Thursday, June 12, 2008

USPS incident - Part 2

Tuesday night I filed a complaint online about what happened in the previous post. Today I received a callback from, I assume, the manager of the local post office, Midwood branch, on Coney Island between I and J. In no uncertain terms the manager informed me that my beliefs are my problem and they will not change their policies to suit me. He told me that not being able to sign because of a Jewish holiday is not their problem but mine. I asked him what would happen if the addressee would have a broken arm. He told me that he'd have to have someone there at the time of delivery to sign for the package. That's right, if you're disabled, too bad for you. It's your fault you can't sign for the package and the post office will not accommodate you because maybe you should have took this into consideration before deciding to become disabled.

I emailed Simcha Felder, felder@council.nyc.ny.us, and Michael Nelson, nelson@council.nyc.ny.us, regarding both incidents. If you live in Brooklyn and don't want the same thing to happen to you, do us both a favor and send them an email, referencing these two posts, and ask them to change the USPS signature policy.
Posted by at 2:26 PM
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41 comments:

  1. So now there is (or always was)A USPS CRISIS. (see my blog for detais)
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  2. Dude, USPS is a government agency and is funded by my taxes. If I'm paying for this dump of an organization, it's my right to demand better service.
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  3. especially for the amount of taxes that you are paying
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  4. I gotta get a real accountant for next year...
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  5. I saw the Jewish Federation of New York population survey recently. It said that they Jewish population of Brooklyn (almost 20% of Brooklyn's total population) is close to half a million; those at least nominally Orthodox make up 37% of the total. It's time we're shown some accomodation, dammit.
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  6. Actually, USPS prides itself on being fiscally self sufficient, i.e. they do not get our taxes to support their operation. That would explain why they are extremely inefficient: you have little control over them and all other alternatives are at least double the price. And when it comes to plain mail, they really are a monopoly.
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  7. subwife, not entirely true
    http://www.lunewsviews.com/pdfs/psfunds.pdf
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  8. Dude, what's the big deal? You can't sign, come the next day and pick it up. Why should they make special accomodation for us? Let's not forget, it is their country, we are their guests, and we should be very grateful for security and prosperity that this very government provides for the yidden here. Just look at what's going on in Europe, where Jews are afraid to go outside wearing their yarmulkes. So, please, stop whining and complaining. To be continued...
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  9. Contd...

    Instead go the the very same USPS office and send some care package to a soldier fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq to protect you and your family over here. Jewish or non-Jewish soldier, doesn't matter.
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  10. Yeah, come next day, stand 30+ minutes in line and waste a total of around 1 hour from my time. Next time, how about you go pick it up for me if you're so smart.

    It's whose country? Who are they? The secret society of WASPs? America is a country of immigrants. The government is paid from our taxes. I'll stop whining when "they" will stop taking away 30% of my money. Is that good enough for you?
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  11. You, my friend are looking at this country as a consumer, not as a frum Jew. From a frum Jew's point of view, this country is an amazing refuge for us while we are awaiting the coming of Moshiach. It is a temporary stop on our way to Jerusalem, and a comfortable one at that, so again, please stop complaining.

    Yous say you will stop whining when they stop taxing you? Isn't that a too high price to pay to just looking a bit beyond your own nose? Think about it... (to be continued)
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  12. Contd... Don't wanna pay taxes? Ok, so what do you want to cut from government services? You live in Brooklyn which is full of our Muslim friends who watch Al-Jazeera day and night and hate our guts. Now, remove the police, the FBI, the National Guard from the picture, how long do you think the Jewish community will last? How long till you have your own door marked with a Star of David? Not very long at all.

    So, please start appreciating this wonderful country and quit your petty compaints.
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  13. Go look up how much of taxes goes for what and then talk.
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  14. yosef,

    no one is arguing that compared to other galuyot, America - so far - is a much, much gentler version. I've read that R' Moshe Feinstein, ztk"l, called America "malchus shel chesed". However, the U.S. security apparatus does not protect Jews alone - not that we're ungrateful (there are other vulnerable minorities) - and on my part, for sure, there is a sense of appreciation to this country; still, there is nothing wrong with demanding that our hard-earned money that go towards taxes be utilized in the most efficient manner possible - something that cannot be said with the mess America is in now.
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  15. btw, yosef, do you work and pay taxes?
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  16. Moshe, yes, I do work and pay taxes, thank you for asking. I also recycle paper and plastic.

    Alan, well, I am not so sure about the "demanding" part. Again, let's not forget that we are guests here, and guests are not supposed to make many demands on their hosts. And why do you say America is a mess?? America is in great shape. What other country can fight TWO wars at the same time, pay through the nose for energy, manage the constant threat from the internal enemy (liberals) and yet prosper and grow the economy?
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  17. You still haven't managed to explain who we're guests of. From the very beginning, Jews made quiet a contribution to America's development. Also, I don't think I'd want to be a guest in your house, considering how you're planning on charging me for the food I'm gonna eat, electricity I'm gonna use, etc.

    The economy is prospering? Where? Prices on everything are going through the roof and half the jobs have been outsourced overseas. The unemployment rate is rising. Interest rates have been cut to almost 0.

    Here's something I'm sure you never knew, Jews played a big part in financing the war of Independence
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  18. Ok, Moshe, let's try to work through the "guest" concept an a simple and easy-to-understand way. Here: we are Jews and as such our real home is in the Yeretz Yisroel. Anywhere else in the world we are guests. Simple, right? I hope you are not going to say that the US is your home. It's been tried before by German Jews who proclaimed that "Berlin is our Jerusalem", and we all know how that turned out.

    Why are you saying that if you are a guest in my house I would charge you for food, electricity and such? I never said any of that. If you have no argument, just say so, why invent things out of thin air?
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  19. Guests are not not charged for anything, tenants are. So if you want, you can call Jews in America, tenants. But guess what, it's a tenant's right to demand that he gets what he's paying for. This is a concept you seem to be unable to understand.
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  20. Yosef,

    yes, comparatively speaking America is still in great shape when we look at many other countries of the world. However, the unemployment jumped by a full half percent from April to June, national debt is huge and growing, recently released figures indicate $1.7 trillion lost in sub-prime mortgages fiasco and stock market's poorer performance, 49 million Americans are uninsured, we have an estimated 12 million illegal migrants who are sucking the resources of this country like leeches, great jobs aren't as easy to come by as in the 1990s, gas is over $4 on average having really spiraled out of control and food prices have risen substantially as well. As to the successes of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the puppet (albeit American-friendly) regimes in both countries would collapse as soon as we pull out our troops, I'm pretty sure. Yes, we're flexing our muscle there militarily and there is a sense of success with the troops surge, but where is the long-last political solution that would insure stability after the GI's are gone? Things in America could be better. Also, the U.S. is not a nation-state with one dominant ethnic group. Multitudes of goyim have come here from overseas as well. Those who have a real claim to this land have been largerly eliminated or herded into reservations and marginalized.
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  21. Good point dude, we're all guests and the Native Americans are the hosts.
    There is no national religion or ethnic group in America.
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  22. Ok, so no response about your made up point that I would charge you for stuff if you are a guest at my house. You insulted me with a false premise and chose not to apologize. Very classy, my friend, you should be so proud.

    Speaking of tenant vs. guest, I guess you can get very technical and claim that Jews are tenants here. Ok, so based on what do you demand that the Postal Service change its rules to suit our religious observance? Besides, you probably spent way more time whining and complaining about this than actially going to the Post Office to get your package!
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  23. False premise?! I said we pay 30% taxes. You said that we're still guests. Now if you think that guests have to pay for services then you probably do same at home. A very logical conclusion.

    UPS and FEDEX don't mind bending rules on shabbat. Don't forget that the manager also told me that they're not gonna bend rules for disabled either, that it's their problem and not the post office's.

    You're the one who's been doing most of the uneducated whining. In either case, how I spend my time is my choice. And I wouldn't "whine" if they actually did their job, which they don't. They originally refused to deliver packages to my side door. They leave packages outside unattended. The local branch is a dump, always lines and very slow. The delivery man rings the door, waits 10 seconds, if not less, and runs back to the truck. More than once, the guy failed to leave a "we missed you" note. They raise postage, but the service remains the same.
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  24. The waiting time at the local post office branch is absolutely unacceptable. Fine, maybe I'm comparing with an out-of-town setting where the quality if living is mistamah higher, but come on? You really should check it out, Yosef.
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  25. I've been to that branch a few times, never waited more than 5-10 mins. I can totally believe, though, that it may be much more at times.
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  26. Alan – why such doom and gloom? Unemployment jumped? So what? It is normal to have 5% unemployment. Otherwise we would still be employing horse caretakers and water carriers. And remember that guy who used to walk around all light fixtures at night and light them up? Jobs are being replaced by technology, but that same technology needs to be serviced and maintained by professional specialists. ..

    Yes, illegals are a problem, but it’s an old problem. We had illegals in your perfect 1990s and Regan’s 1980s and Oil crisis of 1970s and etc. Yet America had not only survived, but prospered too.

    Re 49 million uninsured Americans: first, that number includes illegals. Second although uninsured hospitals are not allowed to decline medical care to those in the emergency room. Third, medicate is available to all of the country’s poor. So what we have is criminals (illegals) without insurance. [fine by me], poor who are too lazy to register for medicate [fine by me], and Middle Class/Rich who don’t want to purchase an insurance [fine by me].

    Re: High gas prices and food prices are a result of liberal agenda hi-jacking this country. While they [liberals] are forcing us to rely on foreign oil, the foreigners are drilling for oil mere 60 miles off our shores. We have oil, we are just not using it and that’s why our prices are high.

    Re: Food prices. Do you see Americans converting their lawns into food producing gardens like they did in the ‘30s & ‘40s? No? Because it’s not worth an effort. Therefor food prices are not high. They are just higher than before.

    Re: leaving Afganistan and Iraq. That’s why we shouldn’t leave. Just like we still have troops stationed in Japan and Germany, we should have troops in Afganistand and Iraq. It’s really not a difficult concept.

    Yosef: We are not guests in this country. We are full fledge citizen. We arrived here just like everyone else and We vote and pay taxes and etc. just like everyone else. Sentiments like yours results in unnecessary deaths of the Jews. Because you are showing a weakness to the enemy. Enemy is meciless. Enemy uses that weakness knowing that you won’t fight back to feed anti-Semitic propaganda on the masses.
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  27. Mlevin,

    While you make some good points, some things I disagree with. One of those things is health insurance. I know plenty of people who are by no means wealthy or even middle class, but no longer qualify for Medicaid because they make too much (which really is rather little.) Most of these people are self-employed or employed by small businesses. And getting insurance for a family of four on their own would cost about $1,500/mo, which is completely out of reach for someone making $40-45k/year before taxes. And even then, they would still have to pay ridiculous co-pays for pretty much anything.
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  28. That was actually us until wife got job with feds. Insurance sux but at least it's there.

    Btw, here's something to think about. All government applications that require you to send money are money order only and who sells money orders? USPS!
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  30. Except banks charge a lot more, even if you're an account holder.
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  31. True, most. But one or two charge only $1 or so. I think it was apple bank.
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  32. Really? Good to know, I have an account with them.
    Citibank charges $5 for customers and $10 for non-customers.
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  33. Please don't quote me. I don't remember exactly, but I thought it was them. I bank there too and once needed a money order. I could be wrong though. If i ever see a bank selling cheap money orders, I will let you know which one. down with usps!
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  34. USPS money orders are definitely cheaper than those at the banks. I haven't bought any in G-d knows how long, but I still remember it was a relatively small charge.
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  35. Point to consider:

    If the *sender* specified that it must be signed for, then they should not deliver it without a signature.

    If I send something return-receipt or by some other signature-required mechanism, I do it for a reason, and I don't want them to deliver it without getting that signature for me.

    In this case, the *sender* is the customer, you are the recipient.
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  36. I buy an item, I'm the customer. Though you do have a point.
    The thing is, UPS and FEDEX redeliver, USPS doesn't. And the branches are very badly run.
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  37. I buy an item, I'm the customer.

    You are the customer for the business, not the shipping company.

    For example, if I pay Company X for Overnight Shipping, and the shipping company fails to meet that, it is Company X that gets their shipping cost refunded, not me, because they were the ones who had the shipping contract.

    Your real recourse here is with the company you ordered the product from -- either select a different shipping company if they have it, or see if they can remove the "must sign for it" option.
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  38. It was jewelry so even if they would remove the "must sign" the delivery guy would just dump it by my door w/o ringing the bell. Happened before.
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  39. Can you get the vendor to use a different shipper?
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  40. I think no. If yes, would cost more. And I is cheap Jew.
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  41. You get the service you pay for.
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