USPS Fail
Sorry for another rant post but this one has been on my desk a little while and I want to clean it off.
Back in January, I had to pay a friend of mine some money for a ski trip we were going on. I thought I could PayPal the money to her or else just send a check in the mail and avoid the PayPal fees. Sure, why not just drop less than 50 cents on a stamp and do it that way? That decision ended up costing me $27 for a stop payment fee on a check from my bank.
I mailed the check and then she didn't get it. A few days later, half of it showed up at her house in a USPS plastic bag with some sort of apology. The half of the envelope didn't have the check in it. That's why I had to cancel my check.
About a week later, I get the other half of the envelope sent to me (meanwhile, I sent another check or used PayPal, I don't remember). It was from the Post Office's "Rake Section." Their note that was enclosed said the following:
Postal Patron:
The enclosed was found loose in the mail in its present condition. It may have been inadvertently deposited in a mail receptacle or became separated from the envelope/packaging in which it was originally enclosed during mail processing.
U.S. Postal Service
Ok, pretty generic.
I emailed the USPS and tried to see if I could get a claim and this was my response back from them:
Dear Anthony,
I regret learning of the inconvenience you have experienced.
All mail deserves proper care and handling as it moves through our system.
We are constantly working to eliminate incidents of damaged mail. Federal law 28 U.S/C. 2680(b) exempts the Postal Service from liability for claims arising out of the loss, miscarriage, or negligent delivery of mail matter.
Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience this matter may have caused you.
Cindy
MOCA
Again, pretty generic.
So that's their attitude about my business. They clearly don't want it and are telling me to instead use PayPal or some other online service instead of sending things through the mail. It's really no wonder at all why the Post Office is failing. That is not how any business treats their customers if they want to keep them. It's poor service. They know it. They don't want to guarantee it. That's your government at work, people.
I've had some friends that have worked there - at this location even (sorry, Kyle) and I still feel this way. I'm not saying every postal employee is bad because that's not true - but in general, it's poor service. There are alternatives to using the Postal Service because we live in a free market society, so it's their choice not to strive to be the best.
Go PayPal!
-Tony
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