eBay

the_d_consortium · ‎03-12-2015

I have stacks of crazy odd ball stories from dealing with Canada Post as a business partner for the past 15 years.

I'll start with the most recent to see if anyone else wants to join in.

I walked into the local back woods Ontario post office on March 2nd and this time I remembered to pick up the latest pamphlet on the the new rates.

The only problem was their pamphlets where dated 2013? Checked the date to make sure I wasn't time traveling!

I asked the 30 something assistant postmistress if they had the new ones yet and she told me, they didn't need new ones because the postal rates had not gone up this year. "In what alternative universe do you hail from?" I then asked.

I had a 250 gram small packet to the States on the scale and the rate showing on the monitor when I read her the very different lower amount from the 2013 pamphlet.

Too their credit they did toss them into the recycle bin by the next time I walked in.

They might even have new ones in a couple of weeks or so.

If I had gone to the post office to the west, I'm sure they would have had everything in order, but not the post office to the east I use the most.

The postmistress is a lovely doddering old dear but not up to the job of keeping up to date.

vintagenorth · ‎03-13-2015

I'll be surprised if you see any new 2015 booklets this year. My post office said they weren't going to be printing any since every person has a computer these days! But of course, they could be wrong. 😙😀

the_d_consortium · ‎03-14-2015

Ever an eye on the bottom line.

I like to have them for handy rate checking and comparison when I'm using free shipping on my listings.

They are printed evidence of the insane rates, I suspect they don't want that?

pocomocomputing · ‎03-14-2015

You can get the equivalent document in PDF format to print a copy if you want from this Canada Post web page:

http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/prices/default-e.asp

On the right is Postal Prices Fanfolds. Please note that each PDF document is two pages, the first page is English, the second French. To save paper, print the first page only if you just need the English version.

the_d_consortium · ‎03-14-2015

Thanks for the link.

I'm not wasting my expensive ink either, screen capture is good enough.

That way I don't have to put on my glasses to read it.

Zoom Zoom

momcqueen · ‎03-15-2015

There are days that I am so frustrated by the misinformation that I overhear the workers telling the customer in line front of me at my local postal counter that I butt right into the conversation. Do you remember that phishing email a few months ago that made it look like you had to log into a Canada Post website to prevent your parcel from being returned? Well, they were and/or are blissfully unaware of it. Same for Tracked Packets when it was introduced. And when Small Packets Airmail labels started to print with a barcode? It's maddening.

Anonymous · ‎03-16-2015

That is the whole problem with the governments or whoever think "everyone" has a computer.

In fact I am living in a building that has lots of seniors, I even asked all (yes all of them!) if they have a computer or have access to computer, only 2 of them including myself have computer. And that is 16 of them that don't have a computer! Duh to Canada Post and governments!!

If they really expect all of us to have a computer, how about giving us a computer for FREE??!!

the_d_consortium · ‎03-17-2015

I hear you when it comes to keeping the employees informed.

I hit a lot of different post offices in Eastern Ontario. Preferably not the closest because certain types items tend to go missing too often and it's hard on my TRS seal.

The office to the west is right up to date on everything new. They never run out of airmail stickers in Dec. etc. The Postmistress is younger and on the money, while the one to the east has me wearing my teacher's hat as a permanent fashion accessory.

One time they even put the customs sticker over top of the address.

No way to push the right button on the customer service phone number to get to the right department. They don't seem to have one for when the employees screw up! I did manage to get my refund btw.

The customs stickers for small and light packet are a big joke.

West they don't bother with writing in all the numbers or asking for addresses to be included. All the size, weight and date information is in the computer and printed out with the postage. Addresses are on the package. There is no insurance included as before so they basically are back to the old green ones where all you need is the description of the item, it's value, type of service and type of shipment, gift etc.

I wonder how long it will take them to use up the stock they have and switch to a less expensive sticker?

the_d_consortium · ‎03-17-2015

I'll take a free one, wait a minute, that's what I'm using today. It's from a Social Services office in Western ON. (Don't ask please) Government offices switch out their public computers every 2 years, the basements are full of them.

reallynicestamps · ‎03-18-2015

When I retired from the federal public service last year, my computer was the one that was on the desk when I took the job six years earlier and ran Office 7 (anyway it was dated 1999, as I recall). The keyboard was so old that there were no letters, they had all rubbed off.

Perhaps it's just the ones that are used by the general public that have to be replaced constantly -- for viruses and malware perhaps?

momcqueen · ‎03-18-2015

Exactly. My daughter is in high school and she is expected to have her own personal iPod, iPhone or iPad on her person at all times to use in the classroom. This is a public school we're talking about, and it's not on a school supply list. We are not affluent. It is just assumed that everyone is from a socioeconomic background where they can send their children to school with $400 devices. Never mind that you've now got a classroom full of teenagers with iPhones. What percentage of them do you think is actually doing their assignments or following along? And what percentage of them are snapchatting photos of the back of the head of the kid of front of them?

the_d_consortium · ‎03-18-2015

I worked for a Government outpost and all public computers are wiped clean every night. It's policy.

Easy enough to clean out what ails them.

I had to do that with a tenant. We gave him his own user account so when ever he got into trouble we just deleted his account and started a new one.

Any PC geek worth their title can get another 5 years out them.

Mine is not as healthy as it should be but it's got more moxie than my XP machine.

I think they replace them for fashion reasons. Perhaps they don't want to appear like they are not keeping up with the times?

Can't be more then 4 years ago that the outpost put the CRT monitors in the back room. (They sell them BTW) This area is very depressed with 45% on government assistance of some type.

Mine has it's scratches, one of the USB ports doesn't work etc. so more then keeping up with the times, the public computers do get abused.

the_d_consortium · ‎03-18-2015

EEK! It's a conspiracy! After the Pope gave a speech, (standing next to a young girl I will describe as looking suspiciously like an alien hybrid/human Zeta,) supporting the use of cellphones and technology, it set off bells and whistles in my paranoia zone. I do not trust the uber wealthy at all.

No saying that the Zeta's are using cellphones to take over the human race, but I have changed most of my avatars to myself as a yellow rabbit wearing a fancy tin foil hat!

You're right, it is too much to ask that all public school students have personal devices unless they are supplied by the government. Google books would be my choice, (because they don't have expensive drives, they don't need them.) That way access could be limited to what the young need to know and stop all the shenanigans.

If the field is not leveled so all can access the main library/google then there is going to be a lot crime in the school yard. It truly puts the poor at a disadvantage. We who live at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder don't need another expense to keep us down.