So Monday I went to the local Walmart to pick up the remainder of my Christmas cards and then I headed over to the Postal Annex which is right next to the Walmart to get stamps and send out Christmas cards and Thank You cards and letters to hubby. I had 73 items to be stamped and sent and I purchased a book of stamps. My total was $46.50. I knew it was going to be a pricey trip to the postal place so I didn't really think about it before handing over my trusty debit card.
When I got back to the truck, I took a gander at the receipt and low and behold I'd been charge 50 cents a piece for stamps. The book of stamps was 10 dollars and upon counting I discovered 20 stamps, aka 50 cents a piece. As I haven't bought stamps in ages, I gave my mom a call and asked how much postage currently costs. She wasn't quite sure and thought it may be 48 cents... did they charge more because they were cards... well they shouldn't have, they didn't weigh anymore, it wasn't making sense. Later in the day I found out postage is actually 44 cents, a whole 6 cents difference.
Today I was talking with a friend about this and she said it really wasn't right so I should give them a call. I called t he Annex and let them know the issue to see if I could get my 6 cents difference per stamp back. Well, the Postal Annex woman informs me they have "a sign that states their stamps are 50 cents a piece or 10 dollars for a book" obviously, I hadn't noticed this sign, nor did I know what the postage price typically was to make any sense of it! I said to her "Are you sure this is legal, postage is federally priced" and she informed me that indeed it was, as they're not the post office they can price stamps at whatever they want. I then proceeded to tell her "Well, that SUCKS and is STUPID." Yes, what an insult.
What really pisses me off is that this is a military community. I'm buying stamps to write letters to my husband who is deployed, as are many wives/people in general in this area and they are RIPPING US OFF.
So, I did what every good angry citizen would do, I wrote letters. I wrote to our local paper The Globe and to my Family Readiness Officer so she could tell other 1/6 wives before they buy postage there and are ripped off too. And I'm telling you lovely readers about it, so any of you in the CL area - Don't go to the Postal Annex by the Walmart on Yopp Rd!!!
Rant over, go in peace my friends.
Wow, wtf?!
ReplyDeleteI think military families should get free postage anyways... I mean, FROM Iraq it's free but not TO there! However, we do get discounts on the large flat rate boxes... and there's also a number you can call and they will deliver a bunch of supplies to you. 1-800-610-8734 (ask for the military pack).
xx
WTH even when you buy stamps at convenience type locations such as Staples or whatever, they charge you the regular price.
ReplyDeleteYou totally got ripped off and you go girl for doing something about it!
Dear Mrs. P,
ReplyDeleteI'm the Vice President of Marketing for Annex Brands, franchisor of the PostalAnnex+ you write about. The PostalAnnex+ on Yopp Road is an independently owned and operated franchise of Annex Brands.
I'm sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience. May I share with you more information?
John Brown, our franchisee there in Jacksonville is a military veteran, so I know he is very attuned to the hardships Marines and their families endure by the separation as a result of service.
PostalAnnex+ is kind of like the 7-11 of the shipping industry. It's a convenience store for which there is a fee. The fee covers rent John must pay his landlord as well as other occupancy and payroll costs. At the end of the day, we hope you won't see the $1.20 fee or 12% profit on a book of stamps as gouging. Except for grocery stores and membership warehouses, few businesses can survive on 12% profit. We do offer stamps as a service to save customers a trip to a farther location or avoid a line.
To many of our customers, they know the time savings from driving and avoiding having to stand in a line is worth the convenience fee. Others don't mind a little extra drive or time to get the post office rate.
I also know John, as a military vet, uses proceeds from the store for supporting community events and organizations, several of them related to the military.
While I don't know if you'll continue to want to take advantage of the service the store offers, I hope I've been able to show you what the convenience fee costs on the back end, including community support.
If you have any questions or comments, I'd be glad to take your phone call (at 1-800-456-1525 x231) or email (sgoble@annexbrands.com).
Thank you for your service to our country through supporting your husband.
Best regards,
Steve Goble
Vice President of Marketing Communications
Annex Brands, Inc.
San Diego, CA