Should I trust Canada Post?
December 22, 2009 8:10 PM Subscribe
I need to get a letter from Toronto, Ontario to Berkeley, California by January 6. I sent it by regular air-mail yesterday afternoon. Is it going to get there on time or should I pay approximately $40 for guaranteed next business day delivery?
Canada Post's website estimates the letter will get there in 4-6 business days, which is enough, but I'm a) unsure how reliable Canada Post generally is and b) the clerk at the post office warned me that things can be slower this time of year. She refused to give me any details about this, like whether "slower" means "give it another day or two" or "give it a week or two." The former is ok, but the latter is not.
I'm not going to starve or miss rent if I pay the $40, but that is a sizable chunk of money for me, and I don't want to spend it if I don't have to.
What say you, Metafilter?
Canada Post's website estimates the letter will get there in 4-6 business days, which is enough, but I'm a) unsure how reliable Canada Post generally is and b) the clerk at the post office warned me that things can be slower this time of year. She refused to give me any details about this, like whether "slower" means "give it another day or two" or "give it a week or two." The former is ok, but the latter is not.
I'm not going to starve or miss rent if I pay the $40, but that is a sizable chunk of money for me, and I don't want to spend it if I don't have to.
What say you, Metafilter?
Seconding expresspost or the ups / fedex alternative. It's not overnight, but it's not regular mail either.
Is there a way you can fax the letter instead, with the understanding that the original will arrive in a few days, but possibly past the deadline?
posted by defcom1 at 8:32 PM on December 22, 2009
Is there a way you can fax the letter instead, with the understanding that the original will arrive in a few days, but possibly past the deadline?
posted by defcom1 at 8:32 PM on December 22, 2009
Send it regular air mail. Call on the 4th to see if it arrived. If it did not, send it overnight guaranteed. That still gives you a day in case they screw it up.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:38 PM on December 22, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:38 PM on December 22, 2009 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: JohnnyGunn - that would be my plan, but their office isn't opening until the 6th. (These documents are being sent to UC Berkeley.)
Xpresspost might be a good solution, but I'd like to hear more opinions if anyone has them.
posted by mellifluous at 8:43 PM on December 22, 2009
Xpresspost might be a good solution, but I'd like to hear more opinions if anyone has them.
posted by mellifluous at 8:43 PM on December 22, 2009
Don't all non-regular mail options (Xpresspost, Priority, UPS, etc.) require a signature on the other end? If so, you would be out of luck in terms on that front if their offices aren't open.
That would at least set you free from worrying about this issue. You've given it more than double the expected delivery time, and if this is for application materials there's a good chance they would understand if there was a delay beyond your control (I can't guarantee that, of course).
posted by hiteleven at 8:57 PM on December 22, 2009
That would at least set you free from worrying about this issue. You've given it more than double the expected delivery time, and if this is for application materials there's a good chance they would understand if there was a delay beyond your control (I can't guarantee that, of course).
posted by hiteleven at 8:57 PM on December 22, 2009
Why not give it some time to get there, and if it's getting close and it's still not there overnight it?
posted by Solon and Thanks at 9:02 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by Solon and Thanks at 9:02 PM on December 22, 2009
Oh, my bad - I misunderstood the "office isn't opening" thing. (Can you get it tracked?)
posted by Solon and Thanks at 9:03 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by Solon and Thanks at 9:03 PM on December 22, 2009
I'm in San Francisco, and can see Berkeley from my deck. One of my clients is in Toronto. They send me one standard, letter sized envelope every month. It arrives, like clockwork, 3 business days after they mail it.
That includes the one that arrived today that was mailed on Friday. You'll probably be fine.
However, to summarize some ad copywriter: if it absolutely, positively, must get there [overnight], spend the $40.
posted by toxic at 9:12 PM on December 22, 2009
That includes the one that arrived today that was mailed on Friday. You'll probably be fine.
However, to summarize some ad copywriter: if it absolutely, positively, must get there [overnight], spend the $40.
posted by toxic at 9:12 PM on December 22, 2009
Response by poster: Don't all non-regular mail options (Xpresspost, Priority, UPS, etc.) require a signature on the other end? If so, you would be out of luck in terms on that front if their offices aren't open.
Damn, I hadn't thought of that. I will call Canada Post tomorrow to confirm whether Xpresspost does require a signature from UC Berkeley, but I'm pretty sure if you're paying for guaranteed delivery, they would need a signature from the recipient. (In case it isn't obvious already, I am inexperienced with snail-mail.)
Oh, my bad - I misunderstood the "office isn't opening" thing. (Can you get it tracked?)
Regular air mail, you mean? Don't think so, no.
posted by mellifluous at 9:13 PM on December 22, 2009
Damn, I hadn't thought of that. I will call Canada Post tomorrow to confirm whether Xpresspost does require a signature from UC Berkeley, but I'm pretty sure if you're paying for guaranteed delivery, they would need a signature from the recipient. (In case it isn't obvious already, I am inexperienced with snail-mail.)
Oh, my bad - I misunderstood the "office isn't opening" thing. (Can you get it tracked?)
Regular air mail, you mean? Don't think so, no.
posted by mellifluous at 9:13 PM on December 22, 2009
Response by poster: It looks, actually, like getting the addressee to sign for an Xpresspost package is an additional charge, not a default part of the service. (See pg 7.)
posted by mellifluous at 9:18 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by mellifluous at 9:18 PM on December 22, 2009
Xpresspost does not require a signature upon receipt unless you specifically pay for that service.
posted by (alice) at 9:19 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by (alice) at 9:19 PM on December 22, 2009
Xpresspost also gives you a tracking number, so you could check to make sure it's getting there up until the 4th, and then in case things are going wrong you can send it guaranteed overnight.
I've sent important things via Xpresspost before and they usually quote me a day when it'll arrive, and I can't recall a time when it was late.
posted by dnesan at 9:21 PM on December 22, 2009
I've sent important things via Xpresspost before and they usually quote me a day when it'll arrive, and I can't recall a time when it was late.
posted by dnesan at 9:21 PM on December 22, 2009
Xpresspost does not require a signature upon receipt unless you specifically pay for that service.
My mistake. Sorry for ratcheting up the anxiety meter.
posted by hiteleven at 9:23 PM on December 22, 2009
My mistake. Sorry for ratcheting up the anxiety meter.
posted by hiteleven at 9:23 PM on December 22, 2009
This is what Fedex is for.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:26 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:26 PM on December 22, 2009
You might want to go back and check the requirements on your application. UCB, in my day, went by postmark for deadlines, so if your postmark is under the deadline you made it.
posted by effluvia at 9:27 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by effluvia at 9:27 PM on December 22, 2009
The destination and deadline are both conspicuously academic, so I'll wager that the letter is a supporting document for your graduate school application. Two years ago I had the sudden thought of applying there rather late in the year and called them with a similar question. Their response was that since it anyway took weeks to collect the various documents for each applicant into a dossier, they accepted anything that was postmarked by the deadline. In other words, if you sent it yesterday, you should be OK, even on the off chance that your letter arrives a day late. You might wish to call them to confirm.
Apologies if my suspicion was wrong.
posted by limon at 9:31 PM on December 22, 2009
Apologies if my suspicion was wrong.
posted by limon at 9:31 PM on December 22, 2009
I think it would take a major cataclysm to prevent arrival before January 6th, especially this time of year when they seem to have all available staff working and delivery is super-fast. I sent a parcel regular air mail last week from Toronto to San Diego and it got there in 4 business days. A parcel, mark you. You've got nothing to worry about. And I agree with limon on the postmark thing as well.
posted by Go Banana at 9:39 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by Go Banana at 9:39 PM on December 22, 2009
Is it something you could fax?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:54 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:54 PM on December 22, 2009
Response by poster: Chocolate Pickle: No, they're very clear about not wanting you to send it via any medium except the mail. (It is a 15-25 page writing sample, so getting that faxed over would be pretty irritating: Aren't faxes just one long page?)
And yeah, just to confirm what everyone has already figured out: It's for a grad school application.
posted by mellifluous at 9:57 PM on December 22, 2009
And yeah, just to confirm what everyone has already figured out: It's for a grad school application.
posted by mellifluous at 9:57 PM on December 22, 2009
Aren't faxes just one long page?
Maybe back in 1994 they were.
Nearly everyone now uses fax machines that take standard paper instead of that old thermal stuff. You may have one or two holdouts who use the old-school kind of fax, but I doubt that Berkeley would be that luddite.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:08 PM on December 22, 2009
Maybe back in 1994 they were.
Nearly everyone now uses fax machines that take standard paper instead of that old thermal stuff. You may have one or two holdouts who use the old-school kind of fax, but I doubt that Berkeley would be that luddite.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:08 PM on December 22, 2009
Also keep in mind that even though that particular office may be closed until Jan 6th, the University's central mail processing unit may be in operation earlier. It just might get recieved there and be delivered once the office reopens. I thnk you'll be fine.
But for the super paranoid, you might find a very willing mefite such as myself, who would be willing to print your document out and mail it to the school via US postal service priority mail for $5 usd in stamps.
posted by mrsshotglass at 4:06 AM on December 23, 2009
But for the super paranoid, you might find a very willing mefite such as myself, who would be willing to print your document out and mail it to the school via US postal service priority mail for $5 usd in stamps.
posted by mrsshotglass at 4:06 AM on December 23, 2009
I'm with Go Banana. Assuming everyone involved is taking the 24th and 25th and the 31st and 1st off, plus two Sundays, you've still got 8 business days. Assuming a day for sorting at your end and a day for delivery at their end, if it were going overland and the truck was only on the road for eight hours a day, it would still make it in time.
I can imagine scenarios where it doesn't make it, but they range from unlikely to ludicrous.
An easy test - recreate your package, put it in an outer envelope and send it to Toxic. If by the 30th he tells you it's on his desk, you can probably just have him throw the backup copy away and breath a sigh of relief, or have him rip off the outer envelope and throw it in a local mailbox if you want to have some redundancy. (This requires Toxic's cooperation. You will of course owe him a beer(TM).
If he hasn't seen your backup by the 4th, then you can still go the overnight route.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:46 AM on December 23, 2009
I can imagine scenarios where it doesn't make it, but they range from unlikely to ludicrous.
An easy test - recreate your package, put it in an outer envelope and send it to Toxic. If by the 30th he tells you it's on his desk, you can probably just have him throw the backup copy away and breath a sigh of relief, or have him rip off the outer envelope and throw it in a local mailbox if you want to have some redundancy. (This requires Toxic's cooperation. You will of course owe him a beer(TM).
If he hasn't seen your backup by the 4th, then you can still go the overnight route.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:46 AM on December 23, 2009
An easy test - recreate your package, put it in an outer envelope and send it to Toxic.
Mefi Mail me if you want to do this. I'll collect on my beer once you arrive in Berkeley in the Fall.
posted by toxic at 12:24 PM on December 24, 2009
Mefi Mail me if you want to do this. I'll collect on my beer once you arrive in Berkeley in the Fall.
posted by toxic at 12:24 PM on December 24, 2009
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posted by hiteleven at 8:27 PM on December 22, 2009