United States Postal Service — Attraction in West Chicago Township

Being an amputee using my crutches this evening, a friend helped me walk up 10 packages to the USPS Harrison Street Station counter at 9:46 PM on 07/05/2016. After we stacked all 10 pre-labeled and prepaid packages on the counter, only needing for a receipt, Ruth the USPS employee requested I reach further across the counter 6 inches to put each of my packages on the scale in front of her after we stacked them right in front of her. My friend politely asked if that was required as a safety precaution and Ruth replied “no, but at least he can be a gentleman”. My friend pointed out that I was disabled and while using crutches it would be difficult to reach further across the counter. Ruth stated “I’m disabled too, it’s hard for me sitting here all the time, maybe you could help him and show me some hospitality”. Even though I'm aware of "invisible disabilities", that Ruth could take packages off the scale from her seat and put them in the big cart behind her made it difficult for me to understand what she was talking about and that she didn't have a problem picking up the first 2 packages (all of them 2.2 lbs in small, 7" x 7" x 6" boxes). We were both completely flabbergasted. It made me wonder how USPS handles customers in wheelchairs who can’t easily stack packages on the counter to begin with. My friend calmly responded “last time I checked this wasn’t my place of employment”. Ruth copped more attitude about us being "inhospitable" which prompted my friend to ask for the supervisor. Ruth replied “I don’t know who the supervisor is and maybe you can tell me who my supervisor is, I wish I knew”. The USPS employee next to Ruth also stated that she didn’t know the name of the supervisor either. After attempts to ask several other employees who the supervisor was, only one polite USPS female employee who entered the area without witnessing what had originally transpired told us the supervisor’s name was Miss Washington. After finding out the name, we noticed a male USPS employee behind a gated window and proceeded to ask him for help or to see if Miss Washington was in and he immediately replied in a very hostile and intimidating manner as well asking "What your complaint?" without answering if the supervisor was in and how we could contact her. While searching for further help in the lobby, a young man standing in line who happens to work for USPS in the suburbs, stated that he has experienced similar issues with Miss Ruth specifically and recommended that we make a complaint to corporate.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to support the USPS against privatization efforts when treated this rudely by employees who don't seem too have a clue about what polite customer service is about, alienating customers who make their job easy bringing prepaid packages to the post office (it would probably have taken Ruth 30 minutes processing postage for all 10 packages, that's how "hospitable" I was prepping everything in advance) but then I wonder if private companies wouldn’t just allow for the same rude and disappointing service and I'm at a complete loss.

It would be nice for the US Postal service to act as a team serving customers instead of covering each other’s backs not providing their supervisor’s name because TEAM is supposed to mean “Together, Everyone Achieves More”. Aside from the one lady who didn’t witness what happened and told us the supervisor’s name, it doesn’t seem the night shift at Harrison Street has a clue about polite customer service that doesn't alienate customers enough to feel the need to share their stories here on Yelp.

I don’t advocate for employees losing their jobs, but there should be repercussions demanding civil servants undergo more customer service training when complaints like this are reported. If they have a problem providing polite service, they should be weeded out because they are not performing their duties in a manner respectful to the community that pays Postal...

Whatever you do don’t go to this post office. The person at the desk was so extremely rude it’s like she was trying to pick at me for every little thing. I knew it was gonna be a bad experience the moment I walked up because she asked me what I needed and when I told her I wanted to mail my tax returns (mind you I was very polite and smiled like I always have when speaking to staffs) and she rolled her eyes and was telling me I need to go get an envelope from the shelf, I went to go get it and she she shouted “EXCUSE ME” “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING” with everyone staring and I told her I was getting an envelope. She then proceeds to tell me to write the address because that’s not her job even though I didn’t request her to do so. Then as I’m writing the address she’s like “that’s not big enough” and then I cross it out and rewrote it and gave it to her and I was mailing 2 envelopes so when I tried to write on the second she’s like “Oh give me that you’re not doing it right” so she took the envelope away from me and proceeds to write the address for me and said “you go to college?” And I said “yes.” And she’s like “what they don’t teach you penmanship in college?”. The first envelope is the one I wrote and the second is what she wrote. You let me know if I “did it wrong”. This was so disappointing and just straight up bullying. Like was it really necessary to make the comment about the college and penmanship? We could’ve gone about our day normally without such a rude, condescending comment. It doesn’t cost money to be a kind person. This was unacceptable and if someone hates their job that much to be so rude, go work somewhere else. Her name was Jessica Williams. I’ve always gone to the USPS in the loop but chose to go to this one instead because it was closer and I will never ever come back here ever again. Please, PLEASE go to another branch. Don’t ever come here. They don’t deserve customers. I don’t even know if my mail will get sent properly...

Really, complaining about the post office is like whining that politicians haven't balanced the budget. It'll never change. So, Yelp gets my rant to be filed away in the list of "bitching Tim does for no net gain"

One sign says package pickup opens at 7AM. Show up at 8 only to find that another sign down the hall says they open at 8:30.

Wait in line. Woman sends me from one window to another window. Other window clerk sends me back to first window. Woman at first window acts as though my package contains dead kitten hearts and explains that she'll have to call someone else to get it. That's fine.

I ask if the package can be signed for in advance of its arrival. She responds in the affirmative, only to throw the brakes on the already slow process because the address on the package does not match the address on the Illinois driver's license provided. I ask what forms of ID are acceptable, and am told that a passport will suffice.

Great -- so I can claim a package with an ID bearing no address whatsoever, but not one that has the same name and similar photo, just a different address. Got it. Keeping America safe, I'm sure.

It took about 75 minutes to get the package, all the while I had the unique opportunity to listen to the clerks bemoan Chicago politicians and use phrases that were tickling the edge of blatant racism but didn't quite come out as full-on honkey hate. Amusing.

Then I ask another woman for postage costs to an APO. While she picked her teeth, she tells me that I can use flat rate for $5-something, or not. I ask, showing her my tiny item to ship, what it will cost. Her response? "Either $5-something for flat rate, or less." Thanks. Sorry to interrupt your dental dig.

Just before leaving, one clerk commented to another: "It's time for the weekend!", which elicited the response, "yeah, we've earned it!". I resisted the...