Grrr...the Post Office is on my Bad List!

In my last post about Sue Dent's book--Never Ceese, I was excitedly waiting to receive it in the mail. When I arrived home from work Friday evening, there in the mailbox was the much anticipated book. When I opened the package--very carefully, I might add--I pulled out the book, and this is what it looked like....

Obviously something was a little off, and then I turned it over...

And over again.....

And then I turned it sideways...

So then I decided to look at the packaging. It was there that I found this note stamped onto the front...


Most of it is missing due to the tape on the envelope, but in essence it says:
"Package Damaged in Handling. Please accept our apologies....Memphis, Tennessee"




My first thought was--YIKES! At least they thought to put a stamp on the package. I'm sure they're really sorry, so I'll take it to the post office and have them replace the book for me. No worries. (Even though it was a signed book. I guess I can cut out the signature from the old one and no one else will know the difference.)




I couldn't go on Saturday because I had to work until after noon, so I took my package after work Monday afternoon. After being called up in the non-existent line, I exchanged pleasantries with J. (yes, that was what was on his name tag) and explained the situation. That I had received the book in the mail on Friday afternoon and that it was damaged in shipping as the stamp indicated on the front, and that I would please like the book (Never Ceese by Sue Dent) replaced so that I could start reading it because I was really excited about the book's plot.





J. calmly informed me that because the package did not have insurance on it ("which you can buy for each package you send, and I highly recommend it") that the Postal Service would not replace the book.





To which I replied, a little less calmly, but I've never put insurance on a book and I've never had them damaged before in the mail--and I purchase/receive roughly 20 books a month in the mail, and that this was the first book that has been damaged, and would he please replace it because it was damaged in shipping as the stamp indicates?





J. then proceeded to tell me about all the ways a book/box can be damaged, and that once again, he highly recommends insuring packages for this very reason, and that he's sorry, but there's nothing he, or the Postal Service can do about my damaged book.





Now wearing a frown, I then asked J. why Tennessee hadn't contacted the sender of the package since they are the ones who damaged it? He proceeded to tell me that he didn't know, but that there's nothing he could do, and sent me on my less-than-merry way.





Needless to say, I am NOT happy about the state of things. However, I am really excited about reading Never Ceese, by Sue Dent, so I am going to try and purchase a signed copy at Signed By the Author, and I'll go ahead and pre-buy the sequel--Forever Richard.

Thanks for listening to me whine about the Post Office. Needless to say, I will not be having a drawing for this book, however, I will be giving some other books away soon, so stay tuned!


UPDATE:

The books are not available at the Signed by the Author site--I should have checked before I published that information (bad librarian!)! They are available through other local and online retailers such as Borders.