by Erik Dolson
Let’s be clear right at the start: Those who throw rocks at government workers simply because… they… work… for… the… government commit misdemeanor stupid. We need those people. Plus, employees in my post office (Sisters, Oregon, USA) are hard working, invariably polite, and knowledgeable. OK?
But the U.S.P.S. system isn’t always… how shall I say this… customer focused?
I’ve had the same post office box for many years. On January 3rd at 11:44 p.m. the U.S.P.S sent me an email with the subject line: "USPS - We are Renewing your PO Box Automatically"
“Hello ERIC DOLSON," (I don’t know why it was all caps)
“Your renewal fee of $284.00 for the PO Box number XXXX is due on 01/31/2022. The renewal fee will automatically be charged to the credit card associated with your PO Box on 01/15/2022. If the transaction fails for any reason, we will retry the charge on the 25th of the month.”
Even though the payment for my box was going up by about 36 percent in one year, this did not seem unreasonable. The U.S.P.S. is under stress, and I'm willing to do my part.
But the next email took me by surprise. It arrived on January 15 at 8:48 p.m., with the subject line: "USPS - PO Box Payment Received, Thank You"
“Hello Erik Dolson," (not all caps,this time, correct spelling of “Erik”)
“Thank you for your automatic payment to the USPS® in the amount of $312.00. This payment has been applied to your PO Box renewal and your credit card has been charged. This fee renews your PO Box for the next 12 months.”
Wait one minute. U.S.P.S. told me they were going to charge $284 on January 15. There was money in the account. What happened?
So, I went to my local post office, stood in line while some people collected packages and others mailed thick envelopes to Canada. Eventually it was my turn at the plexiglass. I explained that…
“Yes, box rates have gone up by a lot this year. For everyone,” the clerk was looking at the line that stretched out the door.
"That’s not my issue. They told me they’d charge $284 for my P.O. Box, but they charged $312. The card was valid, there were no fees…"
“That’s because they take the money out on January 15. The rates went up again on January 9th,” the clerk was polite, but firm.
“Why didn’t they take the money out on January 8th, and save me $28? That’s real money.”
“You’ll have to take that up online with them.”
My “job,” if you will, is thinking about things like this, and I’ve been known to suffer from attitude problems going all the way back to grade school. So I went to the U.S.P.S. website and filled out a form. I didn’t think I’d hear back, so was pleased when I received a response on January 20, at 6:59 p.m.
“Dear Erik Dolson,
“Thank you for contacting the United States Postal Service® and taking the time to share your concerns with us. The Postal Service is experiencing unprecedented volume increases and limited employee availability due to the impacts of COVID-19.
“Your inquiry has been processed and assigned to Service Request #xxxxxxxx and has been forwarded to the appropriate management team for research and response.
"We invite you to visit our Frequently Asked Questions page at: https://faq.usps.com/s/ for help with your future mailing and shipping needs.
"Thank you again for bringing this to our attention, and for your patience while we investigate this matter.
"Regards,
“USPS"
It was good to know my inquiry had been forwarded to a management team. I thought the $28 I’d been overcharged was as good as back on my credit card, until I received the next email on January 30, at 8:15 a.m.
“Dear Erik," (I liked that we were now on a first name basis)
"Thank you for contacting the USPS® Internet Customer Care Center.
"Effective January 9, 2022, there has been a price increase. You may view by visiting https://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/Notice123.pdf and confirm the fee with your local Post Office.
"If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact us again.
"Thank you for emailing your Postal Service™,
"USPS Internet Customer Care Center"
I had several questions, and a few concerns. About eight minutes later, on January 30, 8:23a.m., I wrote back:
"Yes, understood.
"But if you look at my documents, on January 3rd, USPS emailed to say they would charge my card on file for the next year. They gave me an amount of about $284.
"Then USPS delayed charging the card until after the price increase, costing me about $30 (it was $28, but I was going from memory) for something out of my control.
“This hardly seems fair. At the very least, it was a misrepresentation.
"Erik Dolson”
It didn’t take long to get a response. On January 30, at 9:33 they wrote:
"Dear Erik
"Thank you for contacting the USPS® Internet Customer Care Center.
“Unfortunately you have reached the USPS Internet Customer Care Center which responds to inquiries concerning technical issues with USPS.com products.
“Please contact your local Post Office.
“We apologize we cannot assist you in this matter.
“Thank you for emailing your Postal Service™,
“USPS Internet Customer Care Center"
I wrote back on January 30, 11:30 a.m.
"No, my local post office said they could not respond and had to contact USPS through the website, which I have done.”
I’ve not heard back from the U.S.P.S. I’m a little disappointed. We were on that first-name basis and I thought they’d be all over themselves to correct an obvious error after telling me one thing, doing another, squeezing an additional 10 percent out of me after raising the box fee already by 36 percent, and then giving me a run-around.
But, there’s no recourse with the federal government, $28 does’t rise to grievous harm, and I should let it go.
Still, I can’t help but wonder how many others out there were bilked in the same way.
For more writing by Erik Dolson, visit
Oh Erik (or should I say ERIK). Emma and I laughed our way through this twice. Thank you for sharing your all-too relatable story and wit with us.