Jane42 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Unless using priority boxes, the post office "rules" can be very confusing.Since they have gone to shape-based pricing, the post offices are busier than ever! Even a simple envelope, that you could have put on your scale and figured by the weight, can now be returned to you for more postage if it is over 1/4" thick....have you ever tried to measure the side of an envelope?? I work in the mail area of a college, and have had several conversations with the Post Office over their last rate increase. The postal workers were so confused in our area, they needed to have someone come in and train them again, because THEY didn't know all the rules. I received an envelope back the other day...had sent it as I and my coworkers had always sent it...it wasn't too thick, we had put it through the template they gave us....wasn't the weight.....why was it sent back??? When I called, they said it was because it wasn't "flexible"....WHAT THE HECK?? It was a catalog with a "spine" on it. Good Grief!Monday I came to work and there is an envelope on my desk...returned for 29 cents postage. My coworker was given this piece of mail on the previous Friday by the VP's secretary and told it was time-sensitive and HAD to be dated on Friday. I rush to the post office to find out why it had been returned. She said, kind of nastily, "I'll tell ya' why it was returned (as she slapped it on her scale) because I was the one that returned it....................then she says "because I made a mistake and figured it wrong". Well, that was GOOD because my boss was standing next to me!!! But, it didn't fix the problem that it was now delayed.The postal workers aren't happy - this is just making their lives more miserable, and keeping the post offices busier than ever, so they need more people to man them! I prefer to send all packages and envelopes UPS - and it is usually cheaper for us to do it that way. mmm....sorry....guess this is a touchy subject with me....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sudsnwicks Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 This is a huge pet peeve of mine. I don't understand how USPS and UPS and other shipping companies get away with rounding up to the next pound. If you were purchasing a product in a store, and they tried to charge you for 3 lbs of meat instead of what the scale reads (let's say 2 lbs. 3 oz.) they would get in huge trouble if they did this. Why can they get away with it?NancyNancy, my guess is that postage is more like parking instead of meat. If the garage (such as the one at the airport) charges $4 per hour, then if you leave after 1 hr 5 mins, you'd be charged the 2 hour rate, or $8. They do not pro-rate it unlike meat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverSoyed Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 You are totally right!a. I knew that it was .03 oz over 2 lbs. I was stupid to think that .03 oz would make a difference. Heaven forbid they'd give you the courtesy of a fraction. Cuz we all know that .03 oz will break your back! b. I weighed the package after it was taped and addressed... still only .03 oz over.... but over none the less. c. I could have put the whole puppy in a flat rate box and saved the $1.60 without going back to my house... cuz I always keep a roll of packing tape in my car at all times.... you never know when it will come in handy. d. The clerk was just doing his job. Although he did agree with me that it was ridiculous that it was $3.00 more for only .03 oz over. All the 'woulda, coulda, shouldas' in the world aren't going to change your mind, but.....a. you KNEW that it was over 2 lb. when you weighed it, even if it was only a fraction of an ounce...it was over.b. you probably weighed it before you added the label & tape to apply it, and that would have taken it over even more.c. you 'coulda' just put that whole puppy in a flat rate box right there at the PO and saved yourself the additional $1.60 without having to go back home.d. the clerk was just doing what he gets paid to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverSoyed Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 I know... my mistake! It's not like I have ever dealt with the post office before. I just found out about it yesterday when I fell off the turnip truck. And you are right about not charging friend. After all, he only averages $10,000 a week as a star travel agent... I doubt he could afford $5.00 for shipping. Maybe the 50% discount off the products wasn't enough either. Perhaps I should have paid for the whole order myself... hell... I should go pour a whole new batch and walk them to LA. This is a common mistake made by those who are totally new to the world of business. Fortunately, we have options. I don't charge friends shipping when I send them goodies. I just cram as much as I can into a flat rate box, and off it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverSoyed Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 Totally agree... but that doesn't make it right. The same goes for cell phone minutes, most companies at least. Back in the day, if you used 1 second, you were charged for the whole minute. People complained, and thus now a majority of the cell companies use per-second, or at least 6 second billing.Nancy, my guess is that postage is more like parking instead of meat. If the garage (such as the one at the airport) charges $4 per hour, then if you leave after 1 hr 5 mins, you'd be charged the 2 hour rate, or $8. They do not pro-rate it unlike meat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
so-soy Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 You are totally right!c. I could have put the whole puppy in a flat rate box and saved the $1.60 without going back to my house... cuz I always keep a roll of packing tape in my car at all times.... you never know when it will come in handy. Well actually it would have been quite EASY to put in a flat rate box right there in the good old post office since flat rate boxes have a sticky strip already on them and NO TAPE IS NECESSARY so ya, coulda saved that $1.60 after all and would never have had to leave the post office, in fact, you wouldn't have had to even leave the line! Silly isn't it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverSoyed Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 You are totally right. The $8.95 flat rate boxes do have a sticky tab on them. But what they do not have, is extra padding and bubble wrap, which would have been needed to fill the extra space, as my friends order fit nicely into a 6x6x6 priority box. I guess its my fault for not filling my trunk up with packing supplies. Anyone know where I can get a trunk load of packing peanuts? Biodegradable of course! I need to write myself a note and stick it on the trunk thou, reminding myself not to open it on a windy day. Can you imagine that mess! Well actually it would have been quite EASY to put in a flat rate box right there in the good old post office since flat rate boxes have a sticky strip already on them and NO TAPE IS NECESSARY so ya, coulda saved that $1.60 after all and would never have had to leave the post office, in fact, you wouldn't have had to even leave the line! Silly isn't it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michi Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Well actually it would have been quite EASY to put in a flat rate box right there in the good old post office since flat rate boxes have a sticky strip already on them and NO TAPE IS NECESSARY so ya, coulda saved that $1.60 after all and would never have had to leave the post office, in fact, you wouldn't have had to even leave the line! Silly isn't it!EXACTLY! A business is a business no matter if they are the post office, grocery store or a little ol' home candle business-thus, they can charge whatever the heck they want, however they want to do so, and if you don't like it, then you take your business elsewhere-it's as simple as that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts