Rant the First:
The Swedish Post Service seems to be intent on making it as hard as possible for anyone in Sweden to use their services, whether to send or to receive mail. Several years ago they began closing all of their offices, during rough economic times, and citing “cost-saving measures.” The big office we had in the nearest town closed completely and so did the little window office we had in our tiny village general store. Arrangements were instead made with the grocery store there, and with our little store for their personnel to take on the postal service tasks of selling stamps and some mailing supplies, providing a payment/mail service and package depot where we could pick up packages. 2 days ago we got a notice in the mail that the post service has decided to shut down the mail services provided at our village store. We can still go to the next town over if we want to mail things or buy stamps (FIVE MINUTES)…But, and here is where my head begins to steam, if we get a notice that we have received a package in the mail, we must now drive TWENTY MINUTES in the wrong direction to pick them up, AND THEN TWENTY MINUTES BACK. What with the certainty of waiting in line to do so, we are guaranteed an HOUR of time spent retrieving packages. Packages, I think, should be an occasion of joy and anticipation and NOT aggravation and wasted time and money spent on gas. Gas, which I might add, is still at nearly 11 kronor per LITER. The reason why we cannot use the services of the postal desk at the store in the next town over is because they are on the other side of the county line, in another county. The town which is 20 minutes away is the nearest big town in OUR county. I have tried twice so far to call the number given on the card for “questions” to lodge a complaint but both times was not able to get through.
Rant the Second:
3 years ago we sold our first little house to a young Swedish couple and moved into our current home. We had the mail forwarded for a YEAR, just to be on the safe side. Now, you would think, wouldn’t you, that getting mail sent to your old address might happen once or twice, now and again, and if you happened to receive mail to your house that was meant for the former owners but still had their old address, you’d probably just scratch out the wrong address and write “WRONG ADDRESS” and throw it back in the mailbox for the post office to take care of. Yes? That seems perfectly logical, does it not? Well, if you were the young Swedish couple, you would instead bring the mail to the new house of said former owners, put it in the mailbox and LEAVE NASTY NOTES with it saying, “We’re tired of getting your mail with your old address. It’s really irritating. Do something about it.” Not once. Not twice. But THRICE. IN 3 YEARS.
Excuse me, but W T F ??
The first 2 times it happened I politely ignored it, because after all, what was I going to DO about it? We get misdelivered mail sent to OUR house and no one even lived in it before us. It happens! This time, however, I blew a gasket. Because HELLO. I do not need a nasty note on my 89-year-old GRANDMOTHER’S birthday card to her great-grandson which happened to have our old address on it. So I called them up and when the woman answered, told her who I was and why I was calling, and told her to QUIT WITH THE GODDAMN nasty notes already because did she think WE were DOING IT ON PURPOSE TO IRRITATE THEM?? I explained that we had had the mail forwarded for an entire year, and that anytime we received a piece of mail with the old address and NOTICED IT, we called or wrote or otherwise brought it to the attention of the person who had sent it. But 3 or so times in 3 years does not warrant nasty notes. PUT THE MAIL BACK IN THE MAILBOX with “wrong address” on it. JESUS.
Belated, but Heartfelt, Birthday Wishes to cap_killer! and Great Big Beautiful Birthday Wishes to Chuck’s Girl