Post Office Invasion of Privacy

[tikiyaki]

So, I'm really annoyed about something. Maybe some other folks have experienced this too.

Earlier this week, I was in Hilo, and our own Hilo Artist, Layne Luna, gave me a few poster prints of his artwork. Not wanting to damage it on the plane, I decided to mail the stuff home in a poster tube, which Layne supplied. I brought it to the post office myself in Kona, put the plastic end caps on the tube, and had the mail clerk tape them both closed. I sent it "priority mail".

Well, yesterday, I received the tube, and BOTH plastic end caps had been removed, and clear plastic tape had been put over the ends instead....

Naturally, I said "WTF? and opened it up, only to find the poster edges all bent up.

So, is the post office now instructed to open packages to check for possible "terror related" things, or is this just a nosy Post office clerk looking to score some free stuff ?

I'm really annoyed about this. I feel like this is a gross invasion of privacy and mail tampering. So much for "freedom"....

Has anyone else experienced this kind of tampering from the Post Office ?

[DannyWilliams]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

The postal clerk should have told you upfront that it may opened like you said for terrorist etc etc

Opening it yeah I can see why it was but damaging the item is no excuse IMO.

[tikiyaki]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

The postal clerk should have told you upfront that it may opened like you said for terrorist etc etc

Opening it yeah I can see why it was but damaging the item is no excuse IMO.

I see the actual act of opening the package in itself a gross violation of my rights.

[DannyWilliams]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

well do ya think if ur secretly ordering child porn thru the mail that your rights are being violated?

COME ON!

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

Thirty years ago, the Waimanalo post office gave someone who asked for it my Mom's address...even though my Mom had a post office box just to avoid that very thing.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

TY - not that it's likely to do any good, but you might as well file a detailed complaint with your local postmaster.

[tikiyaki]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

well do ya think if ur secretly ordering child porn thru the mail that your rights are being violated?

COME ON!

DW...all due respect... YOU come on....

THEY OPENED MY MAIL.

I have no record of arrests am I'm certainly not on any sex offenders or FBI list (I would know, my cousin is a fed) . If that were the case, I could understand your argument

They have no reason to open my mail, and damage it to boot. This is a violation of rights. Period.

Leo, I think you're right, in this Bush - operated environment, filing a complaint would most likely do no good.

There is legit terrorism related precautions, and then there is BS...I think this case of mail tampering is the latter.

[Menehune Man]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

Totally uncool!
Question. Don't they xray items that they're suspicious of?

[tutusue]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

Tiki...why didn't the PO clerk ask to see the contents BEFORE s/he taped the ends shut? Since you hadn't taped them it should've been obvious to the clerk that the tube contents were easy to inspect. That way s/he could've noted on the tube that the contents had already been inspected.

Or, is that too logical for the PO to grasp?!

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

Totally uncool!
Question. Don't they xray items that they're suspicious of?

Don't complain. Over here, they blow them up...no questions asked.

[Menehune Man]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

Don't complain. Over here, they blow them up...no questions asked.

Yup, can't be too safe.

[GeckoGeek]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

I believe the post office is battling people who send drugs via the mail. Since you weren't from there, I wonder if somehow your package fit a suspicious profile?

Still no excuse for damaging your posters. File a complaint.

[tikiyaki]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

Tiki...why didn't the PO clerk ask to see the contents BEFORE s/he taped the ends shut? Since you hadn't taped them it should've been obvious to the clerk that the tube contents were easy to inspect. That way s/he could've noted on the tube that the contents had already been inspected.

Or, is that too logical for the PO to grasp?!

Good question. No answers tho....just file it under "freedom isn't free" and other rhetoric from our current "administration".

[glossyp]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

I agree with Gecko who said that your package might have fit a profile for drug smuggling. The packages that are opened and inspected are not usually tagged as suspicious by the clerk who accepts them. Their job (it is a union job!) is simply to accept the mail and see that it is properly packed, stamped, labeled and paid for. The inspection step happens when the mail is processed for shipping and that takes place where ever the general processing center is.

While I understand your feeling of violation, we have no specific privacy rights from postal inspections of our mail. You opening someone else's mail is a federal violation, not so for the feds doing it to us. I have had my mail (heavy letters, packages, etc.) opened numerous times over the years and most of that before 9/11 and the Bush admin. Even though this is the first time it's happened to you, it is not unusual.

As others said, file a complaint for the damage. The postal service is usually pretty good about compensating for damage that happens during their inspection. Save all of the packing materials, photograph the evidence and file that complaint.

[Karen]

Re: Post Office Invasion of Privacy

Susie, LOL~

Yes, it is an invasion of privacy, and in the coming years we'll be saying..."privacy? what's that?!" Phone calls aren't always private, nor mail and the internet sure isn't.....all for our own good, or course. That's what govt. does, it takes care of us cuz we don't have the good sense to, right?