eBay

cody111111 · ‎10-08-2017

Friends;

Obviously it is easy to fight with people, demand something of an employee because you know they have to do it, but really, why is this even set up this way for conflict? So I posted before about trying to find a post office scan everynight the items you place in the lobby box and how I found a rural one that works most of the time. Still recently I have moved up to 2.9 % late and after so many eBay folks said I should be like the rest of the hard working sellers I should just get in line and get these scanned I have been doing this. So here is Friday's conversation, almost word for word at the post office by my house, not the rural one I usually drive to because what would it matter I am getting in line should be easy.

Me: Hi I'd like to scan in these 5 envelopes and get a receipt please.

Postal Worker at the Desk; "Ok but you see this has a tracking number and you have a receipt on your computer for this number right? You could have just left this in the box in the lobby right?

Me: Yes, but I still want to get a receipt for these scanned. Thanks:"

Postal Worker at the Desk; "OK but I am telling you you are wasting your time getting in line. These get scanned every night."

Me: Yeah I understand that but really they actually don't get scanned every night all the time. I am sorry but this has been my experience here.

Postal Worker at the Desk; "Who do you think scans these every night? That is me and now you are telling me I don't do my job?" (Quite angry and I am being overly polite now...)

Me: Really I am so sorry but I just need these envelopes scanned. I am so sorry I did not mean to offend.

So she scans 4 of the envelopes and comes to the international to England envelope.

Postal Worker at the Desk; "Oh this is international, we don't scan international here."

My wife had the same experience with international when she tried. So I took the international envelope, drove to the rural post office and they scanned it right away. So I guess the answer is for me to get in line only at the rural post office where they usually scan every night but sometimes don't. That of course is the magic formula.

But really, eBay my friends, you folks are crazy thinking this is easy to do consistently. Of course if you enjoy college hazing by postal workers while you are being overly contrite and nice to fighting with postal workers maybe this is a great thing.

emerald40 · ‎10-08-2017

@cody111111 wrote:
Friends;

Obviously it is easy to fight with people, demand something of an employee because you know they have to do it, but really, why is this even set up this way for conflict? So I posted before about trying to find a post office scan everynight the items you place in the lobby box and how I found a rural one that works most of the time. Still recently I have moved up to 2.9 % late and after so many eBay folks said I should be like the rest of the hard working sellers I should just get in line and get these scanned I have been doing this. So here is Friday's conversation, almost word for word at the post office by my house, not the rural one I usually drive to because what would it matter I am getting in line should be easy.

Me: Hi I'd like to scan in these 5 envelopes and get a receipt please.
Postal Worker at the Desk; "Ok but you see this has a tracking number and you have a receipt on your computer for this number right? You could have just left this in the box in the lobby right?
Me: Yes, but I still want to get a receipt for these scanned. Thanks:"
Postal Worker at the Desk; "OK but I am telling you you are wasting your time getting in line. These get scanned every night."
Me: Yeah I understand that but really they actually don't get scanned every night all the time. I am sorry but this has been my experience here.
Postal Worker at the Desk; "Who do you think scans these every night? That is me and now you are telling me I don't do my job?" (Quite angry and I am being overly polite now...)
Me: Really I am so sorry but I just need these envelopes scanned. I am so sorry I did not mean to offend.

So she scans 4 of the envelopes and comes to the international to England envelope.

Postal Worker at the Desk; "Oh this is international, we don't scan international here."

My wife had the same experience with international when she tried. So I took the international envelope, drove to the rural post office and they scanned it right away. So I guess the answer is for me to get in line only at the rural post office where they usually scan every night but sometimes don't. That of course is the magic formula.

But really, eBay my friends, you folks are crazy thinking this is easy to do consistently. Of course if you enjoy college hazing by postal workers while you are being overly contrite and nice to fighting with postal workers maybe this is a great thing.

Of course it is not.

And the last thing you want to do is cause a fuss in a Federal building.

When I go to my local post office they will scan if not busy.

At our main city one, it is just too busy and they will not do it.

siayan · ‎10-08-2017

Every package is supposed to be scanned at acceptance. You can't fight the unionized postal worker but I would be filing complaints. That is what you pay for. I would be filing complaints with names and dates.

____________________________________________________________________
Prov 20:14 It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

zzydny · ‎10-08-2017

You have to do what works for you. It is unfortunate that your postal clerk was rude. Your postal worker was obviously having a very bad day. What could you do next time to put things right so that you will get better service?

I suppose I'm lucky. My tiny local PO (one window, lots and lots of waiting) always scans while I watch and they always give a receipt.

But there is also this: I have made every effort to be friendly to the PO staff. They know why I need my scan receipt because I've talked with them. I've given extra pens when the staff told me that theirs were disappearing. While I wait in line, I'm friendly to the other folks there, especially when someone is having a bad day and I let them go ahead of me. I help other customers who are waiting in line by answering questions to save the workers a little time. I have even helped people wrap packages (I use donated packing materials and nearly always have extra in my car).

The postal workers are glad to see me. They call me by name, and they worry about in me bad weather. I'm grateful for that. It's a relationship I take great care in fostering because there are times when I want extra help. A little nice goes a long way in building a bridge that I can use when I need it.

emerald40 · ‎10-08-2017

Yes, but if you lived in a big city do you think any of that cozying up would make a difference.

siayan · ‎10-08-2017

This is one of my pet peeves. I don't have the problem and all the workers at my PO and my Local Pick up are perfect. When online purchasing started the over the counter clerks fought back by giving anyone with online postage a hard time in any way they could. They would try it with me.

I stood in line and before I got up there a little old lady would want to look at stamps. They would pull out the book and show her all the pretty flowers and Elvis stamps. She would buy $20 worth of stamps and that would last here a few months.

I spend $10,000 to $15,000 per year and they don't have time to scan my items. I call the manager and explain the situation in a loud voice so everyone can hear. And I tell the same story as above.

____________________________________________________________________
Prov 20:14 It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

zzydny · ‎10-08-2017

@emerald40 wrote:
Yes, but if you lived in a big city do you think any of that cozying up would make a difference.

Maybe. Maybe not. I'd certainly try to go to the same postal worker whenever I could. And I'd still smile at whomever.

There is actually another PO in my small town that I sometimes go to but just further away and I try to save mileage. Four windows, not so much waiting. They know me there as well, and they also treat me like I'm welcome.

rolenboy01 · ‎10-08-2017

My local post office gets enough online seller traffic that they have a seperate table and area with a dedicated clerk with a portable scanner for online postage paid packages, I guess they finally wised up and found it's probably eaiser to take a 20 foot tube or a huge package around the side than over the counter.

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎10-08-2017

Just tell them your "boss" insists you bring back a receipt. White lie, no damage done. After all your boss does insist--the morning YOU that doesn't like to open ebay and see a INR.

jonathankirkland · ‎10-08-2017

It is EXTREMELY unfortunate that the postal worker was rude to you. That is obviously totally unacceptable, and I you handled very well.

I guess I too am fortunate. The post office near my house has never given me any problems scanning the packages I have brought there.

There is a line and they help anyone and everyone there with whatever they need. I have seen people come in and drop packages off, and that is fine, but for me I want to ensure they are scanned and receive documentation saying so.

What's interesting is this post office is actually not the one in my city, but the next town over, but because I live on the outskirts of my city, it is actually closer to go to this one in another town.

Now the post office in my city has HORRIBLE reviews on Google... all kinds of complainst about nasty workers there, the fact they never answer their phone, just all kinds of stuff.

And something else I noticed, whenever I leave small packages (small enough to fit 3-4 of them in my mailbox) for the carrier from the post office in my city (the one with bad customer service complains), I notice it takes them usually TWO or THREE days to get these scanned!

To me that is completely unacceptable. I could understand if they weren't able to be scanned until the next day as our mail gets picked up late, but for it to go several days? I really do not understand it.

And just an FYI the reason I sometimes do not take them to the post office down the road is because I have health issues and if it's just 1 or 2 or even 3 small envelopes I sometimes cannot justify even the short trip up the road.

/rant mode off now

zzydny · ‎10-08-2017

@rolenboy01 wrote:
My local post office gets enough online seller traffic that they have a seperate table and area with a dedicated clerk with a portable scanner for online postage paid packages, I guess they finally wised up and found it's probably eaiser to take a 20 foot tube or a huge package around the side than over the counter.

That sounds amazing! I wish we had that.

My local PO also has a great deal of seller traffic. It has been very interesting (since, as I said, I have to stand in line waiting often) to watch how people treat the postal workers. Some sellers can be unnecessarily unpleasant and demanding that they have more rights than others when, really, they don't. It just doesn't need to be that way.

rolenboy01 · ‎10-08-2017

@siayan wrote:

I spend $10,000 to $15,000 per year and they don't have time to scan my items. I call the manager and explain the situation in a loud voice so everyone can hear. And I tell the same story as above.

You do have a point most of us sellers here are spending a lot more money yearly on postage than these people standing in line yet they a lot of times seem to get treated BETTER it's ridiculous.

missalisa · ‎10-08-2017

I normally go to a small PO with one clerk. He knows me by name and most of the time there is no one in the office, so he does my packages right away. There have been a few times where he had someone obviously doing a transaction that could take a while and I trust to leave the package with him because I know he'll scan them.

Then one day the circumstances were not right for me to go to that PO. So I stopped at a larger PO and there was a line. So I dropped all the packages (and I had quite a few that day) into the bin. One was never scanned and of course that one never made it to the destination. I ended up having to refund the buyer their money. I can't even file a claim with the PO because according to them, I never dropped the box there, they have no scan to prove it. I will never drop in the bin at that PO again.

siayan · ‎10-08-2017

@rolenboy01 wrote:
@siayan wrote:

I spend $10,000 to $15,000 per year and they don't have time to scan my items. I call the manager and explain the situation in a loud voice so everyone can hear. And I tell the same story as above.
You do have a point most of us sellers here are spending a lot more money yearly on postage than these people standing in line yet they a lot of times seem to get treated BETTER it's ridiculous.

They should tell the people who want a book of stamps they are too busy and to go to the machine in the lobby. They have to wait on this priority customer.

____________________________________________________________________
Prov 20:14 It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

zzydny · ‎10-08-2017

@jonathankirkland wrote:

.....And just an FYI the reason I sometimes do not take them to the post office down the road is because I have health issues and if it's just 1 or 2 or even 3 small envelopes I sometimes cannot justify even the short trip up the road.

/rant mode off now

Me, too, with the health issues. It is very often a struggle for me to get to the PO and back home but I grit my teeth and go. And I smile when I'm there so that no one knows how bad I'm feeling. There are times when my kind neighbor has to take me.