United States Postal Service — Local services in Bellevue

I sent a package with perishable goods to San Jose on Sept 22nd, 2025, paid extra for the Express Mail with the guarantee delivery by Sept 23rd. The package still didn't get delivered by Sept 25th. The last status in the tracking was on the evening of Sept 22nd. I called the Customer Support line, they created a ticket for me and told me to go to this Bellevue location to ask for a refund. Half an hour later, a clerk from the San Jose location called me and said they hadn't received the package, also told me to go to the Bellevue USPS location to ask for a refund. So I came right after without bringing my receipt. The clerk said he would give me a refund immediately only if I had the receipt with me. I came back on Sept 26th with my receipt, this time another clerk said the package is now Out For Delivery and I had to wait until delivery was done to go online and file a claim to get refund. I mentioned what the other clerk told me yesterday. He was right there, looked at me and said "I don't recall I said anything like that". Of course I got fed up, saying I don't have time to go back and forth to hear different answers every time. Nevertheless, the line was long, I left so that other people could get their business done. I'm filing the claim online now. This is my last time using USPS, and I'll tell this story to everyone I know to stay away from them. There are much better services elsewhere and if you work in corporate, you may get...

So I guess there's no zero star option huh? These folks necessitate that.

Was returning an item and had it boxed up and had the return label ready. I wasn't sure if part of it was to go in the box and another part on the outside of the box, or if it all went on the outside, so I left the box unsealed. Stood in line for about 30 minutes, and when I got the counter the man told me he wouldn't tape the box for me. All I needed was one 4-6" strip of packing tape. I asked if I could buy the tape, and he said yes. Great, I said, I'll do it. But I had mistakenly assumed he was selling me the strip of tape, and then learned that he meant I could buy an entire roll of tape for $9, tape up the package, and then wait in line again. All this while a giant roll of packing tape is sitting right next to him on the counter. If that wasn't irritating enough, the guy almost looked pleased that he was being rude and irritating me, and his tone was as smug as it gets.

These people deserve all the criticism they receive and much more.

I went to straight to UPS and they grabbed the box right out of my hands, taped it up, and processed it for shipping before I could get a word out, literally. I then said, wow, thanks, and asked how much I owed them. They looked at me like I was crazy and said I don't owe them a dime. So at least the trip ended up with a positive experience. At UPS.

Pelican Bay is probably a better experience...

Moved to Bellevue from IL. Forwarded mail was mishandled in IL AND in WA. I don't think, between the 2 USPS offices, that I got any mail on time (or in some cases, at all!) for the first 3 months after the move.

Found out that asking the mail delivery person du jour what time the mail usually arrives was a bad idea. Apparently it's not the same person every day for very long, so no one actually seems to know when our apartment building is supposed to have regularly scheduled delivery. So, when you ask the person delivering mail that day, you'll likely get a vacant look, an apologetic comment, or snark. I try not to get mad, they're not the ones who make the schedules, and I imagine it's frustrating for them.

The Post office itself is rundown and depressing. I'd be miserable if I had to work there every day. The parking is kind of a mess, and traffic around it is getting worse with all the new construction going up so fast.

The service could be better, the facilities are in dire need of an upgrade, and I only see the traffic in to that PO increasing over the next 10 years. For now I'll settle for the service just not getting any worse.

Oh... and they once sent one of my letters to the USS Nimitz. I am not in the military, nor is any of my...