received Ping bat today!

[SoSauty]

Bakersfield, California, Zip 93308, mail route #806 May 13, 2009

In 2007, U.S. Postal Service was as anyone would expect it. One time, my church offering check got mixed in with the monthly bills and it was delivered to my church a few days later without a postage stamp!

Then during the Christmas mail crush of Dec. 2007, my 81 yr. old Dad mailed some frozen fish fillets from his local lake along with 10lbs of hand picked choice pecans halves. He visited the Dallas TX post office, they approved his shipment and did the packaging for him. It was shipped 2 day express but didn't arrive. Weeks later, I track it down at our local post office. They say, "We set it aside as a suspcious package." Of course by then, it was a stinking soggy mess. Yet they didn't inform me or know of its where abouts for over 2 weeks. Before that time, we had shipped frozen fillets to family numerous times without mishap.

June 2008, Wife and I head out of state to spend summer with her family (we're elementary school teachers with summers off). I filed the proper mail forwarding forms with the postal service. Three weeks later while trying to find out why mail wasn't being forwarded, I called my neighbor here in Bks, CA and they informed me that the kids on the street had been playing house in the pile of mail was piling up by our front door.

Well, that June I had to get a Dr.s' OK to return to work (heart issue). I took care of that on June 6, before leaving the state. Later in June, my school district sent a certified letter to my Bks home, stating I needed to have the Dr. to send a more detailed letter. Yet that notice was lost with the kids playing in it and I remained unaware. When I checked with my employer in July, they updated me, yet it was too late to get another appointment with my fully booked cardiologist. Because of the postal mishap, I wasn't permitted on campus to prepare before the start of the schoolyear and a substitute opened up my classroom for the 1st 2 weeks of school. Late in August they delivered the "late late" certified letter notice yet didn't know where the certified letter was.

Now, I have a signed ongoing OK from the postal service for them to leave parcels just inside my gate when I'm not home. Last Saturaday I get a notice stating they have an express package from China, yeah! my Ping battery should get here. I sign it and leave it pinned to the mailbox. Monday comes, no package. I call a postal superviser. He promises it'll be there on Tuesday. Tuesday I'm working in the front yard and the maillady comes by. I didn't print my name below the where a signature is required. (I teach 4th grade cursive writing and get lots of compliments on how very neat my handwriting is; signature is legible). So, I print my name and she says, "You're package will be delivered tomorrow Mr. Wagoner." I call the sup again and explained the parcel wasn't delivered and why. He says he'll locate it and call me back, gets my phone number. Of course, he didn't call back. I suspect he couldn't locate it because "It's a suspcious package"
http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/the-48V-LiFePO4-Battery-Packs/Categories
Are Ping LifePo batteries legit in U.S. Postal?

 

[gogo]

I would assume the post office wouldn't know anything about it if it hadn't cleared customs. I'm pretty sure it should be ok with the USPS as an item. But duct tape'd batteries would look suspicious enough if opened or x-rayed.

I found out that if you can talk directly to your regular mail carrier about your service, you should. Any request form you fill out and turn in to the post office is supposed to end up with them eventually anyway. Maybe see what your regular carrier can find out about it.

 

[JinbaIttai]

I've wondered what would happen if I locked my bike up at a mall and brought my ping packed inside my backpack. I think the only way to prove to a questioning security guard that a ping is not a bomb would be to plug it in and ride away.

It does look pretty questionable to clueless people, such as security guards or the US postal service.

 

[needWheels]

I've read reports across the web that some post offices are completely laid back and hassle free and then there are some that are completely insane in how they handle things. I don't know why.

You can google around a bit and see and possible get some solutions.

some ideas off the top of my head for what they are worth:

print out the ebay auction to show what it is - print out the list of others for sale to show that people buy these all the time - keep it in your pocket to show them if it goes that far, I wouldn't start off with it

I don't know if this will help at all is you can say - hey FEDERAL CUSTOMS approved this after inspecting it for a few days, why isn't that good enough for you on a local level? If you've lived in the town for many years point out how long you've been a resident without a problem like that.

Make sure you don't get too technical with them, it's like talking to a cop, never explain more than you have to because if you give them enough rope they will try to hang you eventually for whatever they can invent. Just keep saying "it's only a battery". At least that's what I would do.

Only thing I would really worry about is if they have confiscation laws and someone there has an eye on it for themselves and is corrupt (do NOT actually accuse them of that, it won't go over well!!!)

 

[Ypedal]

As long as it don't leak, stink, smoke, or otherwise stick out like a sore thumb from a pile of boxes, the PO likely don't give a crap what's inside. If it had an " accident " and was set aside, they may look more closely and then the problems start.. but best thing to do is get a tracking number and check it's status. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

.

 

[SoSauty]

Yeah, yeah, I know, I jumped the gun, yet with their delivery history, I have a right to be paranoid Two mail ladies showed up in delivery van, had me sign for the package again, smiled, apologized and handed me a triple packaged Ping battery. You could've thown the box off the roof of my house and not hurt it

I have an idea of how I want to hook it up, yet am cautious enough to ask over on technical.

Appreciate all the sensible replies.

PS The present 8.2ah 36V Lith-ion-mg battery from ItsElectric.ca, after 3,000 miles, still powers like new.