by Marijoyce Porcelli

Created on: June 13, 2009   Last Updated: June 23, 2009

Why exactly do we as paying citizens put up with so much bad service, usually on a daily basis, at least in America? Although I think this practice of bad customer service probably goes on in other countries as well. Of course, we are fortunate enough to run across good service often too, with people who really care about their jobs and how customers are treated.

Still, I wonder why now, in a poor world economy and a progressive era where so many of us are disposable to being suddenly downsized or replaced by a computerized machine, do some workers still have the nerve to dispense bad service to paying customers. I think it's arrogance, plain and simple. Obviously these people feel in no danger of losing their employment.

Point in case, today I visited our local post office. I go there rather often, so I suppose I could be considered one of their good customers. Today I had two packages, each weighing about three pounds, to mail to Canada. The clerk weighed the first parcel and told me the cheapest rate would be close to $15 for just one of the packages. . I had forgotten about the postage hike that took place across the board in early May of this year. I told her I didn't wish to pay $30 to mail these two packages, since the contents weren't worth that much. I was polite with my answer. Still, she seemed openly irritated by my decision to not mail the items and she didn't bother trying to hide this emotion.

When I walked out into the post office's lobby to check my p.o. box, a man who had overheard my conversation with the postal clerk told me to pick up some nearby flat rate priority envelopes and put the items in them instead.

"Those only cost $4.95 to mail per package as long as the package is under four pounds," he said.

That's when I remembered having mailed a package to Canada for such a rate not that long ago. The only problem was I remembered doing this, but forgot it had been in late April...before postal rates shot up.

I dutifully repackaged all the items evenly distributed into three flat rate priority envelopes and took them back to the clerk.

"You can't mail those like that," she snapped.

"Why not?" I snapped right back.

"Because it will be more that way. Those priority envelopes to Canada are $10.95 each."

I stared at her, bewildered. "But I just mailed one to Canada recently for $4.95," I protested.

"No, you didn't," she said in a loud voice. "You've never mailed a flat rate priority envelope to any international destination for

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