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I live in an apartment building. I have a little tiny mailbox for letters, while packages are delivered to the main office, where I can pick them up.
This works well enough, except that sometimes the postman decides to try to CRAM my poor Pathfinder AP issue into the tiny little letter mailbox. The envelopes are often practically shredded in the process, and the book itself is rather badly bent.
So, I was wondering, would it be possible to put a DO NOT BEND sticker on the envelope or something? I considered contacting the post office, but we don't consistently have the same person delivering here, so I doubt it would help.
Thanks!
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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I live in an apartment building. I have a little tiny mailbox for letters, while packages are delivered to the main office, where I can pick them up.
This works well enough, except that sometimes the postman decides to try to CRAM my poor Pathfinder AP issue into the tiny little letter mailbox. The envelopes are often practically shredded in the process, and the book itself is rather badly bent.
So, I was wondering, would it be possible to put a DO NOT BEND sticker on the envelope or something? I considered contacting the post office, but we don't consistently have the same person delivering here, so I doubt it would help.
Thanks!
Ouch, I'm sorry to hear that problem. One other suggestion I've read, if you have a FLGS, is to have stuff delivered there, then go and pick it up (assuming it's OK with them) and they'd appriciate you picking up an item or three.
The post office and the postal carrier will not care about any "do not bend" message. They see statements like "fragile" on a box as a challenge. My well-packed box of dishes that I shipped from CA to WA had FRAGILE all over it. It arrived crushed *and* partially torn open, and about half of everything inside was broken.
Your best bet is to leave so much junk in your mailbox that he can't hope to fit any more in there and HAS to leave it at the office as a package.
Chief Technical Officer
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I live in an apartment building. I have a little tiny mailbox for letters, while packages are delivered to the main office, where I can pick them up.
This works well enough, except that sometimes the postman decides to try to CRAM my poor Pathfinder AP issue into the tiny little letter mailbox. The envelopes are often practically shredded in the process, and the book itself is rather badly bent.
So, I was wondering, would it be possible to put a DO NOT BEND sticker on the envelope or something? I considered contacting the post office, but we don't consistently have the same person delivering here, so I doubt it would help.
Thanks!
There should already be a big "DO NOT BEND" on the label...
See, what you do, is have a reasonable talk with the guy's successor, after quelling his fear about his new route (what with the bloody murder of his predecessor, who was crammed into a tiny mailbox by an unknown assailant). He'll be your friend and handle your packages with care.
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Director of Sales
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There should already be a big "DO NOT BEND" on the label...*checks the envelope*
Nope, no "DO NOT BEND" on the label.
Note the conditional "should". : /
With the rush to get all of the books out the door, some make it out the door without the stamp. However with anecdotal evidence such as Sean's above (not the first I've heard), as well as stories from actual letter carriers (also, see above), we know that "Do Not Bend" indicators on the envelopes really have little to no official weight. These indicators merely inform those people along the line who care to notice and treat the package accordingly (which we hope is most of them). It's more of a request than anything else.
The only way to get preferential treatment for your package is to upgrade your shipping method. USPS First Class mail goes through a different route to get from us to you. This could help someone whose Pathfinders are arriving excessively damaged in transport. This probably wouldn't help you too much though, Owen, since your damage is occurring at the point of delivery (your mailbox).
The best option for you, Owen, would be UPS Ground. These shipments go in large UPS boxes and are delivered by UPS drivers. You can leave a note right on your mailbox saying where to deliver UPS packages and they will (within reason) deliver them there. Furthermore, UPS shipments are trackable, so if something happens, you can find out right away.
Regardless, I have reiterated with the warehouse the importance of making sure that envelopes that do not have the "Do Not Bend" message printed on the mailing label should get the manual "Do Not Bend" stamp.
Thanks,
cos
I have UPS selected for shipping for this specific reason. My rural mail carrier will attempt to fold and jam as much in my mailbox as possible.
UPS comes up the front walk and leaves my packages on the doorstep. UPS is a little more expensive than USPS, but I appreciate the unmangled books.
Since you live in an apartment UPS may just leave a delivery sticker and you'll have to go pick up your package from a UPS distribution center. This inconvenience and extra cost may be worth a minty fresh intact copy of the latest Pathfinder?
From my experience dealing with an apartment building with oversmall mailboxes and overdetermined mail carriers, part of the trouble is that "Do Not Bend" messages are obscured by the large wad of advertising flyers they usually jam in at the same time. I've had them bend photographs that were sent in special non-bending mailers.
The best work-around I found back then was to have all subscriptions of things I actually cared about sent to my parent's house, where the mail box was larger and the mail carriers sane. Though obviously this is not a solution for everyone.
Another potential solution is to have your subscriptions sent to you at work. I've done it in the past when packages have required signatures and nobody would be at home. Depends on if your trust your mail room or not, though.
Owner - Johnny Scott Comics and Games
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As a former USPS Mail Carrier, I can tell you that your first and best option is to call your local Post Office. Talk to the Postmaster about your damaged mail, and give instructions for all parcels to be left at the Apartment Office or at the Post Office (your best bet for security) for you to pick up.
The route I carred for had several apartment buildings, and the standard instruction was that all parcels and oversized envelopes would be left at the Post Office for the tenants to pick up. This alleviated any damage concerns, as well as the potential for theft for parcels left in the office unattended.
Hope this helps!
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I wish there were some type of air-soluble foam in which you could coat the books, like an amniotic sac.
Open the outer package. Pull a string, breaking the inner seal, the foam reacts to the air and dissolves into a harmless vapor. Books are delivered in mint condition.
Unfortunately, the packing material costs around $12k. Oh well :-(
Hey...I guess I just completed my own Zantanna's Twisted Wish.
Postmen are the natural enemy of all dogkind. In fact, I'm convinced the post office is actually an evil plot perpetrated by the french.
As a former USPS Mail Carrier, I can tell you that your first and best option is to call your local Post Office. Talk to the Postmaster about your damaged mail, and give instructions for all parcels to be left at the Apartment Office or at the Post Office (your best bet for security) for you to pick up.
The route I carred for had several apartment buildings, and the standard instruction was that all parcels and oversized envelopes would be left at the Post Office for the tenants to pick up. This alleviated any damage concerns, as well as the potential for theft for parcels left in the office unattended.
Hope this helps!
There were instructions to leave all parcels and oversized envelopes at the apartment office. The mail carriers routinely ignored them.
When a book a friend sent me didn't arrive--but the empty padded envelope did, looking very much like it was deliberately pilfered--I went to the local postmaster and complained. She made vague apologies, whined about replacement staff and all sorts of stuff that shouldn't be my problem, then played her trump card: If I wanted my book (an autographed 1st edition) I could try stopping by the western regional lost mail center in San Francisco. I was in Los Angeles at the time.
What she didn't count on was the fact that I was actually going to be up in SF in two days, so I called her bluff and went there. I went and sorted by hand through five giant mail bins the size of twin-size mattresses, all filled with lost books, including such things as 19th century journals with hand-marbled end papers, cases of textbooks and so on. As a bibliophile, it made be a bit sick to be told to toss the books in, since they fit more that way. It was also eventually hinted that sometimes people didn't find the books they were looking for, but they found ones that were very close. Since I was looking for the books for a couple other friends while I was at it, I eventually ended up with a somewhat similar list.
I was also told that everything unclaimed was auctioned off every couple of months for a hundred or two a bin.
That said, the suggestion to have the mail left at the post office is a good one, since that at least removes one last possible channel for damage.
Just remember folks, assault against a mail carrier is a federal charge.....
Just remember folks, assault against a mail carrier is a federal charge.....
Actually, that's not true. It's a federal charge to leave witnesses or evidence to the assault.
Just remember folks, assault against a mail carrier is a federal charge.....Actually, that's not true. It's a federal charge to leave witnesses or evidence to the assault.
LMFAO!!!!!
Owen, you could also pay for a Post Office Box. However, I would suggest paying for a larger P.O. Box instead of a smaller one. ~grimaces~ Not the most effective way, but it would work.