Dear John (USPS)

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Dear John USPS,

the last thing i have time for right now is a blog entry, and yet here it is. in two days i'll be moving, and so it was, at one of the worst possible times, that i sold a dvd on amazon. don't get me wrong, i'm glad for the income, and yet there is a dark sense of rush when the next thought is, "if i don't get this package out TODAY, before the move, it could get lost in the dreaded Box Sea."

printing the packing slip, which i wanted to include in the package (and which incidentally also contained the mailing address i would be shipping to), was no longer possible from home as the printer is long packed. this led to me carrying the package to work, printing the slip, then rushing with my still open box to the soon-to-close post office after work.

once at the counter, the clerk weighed my box, showed me the weight and shipping options, and then attempted to talk me into a mailing envelope which would save me so much money on the shipping (actually not that much). of course, the mailer costs $1.39, which was not lost on me, and i kept pointing out that by using my own box the total cost was cheaper, even if the weight was greater. he finally stopped, looked me in the eye and said, "do you have tape to close the box?"

of course, up until this time i presumed the post office would have oodles of tape lying around and that this would be the least of my package concerns. i replied, "what? there's no tape here?" he proceeded to explain that yes, there was tape, but if i wanted to use it i would have to pay for it because the post office wasn't doing well and the employees had been instructed to earn an extra buck however possible. they were no longer allowed to tape packages for customers.

OH REALLY?

gee, i wonder why he didn't tell me that as soon as i arrived at his counter with an obviously open box...

anyway, i was still concerned about getting the package shipped on time and i'm not an [a-hole] who's going to hold up another person's package and risk it being lost, and shipment delayed, so that i can stand on principle over a[n effing] dollar and change. i paid for the mailer and took my leave of the post office.

for good.

Dear USPS,

you made a dollar more today, but you are penny wise and pound foolish. a business in death throes cannot afford the foolishness of a policy that results in poor customer service! the consequence? aside from occasional stamps, i will no longer be doing business with you. when i need to ship a package, i'll pay extra to do so with Fed-Ex or UPS. when i get a package shipped, i'm going to pay more to have it shipped by the previously mentioned providers, who HAVE NEVER nickel and dime'd me over tape!!!

USPS, this isn't "rocket science." if you have lost business to the internet, if you cannot compete with your shipping competitors, then raise your prices up front and provide THE BEST service, not the worst.

or perish.

xoxo,

-VG

p.s. YOUR TELEPHONE CUSTOMER SERVICE ALSO BLOWS.

(originally written by VictoryGrey of dysamoria.com)