$14.50 to pick up my mail ??!!? bogus, or not?
Ohioguy
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/3690/postald.jpg
I grew up on a rural route in NW Ohio. I remember being able to
easily put a package in the mailbox and get it picked up with no
problems or hassles. (this through mid 90's anyway, when I moved away)
Then I moved to the city. Things went ok there until some fool sent
bombs, white powder or something through the mail, and then they always
wanted you to DRIVE to the post office to mail just about anything a
pound or more.
Later, when Paypal added the ability to log in and print a mailing
label with delivery confirmation, I was overjoyed. Finally people
couldn't bug me about the 1 pound rule any more, because there were no
stamps on the package - just digital postage. It had all the origin
info and everything stamped right on there with a barcode, so no need
for me to walk in to a post office.
Now, I can sort of understand why they don't want the city carriers
to have to pick up larger packages - they park their cars, and then walk
2 or 3 blocks picking things up and doing deliveries. They aren't
equipped for picking up a lot of packages and carrying them long
distance. However, the rural carriers are right in their truck. They
have plenty of space, and just throw any packages in the back. They
don't have to walk all over the place for blocks carrying it.
The letter claims that after buying the digital postage online, I
also need to:
A) call their 800 #
or
B) get on their website and inform them that a package will be ready for
pickup
or
C) pay them a $14.50 fee
This letter bothers me on SO MANY levels:
1) I grew up on 'Rural Route 2', WAY out in the boonies, and nobody ever
mentioned anything like this. In fact, I can't find anything about a
$14.50 fee for rural pickup anywhere when doing a search online. It is
like they made it up out of thin air.
2) The letter assumes that I have a telephone or Internet access. Last
time I checked, I thought that the postal service relied on sending
physical packages, and not on someone having e-mail, telephone or
Internet. As such, it certainly seems that there should not be an extra
fee for anyone who doesn't happen to have those conveniences. Sure, I
do happen to have them in this case, but there are those who do not, and
they should not be penalized.
3) From what they are implying, they seem to be saying that I'm supposed
to inform them a day ahead of time that a package will be put in the
mailbox THE NEXT DAY for pickup. Sorry, but doing that would add a full
day to the delivery of most packages that I send out. That is a
ridiculous delay for packages when I'm paying extra to get them places
in 2 or 3 days - adding as much as 50% to the delivery time.
4) I should not have to inform ANYONE other than the person I'm sending
a package to that I'm mailing their package. Having to call someone
else up and tell them seems like an invasion of privacy to me, and an
unnecessary layer of red tape. A mail carrier is already sticking their
hand in my mailbox with letters and ads - it doesn't seem like too much
trouble to grab a package on the way out as well.
5) When I purchase the digital postage online, doesn't the USPS system
already get "informed" that I have purchased the postage, that the
package is being mailed, and the info on the delivery confirmation #?
It would seem to me to be a very, very easy thing to do to have the
system forward this info on to whatever carrier handles the route that
would be picking up said package. Why should it be MY job to give them
this info a second time, when they should already have it? Update your
damn software!
Imagine if gas stations were run this way. 'Oh, sorry, you should
have planned ahead and called us *YESTERDAY* to let us know you needed
gas. Since you didn't, there will be an extra $15 surcharge to fill up
your tank today, on the spur of the moment.'
I needed to blow off some steam over this, obviously. I mail things
out maybe 2 or 3 times a month. I'm on dialup, and I'm definitely not
going to spend an extra 15 minutes logging on and informing their system
about a package every time. I'm not going to call an 800# and wait on
hold or navigate a voice prompt. I'm certainly not going to pay some
$14.50 fee, either.
I really think what they are asking is unnecessary, and I'm still
wondering if this $14.50 fee is bogus. Have any of you ever encountered
such a thing?
Thanks!
Napoleon
> Today I got this letter from the local postmaster:
>http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/3690/postald.jpg
> I grew up on a rural route in NW Ohio. I remember being able to
>easily put a package in the mailbox and get it picked up with no
>problems or hassles. (this through mid 90's anyway, when I moved away)
Bah, hah. I just had to laugh. You see, things have changed. You can't
just expect the postal service to pick up your mail or packages for
free! I'm sure!
At least in my case, the postal service refuses to deliver my mail
more than twice a week, and I live in the city. I think my drugged-out
incompetent postal woman stores tons and tons of people's mail in her
basement. She is the laziest postal employee I've ever seen and that's
saying something since the Post office is the laziest pseudo
government agency out there.
Sorry I have no answer for you. It seems we are required to do
everyone else's jobs nowadays. Hence, all the self-checkouts (which I
refuse to use). Remember when people pumped your gas, checked out and
BAGGED your groceries, and delivered and picked up your mail? Oh it
was so long ago. Welcome to America.
Mrs Irish Mike
> Today I got this letter from the local postmaster:http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/3690/postald.jpg
>
> I grew up on a rural route in NW Ohio. I remember being able to
> easily put a package in the mailbox and get it picked up with no
> problems or hassles. (this through mid 90's anyway, when I moved away)
>
> Then I moved to the city. Things went ok there until some fool sent
> bombs, white powder or something through the mail, and then they always
> wanted you to DRIVE to the post office to mail just about anything a
> pound or more.
>
> Later, when Paypal added the ability to log in and print a mailing
> label with delivery confirmation, I was overjoyed. Finally people
> couldn't bug me about the 1 pound rule any more, because there were no
> stamps on the package - just digital postage. It had all the origin
> info and everything stamped right on there with a barcode, so no need
> for me to walk in to a post office.
>
> Now, I can sort of understand why they don't want the city carriers
> to have to pick up larger packages - they park their cars, and then walk
> 2 or 3 blocks picking things up and doing deliveries. They aren't
> equipped for picking up a lot of packages and carrying them long
> distance. However, the rural carriers are right in their truck. They
> have plenty of space, and just throw any packages in the back. They
> don't have to walk all over the place for blocks carrying it.
>
So you want special rules for you because...? Because you live in the
boonies and you're special? Make a special appointment with your
Congressperson and have him intoduce a special bill that addresses
your special needs.
The problem isn't having to do other peoples' jobs, the problem
arises when you try to do the job of another person.
> Thanks!
You're Fucking Welcome
Ohioguy
>boonies and you're special? Make a special appointment with your
>Congressperson and have him intoduce a special bill that addresses
>your special needs.
No, I don't want any special rules. However, I would like to be able
to verify what they are saying about a $14.50 rural delivery fee, and I
wasn't able to bring this up in any of my online searches.
I am, in fact, starting to wonder if they completely made this up
simply because the mail carrier DOESN'T LIKE to pick up packages when
delivering the mail. Common sense dictates that if the mailman is in a
truck, it is a lot easier, and EXPECTED, for them to simply grab
outgoing mail.
Besides, I don't particularly live in the 'boonies'. While a rural
route may service us, I live inside the city limits, in a housing
development with more than 200 homes.
So no, I'm not asking for special rules. What I'm asking for is
common sense to be applied.
The Henchman
> Sorry I have no answer for you. It seems we are required to do
> everyone else's jobs nowadays. Hence, all the self-checkouts (which I
> refuse to use). Remember when people pumped your gas, checked out and
> BAGGED your groceries, and delivered and picked up your mail? Oh it
> was so long ago. Welcome to America.
Oddly enuf they got rid of self checkouts at the walmart near my work. It's
a 190 000 square foot building. They had 10 self checkouts and all of them
are now gone. Theft, inability of customers to work the machines and the
cost of maintence on the machines.
The Real Bev
>> Sorry I have no answer for you. It seems we are required to do
>> everyone else's jobs nowadays. Hence, all the self-checkouts (which I
>> refuse to use). Remember when people pumped your gas, checked out and
>> BAGGED your groceries, and delivered and picked up your mail? Oh it
>> was so long ago. Welcome to America.
I don't have a problem with that. I haven't had anybody pump my gas for
a LONG time, but checkers and mailpersons are still around. Not that
that's a big advantage, of course. Bills, junk mail and the occasional
mail-order package. I generally perfer NOT to pay other people to do
something I'm perfectly capable of doing.
> Oddly enuf they got rid of self checkouts at the walmart near my work. It's
> a 190 000 square foot building. They had 10 self checkouts and all of them
> are now gone. Theft, inability of customers to work the machines and the
> cost of maintence on the machines.
I like the self-checkouts providing everything has the proper barcode.
There's rarely a line when the human-checked lines are four deep. The
surveys I fill out frequently have a question of the form "Does
<something> make you feel like a smart shopper?" Mostly the answer is
"not especially, I'm ALWAYS a smart shopper" but they never give that as
an option. I DO feel like a smart shopper when I sail through the
self-checkout and sneer at the people still waiting in the checkout
lines, though :-)
--
Cheers, Bev
===================================================
"I love deadlines... especially the whooshing sound
they make as they go by." -Douglas Adams
Rod Speed
> On 07/01/10 18:27, The Henchman wrote:
>
>>> Sorry I have no answer for you. It seems we are required to do
>>> everyone else's jobs nowadays. Hence, all the self-checkouts
>>> (which I refuse to use). Remember when people pumped your gas,
>>> checked out and BAGGED your groceries, and delivered and picked up
>>> your mail? Oh it was so long ago. Welcome to America.
>
> I don't have a problem with that. I haven't had anybody pump my gas
> for a LONG time, but checkers and mailpersons are still around. Not
> that that's a big advantage, of course. Bills, junk mail and the
> occasional mail-order package. I generally perfer NOT to pay other
> people to do something I'm perfectly capable of doing.
>
>> Oddly enuf they got rid of self checkouts at the walmart near my
>> work. It's a 190 000 square foot building. They had 10 self
>> checkouts and all of them are now gone. Theft, inability of
>> customers to work the machines and the cost of maintence on the
>> machines.
> I like the self-checkouts
Yeah, me too.
> providing everything has the proper barcode.
You cant cheat with the stuff that doesnt, like fresh fruit and
veg etc, by say selecting much cheaper lemons instead of
limes and pleading ignorance/accident if you get caught.
Even easier with stuff like potatoes to select the cheapest
variety when you have bought the most expensive.
> There's rarely a line when the human-checked lines are four deep.
I hardly ever have to wait at all with the self checkouts.
> The surveys I fill out frequently have a question of the form "Does <something> make you feel like a smart shopper?"
> Mostly the answer is "not especially, I'm ALWAYS a smart shopper" but they never give that as an option.
They dont want to give you a big head, if they
did, the horned helmet wouldnt fit anymore and
you'd be sure to molotov their operation again.
> I DO feel like a smart shopper when I sail through the self-checkout and sneer at the people still waiting in the
> checkout lines, though :-)
Yeah, me too. Tho they are surprisingly popular.
Millhaven
I do not like self-checkout. If I wanted to mess around with those
things I would have applied to work at grocery stores.
What really pissed me off a few months ago was when I went to the
grocery store and the one regular check out open had a line about as
long as Space Mountain with everyone with a totally packed basket with
the rest of the store staff at the self-checkout lines to "help"
people check themselves out. I tossed the ice cream back in the
freezer and left the basket and bailed. I now live in a nice
neighborhood with a Trader Joe's, S&F and a few indy & ethnic grocers
so I rarely have to bother with the large chains.
Ohioguy
6.3.3 Fee Not Charged
The customer is not charged for:
a. A scheduled Pickup on Demand that is canceled as required.
b. An on-call Pickup on Demand that is canceled before the USPS employee
is dispatched for the pickup.
c. A pickup that occurs as part of a regularly scheduled delivery or
collection stop.
Aha! Note c above. Whenever I mail anything, the pickup is done as
part of a regularly scheduled delivery of mail at my mailbox. It is
extremely rare, happening only perhaps once or twice a year, that there
is not at least some junk mail that is being delivered.
So, according to the post office, "customer is not charged". This
means that there should be no fee when they pick my package up as part
of a regular delivery or collection stop - in other words, when they
stop at my mailbox.
Am I reading that right? If so, I think I need to send a letter with
the relevant info to my local postmaster.....
rvanson
What else did they expect? Walmart shoppers, most of whom dont even
have a GED, are going to use something as simple as a self-checkout
machine?
It just proves how stupid most humans are.
Lou
"rvanson" <rva...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fbch469k5ikrqrq4c...@4ax.com...
Talk about jumping to conclusions. Maybe most people don't use the machines
because they realize it would eliminate jobs.
The Real Bev
> "rvanson"<rva...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> "The Henchman"<y...@yup.org> wrote:
>>
>>>> Sorry I have no answer for you. It seems we are required to do
>>>> everyone else's jobs nowadays. Hence, all the self-checkouts
>>>> (which I refuse to use). Remember when people pumped your gas,
>>>> checked out and BAGGED your groceries, and delivered and
>>>> picked up your mail? Oh it was so long ago. Welcome to
>>>> America.
>>>
>>> Oddly enuf they got rid of self checkouts at the walmart near my
>>> work. It's a 190 000 square foot building. They had 10 self
>>> checkouts and all of them are now gone. Theft, inability of
>>> customers to work the machines and the cost of maintence on the
>>> machines.
>>
>> What else did they expect? Walmart shoppers, most of whom dont
>> even have a GED, are going to use something as simple as a
>> self-checkout machine?
>>
>> It just proves how stupid most humans are.
>
> Talk about jumping to conclusions. Maybe most people don't use the
> machines because they realize it would eliminate jobs.
Hardly relevant and pretty unlikely. I prefer the machines unless I
have LOTS of the same item (the human checker is faster). Then it's a
tradeoff between the number of people in line at the regular checkstands
and the nuisance of having to repeatedly pass the same item over the
sensor until it finally gets read and listening to the simpy woman's
voice giving instructions. I want Darth Vader or Mistress Helga, not
Pollyanna.
--
Cheers, Bev
================================================================
"Everything sucks; reverse the wires and everything will blow."
-- Desert Ed
rvanson
The internet has eliminated jobs. Most people are too lazy to check
thier groceries.
Clams
>>
>>Talk about jumping to conclusions. Maybe most people don't use the machines
>>because they realize it would eliminate jobs.
>>
>
>
> The internet has eliminated jobs. Most people are too lazy to check
> thier groceries.
Next you'll be expected to sweep the floor while shopping and clean the
toilets on your way out of the store.
Self checkout is a good reason to boycott stores that have limited lines
with cashiers (Home Depot being a prime example).
Clincher
"Clams" <"Clams"@drunkenclam.com> wrote in message
news:i46h0f$pcn$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
Nah, I applaud any reason to eliminate unnecessary face-time with surly
min-wage clerks (or worse, clerks that try to engage in phony friendly small
talk about your purchases.) Makes shopping much more pleasant.
Unfortunately, my usual grocery outlet doesn't have self-checkout but I do
enjoy the difference when buying online.
Floor-sweeping and toilet-cleaning don't involve customer face-time so they
don't count.
The Real Bev
> On Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:42:43 -0400, "Lou"<lpo...@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>> "rvanson"<rva...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 21:27:10 -0400, "The Henchman"<y...@yup.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Sorry I have no answer for you. It seems we are required to
>>>>> do everyone else's jobs nowadays. Hence, all the
>>>>> self-checkouts (which I refuse to use). Remember when people
>>>>> pumped your gas, checked out and BAGGED your groceries, and
>>>>> delivered and picked up your mail? Oh it was so long ago.
>>>>> Welcome to America.
>>>>
>>>> Oddly enuf they got rid of self checkouts at the walmart near
>>>> my work. It's a 190 000 square foot building. They had 10 self
>>>> checkouts and all of them are now gone. Theft, inability of
>>>> customers to work the machines and the cost of maintence on the
>>>> machines.
>>>
>>> What else did they expect? Walmart shoppers, most of whom dont
>>> even have a GED, are going to use something as simple as a
>>> self-checkout machine?
Walmart shoppers are also smart enough to buy stuff at Walmart rather
than buy the same stuff elsewhere at a higher price. Even so, these are
still funny:
http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/
>>> It just proves how stupid most humans are.
>>
>> Talk about jumping to conclusions. Maybe most people don't use the
>> machines because they realize it would eliminate jobs.
<Include discussion here about how the unions have destroyed US industry
and are well into destroying US government. > I guess we gotta take the
bad with the good.
> The internet has eliminated jobs. Most people are too lazy to check
> thier groceries.
Which is good for us who are glad there are no lines at the auto-checks.
The bad part is that each problem is a new experience and cancels out a
lot of the time saved by doing it oneself.
--
Cheers, Bev
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look
of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs
think humans are nuts." -- John Steinbeck