William Mewes - Foter - CC BY
Canada Post Community Mail Box
Today, I headed over to get my mail at the Canada Post Community Mail Box assigned to my home. I bundled up and headed over with keys in hand. I inserted the key, and tried to turn the lock, but it didn't turn. I thought, well let's try the other two keys, because maybe the one that was used was defective. However, that didn't do it either. Three attempts were made. Nothing worked.
The community mail box is adjacent to the mall where the Canada Post retail outlet is, so I popped in there, and indicated that I couldn't get into my mailbox.
"Your mail box lock is likely frozen," said the clerk. "Do you have any hand sanitizer?"
To which I replied "No?"
The sanitizer defrosts the lock. So realizing that they had a bottle on the counter, we lubed up the key and I ran over to try it. I inserted the key, and waited a second for it to work. It didn't work. Needless to say, this was particularly unsatisfying.
So when I got home, I called Canada Post. Again I explained the issue, after having to go through several prompts, to which the customer service representative responded that my lock must have frozen, and did I have any de-icer?
"I don't," I responded.
This left the customer rep with only one solution, to write up a service ticket. She gave me my number and indicated that it would be resolved in 48 hours. There was no way to speed up the process, and the service person would not indicate when it was done.
This appears to be the way Canada Post has decided to handle residential service. First they terminated door to door service, even to condominium town-homes, and installed a Canada Post Community Mail Box which doesn't work in cold weather. Then when they have a problem, they then ask the consumer to solve it themselves. The consumer doesn't own the mailboxes, didn't install them, nor can they service them, but Canada Post believes we should fix them ourselves. So you might want to take along your hand-sanitizer every time you need to get your mail - just in case.
Can you imagine going to your doctor, and they would start by asking you your temperature. When you don't have a response, they ask you to get your thermometer to take your temperature. If you don't have a thermometer then you'll have to wait until they can get to it. However, that may take a while.
Now, I was expecting to receive some important mail from across town. Mail delivery has usually not been an issue, however, it appears that Canada Post in its haste to eliminate home delivery, didn't ensure that the mail box locks would work in cold temperatures. What were they thinking? Also, they will NOT insure that the person who is scheduled to do the work call you to say that it is completed.
It appears, that customer service is no longer important to Canada Post other then to tell their consumers what they do not do. Maybe it is time, that the consumer have a choice about who will be delivering our mail, since Canada Post doesn't seem to be interested in that business any longer. Is it time to privatize Canada Post?
A Canada Post Community Mail Box should be able to work well in the cold Canadian winters!
