Wednesday, July 16, 2008

What is the deal?

..with airline food? No, I'm kidding. We're not going there.

This is going to be about the mail system.

A few months ago my friend KaTrina (I linked her again!) and I decided it would be fun to mail each other a letter with candy inside. She sent me one of those delicious candy apple suckers, and I sent her a stick of taffy (at least I'm pretty sure that's what it was, she'll correct me if I'm wrong).

Now she sent hers off without a hitch. I would be getting it in a few days and I'd enjoy my yummy candy and a nice little letter. Then I tried to send mine. Not so hitch-less.

I stuffed the candy I bought and the little note I wrote into the envelope, wrote the addresses and stuck a stump on there. I think I asked my Mom if a stamp would be enough to get it to Missouri. And if I did, then she must have said yes because I sent that sucker (well, taffy stick. I was getting the sucker :) off and proceeded to wait for my letter to arrive.

That's exactly what I got the next day... MY letter! The one I sent the day before. Insufficient postage was the culprit! Now the reason I'm not sure if I asked my Mom about it, is because she kinda laughed a little when she saw what happened and told me one stamp wasn't enough. Soo I went to the post office and paid what I needed to get the letter to it's intended recipient.

I breathed a sigh of relief. There were to be no more hitches...but the story would be boring if it stopped there. So here's what happened next.

The day after I re-sent KaTrina's letter, I was expecting to receive mine. She had sent her letter before I sent mine so I knew it'd be there either that day or the next. What I got had something to do with her letter, but not much else. It was a note left by the mailman letting me know that a letter arrived with insufficient postage and I would need to pay what was owed to get it.

So hold on. I can't mail a letter with insufficient postage... but she can? AND I have to pay for it? Okay, y'know what? Fine. I guess I should applaud Washington for having such stringent laws when it comes to outgoing mail. Besides, I want this letter really bad and I don't care how much I have to pay to get it.

And I like driving to Pasco.

That's right, the letter wasn't even in my city. Or county for that matter (it's not a big deal though. it's right there). So I go out to the Pasco post office with the nice little note I got instead of my letter, and ask if I can have my letter now...please?

"We're sorry, but our letter carriers won't be back until after we close. If you come back tomorrow we can get it for you then."

Now I know when something is funny. I know that it may not be too terribly funny right now, but eventually it'll be something to laugh at. I knew that what was happening right then was hilarious, and KaTrina would think so too, but I was honestly a little pissed that I'd have to wait another day to get my letter.

When I got home I called KaTrina and related the entire story to her. And just like I predicted she started to laugh. What normally would have taken a couple days for me to really find funny, only took a few seconds of listening to her until I started to laugh too.

The next day I went to the Pasco post office and was able to get my letter. Totally worth it. And honestly, when would something like this happen again?

Yesterday actually :) On eBay, I won the auction for a GBA game I'd been wanting since I got my DSLite over a year ago. The following conversation (with myself) may or may not have taken place. But it's hilarious nonetheless (I hope).

"Well hello there little note. You sure look awfully familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before or... ... ... you sonuvabitch."

3 comments:

SuzanSayz said...

Kelly, there is NO WAY I would have ever told you that one stamp was enough. With all the cards I send to Abbey and Lindsay I know how the rules go. Even a smidgen over an ounce and it will cost ya. I also would like to know who makes the decision to send on an underfunded piece of mail, to be reimbursed by the reciever, instead of just sending it back to where it comes. Maybe an experiment is in order. Send off several, different, pieces of mail in various amounts over one ounce and see which ones get sent back and if any of them get sent on with postage due.

Lisa Christine said...

That turned out to be a couple of EXPENSIVE pieces of candy! That is pretty funny though. You had too pay the extra postage for the both of you....how chivalrous!

KaTrina said...

haha.



...thats all i've got.