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Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Writing note on mail
opened by accident is OKQuestion: I have two post office boxes. Occasionally, after I've gone home and opened them, I find someone else's mail in my boxes. So what do I do? I tape the envelope back up and on the outside, in pen, I write that it was mistakenly delivered to the wrong post office box and opened by mistake. However, I recently received a note in my mailbox saying that when the relief carrier makes a mistake, I should not write on the envelope. Wait a minute! If I were the recipient of mail that was mistakenly opened, I'd want an explanation of why the envelope was opened. Is the postal service trying to cover up its inefficiencies? What should I do in a situation like this?
Answer: It is "quite acceptable" to indicate on a piece of mail that you mistakenly opened that it was mis-delivered, said Lynne Moore, manager of consumer affairs for the U.S. Postal Service in Hawaii.
She was uncertain why someone would tell you not to write on the envelope.
Without having details, "My belief is that whoever sent (you) the note was simply concerned that if (you) marked the mail inappropriately -- put something on it that would make us return it to sender, then we wouldn't be making proper delivery," Moore said.
"Our only concern is that if we've given you mail in error, that we get it to the proper addressee ... not that you're marking up the mail or anything, but we want to make proper delivery."
The problem, however, is if an improper "endorsement" is made, resulting in the mail not going to its proper destination, she said. Endorsement is the term used to describe whatever is written or stamped on an envelope indicating "return to sender," "forward to new address," etc.
She said the postal service is not trying to cover up anything, "because endorsements are very important ... in the proper handling of mail."
Given that, Moore said the postal service is "hesitant to say you can just mark the mail in any way, because we may interpret it to mean that this item should be returned to sender instead of attempting to deliver it to the proper person," she said.
Moore also explained that if you receive someone else's mail and don't open it, you can just return it to the post office.
Q: How do I go about finding out who owns a certain store in Hawaii?
A: You can call the state Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs' Business Registration Division at 586-2744. Or, check DCCA's Web site www.ehawaiigov.org/dcca/bizsearch/exe/bizsearch.cgi.
By using the latter source, just type in the company name to get basic information.
Mahalo
To Phyllis from Hawaii Kai. I had trouble with my tire while heading west on the H-1 freeway on Saturday, Jan. 3, and had to pull over near the University exit. I didn't have a cell phone, and my spare tire was flat, so Phyllis was a blessing as she pulled over in her gold Acura and asked if I needed a hand. Thank you, Phyllis, for taking the time and effort to drive me to a Manoa gas station and making sure that my car problems would be taken care of! -- Mao Tzeng
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