. . .
C “Let me get this right. Because the recipient’s address states both the street address and the post office box number, one of your colleagues sent the letter back to me the sender as undeliverable?”
B “You can pick the street address or the post office box number, but you can’t pick both.”
C “It was clear where the letter should be delivered. The address is a belt and suspenders way to assure delivery. Or try to assure delivery.”
B “There were two addresses.”
C “Both are accurate. Pick an address, but deliver it in a timely manner.”
B “We don’t pick an address. We returned it to the return address.”
C “Which included both my street address and the post office box number. You picked an address and returned it.”
B “We had to return it.”
C “You are obligated to deliver it. That is the law. Those who use the Postal Service are using it as a last resort. Sounds like there is a willful effort to find an excuse not to deliver a letter and force the sender to pay postage and try again. The practice may allow the Postal Service to generate more Benjamin Franklins, but that is not what Benjamin Franklin envisioned. Was this business plan created by an American-trained MBA?”
B “Who knows.”
C “What if the return address instead had been the address of the intended recipient and included both the street address and the post office box number?”
B “We would pick one address and return the letter.”
C “So it would have gotten to the intended recipient.”
B “Rules are rules.”
C “Thus, the one way to guarantee that the letter arrives is to put the recipient’s name in the return address in the upper left corner with both the street address and the post box number . . . address it to yourself with both the street address and the post box number . . . and then to clinch the deal one should avoid putting any postage on it?”
B “That will work. Every effort will be made to deliver the letter to the return address.”
C “If it works for the Postal Service, it should work for me. . . . I guess.”
. . .
C “The office moved next door. The arrow on the office sign now points to the right rather than to the left. The name is unique. No one could miss it.”
B “The forwarding order has expired.”
C “So.”
B “If there is no forwarding order, then the mail cannot be forwarded. It’s an order.”
C “Timely receipt of the mail is absolutely critical. As it is, the letters are returned to the sender who may not make another effort to resend them. One sender suspected that something was not right and just happened to think to call and inquire further.”
B “Deliver another forwarding order.”
C “There is no need to enter another forwarding order unless an order to cease forwarding is delivered. The forwarding order on line requires payment of a dollar for no good reason. The mail simply should be delivered.”
B “Rules are rules.”
C “But what are the rules?”
. . .
C “You charge more because the letter is too fat?”
B “It’s too wide. See, it does not fit in this opening.”
C “Shouldn’t the freight be akin to cereal which is sold by weight not volume. It is just paper that will be flattened when it is stacked with other mail.”
B “Rules are rules.”
. . .
Bumper stickers of the week:
Going Postal
Deliver the mail
A functioning postal system is fundamental to a well-ordered society.
Postal Customer: Dear Valued Customer: I am writing to ask you to share your experiences with the United States Postal Service (USPS) and let us know how well we have been serving you. Please take a few minutes to answer this survey. . . . If you would rather complete this survey online, please . . . .
“Needs new postage to remail. When mailing remove label affix postage and remail.”
Postal Customer: Dear Valued Customer: Last week we sent you a survey about how well the U.S. Postal Service is meeting your mailing needs and expectations. I hope you chose to accept our invitation to participate. . . .
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