Grumpa Joe's Place

My Flag Flies Everyday

Life continues to teach lessons to the end. I confess that I am three score and ten in years, but I am still learning everyday. Just this week I learned something new. Since I try to be a positive person, I look for the positive that comes out of a negative. Last week I received a call from a loan company telling me that I was fourteen days past due on a loan payment. The loan company is a government backed organization similar to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.  For once they were correct about my late payment. They did me a favor by calling to remind me of the oversight. I told them I would send them money immediately. At the same time, I completed a form requesting a direct debit from my checking account to prevent the problem from occurring again. On Thursday, I rushed to the Post Office to send the check and the request.  I wanted the check to get there fast so I chose to send it by “Express Mail.” It cost $17.65 to send the money this way. It was guaranteed to be in their hands within twenty four hours.  At the same time, I mailed my request for direct debit by certified first class mail; the cost was $2.65.

My experience with the US Postal Service has been fair. I always trust them and expect my mail to get through. I remember as a kid that the mailman came to the house twice a day. We had a morning and an afternoon delivery to the front door. Currently, I have to walk to the curb to pick up my mail and I’m lucky if it comes sometime between nine and four. The service is now threatening to cut service to five days a week down from six. I still expect them to perform as faithful servants of the people by getting the mail through.

Today, I received a letter from the loan company telling me that I was in arrears. I decided I had better check on the status of my payment. I enterred the tracking number into the USPS website and got a surprise. The payment arrived at the loan company on Saturday afternoon, not on Friday as planned. There was no one at the office to receive the mail and sign for it. The USPS left them a form indicating they have special mail and they should make arrangements for a redelivery to occur. It is Monday and the payment is still late.

I was furious and called the local PO. A nice lady explained the process to me. Yes they were late with the delivery. I had no recourse except to hope  the loan company will request a redelivery. I asked her if I can claim a rebate for the $17.65 . “Yes,” she said, but you have to wait until the item is delivered to make a claim. Then I have to prove to the local PO that it was late.

Later this evening, I checked the USPS site again and learned that the item was delivered at 10:00 a.m. ten this morning. The second item sent to the same place by snail mail arrived at  8:39 a.m.

All of this got me to thinking about our  desire to make “Change We Can Believe In.” The latest direction is to nationalize health care. The idea that we will screw up our health care system by giving it to the government is insane. The USPS has had two hundred years to get it right, and they continue to erode their service. Their employees are indifferent to their performance, and are generally unhelpful. Can you imagine what it will be like trying to get cured using the bureocracy? I suggest we all take vitamins and live healthy, because getting help will be like expecting the post office to deliver a piece of mail on time.

Filed under: economy, Election, family, Government, Motivation, politics, Uncategorized | Tagged: bureocracy, Certified mail, Change We Can Believe In, Express Mail, health care, Snail Mail, USPS, vitamins |