Rants and Raves

On 04 May 1970 The United States Supreme Court issued a final decision in a case concerning what was then 39 USC Section 4009 and 4009a and is now 39 USC Section 3008… essentially that decision gave each and every American the power to order the United States Post Office to issue an injunction against any mail sender they deemed the material sent to them to be offensive.

The Unites States Supreme Court additional ruled that only the recipient of the material could make the determination of what was and was not offensive; that the United States Post Office and all other agencies must enforce based on an individuals preferences (not an arbitrary standard).

To exercise your rights under the law in the past you would need to request and execute US Post Office Form 2150 “Prohibitory order against sender of pandering advertisement in the mails” in triplicate.  However the US Post Office has replaced Form 2150 with Form 1500 which is available in PDF

You can return the completed form and the opened envelope from the sender to your local post office or to:

     Pricing and Classification Service Center
     PO BOX 1500
     New York NY 10008-1500

Your local post office will likely try to tell you that you cannot use these forms unless it contains “erotically arousing or sexually provocative matter”, however you can refer them to page 13 of Postal Bulletin 219177 (30 July 1998) and point out:

Postmasters may not refuse to accept a Form 1500 because the advertisement in question does not appear to be sexually oriented.  Only the addressee may make that determination.

Further, Form 1500 includes the following paragraph:

Your obtaining the protection offered through these two programs makes sending prohibited mail to you unlawful. However, it does not make such mailings physically impossible. If you receive an apparently violate mail piece, contact your post office or refer to your notification letter for instructions on submitting the piece as evidence for possible enforcement action.

The article you attach to your a prohibitory order must be opened (postal employees are not permitted to open sealed articles).

ROWAN, DBA AMERICAN BOOK SERVICE, et al. V. UNITED STATES POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT et al.

APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

No. 399. Argued January 22, 1970. Decided May 4, 1970

US Code Title 39 Part IV Chapter 30 § 3008

§ 3008. Prohibition of pandering advertisements

United States Postal Service Administrative Decsions

PART 963 - Rules of Practice in Proceedings Relative to Violations of The Pandering Advertisements Statue, 39, U.S.C. 3008

Tags: ALERTS, Legal, Shipping by roger
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Each and every time you encounter someone trying to defraud you make sure you report it.

Phishing scams, money scams, premium SMS message, suspicious phone calls, un-authorized phone charges, un-authorized credit card charges, etc — go ahead and visit the IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center; a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], the National White Collar Crime Center [NW3C], and the Bureau of Justice Assistance [BJA]) and file a report.

Take action and let the law enforcement community decide what’s a threat and what’s not - but DO NOT remain silent or these problems will continue.

http://www.ic3.gov/

NOTE:  If you have an un-authorized charge on any of your bills you will also want to contact your billing company and dispute the charge with them; the IC3 will not do this for you.

Tags: ALERTS, Cellular, Communications, Email, Finance, General, Legal, Shipping, Shopping, Technology by roger
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Other than local courier services, you can use Freight Services, Airlines, and Common Carriers to ship a package.

Generally you’d use a local courier service to get something cross town quickly; and an airline to get something cross country quickly…

Freight services are generally for large shipments where time isn’t critical.  And often trying to ship anything small with them will result in exurbanite charges; plus will require you to palatalize the shipment and cause additional handling fees if loading docks aren’t present at the shipping and receiving points.

For most people when they ship an item it’s via a common carrier, The United States Postal Service (USPS), United Parcel Service (UPS), Federal Express (FedEx), or DHL (DHL acquired Airborne Express several years ago).

Which is the least expensive?

Well… it depends on what you’re shipping, to where, and how fast you want it there.

And just because one service looks right for what you’re shipping today, it might fall short or cost more tomorrow.

Things you need to keep in mind are the charges are generally based on:

• Weight
• Dimensions
• Contents (surcharges for some items)
• Destination (distance)
• Class of service (ground, air, etc)

So, a light item in a huge box going cross country that needs to be there tomorrow is going to be expensive!

Also, you should be aware that many couriers are charging surcharges for:

• Fuel
• Rural Delivery
• Signature
• Insurance
• Pickup (verses drop off)

Also, mail handling agents often charge a surcharge; which is ridiculous, since they charge you the published rate plus their surcharge when in fact they pay much less than the published rate!  Also remember that the shipper is responsible for filing any and all claims, so if you use a mail handling agent they will have to handle the claim.

So when you compare costs, you need to consider those items as well.

One other thing you want to consider is what’s convenient for you, and what’s convenient for the receiver — particularly if they are going to have to pick the package up after a failed delivery attempt.

While most people over look USPS when shipping, the Flat-Rate Priority Mail envelop can be an incredible value.  You get free delivery confirmation by printing a label online (you don’t have to do online postage, but it’s flat rate, so easy to calculate).  You can add insurance as well… it generally only takes a few days to arrive (faster cross country than any other carriers ground service).  And remember, as long as you can close the package, you can ship anything that fits in it for a low price — it’s particularly great for small heavy items.

Tags: Shipping by roger
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Freight Terms Chart

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