There was a discussion about PO mis-ships the other day, so I asked a friend who works for the PO about this with packages. I got back a LONG answer/explanation in case anyone wants to read it.
I wont say it is satisfying bc it seems un-solvable but at least you know why now.
I have no idea why the boxes are moving like that. One guess is that along the way, it falls into the wrong container. I see packages and bundles falling into the wrong place every single day, multiple times. Most of the time, for me, it just lands on the floor, and we pick it up and put it in the correct container. BUT on a program where the containers are right next to each other (instead of being spaced out), if a package falls on the wrong spot, it won't just land harmlessly on the floor - it'll fall into another container (which will head to a different destination). So... that's my best guess for why packages make these side trips. I imagine that it happens a lot with the new ADUS machines. I work on the APBS machines, where it also happens a lot. It's just that the belts are going so fast, that sometimes the packages hurtle off the chute and overshoots. Or a chute gets blocked, and then the following package headed for that chute gets bumped to the next chute (which is the wrong one for that package). Every time a package reaches a new plant, I think it gets dumped onto another machine, giving it another chance to land in the wrong spot. Sooo... that is my guess.
Also... the programs for sorting incoming mail have the containers spaced out (because we only use maybe 25 slots). BUT the programs for sorting outgoing mail has the containers crammed together, one next to the other (because these programs use all 196 slots). So... unfortunately, the program that is used to send packages a very long way away is the one where it is most likely to have the most serious mistakes. Also on this program, in my plant specifically, because we are so close to California, we have huge boxes for California and other nearby states (boxes go on a truck), and sacks next to each box (sacks go on an airline). So it makes no sense geographically. A sack destined for Ohio could be placed right next to a California box, for example. So that's why a package from Tucson to Ohio could travel to California, before finally moving on to Ohio. And then the box destined for California often travels first to Phoenix. There, without being dumped again, it simply gets moved to another truck, and continues on to California. So on a scan, the package would show it going from Tucson, to Phoenix, to California, before finally (hopefully) moving towards Ohio.
The PO doesn't care if a package stops moving. No one (to my knowledge) is mandating that all packages move, even if they are moved in the wrong direction. The goal however, is to always process all of the packages, as quickly as possible (so who cares if the ADUS or APBS, etc. are understaffed). So when a machine is understaffed, they still want the numbers to be up, so they put the emphasis on having clerks shove packages through as quickly as possible, regardless of how full the containers are (which also causes packages to fall into the wrong places). Also, if there are tons and tons of packages on the floors, sometimes workers will just be like "**** it" and toss them into the nearest container without double-checking that it is the correct container. Because sometimes if we take our time to doublecheck, then we get yelled at for being slow. So.... **** it.
BUT... it is better when a package is constantly moving, because that means that at least it is still in the active mail stream. I've seen packages remain caught in the underbelly of the APBS machine for days (even though the maintenance crew is supposed to check and clean the machines out daily). I've also seen where a sack is supposed to be empty, but - surprise!!! There's a small package in it!!!! That means it's been sitting there, in a sack that everyone thought was empty, for god knows how long. (That's mainly why I always mail my stuff in larger, rather than smaller, boxes, even if it would fit in a teeny, tiny box). (because we don't charge by the size [unless it is over-size]; we charge by weight and distance traveled).
So... that happens in Tucson where there is never any snowstorm.
Oh!! In the case where a box might go back to the sender's state before finally traveling to the recipient's state... I'm going to guess that the scanners (which also aren't perfect pieces of machinery) are picking up the sender's address and interpreting that as the destination address. That's my best guess on that. In Tucson, we have more outdated scanners, so... we have to manually key in a lot of addresses. But on the newer machines (not in Tucson), scanners scan every single side of the box (except the bottom), so it picks up all the addresses?? I mean... I don't know for sure. So this is an uneducated guess on my part.
I have no idea who you would call to complain about this. Nobody, including the Postmaster General, can fix this. Because a true fix would require either new machines (LOTS of $$$$$$$), many more workers (again, lots of $$$$$$), and then if someone actually were to replace the machines or hire lots more people, then the price of shipping and mailing would also increase. There's no money for any of this.
Email:
USPS® Customer Service
Call: 1-800-ASK-USPS® (1-800-275-8777)
But... then if one absolutely wanted to avoid having this happen, they can pay $$$$$$$$$ for Express Mail. If it doesn't get there within the allotted time, the sender actually can get a refund!
And actually, I think if system-wide, we magically somehow got the funds for new machinery, or to fix the machinery (which would require the machines to move more SLOWLY, so it actually processes LESS [but more accurately]) OR we magically got enough money to hire enough people so that the machines' sacks and boxes NEVER overflowed, AND we had enough manpower to pick up and double-check EVERY single piece of mail that falls on the ground, AND to double-check the mail IN the containers to make sure there were no mis-sent packages, well, I think that would actually drive up the price of shipping packages to the amount that shipping Express mail costs today.
So I think that whomever you call, if they were being honest, would say "there is no (and will never be any) realistic solution to this problem, but you can use Express Mail." Any other answer they give, they would be bullshitting you. Express Mail packages are processed (at my plant) by hand. They are still dumped by machines, but at least clerks place each package by hand, into their destination containers. However, even then, still some mail gets lost. BUT when that happens, everyone knows about it, and it causes a minor disruption (unlike when a Priority or first-class package is missing - no one cares).
If this was a case of mail always being re-routed or mis-sent at ONE particular plant, then we could do something about it. But this is nationwide, and I bet my retirement, that it happens at every single machine, in every single plant. And any USPS problem that is this widespread will never be solved, especially when the solution involves lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$ AND slower processing times.
An explanation about PO package mis-ships
