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Express mail

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In most postal systems Express mail refers to an accelerated delivery service for which the customer pays a surcharge and receives faster delivery. Express Mail Service (EMS) is an international express postal service offered by postal-administration members of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The UPU, a specialized agency of the United Nations, promotes the harmonization and development of postal services worldwide. Currently EMS is offered by more than 190 countries' postal authorities and an integral part of their normal postal services. An independant auditor measures the express delivery performance of all international EMS operators and the each member is awarded a Gold, Silver and Bronze certificate depending on their performance for al year and these countries are recorded in the EMS Cooperative's Hall of Fame.[1]

Express mail in the USA

USPS, United States Postal Service, offers EMS but calls the service Global Express[2], which is commonly confused with their service called Express Mail.

Express Mail is a specific classification of mail for domestic accelerated postal delivery of the USPS. It is a money-back guaranteed overnight to 2-day service offering, tracking, proof of delivery, and insurance up to $100. Items shipped using this service can be delivered within the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia within 1 to 2 business days.

One advantage of Express Mail is that USPS will deliver 365 days a year, including Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays at no additional charge to some locations. USPS competitors charge for delivering on anything other then a weekday. This however is not always the rule, and USPS does not offer an automated way of checking delivery commitments. They have a 800-number but cannot track their mail online.

An alleged complaint about Express Mail is that USPS is notorious for delivering late. Competitors guarantees overnight delivery by as early as 8:30AM. USPS does not guarantee the delivery time, and frequently requires more then one day to deliver.

Another issue with Express mail is that USPS does not offer the same level of monitoring for the delivery. Express mail tracking is updated only once per night. Additionally there are no status updates between time of shipment and time of delivery. Competitors usually offer sites that allow shippers and recipients to view their shipments while they are in transit. UPS, DHL and FedEx can send an email to your work or cell phone when the item is on their driver's truck for delivery. This status update lets recipients know their shipment will be delivered within a few hours.

Other express mail providers

Many transportation logistics firms offer similar accelerated services. UPS, DHL and FedEx are the most popular alternatives. Those carriers offer even faster delivery with their Early AM delivery services.

Other transportation logistics providers include:

References

  1. ^ http://www.ems.coop/site/Main.php?Oid=299&PHPSESSID=a79f97f4b677b541f4f565311ce5e24a (visited July 1, 2006)
  2. ^ http://pe.usps.gov/text/Imm/immc2_015.html#vnameref_1 (visited July 1, 2006)

See also


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