[soonerforever]

Originally Posted by EviesGP

USPS, like many govt agencies, needs to improve efficiencies, by consolidating, reducing, and pricing. As a former federal govt and military member, I witnessed much of that. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to execute that with our congress. The military has been trying to modernize, while trying to consolidate/reduce where it's not needed, but they're continually blocked. They have been trying to execute another BRAC(Base Realignment and Closure), along with eliminating equipment/airframes/operations(etc), for years! But, the Senate/Congress have prevented that, as they don't want those reductions in THEIR BACKYARD(s)! So, I'm sure this will be/has been an issue in USPS operations. So, guess where the problem lies?!

Exactly what the new Post Master General at USPS is trying to accomplish, but Congress and the media like playing games.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by soonerforever

Exactly what the new Post Master General at USPS is trying to accomplish, but Congress and the media like playing games.

Sad but three and this is why we need term limits

[Dilligas]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

I'm just glad that our bills are mailed with the USPS, and not sent via FedEx or UPS. The bill itself would increase in cost every month, because instead of 55 cents (or less for bulk mailing) the utility would be paying over $8 per household per month, JUST to send the bill.

And then if you want to send your payment by mail, instead of paying 55 cents, you'd have to pay over $8. For every single bill you choose to pay by mail.

And that's just bills. Imagine if you choose to subscribe to a paper magazine, without the USPS to deliver it to you. The cost to FedEx it to you is more than the cost of the magazine.

Without the USPS - our lives would be significantly and profoundly different from how they are now, and most people don't even think about how much we rely on the postal service, and that 55 cents per envelope.

Your analysis is precisely why it should be operated at a profit. That is why most creditors are pushing and some requiring online billing. You also should be paying online. Save the 55 cents, have proof of your payment, and accomplish bill paying in minutes rather than hours. If the cost of a stamp were increased to $1 or $2 (far cheaper than UPS or FedEx), would you continue requiring bills to be sent to you and paying by mail? Times have moved forward and we have to keep up.

[NoMoSno]

Originally Posted by Dilligas

Your analysis is precisely why it should be operated at a profit. That is why most creditors are pushing and some requiring online billing. You also should be paying online. Save the 55 cents, have proof of your payment, and accomplish bill paying in minutes rather than hours. If the cost of a stamp were increased to $1 or $2 (far cheaper than UPS or FedEx), would you continue requiring bills to be sent to you and paying by mail? Times have moved forward and we have to keep up.

Marion County Utilities charges $2 per month if you pay your bill on-line. I'll keep mailing in payment.

[Curtisbwp]

Bravo! Any initiative by the postal service is quickly squashed by congress. Cell towers on postal facilities is prohibited. I once designed and opened a retail outlet selling postal memorabilia, squashed. Eliminate redundant facilities and combine with no adverse effect on mail delivery, oh no! Your congressman/woman puts a stop to that. The list goes on. Schulmer complaines that the NEW postmaster general is not a career postal employee.....what about the savior of Chrysler MARVIN RUNION?? Known as "carvin Marvin:

[soonerforever]

Originally Posted by Curtisbwp

Bravo! Any initiative by the postal service is quickly squashed by congress. Cell towers on postal facilities is prohibited. I once designed and opened a retail outlet selling postal memorabilia, squashed. Eliminate redundant facilities and combine with no adverse effect on mail delivery, oh no! Your congressman/woman puts a stop to that. The list goes on. Schulmer complaines that the NEW postmaster general is not a career postal employee.....what about the savior of Chrysler MARVIN RUNION?? Known as "carvin Marvin:

Only one of the many problems at USPS....department heads and postmasters under performing or in some cases being accused of sexual abuse ( I saw this many times in my 30 years there)....just transfer them to another facility...female supervisors using "favors" to get promoted into higher management positions...more than 95 percent of management I encountered during my time there was unqualified for their position.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by soonerforever

Only one of the many problems at USPS....department heads and postmasters under performing or in some cases being accused of sexual abuse ( I saw this many times in my 30 years there)....just transfer them to another facility...female supervisors using "favors" to get promoted into higher management positions...more than 95 percent of management I encountered during my time there was unqualified for their position.

So sad that govt is run like this. Term limits!

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by NoMoSno

Marion County Utilities charges $2 per month if you pay your bill on-line. I'll keep mailing in payment.

How strange is that

[Heyitsrick]

Originally Posted by NoMoSno

Marion County Utilities charges $2 per month if you pay your bill on-line. I'll keep mailing in payment.

Have you ever asked them why the $2 fee?

I see they use a billing service ("First Billing") to handle online payments.

[soonerforever]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

So sad that govt is run like this. Term limits!

Unfortunately USPS=The worlds largest welfare organization--too many entitled people there...and those of us that did work were criticized or more work dumped on by management because they were too lazy to get rid of the trash.

[NoMoSno]

Originally Posted by Heyitsrick

Have you ever asked them why the $2 fee?

I see they use a billing service ("First Billing") to handle online payments.

That's the charge "First Billing" charges per transaction.
It is strange.

[Heyitsrick]

Originally Posted by Denvercane

Can people please stop "reply with a quote". We all read the long article and it doesn't need to be reposted over and over again

I take your point on long posts that are quoted (and the forum software really should have a "snip" or "...read more" for longer quotes), but I see the bigger problem is when people don't quote.

Example: Someone will chime in on a thread with 10 posts and say "I agree!". The problem is that in the time it took for them to post that, someone else posted right before them and said something that wasn't even an agree/disagree statement. The person could have actually have been asking a question.

Person 1: "How often does sanitation come around?"

Person 2: "I agree!"

Since "Person 2" didn't quote who they were replying to, their comment doesn't make sense.

And note: I quoted your comment, or people here would be wondering who I was referring to in my reply.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Heyitsrick

I take your point on long posts that are quoted (and the forum software really should have a "snip" or "...read more" for longer quotes), but I see the bigger problem is when people don't quote.

Example: Someone will chime in on a thread with 10 posts and say "I agree!". The problem is that in the time it took for them to post that, someone else posted right before them and said something that wasn't even an agree/disagree statement. The person could have actually have been asking a question.

Person 1: "How often does sanitation come around?"

Person 2: "I agree!"

Since "Person 2" didn't quote who they were replying to, their comment doesn't make sense.

And note: I quoted your comment, or people here would be wondering who I was referring to in my reply.

Very true and this is why I quoted you

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Dilligas

Your analysis is precisely why it should be operated at a profit. That is why most creditors are pushing and some requiring online billing. You also should be paying online. Save the 55 cents, have proof of your payment, and accomplish bill paying in minutes rather than hours. If the cost of a stamp were increased to $1 or $2 (far cheaper than UPS or FedEx), would you continue requiring bills to be sent to you and paying by mail? Times have moved forward and we have to keep up.

If they increased it to $1 I would absolutely still use postage stamps and send mail via the USPS. I still write letters (it's that thing some of the more educated people used to do, back in the last century, using paper - which is a sort of flattened wood pulp - and a pen - which is very similar to the thing used to scribble a line at the checkout when you buy something more expensive than $50, except it has this black gooey stuff that transfers to the flattened wood pulp thing).

People still send greeting cards, made out of that funky wood pulp previously mentioned.

I would LOVE to pay my health insurance bill via the internet, but it isn't an option unless I sign up for automatic payment. I'm not willing to give my bank account routing number to a health insurance company and have them automatically withdraw a penny. We already have a couple of automatic withdrawals, and even that makes me uncomfortable. The rest is done electronically when my husband releases the funds to pay those bills, and not a moment earlier.

So I can mail a check, or I can drive to CVS, get in line, and pay my bill there. We choose to mail a check.

Regardless of "the times" - there are people who don't even OWN a computer living in the Villages. They don't OWN a smart-phone. One of my neighbors doesn't even own a flip-phone, or an answering machine. She insists that if it's important enough, they'll call back when she's home.

No one should feel obligated to buy a computer, pay for monthly internet service, or buy a smartphone and learn how to download apps and pay for cellular service, JUST because YOU don't like mailing things in the post office.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Heyitsrick

Have you ever asked them why the $2 fee?

I see they use a billing service ("First Billing") to handle online payments.

And Lake County (the entire county government) charges a fee if you choose to pay for ANYTHING via credit card, because they also use a billing service.

But they don't charge anything extra if you mail in a check.