So – in the keep it or kill it debates on the USPS, I’ve been on the side of keep it for the last year. I considered the claims of it being a largely dysfunctional and non-cost effective system to be largely trumped up bs. However, that all changed today when I just went to the USPS.
When it got to my turn in line, I explained to the woman that I was doing a return. I showed her the package, and my printed out label, and asked her what needed to happen next. She said that the label needed to be attached to the package, and I could either buy an envelope, or buy a roll of tape to attach the label.
She had a tape dispenser next to her, but said she wasn’t allowed to use it.
So – basically in order to ship this item – that was already pre-paid, I would have to buy something additional from them.
This wouldn’t have ever happened at UPS, or FedEx. I’ve done returns with them in the same way – show up with label in hand, and they take it from that point. The whole idea of ‘buy something or we won’t ship your pre-paid item’ is the opposite of functionality, and removes their whole purpose.
So, I drove back home. Used my own tape dispenser, and placed a pick-up order. And from now on, I’m done with USPS. I’ve registered a complaint online, but as far as I’m concerned – they’re useless and deserve to be disbanded.