The Laughing Wolf

USPS Still Doesn't Get

The concept of customer service. I finally got my official notice of change of address, but it indicated that only mail going to my full name would be forwarded. I called the extremely unhelpful automated service, that after what seemed like ten minutes finally gave me a number to call at my old post office for assistance. The first person I spoke to there told me that you have to submit a separate form for each possible name or variant of a name to have all mail forwarded. She then sent me to a supervisor who claimed that he had never heard of anyone, repeat anyone, having more than one name. The logical and factual absurdity of such is boggling, and I had to repeat more than once that it was not truly different names but rather use of different modes of address. Even then, he persisted in saying that he had never heard of such a thing. Gee, I guess no one ever called Ronald Wilson Reagan Ronnie, Ronald, RW, or anything else and I bet all his mail was addressed just to Ronald Wilson Reagan. I was tactless enough to point out that they still did not get customer service, but that I was doing my part by pointing out a problem. He responded by saying that there was nothing he could (and by implication would) do about it. He did finally say that he would take the time to check with the delivery person (a very nice man who I complemented). He also then went into a story about problems he was having with his cable company to illustrate poor customer service and why nothing could be done. At that point, I reminded him that I had done my part and that this was long distance, at which he hung up on me. Hard to believe it has been more than 15 years since President Reagan ended the postal monopoly which had been enforced at gunpoint, and opened up packages and more to competition. Hard to believe that after so long, the USPS still has problems competing and can't understand why, despite the obvious fact that they still just don't get the basics of customer service.

LW

Just out of curiosity, I ran through the obvious variants and came up with the fact that a person with a first and middle name would need at least seven change of address forms to meet the regulations of the USPS:

Ronald Wilson Reagan
Ronald W. Reagan
Ronald Reagan
R. W. Reagan
R. Wilson Reagan
R. Reagan
Wilson Reagan

If they are junior or third, or you would end up with needing 14 forms to cover all possible variants of the name to ensure proper mail forwarding, those above and these:

Ronald Wilson Reagan III
Ronald W. Reagan III
Ronald Reagan III
R. W. Reagan III
R. Wilson Reagan III
R. Reagan III
Wilson Reagan III

Given this, why is there only one form in the official change of address kit if you have to file for each possible variant of your name?

UPDATE II: The official date for the change of address was 15 December. Give them a day for reality, and it has now been 13 days without a single piece of forwarded mail reaching me. Now, they say it takes 10-12, but I think I may just start a feature on Mail Held Hostage and note for one and all how long it is before any forwarded mail shows up at the new lair. I've also just met my regular delivery person and they struck me as very nice and intelligent. They were a bit surprised at the conversation I had, and are looking into/out for any forwarded mail. Among the mail held hostage is at least one check and one gift, for both of which I have plans and said plans are to take place in the next few days. We are not amused. LW