Going postal.

[frkelly74]

I did not have a good time with the people at the post office today. Partly my fault and partly the computer system and also partly the rules of the post office fault. Number one , do not try to mail anything in an old used box that motor oil came in. They will not take it because they are afraid that it will burst into flames. I told them it wasn't full of motor oil any more but that did not matter at all. Number 2, If you cut up the sticky labels to address an envelope, be sure to cut off all the blue and the part that says has USPS Priority Mail printed on it . If they see any blue they want to charge for priority mail for a 7 oz package instead of first class. A 2$ difference. I thought I was pretty savvy on the ins and outs but was not on my game today.
Then there was Clik-n-Ship issues . This has always been a real good way for me to send out stuff , but not today. I attempted one label three times before it would print for me and when it did finally , I checked my shipping history and found all three attempts charged to my card. So I requested refunds on the two that would not print. I have requested refunds before and had no undue problems. I only accepted one of the transactions though. Then I wanted to send out another package and got a message twice that Something was wrong with my card info and no label would print. But my shipping history shows that both of those attempts are pending payment. It makes me very nervous when things get bollixed up like this.

I should have known the rules and been more careful. I should only pay cash for everything. ( I wish it was practical).

[Alvarez Kelly]

USPS is real funny about used liquor boxes too. Guess how I know. Funny thing is, UPS could care less! You can ship in just about any box that'll hold the contents.

[Bad Water Bill]

That is why I love duct tape. You can not see thru it and it sticks to everything, :bigsmyl2:

[GaryN]

I had a box shipped to me from my son in Hawaii. It said media mail on it. They give a discount for media mail. It was full of books and had two pair of socks in it to fill up the empty space. The postmaster opened the box and then tried to charge full price because of the socks. I had a big argument with him and he finally backed down. Sometimes I can't stand those guys. Most of the tellers are pretty good but the postmaster is a jerk.

[starmac]

For what reason did the post master open it.

[stubshaft]

I just had an issue with the postal nazi's last week. I had a partial addy for my nephew in Norfolk the only thing missing was the zip code(now there's a misnomer!). I wanted to get it to him before X-mas so I took it to the PO since it is about half a mile from my apartment. Waited in line for 45 minutes (lots of service members in my area shipping stuff to the mainland) and when I got to the window I asked the clerk for the zip code to Norfolk. He gave me the zip code and I sent the package off Priority with Delivery Confirmation.

I waited about four days and decided to check on the progress. Went to USPS Tracking and entered the confirmation number.

The tracking information had the following:
"Package received in Norfolk VA 23511 - Not deliverable as addressed. Will attempt to return to sender if there is enough information?"

I finally got in touch with my nephews wife and went over the addy with her. The zip code the Postal Worker gave me was wrong!

Now I have to wait and see if I get it back and pay again to have it shipped again.

[firefly1957]

Stubshaft I had that happen once and my complaint led them to resend without recharging me .

Last week the mail to my other house was not delivered Christmas cards were marked "no mail receptical" ??? I have had trouble there for 7 years now every since we got a mailman who delivered the wrong mail daily and made complaints about him.

[Jim]

I needed a zip code and asked the PM to help me with it. She asked me for the physical address. She said the zip can change across a large town. Take a look at THIS (http://www.city-data.com/zipmaps/Norfolk-Virginia.html).

[Olevern]

Jim,
Don't fuss with them postal employees too bad, ya gotta package comin from me and they might "lose" it for ya.

[beagle]

I use to take the small flat rate boxes and turn them inside out for mail at PP rates. Boy, they put a stop to that real quick and started printing priority inside on them. But, a little brown pain covers that pretty quick. Man, am I cheap./beagle

[Wayne Smith]

I needed a zip code and asked the PM to help me with it. She asked me for the physical address. She said the zip can change across a large town. Take a look at THIS (http://www.city-data.com/zipmaps/Norfolk-Virginia.html).

That map does make me wonder if the Willoughby Spit has a zip code!

[bowfin]

I had a partial addy

What's an addy? Do you mean address?

[stubshaft]

Yes, the only thing I wasn't sure of was the zip code.

Jim, I realize that the zip changes in certain cities Honolulu is one of them. But with all of the information available the Postal Worker should have been able to give me the proper Zip or send me home to research it my self.

[Olevern]

Yeh, but gotta love them flat rate boxes for sending/receiving lead

[Rockydog]

Yeh, but gotta love them flat rate boxes for sending/receiving lead

I agree but we won't have them for free for long when every Tom, Dick, and Harry uses them for storage boxes, mutilates them to ship other than flat rate, and otherwise abuses the system. Not trying to point fingers or criticize just seems to me that free FR boxes used for other than the intended purpose won't be free for long. Every time FR shipping comes up on the web folks talk about what they use the boxes for other than FR shipping. It'll kill it for all of us. RD

[Frank46]

Our house is physically located in one parish but because we are closer to the next parish's post office we have to use their parish address. And when I lived in new york there were two 179 addresses, 179th street and 179th place. They'd get our mail and we'd get there's. Frank

[BD]

Greenville, Maine, (despite a population of only around 1,000 souls for the past 100 years), has two zip codes. Go figure?
BD

[Recluse]

And when I lived in new york there were two 179 addresses, 179th street and 179th place. They'd get our mail and we'd get there's. Frank

:) Try living on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. . . . (there are 47 Peachtree street variations there)


Greenville, Maine, (despite a population of only around 1,000 souls for the past 100 years), has two zip codes. Go figure?
BD

My father-in-law had a camp on Roach Pond and Greenville was a stop-for-gas/lunch/restroom place for us, or if we were flying in, the place where the folks would pick us up. Never could figure out how it had two zip codes. . .

:coffee:

[GaryN]

Starmac: He said he opened it because people were abusing the media mail discount by shipping things other than media mail. How would they know what people were shipping unless they open them?

[arjacobson]

Yeh, but gotta love them flat rate boxes for sending/receiving lead

I do but just received one box of hard lead from a forum member. I had to go PICK it up... They said it was TOO heavy to deliver.. Shipping weight was 69lbs!:D

[mroliver77]

I do but just received one box of hard lead from a forum member. I had to go PICK it up... They said it was TOO heavy to deliver.. Shipping weight was 69lbs!:D
I have never had them refuse to deliver a heavy box. The agreement between the sender and the PO is 70lbs max DELIVERED to any US address.
My mailman is a small lady but she will lug the boxes to my door. I live down a 1/8 mile lane and then 150' to my back door and up 4 steps. I tell her to roll them out along the lane and I will pick them up. I gave her my phone # to call me and I will unload them. She did that once when there were 4 or so at the PO.

I have NEVER had a complaint with the PO.

That reminds me. I need to stick a Christmas card in the box for her.
J

[mroliver77]

Starmac: He said he opened it because people were abusing the media mail discount by shipping things other than media mail. How would they know what people were shipping unless they open them?
Can any of our postal workers address this?

I would not think a flunky postmaster could open a piece of mail without due cause. I would also think that there would be a procedure to be followed documenting the reason/suspicion for accosting ones mail.
J

[SciFiJim]

For what reason did the post master open it.

You can thank eBay shippers for this. That is where most of the abuse comes from. Media mail is strictly for books, recordings and such. It doesn't take much research to find a lot of people bragging about how they beat the system with media mail. It was either change the rules about being able to verify that it was media mail or discontinue media mail. The post office is allowed to open media mail packages to verify contents. There is a sticker that they stick on the package after doing so. If you don't want your package opened, then don't ship it by media mail.

I have had issues about getting charged for a click-n-ship label that didn't print as well. There is a place on the USPS website to request a refund. It will ask why. It took a few days, but the refund was given.


Full disclosure - I am a city mail carrier and a customer of the post office. I see both sides of the issue and get frustrated as a customer and as an employee. On your local post office not delivering a package because it is too heavy. Call the postmaster and demand that they do their job. If it is 70lbs or less, it should be delivered even if it requires multiple people to carry it. I always deliver those heavy boxes with a smile on my face because I know who the reloaders on my route are and have an idea of what I am delivering.:wink:

[montana_charlie]

I wanted to get it to him before X-mas so I took it to the PO since it is about half a mile from my apartment. Waited in line for 45 minutes
Since you post on this forum, you obviously have a computer. If you bring up the Google page, type in 'zipcode' followed by the address, it will give you the correct one for that address .. burning up maybe two minutes of your time.


I asked the clerk for the zip code to Norfolk. He gave me the zip code and I sent the package off Priority with Delivery Confirmation.

The tracking information had the following:
"Package received in Norfolk VA 23511 - Not deliverable as addressed. Will attempt to return to sender if there is enough information?"

I finally got in touch with my nephews wife and went over the addy with her. The zip code the Postal Worker gave me was wrong!

The zipcode range for any city always starts with XXX01.
The range of zipcodes for Norfolk, Virginia starts with 23501.
If you asked for "the zipcode to Norfolk" that is the one you would most likely be given.

Did you write it wrong, and add that extra '1'?

On the other hand, a city the size of Norfolk is bound to have many zipcodes, so asking any postal clerk for "the zipcode" is bound to get useless information ... unless you specified that you needed the proper zipcode for the address you were mailing to.

Sending a parcel to an address in the west part of town, but carrying a zipcode for the east side of town, is certain to confuse the automated routing equipment.

This Google result shows the general layout of zipcodes in Norfolk.
http://www.city-data.com/zipmaps/Norfolk-Virginia.html

I don't see an '11' on there ...


I would not think a flunky postmaster could open a piece of mail without due cause.
Since colonial times Postmasters have had levels of authority that would surprise you. And, it is the Postmaster's call about what constitutes 'just cause' when doing ANYTHING to a piece of mail while it is in the possession of the Postal Service.

CM

[oneokie]

Items shipped Media Mail can not contain advertisements. Magazines with ads in them will cause problems if inspected.