nearly 20k miles of research gone ....

[meborder]

Last summer I did an oil sample on some castrol edge black on a 8600 mile oci. Took it to the post office and mailed it in, bit it never arrived at the testing facility - called twice to verify. Like a dummy, I tossed my tracking number so I'm SOL.

Fast forward 10,000 miles and I sample castrol edge gold. I send it in and keep the tracking number to check on it. I dropped it off on Jan 27. Last recorded activity was Jan 27. They friggin lost this one too!

I called the post office last week and they said to wait till next week and hope it magically appears.

Worst part is, I still don't know whether I can extend my ocis or not....


Grrrrr!

 

[Donald]

What company are you sending it to? I have had slow delivery of the sample if its mailed in the black sample container. But it always gets there. You will have better luck with placing the sample container in a pouch.

Someone in the post office probably thought you were mailing plutonium and tossed it.

 

[Kira]

Donald said, "Someone in the post office probably thought you were mailing plutonium and tossed it."

I was thinking the same thing.
Here's my bleak, negative side coming out.....The guy who tossed it just did it to "enforce" a non-existant rule. These mailers are legal but, as has been pointed out here, many postal workers think they're not.

In darn near any setting nobody will ask as that could possibly annoy the chief.

Always remember: Ask a question and you're demonstrating your ignorance. Kira

 

[skyactiv]

Folks, never use the post office to mail an oil sample in the supplied cylindrical bottle. Being that I work for UPS, I use UPS and put it in a large bubble envelope. I get a tracking number and it arrives faster to the destination. If you insist on using the USPS, don't cheap out. Stick it in a small box or a padded envelope. The USPS allows for tiny boxes, remember the Kodak slide mailers? You'd get slides back in a box the size of a pack of cigarettes.

 

[beanoil]

I've had samples that did not make it to Schaeffers in STL, and Blackstone as well. I firmly believe the post office does toss items. If you are going to use the post office, put your sample in a tygon priority mail bag first.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: meborder
Last summer I did an oil sample on some castrol edge black on a 8600 mile oci. Took it to the post office and mailed it in, bit it never arrived at the testing facility - called twice to verify. Like a dummy, I tossed my tracking number so I'm SOL.

Fast forward 10,000 miles and I sample castrol edge gold. I send it in and keep the tracking number to check on it. I dropped it off on Jan 27. Last recorded activity was Jan 27. They friggin lost this one too!

I called the post office last week and they said to wait till next week and hope it magically appears.

Worst part is, I still don't know whether I can extend my ocis or not....


Grrrrr!


Wow that stinks! Sounds like your Post Office has a nazi running around in there...in the past, mine have taken up to a month to arrive at Blackstone, but they've always gotten there.

Sound advice from everyone about packing it into a box, or using Brown or Purple to get it there!

Here's hoping your next one goes through!

 

[CarbonSteel]

This is one of the primary reasons that I stopped using USPS to mail samples. It costs about $2 more to use UPS or Fed-EX and (for me) it is totally worth the extra cost to **know** that it will arrive and on time (save for some weather related delay that would affect all carriers in the region).

 

[cronk]

In 15 years of ordering/selling things online, I have had only 1 minor issue with Fedex/UPS, they delivered a package to my neighbors house.
On the flip side, I have had USPS deliver packages crushed, split open and missing parts, extremely late, and lost altogether.

When I ship something I use UPS or Fedex!

 

[meborder]

I honestly never considered the possibility that someone would be throwing away packages.

I guess I get it... they ask you if it contains anything "liquid" or "dangerous" and like a dummy, I answered honestly.

I will not likely be using USPS for this need again. if I do, it will be in a box and I will friggin LIE about the contents just so some vigilante doesn't throw my package away.

I'm so freaking bummed and mad at the same time.

I've got sample bottles at work, I could have sampled as much as I wanted and kept the excess incase it got "lost" in the mail. I thought about it, but figured USPS has never lost anything for me except that one oil sample, so what are the chances of it happening twice in a row?

apparently pretty good.

I'm going to call the post office today and raise a stink.

 

[Nitronoise]

I use my local pack and ship to Blackstone for my small fleet of vehicles , USPS lost 1 ONCE, and one took 3-4 weeks and for the 8 or 9 bucks it arrives the next day from where I live, and I get an email saying it delivered , don't cheep out on sending them it's your research and history on the unit

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Folks, never use the post office to mail an oil sample in the supplied cylindrical bottle. Being that I work for UPS, I use UPS and put it in a large bubble envelope. I get a tracking number and it arrives faster to the destination. If you insist on using the USPS, don't cheap out. Stick it in a small box or a padded envelope. The USPS allows for tiny boxes, remember the Kodak slide mailers? You'd get slides back in a box the size of a pack of cigarettes.
THIS

Also from now on, get a second bottle and take 2 samples when doing an oil change, that way if something happens, you'll have a backup.

 

[meborder]

well, I just got a delivery conformation for my lost oil analysis.

I would have lost that bet - hands down. I figured someone just tossed it.

I'm wondering how many other lost packages were found in the process of looking for mine ...

anyway, anxiously awaiting analysis results now as it appears to be in the hands of the lab

won't be making this mistake again, though.
will be finding another means of shipping for sure and will be collecting larger samples so I have a backup just-in-case.

 

[CT8]

I have been thinking about the money you would have saved.

 

[Stewie]

Originally Posted By: Kira
Donald said, "Someone in the post office probably thought you were mailing plutonium and tossed it."

I was thinking the same thing.
Here's my bleak, negative side coming out.....The guy who tossed it just did it to "enforce" a non-existant rule. These mailers are legal but, as has been pointed out here, many postal workers think they're not.

In darn near any setting nobody will ask as that could possibly annoy the chief.

Always remember: Ask a question and you're demonstrating your ignorance. Kira


Funny that drugs go right through.

 

[meborder]

Originally Posted By: CT8
I have been thinking about the money you would have saved.


The money has already been spent.

And I'm much more interested in the information than I am the money.

Curious ... Why even read the UOA section if you think the money is more important than the uOA?

 

[1maniac]

When I mail my samples in the black tube via usps it usually gets pulled for inspection at the Pittsburgh sort facility. The longest time was ~45 days I believe. Now I print a copy of the usps regulation from the blackstone web site, place that with my sample in my own box,tape it and print & attatch an address label, then take it to the PO and mail it prioity.

In the past I have called the sort facility from my local PO and they knew exactly where my sample was and why. FYI.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Stewie
Funny that drugs go right through.

Yep, just don't mail oil samples or nail clippers or anything really dangerous, right?

I don't think Canada Post is any better, either.

 

[B320i]

I sent my UOA to Blackstone recently from Australia.

Post Office (Australia Post) required that I place the item into a small international mailing bag and fill out a customs declaration. On it, I wrote "Used Motor Oil" as the product goods line. Lady at the counter looked at it and scoffed a bit, but no worries, otherwise.

And, what do you know, 3 weeks later, I received my report from Blackstone, my CC was charged and I'm a happy camper.

Suggestion: Place samples in a box or bag. That way you don't have suspicious looking containers in the post, which look similar to those used for "specimens" you might give to your Doctor/Pathologist on occasion.