Geez, What a Waste...

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DeanHFox

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This week, we've had a different Postal Service delivery driver. The normal gent drops off any boxes to my door, because we have to walk down to the road to get to our mailbox, and many items don't fit in the mailbox.

Well, the "filling in for the other guy" driver today decided that dropping off a box to our door was too much work, and left it ON TOP OF THE MAILBOX, where the afternoon winds blew if off...and into the busy road.

You can guess what happened...by the time I got home and went down to the mailbox to collect the mail, I had a Priority Mail box that more closely resembled an Overnight Letter. Flat as a pancake.

And, inside...two crushed Mini-Brutes from an eBay auction.

Oh, I can salvage stuff like decal sheets and such, and get tubes and cones from our great modroc vendors...it just seems like such a waste that these kits survived for 30-odd years, and were ruined by someone's lackadaisical attitude. "Hey, it's just a package...I'll just do what I'm required to do, not a bit more". Just sad.

--- Dean
 
:eek: :eek: :eek:

That pic should have a disclaimer.

Warning: cover the eyes of small children and sensitive individuals before viewing this photo. Pets should be out of the room.
 
That sucks Dean. Plain and simple. And I know a Mini Bomarc and Wolverine could not have been cheap. Stupid mail carrier.:mad:
 
Yeah....It's one thing to view photos of launch damage, CATO damage, recovery damage, etc., because those kits at least got to be BUILT and FLOWN. In a way, this is more depressing because they never got a chance to *be* what they could have been.

I know, I'm anthropomorphizing, but it's depressing to get a mini BOMARC *and* a Wolverine in the SAME PACKAGE, only to have some loser destroy them both because it was just too much trouble to drive up a lane and drop a package at the door. :(

<sigh>
 
On the upside...with the great vendors we've got these days (BMS, Semroc, et al), I can actually still field these babies, albeit with a LOT of replaced parts (compared to a few years ago, when the only chance would have been to locate another set of them!).

Heh heh...I can almost hear that SFX gliss from "The Six Million Dollar Man" when he was using his bionics..."We can rebuild them. We can make them BETTER than they were before"...

Where's that BMS catalog? I left it around here somewhere... :)
 
I don't understand how you can be so calm about it...kudos to you! I would have been at the Post Office voicing my dismay.

I also don't see what's so hard about the carrier putting a package in a USPS bag, and hanging it on the mail box... guess that's besides the point

anyway, sorry for your loss and wow, that was a gorey picture you posted... ;)
 
Document with many many pictures and write a formal memo to the Postmaster so that you can "at least" turn the driver in and make a claim. I would have reached "warp core breach levels" if something like this would have happened to me. Maybe you could drive to the local post office and personally talk to the Postmaster about this issue. :mad:

I am very sorry for what really happened specially with such valuable items. :(
 
While "warp core breach" pretty much defines my state of mind at the moment I saw the original damage, and while the local Postmaster will indeed get a piece of my mind (a small piece, since at 44 I'd prefer to keep whatever pieces are remaining)...I just know I'll get pretty much nowhere.

To an "unbeliever", as it were, these were just paper and wood. And, yes, they have tremendous value to those of us who read this kind of forum...but to a guy who's been yelled at for the price of stamps fifty times already today (read: my Postmaster), some nutcase (read: me!) who comes in and says, "What are you going to do about it when one of your people just *does his job* (after all, the obligation does end at the mailbox, I suppose) and doesn't *go the extra mile to give GREAT service* is just gonna get a polite brush off.

(not that it'll stop me from firing a photon torpedo or two at him...after all, I'm still pretty much at "Red Alert") :)

Thanks for all the kind wishes, guys. Wish I had better pix to share; I'll post some pix of the "Cyborged Mini-Brutes" when I get 'em fixed. :D
 
Originally posted by Donaldsrockets
What about the balsa fin material, was that damaged too?

Yeah, it cracked all the fin material. The die-cut fins snapped out (of course), but then broke in several places along the fin grains.

I gotta say...the most depressing part was seeing how the little "ramjet cones" on the Mini Bomarc got OVALLED. You heard me, OVAL. I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself. :(
 
Oh there is no question that you need to bring this to the attention of your postmaster general and to your current (and regular) carrier.

Just doing his job? I don't think so. That goes right up there with a postal employee who would fold a priority box in half in order to fit it into a postal box (seriously, happened twice with two different post offices)

He has a requirement to secure the package. If he doesn't bring it to your door and it won't fit in the box he must either put it in a bag to hang on our box or he must bring it back to the PO and leave a note in your box about picking it up.

Make sure that your PMG and the carrier are reminded of this.

man, I just HATE seeing something like that...

Oh, and I agree on the "WARNING - Not suitable for all rocketry audiences" tag that pix like that should come with... :)

Good luck!
 
By all means, speak to your local postmaster. Be firm but be polite. Note carefully his response, and whether he seems sympathetic or dismissive.

Take notes. Dates, times, names, office numbers, specific words or phrases.

If you don't get satisfaction from your local postmaster, contact his boss. Keep on taking notes.

If you don't get satisfaction there, try the website at the national level. Or your Senator or Congressman. Keep taking those notes.

And if you want to have a little extra fun, contact your local TV station.
 
Oh man, I can emphathize with you on this one, but your case is a whole lot worse than mine. I won't say too much right now because I'm still trying to get this one resolved, but I received a package last weekend containing a Launch Pad Seawolf I ordered (although not directly from The Launch Pad, they're blameless on this one). The rocket was shipped without packing material inside one of those triangular USPS Priority Mail boxes. The box arrived on my porch partially crushed, which mashed the body tube inside since there was no padding or crush space around the kit. (See attached pic.)

I didn't even bother contacting the post office, since the damage could've occurred anywhere in transit. I did contact the vendor, who promised to send me a replacement tube. That package arrived today unmashed. Unfortunately, the tube inside is 2 3/4" shorter than the original. I've informed the vendor of this tonight, but I'm also contacting the manufacturer directly to see if I can get a tube from them. This has definitely impacted my normally cheerful disposition :rolleyes: .
 
You're not alone. Sorry for the mishap, but if it makes you feel any better, check out <a href="https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2256&highlight=post+office">THIS</a> thread regarding one of my experiences with the post office. Forget the postmaster. Just borrow someones doberman and let it chase him down the street. :kill:

I recall having a set of decals ruined because the postal carrier decided to fold the photo mailer in HALF to squeeze it into my mailbox. :kill: (Pay no attention to the smiley in the "shooting" smiley.)
 
Estes really knows how to pack rockets. I was getting a SpaceShipOne from them (some engines CATOed), and it arrived in a huge 1' x 1' x 2' box. There was a huge dent in one corner, but the rocket was not harmed at all.

HobbyLinc is almost completely the opposite. They pack orders in boxes so small that you wonder how everything fits in there, and the only packing material is a sheet or two of newspaper. I haven't had anything from them damaged yet (probably because they are so close), but one time the mail carrier stuffed a package in the mailbox and I almost couldn't get it out.
 
I once received a kit from an ROL auction that had been shoved, and I do mean literally SHOVED into a mailing tube.

Needless to say, the body tube and fin material were rendered completely unusable.:rolleyes: :mad:

Another thing, the package had been opened and the shock cord was missing. I took it the seller had obviously helped himself to it!!!:rolleyes: :mad: :kill:

The seller was valhallarockets on ROL, he hasn't posted anything in awhile but if he does, I certainly would not reccommend doing business with him.
 
But he didn't do his job, and your parcel was damaged by him not doing his job. It's his job to ensure that the parcel is left where it will be safe until collected by you. This is reasonable care. Nothing less than that is sufficient - rain, wind, dogs, etc., not withstanding.

I've had problems with my postal carrier not doing the job too - they've even been known to leave the packages at not only the wrong address but where three package eating dogs live, right next to a sign that reads "don't leave packages here because the dogs nipping your ankles will eat them." (This literally happened, and no the package and the contents didn't survive.)

Every time I have these problems the postmaster gets a polite if less than friendly visit from me with what remains of the package. It took a while but they did finally catch on.

Johnny Carson: "If we ran the post office like a business we'd have had a fire last week!"
 
Everyone is correct, he(she) did not do their job. I was a rural carrier sub a number of years ago, and I would not have even thought of leaving a package on top of the mailbox.

You should report it to the postmaster and higher up if necessary.
 
I'm blessed with a great postal lady and two wonderful UPS and FedEx men. I live in a semi-rural area and they'll drive up in the driveway and if no one is outside they honk the horn. If no one comes out of the house then they leave the package right in front of the door under the carport. The package is always out of the wind and rain, rarely damaged and safely secure.

If my wife or I are home when they come we'll always give them a big hello and make it a distinct point to show our appreciation for their dedication and fine service by thanking them profusely each time something is delivered.

I don't know if this is the reason our stuff is delivered OK but I guess it can't hurt and they do such a fine job they certainly deserve it.

Andrew Grippo
 
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