Smoke Smell Experience

[muttlymob]

This subject comes up frequently so I thought I would share a recent experience.

I deliver mail part time.  In my own vehicle.  At times I am called in to finish a route for whatever reason when a carrier cannot finish it themselves - also in their own privately owned vehicle.

Recently I was called in to finish a route for a carrier who broke down.  A heavy smoker.  Who had completed about half the route.

When I got to the PO all the mail and packages were on a cart at the dock ready to be reloaded.  I could smell it before I got to the cart.  From less than 2 hours in the carrier's vehicle.  Parcels, letters, magazines, everything smelled.

I don't know if the carrier smokes while delivering mail or if the smell was picked up from off-duty smoking.  Either way it was strong enough that customers must smell it when packages get delivered.

So don't discount a buyer's complaint of smoke smell so fast.  Their package could very well stink.

[tunicaslot]

I have no doubt this happens but buyers don't think anyone is to blame except for a seller. I smoke but never around the items I sell and not in the house - even I get disgusted with the heavy smoke smell of others or items that have been in an area with snoking so can appreciate a buyer's concerns - but the smoke sell may very well be picked up in transit and not because a seller didn't disclose it.

[emerald40]

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wrote:

This subject comes up frequently so I thought I would share a recent experience.

I deliver mail part time.  In my own vehicle.  At times I am called in to finish a route for whatever reason when a carrier cannot finish it themselves - also in their own privately owned vehicle.

Recently I was called in to finish a route for a carrier who broke down.  A heavy smoker.  Who had completed about half the route.

When I got to the PO all the mail and packages were on a cart at the dock ready to be reloaded.  I could smell it before I got to the cart.  From less than 2 hours in the carrier's vehicle.  Parcels, letters, magazines, everything smelled.

I don't know if the carrier smokes while delivering mail or if the smell was picked up from off-duty smoking.  Either way it was strong enough that customers must smell it when packages get delivered.

So don't discount a buyer's complaint of smoke smell so fast.  Their package could very well stink.

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Very surprised Post Office lets workers smoke while working.

[bubbleman2010]

What solution would you have for a seller who recieves a buyers complaint that my package smells like smoke?

[tunicaslot]

They don't em - at least the ones I know - but they are more concerned with delivery times and how long it take them to do a route than what happens inside the vehicle. At least that's what the couple of USPS postmen I know tell me 

[muttlymob]

Smoking isn't allowed in USPS owned vehicles.  It isn't allowed in privately owned vehicles while delivering or collecting mail.  If I remember correctly carriers can smoke while on break. 

But......

The carrier is out on the road alone.  Unless a supervisor is doing a surprise route inspection or there are complaints from customers, PO personnel have no way of knowing or controlling whether a carrier is smoking.

[donnalynnbrew]

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wrote:

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wrote:

This subject comes up frequently so I thought I would share a recent experience.

I deliver mail part time.  In my own vehicle.  At times I am called in to finish a route for whatever reason when a carrier cannot finish it themselves - also in their own privately owned vehicle.

Recently I was called in to finish a route for a carrier who broke down.  A heavy smoker.  Who had completed about half the route.

When I got to the PO all the mail and packages were on a cart at the dock ready to be reloaded.  I could smell it before I got to the cart.  From less than 2 hours in the carrier's vehicle.  Parcels, letters, magazines, everything smelled.

I don't know if the carrier smokes while delivering mail or if the smell was picked up from off-duty smoking.  Either way it was strong enough that customers must smell it when packages get delivered.

So don't discount a buyer's complaint of smoke smell so fast.  Their package could very well stink.

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Very surprised Post Office lets workers smoke while working.

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My mail carrier drives her own car, and smokes like a bad bbq grill

[muttlymob]

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wrote:

What solution would you have for a seller who recieves a buyers complaint that my package smells like smoke?

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I'm not offering a solution other than don't jump to the conclusion that the buyer is lying or that it is not possible for the package to smell like smoke.

Every seller has to decide for himself how he handles these kind of complaints, just like any other issue a buyer might raise.

[emerald40]

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wrote:

They don't em - at least the ones I know - but they are more concerned with delivery times and how long it take them to do a route than what happens inside the vehicle. At least that's what the couple of USPS postmen I know tell me 

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I would think that smoking would slow them down in completing their route.

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[emerald40]

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wrote:

Smoking isn't allowed in USPS owned vehicles.  It isn't allowed in privately owned vehicles while delivering or collecting mail.  If I remember correctly carriers can smoke while on break. 

But......

The carrier is out on the road alone.  Unless a supervisor is doing a surprise route inspection or there are complaints from customers, PO personnel have no way of knowing or controlling whether a carrier is smoking.

___________________________________________________________

Cigarette smoke is hard to miss.  It clings to clothes and hair.  One whiff of the inside of the truck should be obvious to PO personnel.

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[missjen831]

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wrote:

Smoking isn't allowed in USPS owned vehicles.  It isn't allowed in privately owned vehicles while delivering or collecting mail.  If I remember correctly carriers can smoke while on break. 

But......

The carrier is out on the road alone.  Unless a supervisor is doing a surprise route inspection or there are complaints from customers, PO personnel have no way of knowing or controlling whether a carrier is smoking.

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Yep. I used to see a mail carrier smoking in his USPS Jeep on his lunch break every day, his break coincided with my daily jog around the neighborhood. They aren’t supposed to do it but they do. 

[muttlymob]

Cigarette smoke is hard to miss.  It clings to clothes and hair.  One whiff of the inside of the truck should be obvious to PO personnel.

Sorry, but I have never seen anyone from the PO do a sniff test on a mail carrier's privately owned vehicle.

Without seeing someone actually smoking in their private vehicle, or getting a complaint from someone who does, this policy is difficult to enforce.  How would you know if the carrier was smoking in the vehicle while working or if the smell is from their driving outside of work?

[donngreen_36]

Many carriers now drive their personal vehicle, especially in smaller towns and rural areas.

I live in a town of 75k ppl, we have 2 USPS mail trucks, those are used mostly for the downtown area. Everyone else drives their own vehicle.

[ersatz_sobriquet]

Seems to me the thing to do here is to wrap your items well if they may attract smoke. Fabrics especially, seal them in a plastic bag not just a box. 

I often tape all the edges of my boxes too.

[emerald40]

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wrote:

Cigarette smoke is hard to miss.  It clings to clothes and hair.  One whiff of the inside of the truck should be obvious to PO personnel.

Sorry, but I have never seen anyone from the PO do a sniff test on a mail carrier's privately owned vehicle.

Without seeing someone actually smoking in their private vehicle, or getting a complaint from someone who does, this policy is difficult to enforce.  How would you know if the carrier was smoking in the vehicle while working or if the smell is from their driving outside of work?

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I said mail truck, not private vehicle.

In my area all mail is delivered in the official Postal vehicles.

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