U.S. Postal Service Delivers Record-Breaking Performance

Post Offices in San Diego and San Bernardino match national scores

SAN DIEGO, CA — Post Offices in San Diego and San Bernardino matched the national record-breaking on-time performance scores for the delivery of First-Class Mail. The national score set a new record for the highest level of service during the third quarter of fiscal year 2008.

Nationally, overnight delivery service climbed a full percentage point from the previous fiscal quarter, reaching an average of 97 percent on-time delivery. San Diego and San Bernardino achieved this record-breaking performance in the second quarter when it surpassed the national score and matched the national score in the third quarter.

The third quarter covers April, May and June 2008.

Since 1990, the Postal Service has contracted with an independent agency to measure First-Class Mail service performance independently and objectively.

First-Class Mail performance is measured independently by IBM Global Business Services. The review measures First-Class Mail from the time it is deposited into a collection box or lobby mail chute until it is delivered to a home or business.

“We are committed to providing our customers with the level of service they have come to expect. Our scores remain strong and we’ll continue striving to make them even better,” said District Manager John E. Platt. “Now, more than ever, our customers can count on the Postal Service to meet their shipping and mailing needs.”

Since May, prices for Express Mail, the U.S. Postal Service’s premier overnight service, are lower at the weights and in the delivery zones used by most customers. The U.S. Postal Service also offers price incentives for both Express Mail and Priority Mail, its two- to three-day shipping service. Online users and commercial Priority Mail customers will see lower prices, while high-volume Express Mail shippers will get quarterly rebates and price reductions.

San Diego and San Bernardino exceeded the national score for the on-time delivery of First-Class Mail to 2-day delivery areas and matched it to 3-day delivery areas. Service standards range from overnight to three days depending on the distance from the originating city.

2-day delivery: National service 95 percent on time. Local 97 percent on-time
3-day delivery: National service 94 percent on time. Local 94 percent on-time.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.