I had to stop myself from laughing at the postal clerk today
lordmarcovan
Posts: 43,530 ✭✭✭✭✭
This afternoon I mailed a coin in a #10 (legal sized) envelope, as I usually do (properly sandwiched between enough paper and card stock so it wasn't obvious, of course).
The clerk tried to tell me "You can't insure a letter. Insured packages must be in a box." I wanted to ask her if she was nuts, as I have been insuring coins in envelopes for more than a decade. Instead, I asked her when they made up this rule. "Quite a while ago," she replied. I told her I had mailed hundreds, if not thousands, of items (coins) in #10 envelopes, First Class Insured, over the years. And usually from that very same branch office.
She shrugged and said to the other clerk next to her "Well, the customer is always right", and took it.
Surely she must have been thinking about Registered Mail?
I should've gone to the clerk down at the other end of the counter. He usually is the one I deal with, and is always nice. He knows I'm a coin dealer- I even gave him a holey Peace dollar for his keychain once. But he was busy today.
The clerk tried to tell me "You can't insure a letter. Insured packages must be in a box." I wanted to ask her if she was nuts, as I have been insuring coins in envelopes for more than a decade. Instead, I asked her when they made up this rule. "Quite a while ago," she replied. I told her I had mailed hundreds, if not thousands, of items (coins) in #10 envelopes, First Class Insured, over the years. And usually from that very same branch office.
She shrugged and said to the other clerk next to her "Well, the customer is always right", and took it.
Surely she must have been thinking about Registered Mail?
I should've gone to the clerk down at the other end of the counter. He usually is the one I deal with, and is always nice. He knows I'm a coin dealer- I even gave him a holey Peace dollar for his keychain once. But he was busy today.
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Show me where it says that in the Domestic Mail Manual
BTW: I mailed out a coin in a #10 envolope with insurance the other day with no problem.
Then they tell you "COINS?? You can't insure money."
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Also, I went to USPS.com and went through the motions of mailing a letter....."any additional services?" the site asks, I click insurance...."How much?" the site asks.....I enter 300.00.....OK...."Your total is...blah,blah...."
I printed this out to show the clerk and never saw that one again.....Maybe something is in the water......
Paul
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to be young at heart?
And as rich as you are,
it's much better by far,
to be young at heart!
You will be amazed how these clerks make up these rules as they work in post office or in banks!!
About 6 months ago when i was depositing our business checks into the business checking account,
the teller stated "Oh, Mr. Oreville, you are not supposed to put your account number on the back of the checks anymore."
I replied, "I did not know, that. Is this some kind of new rule?"
Teller: "Oh, yes, it is a new 911 rule to prevent depositors checking account numbers from being spread around the entire banking system and to avoid allowing such numbers to get into the wrong hands, even possible terrorists."
Me (surprised): "Oh, this is impressive, sort of increasing the privacy of depositors, to prevent others from ripping off depositors."
Teller (scratching off the account numbers off the back of the checks): "Exactly. 911 has changed many things around here."
So a day or two later after blabbing to all of my friends and clients about this new 911 rule, I went to deposit checks at my personal bank (a different bank). I had no account numbers shown on the back of the checks as I proudly swelled my chest knowing that 911 had done some good in creating some privacy for depositors.
Personal Bank Teller: "Mr. Oreville, you did not put your checking account number on the checks! I cannot accept these checks for deposit as is."
Me (still dreaming): "Um, oh, what are you talking about?"
Teller: "Mr. Oreville, I will put your account number on the back of the checks."
Me: "Why? I thought there was a new rule not to put account numbers on the back of the checks being deposited?"
Teller: "Oh no! There is a new rule that now requires account number to be wriiten on the back of the checks."
Me : "Oh, this has something to do with the new "check 21" rules going into effect in the fall?"
Teller: "Oh, no, this is the new 911 rule?"
Me: "The new 911 rules?"
Teller: " "Oh, yes, it is a new 911 rule to prevent depositors from hiding their checking account numbers within the entire banking system and to avoid allowing such numbers to get into the wrong hands, even possible terrorists."
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Geez!
(Edit to add: I know you don't do your banking under your forum name. If you were signing your checks "Mr Oreville", that really would've caused some confusion!)
this is what happens when you give people power, goes to their damn head. one time i mailed out an item, they asked, as they do, what's in it. made the mistake of saying 'silver dollar'. oh, we can't insure mail with money in it. luckily a clerk in the next window mentioned the 'collectible' word. okay now. 'collectible' has gotten a prominent place in my vocab when speaking to the bureaucrats at the window. jeez.
I love it when they say "Registered? Why??? Whats in the package?" when I send something that I want secured.
I smile and nod and don't comment further.... Except for this one real bossy gal who tells everyone what to do. Rather than go toe-to-toe over MY decision to mail MY package as I wish....with her I just decided to say "The boss said Registered." No one who works can argue with that.
I must've looked like the proverbial "deer caught in the headlights" when she said that ...
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