USPS SUCKS

I really hate the post office. Of course, now that I say that my postal worker will stop delivering my mail. But I just don't get it.

There are many reasons I hate the post office. But here's the few I can think of off the top of my head:

1: Every time I go into the post office- there is one or *maybe* two people working behind the desk. The line is almost out the door. If I am lucky I only wait a half hour.

HOW IS THIS ACCEPTABLE?

Why aren't there more workers at the desk? I can hear people shuffling around in the back, can't they come up and help? When I worked at a grocery store in high school - if they got busy they called people from around the store to come up and help ring people in. Why the fuck can't the post office do this? If I was this unhelpful at my job I'd be fired! People were more helpful at a minimum wage supermarket job.

2: My old postal worker REFUSED to deliver any packages. I used to live in a condo in Brighton. My condo faced the back so I could never see when the postal worker was there. But they had a key to put packages inside the doors. I shop online a lot. I'm online for my job already and I love to shop, so it's just natural that I shop online frequently. I lived there for 5 years. I had the Brighton post office on speed dial because I had to call to complain so many times. This freaking guy REFUSED TO EVER EVER EVER ring the bell to give me the package, or leave it with the super, or leave it inside the locked doors.

I called and left instructions, complained, sent letters, went down to the post office - nothing changed. He would just leave the card "we tried to deliver this and you weren't here. Pick up your package at the post office." fuck you asshole - I WAS HOME RING THE BELL!! My Ex worked from home so there was NEVER a time he could have rang the bell and I "missed it". I told the manager at my local post office that if I sucked that bad and refused to ACTUALLY do my job (which his is to deliver the mail, not slips for me to go pick it up) that I would be FIRED! Why is there no accountability at the post office? I would then schedule a redelivery - once again another fucking "sorry me missed you card". It made me insane. I'm sure this guy did it to fuck with me. And I couldn't do anything. Unless I can force all businesses to ship via Fed Ex or UPS I have to use the stupid USPS.

A search on the Better Business Bureau on the post office turns up more than 200 results. All have "Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the BB due to failure to respond to a complaint". SHOCKING.

One time the bell rang. I couldn't believe it. I ran down to get the package and I said "so you finally started ringing them bell." He said "oh I'm not your regular postal guy, he's on vacation." So I got one package delivered once - by the guy filling in for my guy on vacation. UGH

3: The website is almost unusable. Links don't click to anything - like the "click here for live 24/7 support" nothing happens. That's cool. What's the #1 thing you probably want to do on the USPS website? Complain? Probably. But seriously, I would think it's to buy stamps. That’s on the second level of navigation, 3rd one in. I would think it would be on the top left the first place I look. It took me a minute to realize where it was.

4: When trying to track a package online I get 'sorry we don't know anymore info; please contact your local post office'. Why would my local office know more? Shouldn't the website be able to give me SOME info? I shipped something 19 days ago and it's STILL not there. I paid for insurance.

I called the 800 number. A woman answered and she knew NOTHING. She told me what the website said. UM if you work for the post office - can't you find out anything? How can this package be lost? There is a label number on it - why can't anymore info be found out about it!?

She's said you have to go down to where you mailed it and ask them. Fucking great. I can't wait to sit in another 30 minute line at the post office. I said well if this is truly lost when do I get my few hundred dollars back that I insured it for? She said I can't try to claim it until Nov 3rd because that is still within a reasonable time it could be delivered. Ridiculous. 21+ days to deliver a package within the United States? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Are they using carrier pigeon to ship them?

5: I once sent back something I ordered online. It came with a return address label - so I used the one that came with the package. The To and From were both about the same font size. But I would think one could see the difference between the TO address and From address.

Weeks passed and the company hadn't got my return.

Finally one day the package came back to me!!! The fucking post office shipped it back to me!!!! To the FROM Address rather than the TO address. WTFG. So I had to go down to the Brighton post office AGAIN and tell them to ship to the TO address and REFUSED to pay for that again - it was their fault that it took them 3 weeks to ship the package back to the town I shipped it from. And where was it for 3 weeks? Did it even leave Boston? And WHY did that take 3 weeks? I could have walked to deliver it faster.

And Finally 6: Another time I ordered something online. When the package arrived it had been ripped open and was missing everything that was supposed to be in it. The package looked like it had survived a war. Wasn't the postal worker that delivered it embarrased that it was empty? didn't they notice there was NOTHING inside the package. Oh wait... Actually there WAS something in the almost empty box. OTHER PEOPLE'S MAIL!! Like 10 letters for random other people had fallen into the box - people that didn't live on my street, or my town. I had to put those back in the mailbox and hope they got delivered. I then had to call the company I placed the order with and tell them about the empty box. They re-shipped the package. This time via FedEx (got there fast and all in tact).

The Post office claims they have to raise the price of shipping, stamps, etc because other shippers are taking away their business and costs go up. Perhaps if they could ship packages properly we wouldn't be using other shippers. Now letters get sent fine - they seem to do that well. But I do everything online so I rarely actually send mail. It's the packages that always get screwed up.

Oh shit I thought of one other thing. several times - about 5 times my magazines haven't made it to me. Maybe they get stolen in the mail? Stolen by my neighbors? I don't know, but when I call the magazine companies won't send out another copy- they only extend the subscription. Fine but I wanted the magazine I missed! When I called the post office they knew nothing. I don't know who's fault this one is the magazine? thiefs? the post office? All I know is I didn't get my magazines!

Man I hate the post office they really piss me off!

Annoying Flash Sites

I love cool design. I do. I'm a UI Designer - I hope I like design.

I love excellent design of all kinds: Clothes, Shoes, Handbags, Houses, Cars, Buildings, Websites... you name it.

I think flash can do some really cool things, but most sites that are all flash just annoy me. Why you ask? Because I can't use the fucking back button.

My mental model is that the BACK button should take me BACK to the previous page, not kick me out to the homepage of the entire site. I HATE this about flash sites.

Uniqlo, the site I love to hate, does exactly that. And now I was just on Mazda's site trying to look at the CX-7. I looked at the exterior and wanted to go back to see the interior. What happens when I click back? Well I am back on the freaking homepage where I have to one AGAIN select which vehicle I want to look at. I already DID THAT. I shouldn't have to do that again!

If you want to use flash on your site - great. Find a way to have the back button still work!!

most. annoying. site. ever.

WTF is the deal with this site? How can anyone actually LOOK at the clothes they potentially want to buy??? Clicking anywhere seems to throw you back to the homepage, the back button totally doesnt work becuase it's all flash. ANNOYING! and then as if that wasn't bad enough.. the freaking clothes move back and forth in a dizzying way to show you the close up. Clicking (which I expected would STOP the MOVEMENT or "my mental model" if you will) just brought me to this insane mosiac view where I have to try to decide which item of clothing I want to view. From a mosiac!?? How do I even know where to look? I have to hover to actually have the little mosiac piece even make sense to see the item.

It could be a belt, hat, gloves, shirt, jeans, pants, spin the wheel who knows... wheeeeeeeeeee WTF! And you can't shop online - I guess it's to promote the store... but with this kind of user experience I think I'll skip it and go right on into Bloomies or Saks.

Let's see.. here's the "wicked useful" mosiac view. This is how I usually like to shop for clothes :S


If the site is this crazy - what does the store look like??? Clothes dancing on racks? Strobes lights and blaring club music? Moving shelves?

They seem to have some cute things, but who can tell with this crazy design? I don't even understand how the designer came up with this concept and how once they started building it - they were able to keep track of what they put where. I'd be totally lost. I mean it's pretty. But it's not useful.

Oh and wait... there's more! if you click on a category.. let's say women / shirt - you then see a SEA, and I mean a SEA of shirts scrolling non-stop on the page! 10 across and 8 down!!!! Who the hell can focus. I cannot scan fast enough to see them. And once again the "mental model" (to use the annoying buzz word people seem obsessed with at my company) is broken becuase hovering doesn't MAKE THEM STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they just keep right on moving! I am dizzy. I feel drunk and it's only 11 in the morning.

now picture this stupid thing scrolling vertically, or better yet go to their website and see it for yourself. It's like a slot machine...