Jay Kersting's Blog

As I am working a new job there are always a few hiccups along the way.  One of those is getting the direct deposit of your paycheck started.  I knew it would take a couple of paychecks and I was OK with that.  My first check was delived back to Tennessee personally, since it came on a Friday of a weekend where I was heading back that way.  My second check arrived here on Tuesday.  Since I am not going back to Tennessee until Friday, I figured that I would overnight the check to Kathy so that she could deposit the check in the bank.

I debated between using UPS or the United States Postal Service.  My mom is a retired postal clerk and I do not recall ever personally having a problem with the USPS in the past, so I chose to use them.  Besides, they are slightly less expensive.

Oh boy.  This was a mistake.

I went on-line and used the web based method of paying for my overnight Express Mail service.  I printed out my label and taped it, per their own instructions...do not tape over the barcode, etc.,....to an envelope.  I included a handwritten note to Kathy and the boys, as well as some autographs that I got them from John Buck and Luke Hudson of the Kansas City Royals.  I looked for further instructions.  It asked me if I wanted to arrange pickup.  I knew the mail had not been picked up here yet, so I figured that I would just send it with my regular pickup.

Apparently, this is NOT the way to do things.  I must have missed it.  But, maybe I was supposed to schedule a special pickup.  Maybe I had to go drop it off at the post office.  But this was not made perfectly clear.  I do know with UPS, you need to find one of their drop boxes.  I got that.

Again, this was on Tuesday.  Today is Thursday.  Now, the USPS STILL has NO RECORD of having received my package, let alone delivering it.  I have run the tracking number on-line.  I have called in to track it.  I called customer service.  I called the number they gave me for Express Mail.  I was on a three way call with someone allegedly in Knoxville, Tennessee, who tried to tell me that I used the WRONG ZIP CODE!!  I sent it to my wife's work address.  The same address that THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EVERY YEAR SEND CHECKS TO TO GET THEIR FOOTBALL TICKETS!!!!  I think that I would know where I was sending it. 

So, I have asked the folks here with my employer if they can bail me out of the jam that I got MYSELF into by either trusting the USPS, or by not following their directions clearly enough.  At this point, I am not sure WHICH it is.

I do know this much.  I feel like an IDIOT!!!  And I know, that I will never, ever, ever, trust anything important, like a paycheck, to the United States Postal Service.

And it does actually make me very sad to say that.

*****Follow Up*******

The package was received by the USPS in Knoxville on Thursday evening at around 10:00pm.  The package was delivered to the University of Tennessee mail room on Friday morning at around 9:08 am.

Kathy got it at her desk in the AFTERNOON MAIL on MONDAY!!!!  When sending something to Kathy at work, do NOT use the United States Postal Service if it needs to get there quickly.  NOW, I know.