[geeks] US Post Office Website broken again

[Shannon Hendrix]

I use the US Post Office online site to ship things a lot.

Over the last 5 years the password system has failed over and over.

It's really annoying.

Usually this is what happens:

I sign-in, using a password database that uses the same login and  
password for weeks or months, and then one day it gets rejected.

If you keep trying, you get an error of "Max invalid passwords exeeded".

Here lies the first USPS.GOV bug: the number of invalid attempts seems  
to be random.  I have gotten that message after *ONE* failed login at  
times, while other times I could try a dozen times before seeing it.

Customer service is *USELESS*.  They go over clearing your browser  
cache and all kinds of things that have nothing to do with their  
server end problem, and eventually I become homicidal and have to hang  
up.

So, even though I have not forgotten my password, I click the link to  
say I have so I can fix this myself.

The website asks for my mother's maiden name.  I enter that and they  
reject it.  I always capitalize that entry.  All lowercase works.   
I've tried to get this changed several times, but it always ends up  
all lowercase.

I get a temporary password in email, all numbers.  It works, and  
immediately takes me to a page where I must enter a new password.  I  
enter one with automatic software that fits their rules.  It rejects  
it.  They say at least 1 lower, 1 upper, and 1 number, but there are  
several examples of valid passwords they'll reject.  For example, they  
rejected a manually typed 2MILES2Go.  That fits their rules, but they  
rejected it.  Reverse that to 2miles2gO, and that works.  Go figure.

So I enter a password that complies and it works.  I am taken to the  
login screen.

Enter the new password, and it rejects it.  Enter again, rejected, and  
I have exceeded maximum password tries.  This week the limit appears  
to be two tries.

On a hunch I enter the temporary password they give me.  It works, and  
naturally it takes me back to the new password page.  Repeat cycle.

Every time I try to login now, it either fails or tells me I've  
exceeded the retries.  Customer service remains useless and refuses to  
see this as a problem with their site.

In April 2009 this happened, that was the last time.  In that case I  
waited until the next day and guess what?  Yep, my old login started  
working again, with the temporary and new password just silently  
disappearing.

In late 2008 this happened, and it took about 8 hours, and the old one  
started working again.

In September 2008 this happened, and after two full days, the new  
password started working instead of the old one.

So I'm sitting here right now and I need to use this website, and I  
have no idea how to do so.

Tomorrow my old password might start working again, or the new one  
might.  I have no idea.

Two years ago, I had to wait almost 9 days before magically my old  
password started working again.

How hard is it to get a password system that works?

I won't even go into their brain-dead print system, where they take a  
standard PDF file and wrap it in an idiotic download JS monstrosity  
instead of just giving you download link and letting your browser  
handle it as you wish.

NOTE: to those who I've promised to ship some things to, I'll drive to  
the post office if this doesn't start working again by tomorrow.





-- 
"Where some they sell their dreams for small desires."