Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Post Office Blues

About a month ago I ordered stamps online from the Post Office, to be delivered to my PO Box.  A few days later I find a torn mailing envelope in my PO box from the "USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services".  It is empty and has a sticker on the outside of the package that says "Received in Damaged Condition". 

I immediately go to the counter at the local substation where I have the Post Office box and eventually end up talking to the guy who says he received the empty torn package and put a label that it was damaged on it and put it in the PO Box.  He tells me to come back the next day and talk to a Supervisor because he doesn't know what to do.  I come back the next day and after standing in line forever get told I have to go to the main Berkeley Post Office and talk to "the" supervisor.

I went home and emailed back to the email address that had told me my stamps had been shipped and informed them the package had arrived empty.  I never got any response to that email.

So I went to the main Berkeley Post Office, stood in line forever to be told the Supervisor wasn't available but the Clerk would pass on a message.  Being dubious I asked instead for the Supervisors email address so I could contact the Supervisor directly.  I went home and emailed the Supervisor and got back an immediate message that the address was invalid.

So then I went to the USPS web site, found this page for Customer Service and emailed to that address.  The web page said they will respond "within 24 hours".  That was on January 24, now 11 days ago.  I have never heard one word from the USPS.

What drives me crazy about this is the package was never out of the PO hands.  It went from their shipping facilities, presumably on their trucks and airplanes, to my PO Box, and it was ripped and emptied somewhere along the way.  But they seem to have absolutely no interest in taking responsbility for solving my problem.

I often and irritiated with the policies of the AT&T's, Comcasts etc of the private sector, but at least they realize that keeping customers happy means they need to respond to problems.