Son of a  #$%^@!!!!!!!!

I printed labels and packaged three books on Sunday night and put them in my mailbox for pickup on Monday morning.  Today all three packages were in my mailbox with a note from the PO clerk that the date MUST match the date it is mailed.  This is the first time this has happened to me.

I just read the other thread that deals with this and I want to throw in my $0.02 that we HAVE to be able to change the "date mailed" on our shipping labels for prepaid postage.  I NEVER ship the day I package, because I package at night and mail the next day.  I suppose I will have to start going back to the post office then.

:-(  :-( :-( :-(:-(  :-( :-( :-( :-(  :-( :-( :-(

My question is, do I now have to reprint all of my labels tomorrow (don't ask me where I'll find the time to do that), or stay up past midnight and fool around with it tonight hoping they are on Eastern time, or ask for a refund somehow on my $9ish dollars postage, OR am I crap out of luck?!

Boo hoo hoo.

Also, R&R, any insight you have as to whether or not this feature will be updated in the future would be appreciated.

Monica, I'm sorry this has happened, but it was inevitable considering we can't change the mailing date. May I suggest you send feedback to R&R and tell them what happened.

Your best solution would be to take your books to the PO and ask them for a 'zero meter' which will correct your mailing date. This won't cost you any more money than you've already spent and it will make your mailings current.

Yes, absolutely do NOT pay for the postage again.  Just take a trip to the PO and ask them for that zero meter strip to correct the mailing date like Connie said.

Okay, thanks - but why didn't they just do that, why did they send them back to me?

If your carrier didn't catch it yesterday when it was picked up (and he/she obviously didn't), then someone else caught it before it left the office for processing at your local processing center. This would have been either the dispatch clerk who helps load the truck with 'raw' mail, or a mail handler. The window clerks only handle the mail given to them over the window in the PO. None of the mail brought back to your local office by the carriers goes through the window clerks.

I also suggest using the 'contact us' link below to feedback R&R about changing the mail date.

This is the reason I haven't been using the PBS postage feature. I too wrap my books and print my postage at night to mail the next day. I use paypal shipping so I can adjust the date for the following day. The only way to get the PBS printed postage to have the right date is to sit up until after midnight eastern time..which I don't always feel like doing. They need to make the date changeable.

I have a blue box across the street and there are no Sunday or Holiday pickups for it.  I routinely drop things in there that have printed postage on Saturday (after that day's pickup) or Sunday or Holidays. 

I've never had a problem due to the wrong date.  (I have had them send back a book that was over 1lb and used stamps in the past.  And most recently, had a book with stamps was sent back to me even though it was part of a larger Carrier pickup.)

Is there really someone who checks the dates?  The Postmark Police?

Ange, please see my explination of this here:  http://www.paperbackswap.com/forum/view_topic.php?t=74131

Steve, can you confirm what the other people said, that I can bring them to the PO and ask the clerk to zero out the date, or something?

Also, the note on the package of books was from Bob, the clerk.  Why didn't he just zero it out?  Is there a reason he would think he can't do this?

Waaaaaaaaaah.  I have to figure out TONIGHT what to do with these, and PM the poor people who are waiting for them.

Monica, what the clerk has to do is put a $.00 meter strip on it.  This isn't something he/she is required to do but most probably will as long as this isn't something that happens all the time.  In other words don't print out the postage the night before and then plan on the clerk correcting it for you every time you mail books.

As far as Bob goes, no he can't just do that.   The book was being returned for a purpose and he can't superceed that.  As I said they are not required to do this but either way it needed (from a postal standpoint) to be brought to your attention. 

R&R...actually, just R said we have a 72 hour window to mail packages with prepaid postage/DC. I have  mailed several things with no problem.  Printing one day and mailing the next day......

If I have a book come back to me and I have to take it to the post office I will not use the postage again. The whole reason I started trying it was to avoid going to the PO and waiting in line. Bad enough my books are not being scanned with the DC for quick credit, even when they're being delivered.

Sue, I understand that but none of us Postal employees know where he got that info from but as members are learning it is incorrect.  From second or third hand source someone said that's what the representative from Indica told them.  Again, it's incorrect.

I truly hope they get this worked out soon.

So far I haven't had problems with mailing the next day........we are talking 12 hours later.....maybe 18.  I always mail them from the same mailbox.......maybe I'm just lucky.  I had a couple picked up at the house w/o problems...so far!!

My PO said that if I print postage the night before, if I drop it in the blue bin they will mail it, but not from my mailbox.  What a pain. 

I have added an option when mailing with printable postage to specify the date the book will be put into the mail. I honestly do not think this will make any difference but we will see.

Robert

Well, that should solve MY problem anyhow (wrapping the day before mailing) - many, many thanks Robert!

Thank you, Robert.

Thanks, Robert.  This makes life so much easier.  Small town Post Offices can be very strict.

Thank you Robert, this should clear up most of the problems with this. 

Thank you very much for addressing this problem!!  :-)

I believe the $0.00 is only supposed to be added after the customer physically forks over the package to the clerk in person at the time. That's why your books were returned to you.

Go back and ask for a $0.00 showing a "current date" (the date the package "entered the system" when the clerk puts in the outgoing bin for you) along with the older date on your package.

Steve is away, but I'm sure Connie and others can confirm this.

I've never had a problem with the date mailed on the postage. By accident I've forgotten to change the mail date and my PO still takes it. Course I have great a great PO!