Rant - About the US Postal System

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Hard to think about tipping and giving "atta boys" when they don't deserve it, huh? That's like praising your dog for cr@pping all over the floor and chewing up your shoes!

 
Oh yeah, my mailman!

I ordered a heatpad for my $40 worth of cultures/supplies, and he drives up, (I'm sitting in my front yard) gets up, and gives me my package. Then I saw that it was open AND missing the heatpad. So I ask him where it is and he says he doesn't know. So then he's walking to his UPS truck and I see what he was sitting on:

my heatpad. :(

$27 worth of cultures dead. :(

<_< When I complain, she just shrugs!!!!! :angry: :angry: :angry:

 
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Oh yeah, my mailman's a fat @$$hole!

I ordered a heatpad for my $40 worth of cultures/supplies, and he drives up, (I'm sitting in my front yard) gets up, and gives me my package. Then I saw that it was open AND missing the heatpad. So I ask him where it is and he says he doesn't know. So then he's walking to his UPS truck and I see what he was sitting on:

my heatpad. :(

$27 worth of cultures dead. :(

<_< When I complain, she just shrugs!!!!! :angry: :angry: :angry:
That is an actual crime, :angry: only you can open your mail. Some of these postpeople need to learn some manners. Perhaps they need a good ole fashioned whoopin', they probably didn't get enough from their parents, :lol: .

 
Gee... I really feel for you. That's awful! I think I'd send that pic to the Postmaster General or someone higher up in the chain of command for Customer Service. Here is the contact information for complaints on the USPS website:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

<LI class=fontStyleK>

How do I file a complaint or get general assistance?

For general assistance or complaints, please contact us at 1-800-ASK-USPS or via email. Agents are available M-F 8am -8:30pm ET, Sat 8am - 6pm ET. Learn more >

---------------------------------------------------------------------

But I don't see an option to add an attachment (like your pic, which is truly revealing about the level of service you are getting from your mail carrier). I'm fortunate to have a wonderful mail carrier who always brings packages to the door and picks them up faithfully. He thinks my mantiskeeping hobby is really interesting, and is always asking me questions about it, and wondering what types of creepy crawlies he is delivering. His great attitude even withstood the torture he endured when I got a huge order of dead stinking BB fly maggots. He carried them around in his back seat for a few hours (before he got a regular mail truck), trying to figure out what the stench was.... and when he narrowed it down to my package, he said he had to put it in the trunk until he got to my house (in the afternoon). The poor guy endured this horrible stink all day, and still delivered them with a smile (maybe he was just so happy to finally get rid of them!) The only problem I sometimes have with him is he is so friendly and likes to hang about and talk... that sometimes it's hard to get away from him when you're just not in the mood for chit-chat. :p I sincerely hope your service gets better... by whatever method.

 
Carey is right, you don't tip jerks.

Also, Postal Employees DO NOT make a tipping wage.

That said, if the nature of your postal service makes you feel a tip is in order, go for it.

But to be clear, not tipping your letter carrier is very different from not tipping a waitstaff.

 
Thank you, Peter J F...that is my point EXACTLY. Postal employees are NOT like waiters or bell hops...mail carriers have a DUTY to perform their job with respect to those who are paying thier WAGES. They don't make less than minimum wage (unlike most waiters & such), they make much MORE and their level of "service" (if you can call it that) should reflect that. Now, if my carrier had consistently gone above and beyond, I most certainly would consider giving a small gratuity for the holidays, but...her subpar treatment of my mail has been constant since the day we moved in. She does NOT deliver packages to the door unless there is no way around it...and will even go so far as to sit in my DRIVEWAY, blaring the horn to try to get me to come out there & get the package from her! (So that she doesn't have to get off of her lazy buttox!) Now, she KNOWS I have a young child...am I supposed to leave my toddler unattended while I go racing out there to do her job FOR her? :blink:

Incidentally...y'all see that truck pulling out of the driveway? A neighbor who I'd previously only said "hi" to...he decided to stop & talk to me when he saw me snapping a pic of that nonsense and said, "Hey! She does that to you too, huh?" & proceeded to tell me all the stuff she'd done to them in the past, concluding with the most recent escapade of redelivering mail to them that belonged to someone else (after they'd already written "return to sender" clearly on the mail!) Maybe the postal service is now being "pc" in their efforts to employ illiterates, too? :blink: He ended with, "Yeah, she's a real dingbat." ...exactly my sentiments. So, no, I don't feel the least bit guilty in not "tipping" her for the holidays for such horrible service. I'll keep my hard-earned money, thanks! <_<

 
Thank you, Kat! I sent them a message using THEIR system, and requested an e-mail response, so that hopefully I can send them my pic as "evidence"...maybe after doing this a few times, it will sink in and I'll start seeing better service. Of course, likely not, and I'll end up in a pi$$ing contest with her until one of us waves the white flag! :eek: (Ain't going to be me...Hubby won't allow it!)

I know that she's unlikely to be replaced...what with the way the postal system works...but, we'll just have to see what comes of it, I guess!

 
Gee... I really feel for you. That's awful! I think I'd send that pic to the Postmaster General or someone higher up in the chain of command for Customer Service. Here is the contact information for complaints on the USPS website:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

<LI class=fontStyleK>

How do I file a complaint or get general assistance?

For general assistance or complaints, please contact us at 1-800-ASK-USPS or via email. Agents are available M-F 8am -8:30pm ET, Sat 8am - 6pm ET. Learn more >

---------------------------------------------------------------------

But I don't see an option to add an attachment (like your pic, which is truly revealing about the level of service you are getting from your mail carrier). I'm fortunate to have a wonderful mail carrier who always brings packages to the door and picks them up faithfully. He thinks my mantiskeeping hobby is really interesting, and is always asking me questions about it, and wondering what types of creepy crawlies he is delivering. His great attitude even withstood the torture he endured when I got a huge order of dead stinking BB fly maggots. He carried them around in his back seat for a few hours (before he got a regular mail truck), trying to figure out what the stench was.... and when he narrowed it down to my package, he said he had to put it in the trunk until he got to my house (in the afternoon). The poor guy endured this horrible stink all day, and still delivered them with a smile (maybe he was just so happy to finally get rid of them!) The only problem I sometimes have with him is he is so friendly and likes to hang about and talk... that sometimes it's hard to get away from him when you're just not in the mood for chit-chat. :p I sincerely hope your service gets better... by whatever method.
I sent a complaint... but I didn't take a pic :( And I have the feeling that since I was the one holding the package when I found it open, he'll make up some about how I opened it :mad: :no: :dots:

 
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Can you believe that? I want my money back :angry:
before I even start to talk about giving a tip, I want to post this before I eat my "way late" supper.

Rebecca, remember how my overnight package was a day late? you know, the fruitflys and houseflys?

well, you are entiteled to get the money back from the USPS. in fact, if you don't, then they will never improve their service.

oh, and since I payed for that overnight, it is customary to pass that charge back to the client...you know, me. :D

in fact, I tell anyone that lives in Ohio that if I ship to them with UPS overnight shipping, that it will take two days to get to them. since UPS ships right to Luisville KY and then the box never makes it to the truck on time to make it across the river....not even if it's a 10 min drive across the bridge, it wont make it to the truck on time.

so what do "I" do? I ###### a fit to the UPS rep on the phone demanding my money back. guess what? I get it every time. I then refund the customer their money for the shipping. thus making the customer ultra happy....well, ultra happy once they have their animal and the shipping turned out to be free for them. ^_^

I'm also not a fool. I pack up the reptile in an insulated box within an insulated box and a 40 hour heat pack durring the winter. I lose about $10 for shipping this way. you want to know how many HAPPY customers I have because I don't mind loosing a whole 10 bucks? you want to know how many repeat customers I have in Ohio? I don't even have enough fingers and toes.

Harry

 
Thank you, Kat! I sent them a message using THEIR system, and requested an e-mail response, so that hopefully I can send them my pic as "evidence"...maybe after doing this a few times, it will sink in and I'll start seeing better service. Of course, likely not, and I'll end up in a pi$$ing contest with her until one of us waves the white flag! :eek: (Ain't going to be me...Hubby won't allow it!)

I know that she's unlikely to be replaced...what with the way the postal system works...but, we'll just have to see what comes of it, I guess!
here is the USPS phone number in case you want it for the future...

1-800-222-1811

I called it when I wondered where my overnight package was from Rebecca after it wasn't even in my post office on day 2. it was they who stated that the shipper (rebecca) should file for a refund due to it not showing up on time.

oh, they said that just as I was getting the package and still said Rebecca can get a refund for the shipping.

btw, I would love to tell you what my local post office manager said on the phone when I asked her why it was late...but I would get a ban from this forum for using such language. :rolleyes:

Harry

edit: sorry I skiped a lot of posts when I replyed. I was hungry from not eating because I had to work late, then take care of my night time freaks that I love so much, and then give my mantids a quick misting because they didn't get their nightly mist, then ...well, you get the point. I was in a rush.

and yes Rebecca. I have done a lot of odd jobs. everything from a paperboy to a taxi driver. I never was a waiter who makes only 2 or 3 bucks and hour because it is customery in many states (but not everywhere...I think in Arizona you don't tip a waitress because they get a normal wage. ask Dr. Phil, he would know. oooops, I mean Phil. j/k bro. lol)

as a paper boy (folks, I was 12 years old at the time), I made 25 cents per week from each customer. if I did well, it would be nice if I got a tip from each person I delivered to. after all, I brought you a news paper on time in the rain, or snow, or deathly heat. for some, I may have sliped it under their door, or under their door mat, per request. if someone had their paper stolen or at least that was what I was told, I would have to deduct the 25 cents it cost for that news paper...and there goes my profit for the week from that person. not everyone tiped. but most did. some truly were greatful for the job I did for them and may have even given be a huge tip for that week.

it was more or less the same thing as a taxi driver. do a good job and be plesent to the customer and you get a tip. just do your job and nothing else and you didn't. be a jerk and you were lucky you got paid at all.

right now I work part time as a salesman. it's a union job. there is nothing wrong with unions. a union that I'm speaking of for the people who truly dont understand clearly is as webster's dictionary puts it " a confederation of independent individuals (as nations or persons) for some common purpose"...in this case, to protect the workers from abusive behavior and to insure that our rights or benifits actualy get inforsed. with out a union, I would be unemplyed right now regardless that I not only didn't do anything wrong, but I protected my store and protected my non union store manager from a violation of the law.

yet my store manager didn't like the fact that I had to work overtime in order to acomplish this task (with permition from the assitant store manager), and thus he went over budget for his monthly overtime quota. he ofcourse could not "write me up" for any wrong doing. he couldn't do much at all leagaly. yet he tried. he even witheld my pay for a month, and it took a union lawyer and a small amount of MY money to ensure that I finaly did get payed for services renderd.

but the differance between my job and the USPS is that in my store there is a checks and balances. there is the union workers and the corprite managers. in the case with the USPS, it's ALL union. so no checks and balances. file a complaint with a fellow union postal worker and the complant never goes anywhere because like the police...once you rat out your fellow cop, you are now an outsider and no longer "one of the boys".

so my dear sweet Green Oasis, I hate to say it, but you will be waisting your time. they don't give a rat's behind what your problem is. they realy don't.

Harry

 
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This thread is making my blood boil !!!One word "accountability" everyone in that office IS accountable to someone else.I use USPS solely for the convenience .I also wonder if there is a signature requirement do they still just drop it off ?Maybe the best thing you can do is make them feel uncomfortable.Shipping is one of those services that make us that ship on a regular basis "vulnerable".There are a few variations to their policies but if they include shipping certain cargo they do indeed have a legal obligation to do so.That office has a postmaster attached to it as well as the district .My postmaster knows who I am and what I'm shipping ( poison dart frogs) and have never knock on wood had an issue like this and I would not for a second allow this to continue !I would also indicated by your neighbors response that this is not a isolated occurrence purhaps a letter addressed to the "postmaster " with a few signatures would do the trick!Sorry to hear all this...........

 
Okay so I got a reply from them! I'll quote the "important" parts:

"Hello,

It has come to our attention that you had gotten some mistreated goods..... the employee was said to have opened/reopen/take out items.... we need more evidence that he tampered with it... you will not be refunded ....due to the number of complaints we're getting, he will have a new route, will be demoted to minimum wage, and those with evidence are planning to sue...."

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

WAHOO!!!!! YEAH!

:hammer: I'd like to see what happens in court :hang:

:sweatdrop: Now I'm gonna see who my new carrier is :devil2: :innocent:

 
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Okay so I got a reply from them! I'll quote the "important" parts:

"Hello,

It has come to our attention that you had gotten some mistreated goods..... the employee was said to have opened/reopen/take out items.... we need more evidence that he tampered with it... you will not be refunded ....due to the number of complaints we're getting, he will have a new route, will be demoted to minimum wage, and those with evidence are planning to sue...."

WAHOO!!!!! YEAH!

I'd like to see what happens in court

Now I'm gonna see who my new carrier is
Wow... did you just send your complaint yesterday? :eek: If so, that's amazing! Actually, it may just be the tip of the iceberg if they've received numerous other complaints about the same carrier. Best of luck with your new carrier!

This does illustrate the concept of "power in numbers." Even though a single complaint may not get very far... no business or employee (even those with union "protection") is immune or above an onslaught of complaints. GreenOasis, I'm hoping your complaint hits the mark. Maybe you could mention or discuss this with your newfound neighbor friend, and even other neighbors. Making a short 1/2 page flyer simply saying something like "Are you having problems with the level of service you receive from your postal carrier? If so, complaints can be made by calling 1-800-875-2777 or online at http://www.usps.com/...=Center_EmailUs." You could distribute the flyers around your neighborhood by putting them on doorsteps or wedged in the front door (don't put them in people's mailboxes... that's illegal). Just an idea! ;)

 
Wow... did you just send your complaint yesterday? :eek: If so, that's amazing! Actually, it may just be the tip of the iceberg if they've received numerous other complaints about the same carrier. Best of luck with your new carrier!

This does illustrate the concept of "power in numbers." Even though a single complaint may not get very far... no business or employee (even those with union "protection") is immune or above an onslaught of complaints. GreenOasis, I'm hoping your complaint hits the mark. Maybe you could mention or discuss this with your newfound neighbor friend, and even other neighbors. Making a short 1/2 page flyer simply saying something like "Are you having problems with the level of service you receive from your postal carrier? If so, complaints can be made by calling 1-800-875-2777 or online at http://www.usps.com/...=Center_EmailUs." You could distribute the flyers around your neighborhood by putting them on doorsteps or wedged in the front door (don't put them in people's mailboxes... that's illegal). Just an idea! ;)
Yep. The person was "having legal troubles" and "has had over 15 complaints in the past month" :D He apparently even got in a fight with my neighbor! lol :lol:

 
Unfortunately, this neighbor also informed me during our brief conversation that they are moving next week. So, doesn't look like I'd be getting much help there! :no:

 
as a union worker, it is NOT my job to protect a fellow union member if he breaks the law. nor is it the unions representitives. in fact, if I help protect him in some ways, I myself would be in violation of the law. all a union does is protect the "rights" of the indiviual worker if that said worker is being mistreated. such as, if I'm told that I can't go home on time or if they don't give me the required hours each week to work, or sick pay for when I'm home sick.

in my case, I was being mistreated and once a complaint was filed, my pay was terminated for a month. without a union, my benifits such as vacation time, sick pay, and minimum work hours per week would be gone tomorrow. in the case of state or fed union workers, their rights are protected agaenst the goverment from taking them away.

I'm only asying this because some people may think that unions are bad in general.

sorry if in speaking out of turn.

Harry

 
Well, I was checking my voicemail last night (for some odd reason I had *8* new ones! Darn kids stealing the phone for personal use!)...and I had a voicemail from the Claremore Postmaster! :eek:

Basically, he apologized profusely and said that "that sort of conduct is not tolerated by them" and that if I had ANY further issues with this carrier (or wished to discuss the matter any further), that I should give him a call & left his number. The guy sounded ancient in the voicemail, so I'm guessing/hoping he's got some good old-fashioned sensibility & morality. That will play in my favor if the carrier does act up again. ;) I had wondered, the other day, when she got out of her postal "truck" & hand-delivered my box, what was going on & was betting that she got a chewing over the whole thing! :D

Now, it could just be that the postmaster already has a "beef" with this particular carrier, but, hey, it can't hurt to try complaining! :p

 
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