xcathodex wrote:We were able to arrange a sit-down meeting with the Postmaster at the postal hub in Memphis, the nearest to us. What he told us was that his entire work force was worthless, his employees were having sex with each other on the loading docks during work hours, and it was a miracle anything arrived anywhere at all.
Yikes!
A couple of semi-random thoughts:
As some of you know, I move around a lot. I would guess that minor damage (small tears and creases etc) affect 2-3 issues of my NSS News each year on average. I think I've only received a total of one or two badly mangled issues over the years. Ernie, for what it's worth I just dug out my issues from the latter part of 2005 and they are all in perfect condition. I mention this because I was living in southern Oregon when I received them.
Assuming your issues from 2005 are undamaged, and taking into account comments from Phil and others about the USPS automated mail processing, I'll make a wild-@ss guess. I suspect USPS has recently installed (or replaced, or adjusted) sorting machinery somewhere local to you. This apparatus may be set up in such a way that it doesn't "like" the NSS News cover material, and so it chews it up and spits it out. Maybe it's something about the exact paper thickness and texture of the cover?
Have you tried contacting other NSS members in your area to see if their issues regularly suffer from a similar fate?
This topic has morphed into some interesting insights about the USPS from Teresa and others. I admit I use the Post Office a lot for sending and receiving packages (and regular mail), and I often use the on-line Click'n'Ship service. Any minor delivery problems I may have had over the years are insignificant compared with that incompetant cluster that calls itself UPS. I could say a lot more about that, but I won't. At least not all private carriers seem to have been cursed with the same stick, so I guess there is hope.
I have found USPS employees to be both the best and worst the Postal Service has to offer. I have met some fantastic employees who have really gone out of their way to be helpful to customers. However, I've also experienced some problem people. Here's a recent example.
Earlier this year I had to patiently educate my local post office counter people when they (all of them) were insistent that my properly-sealed Priority Flat Rate Envelope was "too bulky" and that I'm not allowed to tape over the flap after sealing it. Their assertions (backed up by their supervisor) contradicted postal regulations, and they were basically making up their own rules and demanding customers comply. And this wasn't the first time I've encountered USPS employees who do things like this. In my experience these people are the rare exception rather than the rule, but it does happen.
So I made phone calls to the Postal Service 800 number, and to the people at the local area sorting center. Each time I went back to my local post office to mail this type of item, I carried a printed reference from the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM 300 - 123.1.4) to politely present to the counter person if they took issue with the item. It was an odd thing to do, but it worked. Months later a friendly postmaster in another town told me an official memo had recently been circulated to clarify this exact issue. So long story short, sometimes persistence and a little research does pay off.
Incidentally, sometimes my NSS News issues never arrive. Usually when I've just moved. I'm very diligent about doing the change of address process (with the post office and the NSS), but it seems the post office seldom forwards the News to me. Perhaps it's too difficult for the machines or for the employees to figure out. At least I got my December issue, on time and unharmed. I wouldn't exactly call it a "great Christmas present" (no offence, Ralph) but it has some nice articles and photos.