Drama at 11205

I'm at a loss for words right now as to how annoyed I am with the Pratt Station PO. So, I need to rent a PO box. The thought of heading to 11238 made my head spin, so I settled on the Myrtle PO. I'm on Myrtle more then I'm on Fulton anyway, and people seem to think 11205 is far superior.

I left early this morning to make sure I had time to take care of my postal business before work. I know how long the lines are at 11238 all hours of the day. So imagine my surprise when I arrived at 11205 to find NO LINE! My pleasure was short-lived once I realized window service didn't begin until 9:30. Wtf? The antithesis of convenient.

I arrived around 9 and weighed my options. What were the chances that if I left right away for 11238 and waited in line that I'd be done by 9:30? Very slim. So, I stayed in line for 30 minutes. Others joined the line and grumbled about how the staff will hide until 9:30 exactly. It's like they take pleasure in the bad service!

At 9:32, the first window opened. When it was my turn (I was second in line), I handed over the PO box rental application that I had printed online and filled out. The woman asked, "Where's the original?". Huh? "This IS the original. I printed it out online.". "Well," she responded, "We can't do anything with that. You have to fill THIS out." I took the form, which was the same as the online form but on different paper, and stormed out.

Why even have the form available online if it can't be used? I was curious, so I called USPS directly. When I finally spoke with a human (I had to babble about something not an option in the menu they provided, which finally sent me to a living person), I asked if the PO had to accept the online form. She said:

"I can't comment on that. Each post office does things differently."

Really? Is this 1904?

Who besides me thinks we need to bulldoze both existing POs, rebuild modern facilities and hire a whole new staff?