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#Post#: 46388--------------------------------------------------
Was I rude? AKA Did I cut in line?
By: jpcher Date: January 29, 2020, 5:16 pm
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I'm going to preface this with saying I don't think I was rude
nor did I cut in line, but I'm curious as to what you all think.
I need a passport. I have my birth certificate (BC) and marriage
license. Looking on-line it showed that the passport
appointments end at 3pm. It was a bit confusing as to what I
needed to bring so I called my local post office yesterday and
asked about their passport rules and what all I needed to bring.
The very nice lady (VNL) that I talked to asked me questions
about the BC and said it needed to be a certain type. I told her
"I'm sorry, I don't have it in front of me so I don't know." (I
left it at work so that I could make copies and forgot to bring
it home. ::))
VNL suggested that I come in tomorrow (today) so that we can
make sure I have the correct items before making an appointment.
She said that I should ask for Dave and that she would tell Dave
that I was coming in.
I asked if I needed to be there before 3pm. VNL said "No. Dave
will be there. It's fine." I told her I'll be there shortly
after 3 (I get off work at 3 and the PO is a very short drive
from work.)
I get to the PO today and see a long line (maybe 10-15 people)
however the passport area has it's own section aside from
regular PO customers. I went to that section and stood there for
maybe 30 seconds before the first PO clerk asked if she could
help me.
I said "I have some passport questions and was told to ask for
Dave. Is he available?"
The clerk next to her (and there were only the two of them) said
"I'm Dave, what do you need?" I said "I need to make sure that
these certificates are correct and I also need an application.
Dave said "Okay, hold tight." I said "Thank you, no problem."
And I waited watching Dave measure each envelope at a time and
it was a huge (and I mean huge! Think of bulk mailing) stack of
envelopes. Along with the first clerk having difficulties with
her customer. Not quite sure what was going on there, but the
line was getting longer.
I was thinking, at this point, maybe I should go to the end of
the line and talk to Dave when it was my turn. Dave called out
to me "You need application? Right? Is this a first time
passport?" "Yes" "The forms are there at the back wall. You need
form XXX." I said "Thank you!" Went to get my form and then went
back to the passport line.
Clerk#1 and Dave were still helping the same customers and the
line was getting longer. Dave called out again to me (while he
was still weighing the customers envelopes) and said "You can
come over here and let me take a look at what you have." While I
was walking over I noticed a few glares from the line. It took
only a few seconds for Dave to say "These are acceptable and go
on XXX.com to make an appointment."
I was in and out within 5 minutes. Even when I left, both Dave
and Clerk#1 were still helping the same customer.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.
#Post#: 46389--------------------------------------------------
Re: Was I rude? AKA Did I cut in line?
By: SioCat Date: January 29, 2020, 5:37 pm
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I personally think that is cutting. The passport section closed
at 3, so anyone with passport questions would be in the normal
line and not the passport line. You didn’t have an appointment
that would allow you to jump to the front. I think the PO
associate was wrong to not make you wait in line.
#Post#: 46397--------------------------------------------------
Re: Was I rude? AKA Did I cut in line?
By: sandisadie Date: January 29, 2020, 6:34 pm
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I went to my local p.o. a couple of years ago to get my first
time passport. I asked the clerk who was helping me (in the
passport only area) if I should have been in the regular line
and she said "no" I was where I should be and not to pay
attention to those in the other line who were giving me those
"looks". The post office has this set up because that is the
way they want to handle passports and those in the passport line
are where they should be. You won't be cutting in line when you
are in the passport area of your post office! No, you were not
rude.
#Post#: 46398--------------------------------------------------
Re: Was I rude? AKA Did I cut in line?
By: Rose Red Date: January 29, 2020, 6:42 pm
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I'm not sure. If the passport office was open, yes that's where
you line up. But it was closed. Personally I would have waited
in the regular line because who knows what the other customers
have questions about? Maybe passport or other short questions
too.
#Post#: 46403--------------------------------------------------
Re: Was I rude? AKA Did I cut in line?
By: lakey Date: January 29, 2020, 8:24 pm
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If your being in the passport section after 3 o'clock was a
problem, Dave could have told you that you would need to get in
the regular post office line. He was the one who made the
decision that what you were doing was appropriate. He was able
to answer your questions while waiting on another customer.
That's probably why he didn't have you get in the post office
line.
#Post#: 46418--------------------------------------------------
Re: Was I rude? AKA Did I cut in line?
By: Chez Miriam Date: January 30, 2020, 4:20 am
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I think doing what two members of staff had told you to do means
that you were "following instructions" rather than "rude".
As lakey said, Dave could (would?) have told you if you needed
to be in the general queue.
I've turned up at the Council Offices [in the bad old days where
Lambeth regularly made headline news (for all the wrong
reasons)] to death glares when I was seen immediately, but I was
just doing what the [s]first helpful person in five years[/s]
chap on the phone told me to do, which was turn up in person
with my 2" thick file*, go straight to counter X, and ask for
him.
* Five years' correspondence of trying to get my problem fixed
::)
I vote 'not rude' when a customer is doing exactly what a member
of staff has told them to do.
#Post#: 46429--------------------------------------------------
Re: Was I rude? AKA Did I cut in line?
By: DaDancingPsych Date: January 30, 2020, 8:26 am
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In your shoes, I would have gotten into the regular mail line.
The passport section was closed and the others were there before
me. It would stink to wait, but that's how it goes sometimes.
But I also agree that if there was an issue with your actions
that the clerks should have asked you to join the postal line.
#Post#: 46430--------------------------------------------------
Re: Was I rude? AKA Did I cut in line?
By: Rose Red Date: January 30, 2020, 8:40 am
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When I went to the PO for my passport, there wasn't too many
people but it took hours. The regular line was out the door but
went much faster than the passport line.
So my opinion is that the OP avoided waiting in two lines by
standing in the closed area after hours which made the workers
question her, so my opinion is she cut. But yes, Dave was part
of the blame. He was ok to answer a quick question while still
able to help his current customer, but he shouldn't have looked
over her paperwork ahead of the others in line before of the OP.
#Post#: 46431--------------------------------------------------
Re: Was I rude? AKA Did I cut in line?
By: lowspark Date: January 30, 2020, 8:48 am
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I'm fairly confident that if you were doing anything wrong, Dave
would have instructed you on what to do. So the fact that he
helped you and didn't say, "get in line and I'll help you in
turn" means you didn't cut.
Yeah, it's annoying to be waiting in line and see someone else
getting help without waiting... but I'm not privy to the
machinations of the post office so if the clerk is helping
someone out of order, I'm not the one to question that.
And by the way, going to the post office is always a pain and
you should never be in a hurry. You're going to wait. Just
resign yourself to it and don't worry about who gets helped in
front of you and how long they take. At least, that's my
experience!
#Post#: 46435--------------------------------------------------
Re: Was I rude? AKA Did I cut in line?
By: Rose Red Date: January 30, 2020, 9:17 am
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[quote author=lowspark link=topic=1610.msg46431#msg46431
date=1580395700]
I'm fairly confident that if you were doing anything wrong, Dave
would have instructed you on what to do. So the fact that he
helped you and didn't say, "get in line and I'll help you in
turn" means you didn't cut.
[/quote]
I don't think it's about policy. Dave answered a quick question
because it's easy, but my opinion is she did cut. It's like the
customer at the grocery store who walks up to the cashier to ask
a quick question (how much is this? where's the sugar?) even
though there's a long line. It takes less than 5 seconds to
answer so it's no big deal in the big scheme of life, but the
customer still cut in line.
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