I've been awaiting this mailing from the county courthouse and it's a couple days past due for usual mail requests.. today it finally arrives and look at what the postal service gives me??

the letter is in a "Open" plastic bag with this writing on it telling me they are sorry... WTF

I could understand if it got ripped a bit or a hole punched through it or something... but this letter was opened from one end to the other and the contents were disclosed to some other nosy SOB??

Hog

and he didn't even sign the letter. If you are gonna send a form letter, at least have the decency to sign it.

Hog, what's the postmark? I'd bet you it was delivered to someone else, they opened it thinking it was theirs, and then dropped it back in the mail . . . . most likely, if it was indeed a few days late . . . .

this may just be a nasty habit of mine, but I look at the name on the package when I get it.

tarheel

Most people do, I hope!!!! I have personally taken several packages to the post office that were delivered to the right number but wrong street address and asked the Postmaster, who hates me, can't his carriers read English! It makes one wonder, when they cannot speak it very well!

Paul, I know that you are a Post Master in New York, but I think New York and Southern California operate with entirely different caliber of personnel!

Charlie

Totally agree with you Charlie on the caliber of USPS personnel here in So Cal. The problem is, the USPS has to hire people who can speak the languages of its customers. Unfortunately those same employees don't seem to have to speak the native language very well to get the job.

It's funny. I have actually gotten picky about which post office I'll go to based on the employees. The only other places I'm that picky about are the cigar B&Ms I frequent 🙂

There is a postal clerk at my local who is a Filipina and she is THE slowest person on earth.

I got you beat Macs. I won't say what ethnicity she is, but she was definitely born in the good ol' US of A. One time I went in and she was on her cell phone, since the office was empty of customers.

Since I didn't want to be one of those a$$hole customers who gets all huffy, I stood and waited. After about 3-5 minutes she starts to say "can I help you" I was zoning while waiting and didn't notice that she was talking to me. Finally she started to yell at me, CAN I HELP YOU SIR!!!!

Needless to say I gave her the dirtiest look I could muster. I've never gone back to that office again.

I thought for sure, Hubcap would've been in this picture somewhere...looks like I've been fooled again

Hog, as a former rural carrier, you get no argument from me. As far as your letter is concerned, it was torn by a machine, probably due to it's size. Either that or you're under investigation by some black ops crew. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Hogs letter wasn't torn by a machine. . . . machines don't tear from the top - they tear from the back or front - and, judging from the photo, it's a standard #10 envelope . . . nothing unusual . . .

Charlie, I cannot argue with you . . . it seems that in areas with higher cost of living, the quality of service from the personel in service industry decreases. . . . . what is considered a good living in upstate ny, is probably poverty in some areas . . . . I have heard often, that postal workers in CA do leave a bit to be desired . . .

And for anyone who feels their postal worker is too slow, or ignorant, or inconsiderate, and you wonder how they keep their job . . . . thank the unions . . . there is NOTHING that can be done to these unionized personel to control their behavior . . . . with all due apologies to my good friend myash, I have strong feelings against unions who encourage poor work ethics, and will not hesitate to go after the job of any manager who even Questions any of their constituents regarding their performance . . . .

Oh crap, I'm on vacation, I've gotta forget about this stuff for now . . . .

They do if the envelope gets jammed and inverted. The tear is typical.

Look at the orange barcode . . . . it's on the bottom of the envelope, so it made it through automation correctly . . . This envelope looks exactly like someone put their finger under the flap, and ran it down the length of it to open it . . . .

. . . and if it got jammed, the envelope would have vertical creases in it . . . .

. . in addition . . . automation jams don't usually delay mail - they are cleared out immediately, and sent on their way . . . if it was delayed a couple of days, as Hog said, it would be indicative of a misdelivery . . . .

Unfortunately, though, he will never know for sure . . . with his carrier handling about 3,000 letters on the day after Columbus day, the odds of him remembering this one particular letter are slim to none . . and if the carrier recieved it like this, there is no way he will ever know where it came from . . . it could have even been originally misdelivered by a different carrier on a different route . . . . in fact, if the mailer sent out a large quantity, there's a chance that glue on the back flap of one letter caused it to be stuck to his letter, and the carrier that delivered it never even saw the address on the front . . . I see that at least once a week . . . .

At the very least, Hog, I can tell you, regardless if the error was from automation or misdelivery, there is no worry that your letter was intentionally opened by someone at your post office . . . The only party ever allowed to intercept a first class letter would be a postal inspector, with an order from a judge, and if they did so, it would not have been done in that method . . .

If you're still worried about it, bring it to the postmaster for him to record it . . . he may be able to tell you if there was a substitute carrier on recently, who may be more likely to deliver something in error . . .

hmmmmmmmm, curses, you might have something there. But don't think this is over! Oh no! You might have defeated Salma, Cheech, et al, but.............