Is the Post Office Screwing Customers?

db5 · Post by **db5** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 5:31 pm

I think so. I stopped by today and weighed a padded envelop. The weight was 1 lb. 2.4 oz. I weighed it at home on some digital postal scales and it was 2.4 oz. Since it is less than 3 miles round trip to the post office I weighted some other things less than 1 lb. and the scales ADDED one pound to the weight. Anything over 1 lb. weighed accurately. Perhaps they plan on making up their $5B loss last year by cheating customers on weight. Naughty, naughty!

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 5:51 pm

db5 wrote:I think so. I stopped by today and weighed a padded envelop. The weight was 1 lb. 2.4 oz. I weighed it at home on some digital postal scales and it was 2.4 oz. Since it is less than 3 miles round trip to the post office I weighted some other things less than 1 lb. and the scales ADDED one pound to the weight. Anything over 1 lb. weighed accurately. Perhaps they plan on making up their $5B loss last year by cheating customers on weight. Naughty, naughty!

The post office may be charging you more than you want to pay but I seriously doubt that you got screwed. If concerned, you need to ask or do some research on postal rates. Cheating, I don't think so. Running a tight, well organized and efficient operation - that may be debatable. After all, it is akin to the Government.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 6:24 pm

Post office scales are checked regularly for accuracy.

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:45 pm

Of course no one we know would ever consider taking advantage of anyone especially the post office

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 8:00 pm

Watch the clerk's thumb.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 11:13 pm

db5 wrote:I think so. I stopped by today and weighed a padded envelop. The weight was 1 lb. 2.4 oz. I weighed it at home on some digital postal scales and it was 2.4 oz. Since it is less than 3 miles round trip to the post office I weighted some other things less than 1 lb. and the scales ADDED one pound to the weight. Anything over 1 lb. weighed accurately. Perhaps they plan on making up their $5B loss last year by cheating customers on weight. Naughty, naughty!

Did you set the tare first?

i.e. Zeroed out?

benush26 · Post by **benush26** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 12:55 am

Question
Did YOU weigh it on a scale that is in the post office (the ones usually out where everyone can use them) or did a PO worker weigh it and give you the incorrect weight?
If THEY weighed it and gave you a bogus weight and planned to charge you based on that weight then knock on the the door of their postmaster and tell then there is a problem.

If you weighed it on a public access (though still in the building) scale, maybe it just has a problem with the pounds but not the ounces display. Especially since you said everything OVER a pound show the correct amount.

Just a thought

bhurley · Post by **bhurley** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 8:28 am

I would like to relate my recent Post Office story. See if this makes good business sense to you.

I ship 30 to 40 packages a week through the PO. I generate the shipping labels on line and simply drop them off to the Post Office nearest my house. One of my packages was returned a couple of days ago with a small sticker over my eBay shipping label saying that it was 14 cents short on postage. The problem - I had put the piece in a box that said Priority Mail on it. I had generated a label for just parcel post. The difference in postage - 14 cents.

The Post office took the time to fill out the label, send it back through their sorting process, return it to the different Post Office that my mail carrier works out of, and then return it to my house. All for 14 cents.

When I corrected it and took it back to the original Post Office the clerk saw me drop it off. He said " do you have the correct label this time?"

It seems to me that if he knew who the "offending" party was that he could have simply waited for the next time he saw me and told me about the Priority Mail issue. It would have saved them a lot of unnecessary labor.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 8:44 am

bhurley wrote:I would like to relate my recent Post Office story. See if this makes good business sense to you.

I ship 30 to 40 packages a week through the PO. I generate the shipping labels on line and simply drop them off to the Post Office nearest my house. One of my packages was returned a couple of days ago with a small sticker over my eBay shipping label saying that it was 14 cents short on postage. The problem - I had put the piece in a box that said Priority Mail on it. I had generated a label for just parcel post. The difference in postage - 14 cents.

The Post office took the time to fill out the label, send it back through their sorting process, return it to the different Post Office that my mail carrier works out of, and then return it to my house. All for 14 cents.

When I corrected it and took it back to the original Post Office the clerk saw me drop it off. He said " do you have the correct label this time?"

It seems to me that if he knew who the "offending" party was that he could have simply waited for the next time he saw me and told me about the Priority Mail issue. It would have saved them a lot of unnecessary labor.

That only works:
1) if the PO folks are not jerks
2) if 'posting' from a small town(where being a jerk is not recommdended!)
3) if the bean counters would overlook a till with $0.14 extra

Dandridge ain't small enough!:D

White Pine = Maybe;)

What has 'business' have to do with the PO?:rolleyes:

Think UPS or FEDEX would do what you suggested?

That is what ya get fer using their free box!:p

$0.14 difference = musta been small/light

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 9:48 am

bhurley wrote:I would like to relate my recent Post Office story. See if this makes good business sense to you.

I ship 30 to 40 packages a week through the PO. I generate the shipping labels on line and simply drop them off to the Post Office nearest my house. One of my packages was returned a couple of days ago with a small sticker over my eBay shipping label saying that it was 14 cents short on postage. The problem - I had put the piece in a box that said Priority Mail on it. I had generated a label for just parcel post. The difference in postage - 14 cents.

The Post office took the time to fill out the label, send it back through their sorting process, return it to the different Post Office that my mail carrier works out of, and then return it to my house. All for 14 cents.

When I corrected it and took it back to the original Post Office the clerk saw me drop it off. He said " do you have the correct label this time?"

It seems to me that if he knew who the "offending" party was that he could have simply waited for the next time he saw me and told me about the Priority Mail issue. It would have saved them a lot of unnecessary labor.

I suspect that management would see that as a NO-NO. No mail gets shipped without adequate postage. No common sense decisions allowed.

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