oldtime, sorry to get soo many fired up for my rant. I'll tell you I have made 2 more calls and they didn't get back to me in the time they said someone should get back to me. They also couldn't come up with an answer as to where my package was, or if it is lost. I'll admit my situation is one in who the heck knows how many they handle, but it isn't the first time it has happened to me. I also have a delivery guy who can't drive up the driveway and put a package on my step. We have a small driveway and it is a horseshoe, so he could come out the other end to the next mailboxes. He leaves it balanced on the paperbox, which twice now have fallen into my ditch with water. One package had enough tape on it it to protect it from a nuclear attack, but the other was soaked all the way through. I called and complained. Well, oddly enough the next week I didn't get any mail for 2 days. I have never had a day where I didn't get at least junk. Made me wonder, but I'm just paranoid I guess. To top it off I gave this guy a ton of firewood when I had a tree cut down(a very tall tree). I even cut it down to smaller pieces for him and helped him load it on his trailer. I wasn't expecting anything for it and was glad to get rid of it, but you might think you would at least get average service after helping someone. Nope.
I am not saying there is not a place for the USPS, I agree there is a reason. I think they should charge more, but only if it means better service and benefit packages in line with the industry. I will say a buddy who had a job as a mail carrier quit after 8 years. He had the supervisor following him around documenting everything he did. Why, well most likely because he complained about others who in his mind were lazy shits. He works harder now, but gets paid more, and is in management in FedEx.
I worked for an airline for awhile and we moved alot of mail and brought it to the post office from the aircrafts. God forbid you got there at break time. We actually got in physical fights with other airlines dumping mail because we all needed to get it off and get back for the next flights, but were stuck with a belt stalled because the post office was on break.
I'm not sorry I was brought up different. You do the work, and work your ass off. There will be time to relax, but you are there to work, and that ethic was not apparent then, and not apparent in the situation I am dealing with.
I agree I don't want to pay $100 when I could pay $20, but the point may be that there should be more accountability, and maybe it should come at a higher price. I don't know you, but why should I subsidize you sending a package across the world, you should pay the cost. The people in rural America, or inner city who may not have a computer to pay bills, yea I pay to help that, but to help you save $80, no! I am all for charging more for junk mail, and to those who are using services above the basic mailing of a bill.