Batavia Post Office

COMPLAINT: Batavia POSTAL I was at the post office on 10/27/2022 around 4:00pm. It was a bad experience. I explained that I left my keys in the house far away this morning and here to get mail from my PO Box, I still had not gotten into my home. I was asked for ID to verify who I was with my ID, my ID has my PO Box Number on the ID. Despite the match on the ID, mail was refused. I usually I get my mail evenings and I am in transition. I moved from ND, then I moved to Batavia, but it took me 14 months to find a house to buy. Now I live in Rochester and drive back and get my mail 1 x week. I have not fully transitioned my PO Box because my professional licensures are coming due and there are many to reassign an address. In the past I have never gotten my mail at my home address, I do not put my home address on anything because I work with addicts, alcoholics, and criminals who have guns--sometimes an interaction with me leads to their guns taken away so I do not want to be tracked. There are reasons why I keep my confidentiality due to my profession. I had a bad experience at the Batavia post office. I explained to the worker that I had locked my keys in the house this morning, the key for the PO Box was on an original set of keys.  I was asked for ID to verify who I was and I was told no I could not get my mail.  He said he could not verify I was who I said and that it was my PO Box. I verified my address was on my PO Box my official state ID. I was still not allowed to get my mail. I discussed this with Paul, indicated to him that it was important that I get my mail because the card in the box said they were going to send packages back by the this date and I had called to make sure that the packages were held to this date. I explained that sometimes what happens, since my mailing address PO Batavia matches my credit card and my shipping address are different, sometimes they make mistakes. It takes me 40 minutes one way to drive and get my mail. I don't mind driving to Batavia and getting my mail because the elders live there, however, I work til 10:30 pm and usually can't get mail before 5 pm or when the post offices closes so it is not easy to arrange the schedule to get there before 5 pm to pick up packages or mail held. It will keep my professional mail from getting lost to not change anything at this time before the year end.  I asked for a written note that said that they would not send the packages back, he wrote up the note, then did not give it to me.  He said he needed ID me to make sure I had never done this at the post office before. He said that just because my PO Box was on my ID that it didn't verify anything. He said that he had his PO Box on his driver's license. I then said I did not believe what he was saying. I asked to see his driver's license and he said he would not show me his ID. I asked him if he voted and he said yes. Then, I walked off because I thought he was lying because I had just found out I needed it on my driver's license to vote and that was the second reason I needed to get my mail. My new license would be coming with the physical address and I needed to vote. His reason was that it was policy. I asked to see the policy that he was talking about, he did not.  He said I would have to pay the post office $1,000 per year to have mail bundles. I didn't need "mail bundles". I get my mail every week. That did not even apply to have my mail bundled. I had forgotten to get the note that said that he promised not to ship the packages back, that he would hold themAs Well, he refused to give me the note because I had left the window. When I returned, he refused to give me my mail after stating please just give me the one peice of mail from the state of NY and I would show him. He refused again. I asked if I could verify my identity by calling another staff from the post office and he agreed. Then he took my phone, dialed the number, then I talked to the staff person. I explained, then gave my phone over to him and he got upset because I think the person said that they could verify I was the right person. He was rude and disrespectful to the person. He was arguing with the other postal person on my phone. He presented himself in a manner that was you are not working at this post office, you are not my boss type thing, then he hung up by giving the phone back to me. I inquired as to why he was so rude to the person, he said that he didn't work at that post office. I inquired again for the note for holding packages, he said he did not have it anymore. So then he retrieved it crumpled from the garbage.  I was trying to explain to him that if someone has a Box Number on their ID or drivers license, that is proof because you have to provide recieved mai to the state that comes to that mail box. I also thought he was lying because I knew I could not vote with a PO Box and he said he voted, so I knew he was less than honest because you can't vote with a PO Box on the license. If he had a PO Box on his license, he would have been empathetic about getting at least the letter retrieved from the PO Box so that I vote.  He did not have a name tag on. I asked him for his name. He wrote down his name was Paul and said I would have to talk to postmaster Lisa and gave me the 800 275 8777 number or I could write to Arlington Virginia address.  I waited in the post office and went to my mail box and it appeared my mail was taken out. He later came back to the window with my mail and I assumed he had gotten a call to approve the pick up of the mail. I thanked him and stated I appreciated getting my mail. He was calm by the time I left. I reviewed the mail and my new NY state ID was in the PO Box just like I had explained to the staff.  I do not think that workers should argue with customers in front of other customers. I don't think that workers should be disrespectful to fellow staff on the phone and hang up on them in front of the customers. They need to be more flexible. They need to be welcoming and accomodating with the customers. I am sorry I locked my keys in my home this morning, however, it would have been appreciated if the post office staff would be friendly, smile, not argue when a customer has a good explanation for why they can't get their mail. I have never done this before asking to get mail because I lost a key. They don't even smile. The lady that used to work there was way friendly and I loved her friendliness. He justified things because "we are short 5 workers here." Well, so is my company but I am cordial to my fellow employees and the customers I work with. I expect this as well from public service employees to be friendly and accomodating when you give them a logical reason with a valid verification and a personal postal staff employee verification without a hassle. I know if it was the other lady working, she treated me like "good to see you again" ever time I came to the window. She always said "I know your box number" in a pleasant manner. I looked forward to going the post office. I don't drive much, post office is a place I see people during the week, a face I recognize. I don't want to dread going to the post office because of rigid employees.  I was trained at 14 years old in the food industry, we were always taught the customer needs to leave smiling. I'm not feeling it anymore at the Batavia post office lately. The staff have changed and they don't even look happy to work there. I'm sure the lady that used to work the window had shortages in coworkers too, many of us do, but she was always smiling.  There is coaching needed. An apology from the worker would be in order. Even though I got my mail, I think there does need to be flexibility and friendliness at the Batavia post office. I don't think any other customers in the future need to have this type experience at a post office.