Never give up, never surrender!

[eamarquardt]

After several calls to the DMV and CHP I got the straight/right answer that I don’t have to register my motorcycle both on road and off road. On road will suffice for both!!!!! Save: $52.00 of SUZY’s MONEY!!!!!!!! Persistence pays!

Went to Post Office yesterday with photocopies of the envelopes for income tax returns (6 of em for Suzy and me and the boyz). Asked to have the photocopy postmarked as proof of mailing. Cost: $1.15 half the price of registered and I don’t have to fill out any darned forms (the real issue). The clerk was helpful and completed business in record time and I was frigging HAPPY.

Forgot one. Went home, dropped off completed five and retrieved final one. Was going to use machine rather than wait in line (the final one was just #1 son’s and he owe’s no money). Receipt showing I mailed letter to zip code good enough for me. Went to machine, did process twice: “Technical Difficulties-Stand in Line and Report to Windowâ€

[caseydog]

I took my tax return envelope to the post office, with check enclosed and proper postage on the envelope. I went inside. I dropped it in the mail slot. I left the post office. I went home.


CD

[starleen2]

here's another one for ya' Gus. This a package tracked in route to me:
It spent so much time going back and forth from Texas to Iowa that it should have earned frequent flyer miles. It was never returned to sender and was finally deliverer. The postmaster could find no reason why it was delayed - even their electronic registration that was tracking the package has the correct address.. . . And this is their priority ship method?


Class: Package Services
Service(s): Delivery Confirmationâ„¢
Status: Delivered

Detailed Results:
Your item was delivered at 12:24 PM on April 5, 2010 in MOUNT PLEASANT, TX 75455.
Delivered, April 05, 2010, 12:24 pm, MOUNT PLEASANT, TX 75455
Out for Delivery or Available at PO Box, April 05, 2010, 9:42 am, MOUNT PLEASANT, TX 75455
Sorting Complete, April 05, 2010, 9:12 am, MOUNT PLEASANT, TX 75455
Arrival at Post Office, April 05, 2010, 9:12 am, MOUNT PLEASANT, TX 75455
Processed through Sort Facility, April 03, 2010, 1:02 am, DES MOINES, IA 50395
Processed through Sort Facility, April 01, 2010, 9:08 pm, DES MOINES, IA 50395
Processed through Sort Facility, March 31, 2010, 1:54 am, FOREST PARK, IL 60130
Processed through Sort Facility, March 27, 2010, 3:32 pm, FOREST PARK, IL 60130
Processed through Sort Facility, March 24, 2010, 5:01 am, DALLAS, TX 75398
Processed through Sort Facility, March 22, 2010, 12:05 pm, DES MOINES, IA 50395
Processed through Sort Facility, March 21, 2010, 1:15 pm, FOREST PARK, IL 60130
Processed through Sort Facility, March 18, 2010, 10:31 am, DES MOINES, IA 50395
Electronic Shipping Info Received, March 16, 2010

[eamarquardt]

I took my tax return envelope to the post office, with check enclosed and proper postage on the envelope. I went inside. I dropped it in the mail slot. I left the post office. I went home.
CD

I WAS INSTRUCTED BY NUMBER ONE WIFE TO GET "PROOF OF MAILING"!

As she:

Works and earns good money
Gives me an allowance
Tolerates me
Allows me to do pretty much whatever the "blank" I want
Does 99% of the tax preparation effort for the family

and

I occasionally "get lucky"

I ALWAYS do what she tells me to do (but she admits that I sometimes don't do as told when I think I can get away with it).

I've learned a few things after being with her 37 years. If she's happy, I'm happy. If she's not happy, no one in our family is happy!

In addition: If they owe you a refund (partially because you spent so much time "camping down by the river"), they don't get your return, and you followup on not getting your refund, because they got all their money on time (or up front) they probably won't penalize you.

Us: We ALWAYS owe money due to the complexity of our return (and why give them money before you absolutely have to!). So, if we can't prove we sent in our return on time, it costs us MORE money! A couple of dollars is a cheap insurance policy.

As I recall, you pay for your own health insurance, so, I think you see the value of insurance (sometimes). But we can bicker over the value of insurance.

Cheers,

Gus

[eamarquardt]

here's another one for ya' Gus.

And they wonder why they losing thier posteriors!

Raising heck takes a bit of energy but if no one bothers to tell them (and other government agencies and businesses) what's wrong, nothing will improve (I think).

This same government is now going to "manage" our healthcare. Yeah. Right. They couldn't successfully run the Mustang Ranch in Nevada (really).

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/govern ... _ranch.htm

Cheers,

Gus

[tonyj]

I highly recommend you mail your tax returns certified and with a return receipt. Yes, it does cost an extra $5.10, but it proves you mailed something to the IRS near the due date of your tax return, and the return receipt you get back in the mail shows the IRS stamp that they received an envelope from you that was postmarked on a certain date. Doing so gives you strong evidence that you complied with the timely mailing requirements and almost guarantees they will waive any penalties assessed from non or late filing. They are not immune from losing or misfiling something once they receive it, and without a little extra proof in your hand, they are much harder to fight.

[Aaron Coffee]

My gripes about the post office is minor, I guess. One is the lady that work in the post office is always champing on gum, I don't mean chewing, I mean snapping and chomping and opening mouth and rolling the gum with her tongue, to me that is gross and rude and poor public relations. And our rural carrier is always getting someone elses mail in our box, have had a few people bring our mail to the house that was put in their box, my brother lives about 3 miles away(same carrier)and he sometimes gets our mail and me his. Makes me wonder how many times we don't get our mail.

[eamarquardt]

I highly recommend you mail your tax returns certified and with a return receipt

I called the IRS and spoke with agent #0678137 and was told that "proof of mailing" (which currently costs $1.15) is fine as far as proof that you mailed your return on time! No return reciept required!

In addition, I spoke with Mr. Martino who is apparently a supervising postmaster for several post offices here in Ventura County. He said that the IRS and Post Office DISCOURAGE taxpayers from sending their returns "return reciept requested" because the IRS simply does not have the resources to sign for each letter so mailed, and, it just bogs down the system.

Per:
http://www.consumerlaw.org/initiatives/ ... ords.shtml

It is a well settled principle in the jurisprudence of this nation, that "proof that a letter properly directed was placed in a post office creates a presumption that it reached its destination."

case law:

Hagner v. United States, 285 U.S. 427, 52 S. Ct. 417, 419, 76 L. Ed. 861 (1932) (Proof of mailing can be established by testimony from the person who sent the letter); Rosenthal v. Walker, 111 U.S. 185 (1884) (Evidence that a letter properly directed was put in the post office is admissible to show presumptively that the letter reached its destination); Mount Vernon Fire Ins. Co., 893 F. Supp. 242 (S.D.N.Y. 1995) (Testimony establishing regular office mail procedures sufficient to establish proof of mailing).

Sometimes things are not as they appear to be or should be. Mailing "certified, return reciept requested" is (IMHO and in the opinion the courts) a waste of money. I recently sent a letter (before learning the above) to my congressman "return reciept requested". I never got the reciept!

Cheers,

Gus

[caseydog]

This same government is now going to "manage" our healthcare. Yeah. Right.

Cheers,

Gus

Actually, private insurance companies will still be managing our healthcare. There isn't even an OPTION for the government to manage someone's health care -- other than the already existing Medicare and Medicaid programs -- the public option didn't make the cut.

And, if the USPS is such a poorly run operation, there is always the private enterprise options, like FedEx and UPS -- if you don't mind paying a whole lot higher prices to mail a letter.

CD

[eamarquardt]

Issue #1 Actually, private insurance companies will still be managing our healthcare. There isn't even an OPTION for the government to manage someone's health care -- other than the already existing Medicare and Medicaid programs -- the public option didn't make the cut.

Issue #2 And, if the USPS is such a poorly run operation, there is always the private enterprise options, like FedEx and UPS -- if you don't mind paying a whole lot higher prices to mail a letter.

CD

Gus on Issue #1-The less the government is involved, the better. End of thought.

Gus on Issue#2-Let the post office go broke! People and businesses would be forced to join the 21st century and eliminate a lot of paper waste, pollution, and inefficiencies associated with "hard copy mail" by using the internet (yeah, I know nothing is perfect, yet). The past few times I've shipped something UPS and Fed Ex were very competitive with the post office. I think they could do the same thing with the "hard copy mail" that remained after letting the USPS go belly up. Yeah some things might be more expensive, but I think, overall, the delivery of "mail" would cost us as individuals and a country less. Who needs mail delivery every day? Every other day/twice a week delivery could save a lot of money. Overnight would still be an option for "emergencies".

There you have it again, the world according to Gus. I LOVE a good bicker (excange of different ideas).

Cheers,

Gus

[parnold]

Whatever anyone thinks, I still find it absolutely amazing that I can hand someone here in New Jersey an envelope, and 47 cents (or whatever it is) and a few days later, my friend in California will have it delivered to his door!

[Newman39Fan]

I took my tax return envelope to the post office, with check enclosed and proper postage on the envelope. I went inside. I dropped it in the mail slot. I left the post office. I went home.


CD

X2, it was easy and I had the $5 for a pack of smokes

[parnold]

Oh yeah... I e-file.

[S. Heisley]

I mail a little early and then check with the bank to see if the government cashed the check. If they did, they got my tax filing.

[caseydog]

Another mailing option is to use the "Click and Ship" priority mail service at USPS.com. You pay online, and print a label.

You get delivery confirmation, and a tracking number, and best of all, you don't have to stand in line at the post office. You just drop it in the mail slot at the post office -- or any USPS mailbox. You can even give it to your mail carrier.

It will cost you $4.95.

I use "Click and Ship" a lot, and have an account all set up, so it's easy for me to quickly send priority mail.

CD