David Harris, who runs an online motorcycle parts store, is complaining about mail delays.
ATLANTA — Small business owners in the Atlanta metropolitan area are concerned that problems at the Palmetto U.S. Mail distribution facility could permanently damage their company's reputation.
David Harris, who runs an online motorcycle parts store, is complaining about mail delays.
“Some of the content is a little sketchy and misleading, and it gives us a bad impression from a customer perspective,” he said Tuesday.
For more than a month, 11Alive has received overwhelming feedback from residents in the Atlanta metropolitan area about lost mail caused by the new processing facility.
Harris ships more than 2,000 packages a year to selling sites like eBay and Amazon, primarily using USPS due to cost. He added that he spends $20,000 a year on postage.
“This month alone, we received four pieces of terrible feedback directly related to shipping,” Harris said. “It not only hurts your bottom line, but it also makes you look bad, because some people look directly at seller reviews on eBay and Amazon, even if it's not your fault.”
Harris is just one of many business owners 11Alive has heard from dealing with similar issues.
Another said it took him 20 years to build a successful eBay business. Since February 20, the facility has not scanned 100% of shipments, and about half of them are still missing.
A CNN Business article notes that while large retailers have their own delivery networks or contract with carriers such as UPS or FedEx, small and medium-sized businesses are particularly vulnerable to other carriers refusing to deliver to them. I explained that in the region I live in, I use USPS because it is cheaper to ship orders to customers.
We contacted USPS on Tuesday requesting answers, an interview, and even a tour of the facility, but they responded via email again saying they had no further updates.
Harris said he could not wait forever for a solution and would look for other solutions.
“Right now, we are sending a lot of orders to our competitors because they are more reliable,” he said.
In a statement released last week, the Postal Service said it was making significant investments to improve its operations.
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