To the editor:

Is it just me, or is customer service not what it used to be?

For the past several months, I have tried to get the U.S. post office to pay an insurance claim for an item they lost in the mail. With the exception of the local post office, I’ve been sorely disappointed in the assistance I have received.

In fact, just today I was trying to find out what documentation the claims department wanted so they could process my claim. After waiting 20 minutes to speak to someone and then getting yet another story as to why my claim was denied, I couldn’t help but comment that perhaps the postal service’s lack of customer service was one of the reasons they were going broke.

The postal worker promptly told me she didn’t work in customer service, she was in claims, and if I wanted customer service, I’d have to call a different number.

After several moments of stunned silence on my part, I could only think to say, “I rest my case.”

Needless to say, she didn’t get it.