One More USPS Complaint

Last night I carefully prepared envelopes for Sharksfan and eopie. I carefully licked and placed two plate blocks on each, then addressed and closed them.

This morning, I drove to the PO (20 miles round trip) and asked the clerk which commemoratives she had in stock. She gave me a look like I had asked her to walk barefoot all the way to Nome, Alaska and then told me that since the rate was going to change in May they weren't keeping a selection. She did have a couple of purple hearts, so I bought them.

I then asked her if she could hand stamp the envelopes and even said "please." Now, you and I know that it takes exactly four strikes to cancel four plate blocks. She snatched up the stamp and slammed four or five strikes across each cover.

I still kept my cool and said "Thank you." Her response was . . . . . You guessed it, she didn't even respond.

If you ever hear that there has been some sort of "incident" at the
West Monroe Louisiana post office, forget you ever read this!

I am sorry to hear that Laswabbie. At one post office near where I work, they let me cancel my own covers

With the change of all USPS PO's ordering directly from the Caves in KC I think several supplies of commemoratives will be depleted and not restocked in a timely manner across the country. A lot of that depends upon the Postmaster & their stance towards stamp collectors.

You should be congratulated by remaining reserved,
Some like to "pass the parcel" when irritable, misery loves company or so they say. Perhaps her husband was grumpy at breakfast.

It seems to be a spreading malady. A certain amount of the acting out has to be a product of internal stress. Of course, we have to leave room for the jerk quotient in all walks of life and service unfortunately.

Did you look around for a complaint form? They all are required to keep them available for customers. If none around, ask for one.

I went into a large post office once and asked for a plate block on the newest stamp. She refused to give it to me saying she had to use the sheet she had already started first which was missing the plate number already. I turned around, filled out a complaint form and dropped it in the box in front of her. The next day, I went in and she was so kind. Offered to get me anything I wanted. I got my plate blocks I wanted and left smiling, knowing she got her butt chewed on.

I had a similar situation thing happen some years ago. Forget the complaint card. I asked to see the Postmaster. I told him I had a complaint and He asked me into his office to discuss it. As it turned out he was a stamp collector as well. So he understood my frustration. He asked me to ask for him the next time I came in. The next time I was there I didn't ask for him. But he happened to pass the counter and saw me. He Invited me into his office again. He proceeded to pull out of his desk an 10" X 20" envelope and handed it to me. It contained about 2 dozen FDC's, Countless Plate Block's, Internal New Issue Announcements, as well as some other goodies. Quite a bounty for a 16 year old kid. For the next 5-6 years until He retired He would pull the cleanest & best centered, Plate Block from every new issue and put them in His safe until I came to collect them. About a year after he retired I was at the PO as usual and I saw the New Postmaster(formerly the Asst. Postmaster). I was summoned to what was now His office. He handed me an envelope and told me it was from the old PM. Inside was a complete set of the 1932 Geo. Washington Bicentennial Stamps in perfect plate blocks. He then proceeded to tell me that Bobby had Passed Away a few weeks prior. When they want through his stamps They were in an envelope with a note to Me. He must have intended to drop them off for Me. After 25 years I still cherish them as a prized part of my collection!
The Moral of the Story: Sometimes you find the best of friends under the most irritating of circumstances!

sigh rev what a story

sometimes we touch people in ways that cannot be explained or they touch us and sometimes our stories are cut short due to fate. life is what happens to you when you are planning for something else :)

What a beautiful story. Sort of restores your faith in people.

I am so fortunate to have a wonderful postal worker in the tiny local post office. She always brings out the goodies from the safe and we go through them. Have gotten some good stuff. Because the office is so small, there will sometimes be material from several years back.

There are the good people in the post offices. You just have to find them.

It's no coincidence that it's called "going postal".........

I'm lucky, my PO understands my needs and lets me cancel my own. Then the Distribution Centre puts orange dashes and roller tank tracks all over the %#@* things.

I scanned a cover today from 1864, Edinburgh to Peebles. Delivered overnight, a lovely clean Brunswick Star postmark. Then I got my post from the PO. One beautifully franked parcel from the UK, postmarked, biro'd and marker penned for good measure.

The old days anyone?????

Aaaaah A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
One of the gorgeous cancellation designs in all philatelic history.

Acknowledgement SG stamp encyclopedia (I think)

I note that penny red has a member's name on it BeeSee :)

Nice, aren't they?

I'll add a rider to my statement.
Beauty is nice,
jealousy is not. :(

Brunswick Star:
This is the name given to a duplex cancel used at Edinburgh from
1863-65 and printed by a Parallel Motion Hill machine. The name of
the cancel comes from the breast-star in the Hanoverian Order of
Brunswick.

There are pics of the Parallel motion Hill machine on the web,
designed in part by Rowland Hill's son.

...looks more like ARE(R) SEE(C) to me .

But that gives me an idea - I am open to purchase a nice used Penny Red with B.C.

Back in the early 1980's, they had announced they were removing the postage due stamps from the pot offices and general use. So I went into the main post office downtown St. Louis. I asked the woman at the counter if I could see her postage due stamps she has. She looked at me kinda strange and said "just one moment" and went into the back. She came back out and said "the postmaster says that those are only available for collectors" (like duh). I asked her if she had brought them out. She went back into the other room to retrieve them. I purchased a full sheet from 1 cent to 50 cents. I still have those sheets today.