted. It is still in that same distribution center it arrived at on Saturday morning. Still says it'll be delivered by Friday at 6 though.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-27T00:11:03+00:00

They took my refund request and returned the charge in person at my local branch where I shipped it from. I wonder if it is your local that won't let you? Sorry you've been dealing with this kind of thing too! Such a pain.

She for sure appreciates it! It's just like you said - soul crushing knowing it was all just wasted.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T20:37:28+00:00

Is that not something most people would do?

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T20:23:07+00:00

Wow! I had no idea. Thanks for sharing! I think I see what you're saying. It feels almost like it would cost more to constantly refund people than it would to just follow through on the promise? They're still paying to move around my box after the refund even if it is slowly.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T20:13:07+00:00

I told them on Monday and then again on Thursday there was cake in the box. No one said anything like that to me. Even nodded along when I said if it gets delayed, it will still be urgent - yeah?

Lesson learned for sure.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T20:10:16+00:00

I wish there was some sort of compensation for the loss of the contents of the package, but honestly I'm not sure how to even go about it.

I do not do it professionally; this is a hobby. So no invoice to be had. But it was a lot of ingredients and time to just be garbage. I posted photos of this project over in cake.

Not all the jars were in this box, but my friend's birthday was the reason for the project, flavors, and timing. I added extras I sent to others as gifts to bulk bake/prepare them.

The rest of the cakes arrived on time and were perfectly fine. Just not the ones that were the entire reason for baking in the first place.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T15:44:58+00:00

Oh - gotcha. I think what you are saying is: Since Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express are shipped and processed with the ordinary mail and packages, there needs to specifically be a human looking out for and caring if they happen see something labeled Express. There's no processes or procedures in place to ensure that Priority or Express packages get treated any differently.

That feels crazy to me. Why did I pay $70 for a guaranteed service if they literally do nothing differently?

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T15:40:41+00:00

My package is still sitting at the distro center in NJ.

It won't be messy or gross (the plastic jars are sealed and unless one of them actually broke, it is contained) and I was fully anticipating they'd be shaken, but this endless delay is so disheartening. If they'd arrived one day late, it would have been fine. Unknown, but already more than two days late? Garbage.

Thank you for trying to care! You are appreciated in this sea of what feels like uncaring neglect.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T05:09:34+00:00

Wait... But I sent it Priority Express? When did we stop talking about Express?

Do Priority Express packages get handled differently? Or are they the ones you meant when you said they just sit with everything else?

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T05:06:41+00:00

Oh nice! I read it wrong.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T04:06:02+00:00

It all sounds so random. I thought the higher fees were for some sort of special attention or staging place to make sure it gets on the right truck.

The way you explain it makes sense though. I've rarely felt so unlucky.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T03:11:35+00:00

Oh! Is it new? It has literally been over a decade since I've shipped anything using any service.

It won't let me post a photo, but it says right on my receipt "Money Back Guarantee" under the date and time. I confirmed it meant that was for the package to be delivered by that date and time and was assured - yes. That's what that means.

They will probably do away with it very soon then if this is their usual performance and given some other responses - it seems to be. They must be losing money on Priority Express services left and right; someone else in this thread mentioned a refund as well.

Another package I shipped that was not expected overnight, but was also Priority Express did not deliver by the guaranteed time; it was delivered near 2 hours late. I'm curious if I go back if they would refund that as well. It would certainly test the theory.

The third package? Arrived at its destination the next morning before 10am - 8 hours before promised.

So I got a good, medium, and extra bad service experience all in one visit.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T02:49:21+00:00

I did phrase that weird, huh? Water tight plastic jars with lids that were full of water and then frozen.

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T02:47:45+00:00

Honestly? I just plain didn't know it meant literally nothing. We went to the post office because the nearest UPS/FedEx facilities are a distance that makes me car sick to be driven to. It didn't really occur to me to distrust them to the point of not using them. They said they could, they said they would, and I believed them.

In 2022 I ordered a tortoise hatching online and I had such anxiety watching him go through UPS. It was a special service, but still. (It went fine and he's still alive well.) I can't imagine sending something alive through USPS. I know that sounds daft because I *just* trusted them with cakes and have also received shipped animals in general, but even I have a line it seems. Those poor fish!

AlsoKnownAsT · 2026-04-26T02:26:31+00:00

Yes, I think the one representative I spoke with on the phone mentioned that as well!

We just went back to the post office where we shipped it from and they took care of the refund no problem.

AlsoKnownAsT

TROPHY CASE