Well, Better Late than Never!
Written: Jul 04 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: friendly employees
Cons: occasionally mail gets lost, expensive
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| beckish's Full Review: US Postal Service First Class Mail |
I always use the U.S. Postal Service for my regular mail; bills, birthday cards, Christmas cards, packages. And for the most part, the service I have received has been acceptable. Most of the time it takes several days for a letter to arrive that is sent out of town, but still and all, nothing too horrible.
Until last Christmas. I mailed my Christmas cards out in late November. I think most of them arrived (I hope!). And then come April, one of them was returned to me. Yes, April. Mailed in November, returned in April. Unable to deliver. This got me thinking.
It took five months for the card to be returned to me as undeliverable? Where had it been sitting all this time? Scary thought. What if it had been a house payment? Or a credit card bill?
Of all the businesses there are, the United States Postal Service should be the most reliable. After all, mail is a critical item in daily life! Granted, the internet has eliminated a lot of the snail mail that used to happen. In that case, shouldn't snail mail move faster?
And why does postage keep going up? Because fewer people are sending snail mail? And if fewer people are using the service, why does it take longer for a letter to get where it is going? Food for thought!
Our mail carrier is excellent; no complaints there. Periodically I get ripped up letters delivered to me in plastic bags, saying that the mail machine ate them and they are terribly sorry. This does not happen all that often, but it does happen. There is also no guarantee as to how long a letter will take to be delivered. For example, one letter coming from across the state might take two days; the next might take seven. No rhyme or reason. Always give a few days cushion time when mailing a bill!
The US Postal Service is incredibly reliable with packages, in my experience. I have gone to the Post Office two days before something had to be delivered, and they always get it there on time. Letters are not as reliable, but packages are great. There is pretty much always a post office open every day of the week, even if it means going to a different part of town. Also, they generally have evening hours so it is convenient for working people. Another thing is the employees. I have yet to come across a cranky Postal Service employee. They are always happy and friendly, and willing to do whatever they can to make things work.
I prefer to do much of my correspondence online. Partly because I get instant gratification, I suppose - but also because it is much cheaper. There will always be things that have to go snail mail, though, and the US Postal Service is my first choice when I have to use snail mail; despite the glitches I have noticed. Don't depend on First Class guaranteeing delivery on time, though. That Christmas card I mentioned was sent first class.
I still wonder where it was all that time!
Recommended:
Yes
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