I often submit columns about changing times. The topic was
one I was going to write about again this week. As I read through
the first page aloud, I realized (with help from my in-house
editor) I had already mentioned some of the items recently.
Once
I write and submit a column, I forget it. I have to do that
to let ideas for new material enter my thoughts. If I
could only get readers, and my editor at the paper, to forget
what they read my job would be easy. I would only have to
submit the digital text, let’s say once a month. The editor
wouldn’t have to let me know she got it or set new text.
We could take a lot of work out of this business and have the
paper just send me a check once a month. It would present a
problem however; I couldn’t let you all know How I
see it.
I
am going to tell you about a few things that are bugging
me — and you too I bet. How about the insurance company
that tells us to name our own price. That may be just fine,
but probably a waste of time. In the first place, I would have
to need insurance — I’m very happy with what I
have now. Secondly, if I named my own price, it would probably
be too low — but their ads don’t address that
possibility.
I
really don’t like ads that say, “We will give
you a second one free — all you pay is shipping and handling.
They don’t mention how much the shipping and handling
cost. Seems to me if they can give me a second one free just
for trying the product, they should just send it first and
if I want another one, I’ll let them know.
Some
things we have to deal with make life tough these days, like
warranty coverage on items we buy. To qualify
for coverage
you must submit a form with: date of purchase, date
item failed, where it was purchased and the original sales
receipt. If you
kept a file on your purchase, which many of us do,
aren’t
you a little steamed when you go to that file to get your ORIGINAL
RECEIPT and it is blank? Many sales register tapes use film
that fades over time. If you may have been smart enough to
make a copy when you filed it, most manufacturers will not
accept a copy — it must be the original receipt.
Perhaps they have developed scanners that can read
the blank receipts.
Also
bugging me are problems with my mail. Although I’m
told all post offices operate under the same guidelines,
I experience a wide variation from one to another.
I have received
my mail while living at the same address in Port
Austin for over 30 years. During this span of years, the
post
office
has changed location and managers three times, and
just about everything
else connected to the mail. Someone once called this
progress.
One change was our zip code use, then P.O. Box numbers followed
by how you had to have incoming mail addressed. You had to
have your physical address and a zip code suffix that indicated
your box number. Then we needed to add the P.O. Box number
to the address line and they had to be listed in the right
order. This procedure turned into requiring only the P.O. Box
and no physical address. At about this point one year I had
my IRS refund check sent back because it only had the physical
address on it. Ever try to get the government to re-issue a
check sent back?
Please
understand none of the confusion originates in our local
post offices — the shrinking
numbers of people who work there just have to
take the abuse
when we get
frustrated.
During
the winter months the past 25 years, I have had a post office
box where I live in Key
Largo.
I have survived
a change
of box number, an added prefix to my box number
and the usual
directive to leave a change of address. I have
had no incidents until this year but it’s
been a dilly. Because the last two numbers
of my zip code
were added
to my box number,
the
forwarding office in Michigan got confused
and decided to send my mail to Key West. Since
there
was no one
by that
name at
that box number, after about three weeks they
sent my mail back to where it belonged. Sounds
weird
right? I
actually
had to put in another change of address listing
the new box number
with the two added numbers to get my mail.
Another
fun event with my mail occurred when I was charged several “return fees” because the post office kept
returning one of my bank statements. The bank explained it
by saying the post office said they knew the mail held “sensitive” material
so they could not forward it. The post office
explained it by saying the bank had a notation
on their envelopes
that
the mail should not be forwarded. How odd
that my other bank statements
all got to me just fine.
I
fully support the postal service and always have. I never
grumble about raising cost
and always prefer
to
use the
post office to mail packages — just
love those flat-rate boxes. Considering
my recent
experiences however, I am
beginning to
understand why e-mail has become so popular.
As I see it progress and the age of electronics are working
against most of us.