HOUSTON – After numerous reported problems, KPRC 2 is putting the U.S. Postal Service to the test.
On Friday, February 2, at 5:00 p.m., KPRC 2 Re’Chelle Turner mailed out packages containing AirTags to two of our sister stations across the country, and we are tracking them in real-time to see how long it takes for the deliveries to reach their intended destinations. You can track them with us, using the interactive map below. The first package was shipped to KSAT in San Antonio and the second package was mailed to WDIV in Detroit. The USPS indicated that both packages would arrive at their respective destination on Monday, February 5, by 9 p.m.. Now, the USPS indicates the packages will arrive by Thursday, February 8, by 5:50 p.m.. So where are they right now? Zoom in, zoom out, pan over, see for yourself in the map below!
Throughout the journey, you can check back on their progress on the INTERACTIVE MAP below:
UPDATE: Mixed messages in Detroit
February 9, 2024 @ 9:33 a.m. We’re getting mixed messages from our package in Detroit. The USPS tracking system indicates the package was picked up by the customer at 7:29 a.m. However, our AirTag indicates that the package is still at the distribution center. KPRC 2 Re’Chelle Turner is making calls to find out the whereabouts of our experiment.
Meantime, we have a brand-new experiment underway. Our colleagues at KSAT unboxed the package and they mailed it back to KPRC. Follow the return trip, here.
UPDATE: You’ve got mail!
February 8, 2024 @ 11:22 a.m. Breaking news. KSAT as received their package! The package headed for WDIV in Detroit remains at a Post Office.
UPDATE: Almost there!
February 8, 2024 @ 9:45 a.m. The package headed for San Antonio is now in San Antonio. It ‘pings’ to a location around the corner from its destination. Meanwhile, the package destined for WDIV in Detroit is still waiting for delivery at a post office in Detroit.
Also overnight, the USPS revised the scheduled delivery. Originally it was Monday by 9 p.m. Now it is Thursday by 4:10 p.m. and Thursday by 5:50 p.m.
UPDATE: New pings coming in fast and furious!
February 7, 2024 @ 3:27 p.m. This just in, the package headed for WDIV in Detroit has just ‘pinged’ to a new destination. The package is now in Pontiac, Michigan. If you look at the map, that’s about 30 minutes north of WDIV. The package traveled through the city of Detroit to get to Pontiac. We suspect the package is at a distribution center awaiting its final trip, which will be back south to Detroit.
UPDATE: Packages nearing destinations.
February 7, 2024 @ 3:00 p.m. The package headed for KSAT in San Antonio remains in a USPS facility in San Antonio. Meantime, the package going to Detroit, is currently in Erie, Michigan.
UPDATE: Out of state.
February 6, 2024 @ 2:30 p.m. Our tracker now shows our San Antonio package made a trip to Dallas last night, and then to the Irving Distribution Center where it’s been for a few hours now. As for the package headed to Detroit, it’s made its way up north and is outside the Texas-Arkansas state line in Texarkana.
Video UPDATE from Re’Chelle Turner
February 6, 2024 @ 10:51 a.m.
UPDATE: Late and taking a detour.
February 6, 2024 @ 8:06 a.m. The packages were scheduled to arrive last night by 9:00 p.m. Currently, the package destined for Detroit is still at the North Houston Distribution Center. Meanwhile, the package destined for San Antonio went on a road trip overnight. The package made a stop in Dallas, and currently, it is ‘pinging’ from the Distribution Center in Irving. Fortunately, there is nothing of significant value in our packages. However, we’ve heard from you, and your packages containing passports, medicine, and checks have been delayed.
UPDATE: We have an update!
February 5, 2024 @ 2:15 p.m. If you’re closely following our experiment, you already know we are tracking the packages and the Airtags, around the clock. The Airtags are not updating as frequently as we hoped. Instead, we get a new ‘ping’ approximately every two to three hours. ‘This just in, we just got a new ping!’ KPRC 2 Re’Chelle Turner and Executive Producer Debbie Strauss announced to the newsroom. All eyes were on Turner and Strauss for the big news. Would the packages make it to their destinations on time?!? The big update: as of 2:15 p.m. both packages are still at the North Houston USPS distribution center. Womp. Womp.
UPDATE: Watching and waiting.
February 5, 2024 @ 12:33 p.m. We are watching and waiting to see when the packages will leave the North Houston Distribution Center.
KPRC 2 Debbie
KPRC 2 Re’Chelle Turner putting the Post Office to the test. Follow along LIVE with our interactive map.
Our Airtags have not updated since 11:04 a.m.. However the USPS has updated the shipping information. The current status is now: IN TRANSIT FROM ORIGIN PROCESSING.
UPDATE: It’s the big day! 14 hours to go!
February 5, 2024 @ 7:30 a.m. It’s t-minus 13.5 hours and counting until the packages are scheduled to arrive in San Antonio and Detroit. Since Saturday evening, both packages have been parked at the North Houston Postal Facility.
UPDATE: Still in North Houston.
February 4, 2024 @ 4:47 p.m. Both packages are still tracking to the USPS facility in North Houston. We are using AirTags to track the packages. We are also following any updates from the USPS Tracking number. As of this update, the USPS Tracking has not changed. The message indicates: Accepted | USPS in possession of item. The expected delivery date is still Monday, February 5 by 9:00 p.m.
UPDATE: This is not what we expected. Similar to a second-grade science fair project, we’re learning new things, however, this research won’t be published in a peer-reviewed science journal anytime soon.
February 4, 2024 @ 11:05 a.m. We have to admit, this is not what we expected when we launched this project. Both packages are back at the North Houston USPS facility, WE THINK. The trackers that we placed inside the packages are not updating their locations as frequently as we hoped. We are getting updates approximately every two to three hours. Last night, just after we published our previous update, the package destined for WDIV/Detroit was on the move. We tracked it to the Sam Houston Tollway near Bellaire Blvd. Then, just after midnight, we tracked that package to the North Houston USPS facility. By 6:27 a.m. we received confirmation that the package headed for KSAT/San Antonio was also now at the North Houston USPS facility.
If you continue reading this blog, you’ll see that’s the second time both these packages have spent the night at the North Houston USPS facility.
Viewer comment:
UPDATE: Almost 24 hours later, the two packages remain in the same location. This has happened to you, too.
February 3, 2024 @ 9:50 p.m. Thanks to everyone for checking out the interactive map, this blog and commenting below. We’ve also received quite a few emails today, indicating you’ve experienced something similar with your deliveries.
“I do not think this is isolated to one facility in Houston. [I] have tracking history of a package that left Fort Worth for Cypress and went to Georgia, then shuffled back and forth between three different locations in Alabama, then back to Dallas, then to North Houston, then to Cypress, then back to North Houston before I received it.” - Mike G.
Thanks, Mike G., for the email. We’ll continue to track the two packages in our experiment. We still have a couple of days until the scheduled delivery of February 5 by 9:00 p.m.
UPDATE: This is a no-update, update. The two packages have not moved.
February 3, 2024 @ 5:01 p.m. At this point, the packages appear to be night owls. The packages were busy touring greater Houston, late into the night on Friday. But, on Saturday, for the past 17 hours and 45 minutes the packages have not moved since arriving in Missouri City.
UPDATE: Both packages spent the night circling the city, only to return just miles away from the original drop-off.
February 3, 2024 @ 10:30 a.m. - Both packages were dropped off by 5 p.m. at a post office in southwest Houston on Friday, February 2. By 7:30 p.m. both packages were in transit. At 9:30 p.m. the packages were tracked to the USPS facility in North Houston. We thought the journey was finished for the evening. However, by 10:05 p.m. they were on the move, again, headed back south. At 11:15 p.m. the packages were tracked to Missouri City. As of Saturday, February 3, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. the packages have remained at the Missouri City location.
Mail delays have been a big problem in the Houston area recently. Two facilities in the area, a sorting facility in Missouri City and the North Houston USPS Distribution Center, are experiencing problems that are significantly delaying mail and packages getting to people.
KPRC 2 has received a new letter sent to the Houston congressional delegation from Peter Pastre, the Vice President of Government Relations at USPS regarding the mail delays. He said the reason for the backlog is that the postal service is in the process of modernizing its mail system as well as other issues.
“I am writing to you regarding the ongoing concerns of members of the Texas congressional delegation regarding recent mail processing challenges in the Houston area. The Postal Service has received multiple inquiries from members of Congress regarding delays their constituents are experiencing. While we have endeavored to respond to these inquiries with the best available information, local and national management continues to identify additional factors that require additional attention. This letter is intended to provide you with the most up-to-date information on our ongoing efforts to restore the level of service our customers expect. There were several causes to the delays in Houston – some were in our control, and some were not. The confluence of them, however, coupled with higher package volume, resulted in the problems that we have been working diligently to fix.
First, there were very disappointing employee attendance issues, which were not appropriately and immediately addressed by management. That is being corrected. We also installed new sorting equipment to add capacity at the facility, and as can happen with any new machines, there were equipment and transition failures that needed to be addressed. Those equipment failures contributed further to backups in processing on our docks. Finally, the region was also hit with several winter storms, which exacerbated the impacts of some of the other issues described above, and which always impact our operations (and every other transportation and logistics company) since we can’t move our products across our network in severe weather. As we mentioned previously, we dispatched additional resources to fix all of the issues in our control: people, machines, and processes. The situation in Houston is meaningfully improved from conditions a couple weeks ago, and while there are still issues and delays they are being tightly managed. It has the attention of postal leadership at the highest levels. As we continue to work through these challenges, we will provide your offices with additional updates.”
See more on our mail delay coverage below: