Is customer service subject to trends? And if so, who is behind - the US Postal Service, or Fed Ex and UPS?
I live in the country, so we have mailboxes - sometimes they're at the end of a very long driveway, and sometimes fairly close to our homes. Ours is about 150' or so from the house.
Up until a few months ago the mail delivery person would put a note in the mailbox to let us know when there was a package to be picked up at the post office 11 miles away. If we had over-sized mailboxes, they'd bring packages that fit, but we had to go to town for large ones.
Then they suddenly decided to offer more service - as long as the house wasn't more than a certain distance from the road (1/8 mile? 1/4 mile?), they would not only bring the packages out, but would drive to the house and put them in a designated place. We all were asked to fill out cards telling them where to put the packages.
All this time FedEx and UPS were routinely bringing packages to the house. Depending upon the driver, they would either put them on the table by the back door, set them inside the storm door, or lean them against the corner of the house - under the roof overhang.
One UPS driver was afraid of dogs, so she'd beep the horn and hope someone came out to retrieve the package. If we weren't home, neither were the dogs, so she was safe.
Now all that has changed. Instead of coming near the house, they toss things out on the ground and drive away. I suppose it saves precious seconds.
I don't know what they'd do if it looked like something that would break if tossed. Maybe they'd step out and set it on the ground.
Last time I got a FedEx envelope our puppy was out at the shop with my husband. As soon as the truck drove away he bounded to the house to see what she'd tossed out, so had the envelope half open before my husband got there to retrieve it.
I thought it was funny today. I work in the basement, but heard a motor so went up to see. My package from LL Bean was laying alongside our drive, so I brought it in. Then about 2 hours later I got an email from LL Bean - informing me that my package had been delivered.
I guess that would have been good to know if I hadn't noticed the delivery and the pup had gotten to it first. Fortunately, he wasn't home when the package came, or he just might have used that package for a chew toy.
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