Post Office

[NaturallyTru]

I just finished a co-op of clamshells. Here is my experiences with the US Post Office.

Day 1 of shipping I had 8 boxes. I dutifully blackened out any barcodes on recycled boxes, labeled clearly and securely taped boxes well. I had a mixture of boxes...several being 415 wax boxes. My son helped me carry them in. The employee behind the desk gave us a disgusted look and shook his head. There were two windows open and I let others go before me because my boxes were stacked next to the disgusted employee's window. The employee never said hello nor did he smile at any time during the encounter. He asked bruskly if I wanted insurance or delivery confirmation. I had to tell him a few times that I wanted parcel post. He went slowly on purpose. It was very obvious! I kept thinking...your job is in jeopardy...my boxes are helping you keep your job.

Day 2 of shipping I had to be in another town so I went to that post office. Night and Day! They smiled and chatted friendly with me. I had a box that my label was not completely down on one spot and she brought out tape and taped it for me. She thanked me when I left. (btw...my town PO has charged my mom for using a piece their tape once).

Day 3 went just fine at a different post office out of my way. I didn't want to go back to the first post office. I have used them before with a co-op and had several boxes and she smiled the whole time she was working.

Day 4 of shipping. I was in a hurry and went to the first post office. The last box was a 415 wax box. The lady freaked out because it said "blah, blah, vegetable oil". I told her I have just shipped boxes with no problem. She said because it says oil it is a contaminated box and cannot be used. I told her it was just plastic in the box. Then she said unless you blackened the words vegetable oil out she cannot take it as it is contaminated. Seriously? She handed me a marker and I blackened it out. That made it uncontaminated?!

On my way home I stopped to check on a shop I have candles in and started to tell her I had trouble with the post office. She was so quick to say "Oh yeah...I have so much trouble with them". She told me about another small post office that she uses. So I think I will be either shipping via different method or using any post office other than my hometown one from now on. It's bad enough the do not have more than 6 spaces for parking and 2 are handicapped; but their attitudes are horrible.

[Noodle]

File a complaint online. Seriously. I am sorry this happened to you. I have found most postal workers behind the counter to be indifferent and just plain rude. (Sorry to postal workers who are kind and polite.) I feel this way based on 5 different post offices in my area over a course of 15 years of shipping. I do have the most wonderful letter carrier. She is a doll! However, I have no idea what is up with the clerks behind the counter in the post offices near me.

[Maggie]

I KNOW what you mean. The post office in my town is a nightmare. For the most part the emplyees at the window/desk are nice but...if you have a problem and have to see the guy in charge...he is a bastard. I was waiting for a delivery of fragrance oils that I needed right away from a supplier and it didn't come but...got notice that it was delivered. Went to the post office and had to talk to him. He said...it couldn't have happened. He called the mail carrier and she specifically remembered putting it in OUR mailbox. I said...well it was NOT there. Then he proceeds to ask me if I had checked the rest of the mailboxes...we live on a private road so mailboxes are on a cul de sac at the entrance. I said no...but I will check. He then said...NO...YOU CAN'T DO THAT. I'm thinking what an idiot...he just asked me if I HAD checked them but now says I can't do it. Long story short...mail was delivered that day and guess what was in our mailbox? Yet the carrier specifically remembered already putting it in our mailbox. LOL

Had to mail out the invitations to my Christmas Open House and was going by a really small town post office. Went in and bought stamps and the lady was as sweet as pie. I told her...from now on when I have anything I have to do at a post office...I will come here. She said, thank you.

[Candybee]

Wow! So sorry to hear about your bad experience at the post office. Honestly I would write a complaint and describe your experience just like you did here. There is no excuse. These people have become complacent and lazy. I also think managment is probably very lax or incompetent. The postmaster or whatever needs to know. In this time of the USPS being on the edge financially the last thing they need is employees driving away customers!!

[ksranch]

So true, I live in a very small town and the people at my PO are great. If they get someone in there that is less, I'll sure speak up!

[Wessex]

I would write a complaint. I usually don't do things like that, but with the PO trying their best to stay afloat, they need to take care of their CS issues. I usually do not go to a PO, as the mail carrier picks up my packages at the front office. But I have used a couple near me, and the CS has been pretty good. If not overly friendly, at least helpful. One PO actually has very friendly and helpful employees. The mail carrier on the other hand is pretty useless. He delivers mail fine, but has the personality of a frisbee and is ALWAYS on his phone (bluetooth), ALWAYS. Don't know how he drives down the road, lol!

[se2653]

yes. do write up a complaint. just an fyi also, the po does "mystery shops" at their locations, i have done one myself, so i know its legitimate. they have very specific guidelines that we had to rate, and they do have videocameras onsite. i'm sure this site has been reviewed. it would be important for them to know of your experience.

[Aimee81]

The 2nd time I came back I would have brought some wax melts in a little brown paper bag for my clerk lol. Perhaps you would have brightened someone's day and in the future gotten some new customer's and next time you come in they will be excited to see you and treat you better LOL.....

[Pam W]

I will NOT use a major post office...the lines are too long, the service is slow and the clerks just plain suck. I use a little substation inside of a Hallmark Card Shop. There is rarely more that a couple people in line and the clerk is always cheerful & friendly. One time she even thanked me for using her station because she said ''it keeps us from being shut down."

[blacktieaffair]

It baffles me, why people who's rather cushy, high paid jobs that are in serious jeapordy , not to mention the economy and probably not going to find a job that pays NEAR that much or have those benefits, would dare treat a customer with anything less than absolute royal service. I personally would love to have a job like that at HALF the pay and benefits they have... confusing at best.

[Whisper Girl]

I live in a very small town and the PO has only two employees and one of those is the carrier! They are both wonderful. Great customer service and no long lines!! I love country living!!!

[annie123]

Sure you can complain but do they care? Here I have had my mail lost, packages damaged on the way out, packages returned to sender for no good reason, my mail is constantly being delivered to my neighbors while I get theirs, I even found my letters on the ground a few feet away from my mail box and once I found my neighbor's mail on my front lawn.

Yes, I have complained to the Post Master who really doesn't give a you know what...My mail lady's excuse is that I get too many packages.

These are Gov. jobs with pension plans and health care benefit you would think that people would be glad to have good jobs.

[NaturallyTru]

I get neighbors mail a lot too. My old carrier was a crotchity guy. My new mail carrier is a dream! If I have small packages going priority and have gotten the label paid for online, I leave them at my door. She has no issues picking them up at all. In the summer she says hi to my dog...lol! Twiggy got out and followed her around the block last summer once.

[JanetsCandles]

I've had problems with our local PO too. I ended up finally switching to another one (not that huge of a deal, since I'm in a larger city) and haven't had as much of an issue. One thing I do to minimize my problems though is pay for postage online, print off the postage thingy and just put it in the drop box. No problems since then.

Really, though. Send in a complaint. I've had excellent results with talking to the folks behind the 1800 line. They are usually very helpful.

[Noodle]

I will NOT use a major post office...the lines are too long, the service is slow and the clerks just plain suck. I use a little substation inside of a Hallmark Card Shop. There is rarely more that a couple people in line and the clerk is always cheerful & friendly. One time she even thanked me for using her station because she said ''it keeps us from being shut down."

I never wait in line. I drop off pre-paid packages at the end of the counter, and I STILL received attitude. I guess it is too much for them to take my packages off of the counter and put it in the bin behind them. I guess walking 10 feet and getting paid for it is just too difficult for them.

Edited February 8, 2012 by Noodle

[CandleMakinCutiePie]

Check out our post office hours! 8 am to noon,then closed til 2 pm then open til 4 mon through fri. 8 to noon on sat. They often open late and close early as well.Clerks are friendly and helpful but it's hard as heck to know for sure when the heck they're actually open!!Also,i've wondered why the hell they need a 2 hour lunch break???!!!The main lady that works there lives right across the street!LOL!

[annie123]

This morning in the news: "Post office hemorrhaging money" really?

I have 3 Post Office locations in my area and they all have different hours.

[barncat]

I went to mail a package the other day..PO closed at 430, I got there at 425, just in time, I thought. I took the package to the desk...she gave me a nasty look and said..we close in 5 minutes! Um yeah,...i just made it. She was rude to me the entire time. Im kind of glad most of them are losing their jobs, they did it to themselves. The nice employees will find other jobs

[Noodle]

The nice employees will find other jobs

I think so too... You reap what you sow.

[felixncharlie]

Yep, I have had to deal with some real a-holes at ours, they are usually gossiping or complaining about union dues or some other thing. We were in Key West a few months ago and I bought a few things and knew it would not fit into our carry on so I shipped the stuff back home in a flat rate. Now I know it's laid back there but it was the BEST service I have EVER received at ANY branch. They should use that office as a training location on how to treat customers…you know the ones that enable you to HAVE a job that you complain about.

[Chefmom]

I don't have a problem with the employees at the big town Post Office, customer service has always been excellent. However, parking is a nightmare and the lines are insane and slow moving. So I drive the same distance in the opposite direction into the woods to a tiny little town. Parking is fine, more spots than the big town PO and there is usually the Post-Mistress working. She is a lovely lady!! If you have a package don't make up your mind how you are shipping it. You tell her where it is going and she will tell you how to ship to save the most money. The big PO only ships how YOU say, she will go over several shipping choices and you can decide on the best for you. She helps you pack and offers tape and Fragile tape etc. I go there just because of her.

This isn't 1970 where you went to the Post Office because you didn't have a choice. There are a lot of shipping companies now, and even within the PO, they say they decide on which to shut down based on volume, bad service means a drop in volume.

Duh.

[NaturallyTru]

Our post office tries to sell you on the more expensive stuff. One lady will ask if I want it to go express overnight for xxx. I say no. Then she says Would you like it to go whatever the next one down is. I say No, cheapest way. She then gives me another option that is still a high one. I said No, just parcel post please. I suppose it's my fault for not just saying parcel post. And then she starts in on trying to sell insurance and delivery confirmation.

Anyway, I sent an email on USPS.com with a list of the issues we mentioned on this thread. I got a voicemail on my machine today from the post mistress at my town's branch. I'll call her back tomorrow and see what she has to say.

[simply fragrant]

I'm glad you followed through with the PO and sent an email! We moved across town a couple of years ago, and OMG, do I miss our first letter carrier. She was one of the hardest working, friendliest people I could ever hope to run across...the new guy...umm not so much, but then again, not everybody is sunshine and roses....

[NaturallyTru]

I went to the post office today and i was treated like a queen. I was greeted by name before I got to the counter...lol! I was asked how I was doing today. I was asked "How can I help you?". I was thanked and told "Have a nice day." I was not continuously bombarded with sales upgrades. It was quite pleasant. We shall see how long it lasts.