The Postal Service is on my nerves again.

[kb4ns]

So the USPS has a rule that anything bearing postage stamps that weighs over 13 ounces must be dropped off at the counter to a USPS employee. I was sending out some Lee dies (in the slim style plastic case) in a flat rate envelope. It weighed over a pound, but it was a flat rate envelope, so I affixed a $4.90 stamp and headed off to the post office. Now, if you've ever worked for a package delivery service, you've seen how packages get treated. Beat up, banged around, etc. I placed a layer of tape around the edges and across the sealing area just to make sure it holds up. Keep in mind how small the Lee plastic die boxes are. The envelope (very obviously) was not stressed or bulging and it was quite obvious that their adhesive was definitely making the seal like it should. But, the "nice lady" informed me that I have to pay by weight because of the fact that I used tape and did not rely solely on their adhesive to keep it closed. I asked her if I could move it to another flat rate envelope and just use "their" adhesive and she said sure. IF I could get the stamp moved over to the other envelope.

So, in the interest of not losing my cool and going to jail for doing what I wanted to do, I ponied up some more cash to get this thing sent off. The worst part - when I get home, my wife says to me "Weren't those the envelopes that they (USPS) sent you the letter about?" Oh yes. I ordered those flat rate envelopes from the USPS about a year ago and they sent me a letter a couple weeks later telling me that the adhesive on that batch was sub-par and that I should either discard them or... wait for it... USE TAPE TO RESECURE THE ENVELOPE!!!!!

[dubya3488]

WOW. That's all I can say.

[Il Duce]

people still use usps? interesting

[kb4ns]

Yeah. If you should ship lightweight stuff at a decent price through UPS or FedEx, I'd almost never use the USPS.

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

Sorry man, but that ending cracked me up:p

Sounds just like our Govt/Non Govt Postal Service:D

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

These are the types of things that make me HATE the USPS even more. I barley get any mail, because I refuse to do business with them. I have all my bills on eBills and get whatever else I need through my email. I had a package a few weeks ago that I needed to be send and PAID for the tracking and stuff, then, it didn't get tracked, I called them and asked them why and they gave me this bullcrap excuse and I got upset and said "Why in the hell do I pay you people to do your job and you still don't do it?!?!" He said, "In order to keep this call professional, I am disconnecting." *Click*... I never, EVER, ship anything USPS. EVER. I would walk it there if they were the only shipping company.

[Guest KarlS]

Those are the Saturday envelopes.

[kb4ns]

Those are the Saturday envelopes.

You mean they were made on Saturday, when no one cared to be at work?

[oldogy]

Is this the same US government that wants to do our health care?

oldogy

[Guest Sgt. Joe]

I had to send some documents from 20 years ago to DOS in order to get my permit......I sent them overnight/Sig required thru USPS and paid well for the service.

Those boneheads sent the package to the wrong Zip code in Nville, and then tried to tell me that it would have to be sent back to me and then re-sent to the proper one. The zip code was VERY legible on the original label.

It took being on the phone with them nearly all day, when finally the USPS had an employee take the stupid thing over to the right zip code and it was then delivered.

Funny that it was guaranteed by 11Am and I was still on the phone with them later in the day.....then the "signed for" receipt said 10: fifty something.....just under the wire for refund:rolleyes:.

I "know" the package was not delivered on time but did not pursue the issue as I was just happy enough when DOS said "Yes now we have all we need, you permit should go out soon":D

I still use them once a month to send in my student loan payment as a money order or auto deduction is all they will accept, my credit union gets about double what the PO does for a MO. I am considering paying that extra few bucks just so I dont have to disarm to enter the PO.

But these days every dollar counts, especially since I caught the "Gun Disease"

My credit union welcomes my carry although they dont know that I do.

Still sorry kb4.....Your first post cracked me up good it did. How dare you put tape on something just because they recommended it:p

[Guest FroggyOne2]

I send stuff USPS Flat Rate all the time.. in fact.. I just sent out two items last wensday..one was a set of dies and the other a rifle bolt.. I taped both boxes.. I have done this before.. using the small flat rate box.. in fact I always tape the boxes.. never has the counter help at the post office ever said anything like that to me.. !!!!!!

[Shark1591]

98% of the stuff my wife and I ship is via USPS. Lots in the flat rate boxes or envelops. Never had a problem even during the holidays... We will ship FedX and UPS if requested but it usualy cost 2x - 3x more.

(Except years ago when I sent a credit card payment overnight. I received it back almost 7 months later. Seems to have gotten stuck in a bag somwhere.)

[eastenn]

i started as a mail carrier about 2 months ago and during training i told them i hated getting things shipped usps because the tracking is never accurate, that i would receive a package while online it still said something like "billing info received". the lady played dumb and said she had no idea why it was like that or why it wouldn't be up to date. and it isn't like it was that one package, every package seems to be like that.

now that i carry mail i have figured out a few things. our scanners don't have any kind of wireless/satellite capability like UPS, so when we scan things they don't go into the system until we get back at the end of the day and put our scanner back on the dock. where UPS scanners i guess work off a satellite and theirs are continually uploaded. also, when we pick up packages from someones house we don't scan them as being picked up (not sure why) and we don't scan them when we drop them off at the office.

one other thing you may find interesting that i didn't know until i got a job with usps is that the postal service receives no funds from the government, it operates solely on the revenues it receives from postage and shipping.

[kb4ns]

now that i carry mail i have figured out a few things. our scanners don't have any kind of wireless/satellite capability like UPS, so when we scan things they don't go into the system until we get back at the end of the day and put our scanner back on the dock. where UPS scanners i guess work off a satellite and theirs are continually uploaded. also, when we pick up packages from someones house we don't scan them as being picked up (not sure why) and we don't scan them when we drop them off at the office.

That is very good to know. I've gotten used to few (if any) updates during transit, but I always wondered why it took so long for "Delivered" to show up when tracked. Thanks for lettin' us know!

[kb4ns]

I send stuff USPS Flat Rate all the time.. in fact.. I just sent out two items last wensday..one was a set of dies and the other a rifle bolt.. I taped both boxes.. I have done this before.. using the small flat rate box.. in fact I always tape the boxes.. never has the counter help at the post office ever said anything like that to me.. !!!!!!

Well it was the first I'd ever heard of it as well.

I'm not sure if it applies to the flat rate boxes as well as the envelopes (or maybe it just applies in her little world ).

Don't get me wrong. I've received plenty of packages in a flat rate envelope that were really pushing it. I've seen folks trying to ship stuff the size of a VCR in a flat rate envelope. You have to draw the line somewhere, but with mine today, come on. Really?

[E4 No More]

I think my retort for her would be, "It's no wonder ya'll are going bankrupt!"

[Guest mustangdave]

Ok...so continue to use those "defective" envelopes...and just to prove a point...next time bring the USPS letter with you and tell em..."Ya'll said I could tape em, see..says so righ here." and then stick the letter in their face....and like SWJ said...its no wonder they're going bankrupt.

[kb4ns]

I would LOVE to, but I chunked the letter right after I received it. Never woulda figured I'd need it.

[Guest FroggyOne2]

Hindsight = 20/20

[kb4ns]

Hindsight = 20/20

Always.

[aquaman67]

my wife left a plain envilope in our mailbox for someone to pick up later.

she didn't pick it up before the mail person came.

the mail person took the envilope with no markings on it at all.

I received a "you have a postage due letter" notice.

I went to post office Monday and sure enough it was my wife's envilope with my address written on it.

the mail person said if I wanted it, I would have to pay $0.44. It was a check in the envilope so I mentioned that there was no postage or address on it because it wasn't being mailed.

Evidently using your mailbox for anything but mail is "against the rules".

So I paid the $0.44.

She put a stamp in the center of the envilope, over the address and then post marked the stamp.

I went to the dollar store and bought a box of envilopes. I'm going to put an empty unmarked envilope in my mail box everyday. Just to see how long they will keep sending me those notices, or tell me they will no longer deliver my mail.

Look, ok, it might be against the rules to put an unmarked envilope in your mail box for someone to pick up later, but come on...seriously? You're going to take it, write my address on it and send me a notice? You can't figure out that a plain unmarked envilope in a mailbox might not be mail?

[Il Duce]

they arent that bright

[Mike.357]

Evidently using your mailbox for anything but mail is "against the rules".

i thought that was common knowledge. You buy it and own it but it is for postal us only.

[Guest FroggyOne2]

It was my understanding.. it you destroy someones mailbox.. that it was distruction of Federal property.. maybe wrong here..

[E4 No More]

It's like everything else with the government, it's theirs when it's convenient for them.