what are the odds?

allen levine

Member
Messages
12,343
Location
new york city burbs
a million to one?


we put a hold on our mail while on vacation.

It was supposed to be delivered today, our first day home.

when we arrived home earlier this morning(1;30am), there was a box in front of my house, soaking wet from the rain, we have no idea how many days its been sitting there.
It was a home depot box wrapped heavily with shipping tape, looked like a re-boxing of something.
It was a UPS delivery, and it was not mine.
It was someone who lives around on another street right near mine, with the same house number.
I don't know how the mistake was made, but what the hec, nobody is perfect, UPS man messed up.
My wife and I waited for the mail, she showed up, no mail.
We questioned her and she said if we go to post office our mail is there or she can bring it tomorrow.
We got in the car and decided to go pick it up, a weeks worth of mail, why not, we needed to get some food in the house and were going out.
the post office counter person cannot find our mail.
She tells us to wait for a supervisor, and we waited, and waited, until after say 30 minutes of our temper boiling, my wife banged on the door, and the supervisor finally opened the door all huffy and asked, did you bang on my door? and my wife said yes, were waiting a half hour.
Anyway, she takes my wifes driving license, as ID to go get our mail, as no one can pick up your mail for you unless you come in person with a license as ID, or so we were told.
the supervisor cannot find our mail.
Now she isn't so huffy and puffy, more apologetic, were spending a hour trying to pick up our mail.
She will call us tomorrow when she speaks in person to mail carrier, who claimed over phone someone picked up our mail this morning, after she told us to go pick it up. A lot of confusion, or maybe lies, my guess is nothing but lies to cover themselves.

We go shopping, and I say to my wife, let me bring this soaking wet box over to the rightful owner, figured not going to contact brown, the person might be waiting for this, I didn't know how long it was sitting in front of my house.

I knock on this persons door, never met him in my life, I explain to him I was on vacation, got home last night, and this was on my front step. He thanks me, says he was waiting for it. He then tells me, I was on my way out to this guys house shortly, he got a stack full of mail delivered that morning and it wasn't his, so he was going to drop it off at this persons house.
The person was me.
He got my mail package, clearly marked with a note to deliver to my name, my address today.

so on the same day, I got his package from UPS, and he got my weeks worth of mail delivered by the Post office to his address. What are the odds, same day, same time, and we met minutes before he was about to go to my house?

incredible, if I had that much luck in Vegas Id be rich.
 
southern Nevada, las vegas, middle of the desert to me means 10 miles out of town, we were a little bit south of boulder city on 95, that's the furthest we drove besides the dam

the post office supervisor never called us back today as she promised.

Im sure they don't have a clue and figure if we don't contact them they will let it go.
 
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It's ok...don't mind being ignored by the well to do and famous. Next time you're in the state call and we'll take up a collection!;)
 
Tellico Plains is a little town of about 800 people, including the outlying farms and communities... when I first moved up here and was ordering pen kits, the mail person would look at the name and throw my packages in another Charles Ellis's box... the first time, he opened the box and couldn't figure out what he was getting, until his wife actually looked at the invoice and realized it was for Charles R Ellis.... he was Charles A Ellis.... happened 3 times before I had a talk with the post master and explained that the postal clerk needed to look at the address.

Had to make sure with the local drug store too... they've tried twice to give me his prescriptions. Fortunately, I've been here long enough that people are beginning to know who I am too.
 
The name thing sucks. One of my bosses, once moved into Sugar Creek, MO and was expecting some legal mail. He didn't get any for months and finally found out the issue, he moved next door to someone with the same first and last name, who was receiving letters from the court for other reasons.
That I can understand.

Our postal carrier retired at the end of March. Before that, he was off for medical for a few weeks and while he was off, most of our mail was sent back with no such address, by the temp carrier. (mail by the owner of the building/landlord, utility bills, etc. that we have received for 27 years at that address)
Then there is the time I had to go deal with the post office as someone put a change of address, TO my house (family has been here since the late 50's). The postal people pretty much accused me of knowing this person and trying to file a false report, to which I said then make it official and we will go legal from there.
 
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