University Post Office Refuses To Handcancel Stamps

I was at the Georgia Tech CPU post office today with a Georgia Tech postcard with me to be sent to my friend. How hard I persuaded them, they say they are not permitted to postmark any mail there? Is this even possible?

Then I went on to question them, what do they do if someone hands them a Registered Letter, they say they will leave it uncancelled and give it to the mailing center.

*All this while there was a postmarker lying right in front of my eyes!*

I don't mean to laugh but it really is all too funny. These things can only happen in Government because if companies treated their customers like this they'd be out of business. It's just some lazy Civil servant not wanting to do things any other way than they way someone once showed them how to do things. My local Post Office on the corner lets me hand cancel all my own Stamps.

I went on to ask them what the heck is the postmarker used for.

Guess what they replied:
"Oh, only for internal documents~!"

Hi ausfoo





Someone that loves to do what is wrong so as to see someone else totally upset has made a commitment to do evil. As we spiral into the end times we will see a lot more of this type of situation. It is more than just the beginning of it all. It becomes a life style!

I'm thinking that the university post office is like a mail room in a large business not a official USPS post office. They might not have the legal authority to cancel and if they did it might have been mistaken as sending already canceled stamps and returned for proper postage. If the stamp was a special stamp from the university they could have stamped anywhere on the card but left the stamp cancelling to to professionals.

I grew up in Fridley, Minnesota. I have gone several times to get a hand cancel. One of the clerks will always refuse. The other clerks there will always accomodate me. The gentleman that refuses tells me that being a branch office he is only allowed to hand cancel packages with stamps used for postage. You guessed it, I taped my postal card to a empty box right in front of him at which point he still refused as he said I was doing so to "bypass" the regulation. I have not lived in Fridley since the mid 70's, but I try to get hand cancels on things I send to other collectors. I try to go to different post offices and being 15 miles from either Minneapolis or St. Paul I have many to choose from and I try Fridley about once a year. North St. Paul also initially said no. When I politely explained the letter was going to a stamp collector they changed their mind.

On the other hand if I go to the post office closest to my house they are extremely helpful. If there is a line, they will often ask while I am in line "Hey Pat,Do you have proper postage on all of your items?" They know I do, they then wave me over to the empty window and let me hand cancel the stuff and leave it on the counter for them to deal with after the line subsides. I have had a P.O. Box at that post office for over 25 years.

I have no idea about it and hopefully someone can help you later on.Thank you for posting it.See you

Hi ausfoo

The same clerk must be moonlighting. I think he is also here in the East Cobb post office branch. I sent out some philatelic mail and wanted to handstamp the item myself since it was a 12-12-12 date. I was told that it was a Federal offense for me to handle the date stamp.

Jerry B

For a while my suburban Atlanta local Post Office refused to put the round stamp on my outgoing mail but now the clerks are quite happy to oblige. The only thing I can think of is that the Atlanta area has dynamic growth in some areas and declining growth in others and that there is some sort of regional management scheme afloat for better use of USPS resources.

It took more time to argue the point than to just hand cancel the item...I'm starting to really hate all the postal/government employees. They get the "God Complex" and won't even come off their high horse long enough to do their actual job duties. Typical.

I'm starting to get some of the same attitude in post offices here. In Canada, the Canada Post contracts out some post office outlets in drugstores (Shoppers Drug Mart) which is actually good because they are open on Sunday. Even at my regular post office I have to request stamps be canceled (they are pretty good about it). But last Sunday I was sending off a package to some lucky SCF member, when I made my request to the Drug Store mail clerk as she was tossing my uncanceled envelope into the box. She actually grumbled about having to do it....her job!
You know what? I'd like to have a job! I'll do it!

There is never an excuse for rudeness towards customers who are waiting in line to give money but I am sure some of the bad attitude on the part of clerks in the Atlanta area has to do with mail counting at the sorting facility and the possibility of loss of employment and local post offices closing down.

I routinely use two different post offices (Woodbridge, VA and Occoquan, VA) and a contract postal unit (Dillingham Square) to send items to SCF members -- occasionally, I've used the Post Office on Fort McNair in Washington DC.

I have never been refused a hand cancel when I've asked for one and the clerks have always been cordial.

It's a federal offence to handle the post office equipment. They haven't even tried anyone for all the financial crimes

Well since we are on the subject, I have had to physically cover up a package or priority letter to request have a actual stamp applied before they slap on a meter.

I mean really why go through all the trouble of printing high denomination stamps or priority stamps if they just sit in a drawer? The clerks give me the most disgusted looks when I ask for these.

And I have been in disagreements a couple times arguing that even though my package is pasted with 40 or so year old postage they are still legal to use.

Or how about being reused every time about posting a notice to a stamp show or stamp club information. But all notices from employees are always posted, even religious ones for church choirs which would be a big no, no. Way to go USPS on promoting collecting to generate income and the hobby.

So if I can go on and on about the problems don't ya all wonder why they are in sch dire straights?

I don't!