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Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Dec 13, 2006 5:08am
Thread (disabled) Board
Any suggestions on how to deal politely but effectively with postal tracker participants that stall the rings. Talking about people who hold onto boxes for weeks and even months during a ring. Not talking about the emergency situation or an occasional announced vacation.

Thoughts?
Re: Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Reply to: #56441 by IrishRef
Dec 13, 2006 5:17am
Thread (disabled) Board
Do you know for a fact that there wasnt an emergency or an unplanned trip? Meaning did they say to you something like "sorry I didnt get this out quicker, I just got lazy"? If thats the case, I would either send a nice note to the whole tracker reminding everyone that its common curtesy to move the boxes along, and do the old "sorry if this doesnt apply to you" hoping the guilty party gets the hint. Or if you want to be a little more diplomatic, send them a private email asking them to move it along and if they cant keep up with it, offer to take it off their hands.

Of course these are only ideas....I have never actually done a full ring....only a newbie. I am starting two this month, and hope I wont be the slacker. Which I think so far I am making a conscience effort not to be.

Good luck.
Re: Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Reply to: #56441 by IrishRef
Dec 13, 2006 6:05am
Thread (disabled) Board
I'm going to be honest here. I'm horrible at getting those things out. Which is why I just don't do postals anymore. I'm too cheap to pay for postage, and I'm too busy to consistently get to the post office. ;)

It would be great if people like me all could identify themselves and get themselves blacklisted from PLBs. ;)

I'm doing a fabulous service to the world of postal letterboxing by NOT participating. ;)
Re: Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Reply to: #56454 by Brandy
Dec 13, 2006 6:34am
Thread (disabled) Board
maybe someone should start the SSPLB.
Super Slow Postal Letterbox
just an idea!

also, i wanted to do PLB and was going to have 3 come to me, and they have never come. this was like a year ago i posted for them to come to me too! it has been so long, i forget which ones were supposed to come to me.

why get blacklisted!
david (team new hampshire)
http://teamnewhampshire.blogspot.com
Re: Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Reply to: #56441 by IrishRef
Dec 13, 2006 10:41am
Thread (disabled) Board
If someone has your box, or if you are the ring leader, I think the best you can do is try to contact the person holding it and diplomatically work out a solution. You can offer to send a prepaid mailer to have the box returned in, or arrange to have the box handed off in person to a trusted letterboxer. Sometimes just some gentle reminders are all that is needed. Sometimes none of these work at all.

I'm all for private, polite communication that is sympathetic to whatever hardships might be keeping someone from mailing out PLBs. I don't think there are a whole lot of people who hold on to boxes for weeks or months JUST because they are lazy. More likely, a person has fallen into some kind of difficulty, even if it's just that they got in over their head. Those are the hardest situations to resolve, I think, because people get embarrassed by their own behavior and start "hiding." The best you can do there I think is to be polite and encouraging and patient. The biggest asset a PLB-er can have is patience.

I've assumed that you are concerned about the whereabouts of a box that hasn't been heard from for more than two weeks. Given travel time from place to place, two weeks is not an unusually long time for a box to not be heard from, in my experience. I don't usually begin to worry or ask questions for about 3 weeks, maybe sooner if I know exactly when a box was shipped. I also believe it behooves ring leaders to have a policy for skipping ring members too, to try to prevent a large number of boxes from "disappearing."

MoonBunny
Re: Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Reply to: #56441 by IrishRef
Dec 13, 2006 10:45am
Thread (disabled) Board
I'm in the same situation with one of my rings. One person stepped up and told us about her terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad Thanksgiving weekend that was one challenge after another, and then promptly made good on her promise to get everything moving! :)

Now there is another black hole, and I have heard that the person in question is having extenuating circumstances, though I have not heard from this person directly to confirm, despite my best efforts. It's my first ring, period (running AND participating), so I'm frustrated by it.

Some thoughts: The person probably feels guilty about having it so long that every time they see it it makes them feel bad. Therefore, it's probably buried in a pile where it won't be seen. Be polite, tell them you're not mad, remind them how much better they'll feel for having gotten this one simple thing off their plate. If that doesn't work gently apply postal guilt, where you remind them that it's only fair to everyone else in the ring to keep things moving, and wouldn't they want others to take care of their PLB?

If THAT doesn't work, start skipping them. Tell them what you're doing and why. Offer to make images of the remaining stamps for them so they don't feel left out (they did the work of carving, after all). When they start mailing again, you can then decide whether to let them back into the ring, but I'd think twice about it.

I'm probably viewed as a bit of an anal-retentive ring leader b/c I'm always checking in, but I don't want boxes lost - not on my watch! :) If people know you're checking up on them it's easier to keep the lines of communication open if they're already established.

I have a large ring of 25 coming up in the spring and I'm nervous about it b/c of this very issue.

Just my 2¢...

-AG
Re: Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Reply to: #56518 by ArtGekko
Dec 13, 2006 1:06pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote The person probably feels guilty about having it so long


Sometimes when a person is just not concerned with treating a PLB properly, you can use that guilt. I know I'll get flamed (big time) for this, but sometimes I think Public Outing is more effective than a diplomatic, private email.
I have had several PLBs that were "stuck". And I sent many private emails and got the usual response. "Money's tight and I'll get it out soon." But after 4 months of hearing that I was a little peeved, especially when this person started their own ring!
I mentioned the situation on this board without mentioning the person's name. But I did give enough info for anybody with half a brain to figure out who I was talking about. I got the PLBs back several days later.

Ok...start the flamethrower and fire away!
Re: Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Reply to: #56515 by MoonBunny
Dec 13, 2006 1:41pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Concerned when multiple boxes are all at one location and it has been a month since receiving.
Re: Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Reply to: #56558 by Mn8X
Dec 13, 2006 3:15pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote sometimes I think Public Outing is more effective than a diplomatic, private email.


Unfortunately, this only works if the person holding the postals actually logs into AQ.

~SHH, who currently has more than a few plbs in black holes... :-(
Re: Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Reply to: #56570 by IrishRef
Dec 16, 2006 12:16pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I am wondering about announcing when I am going to be on vacation. I guess I am a little reluctant to do that because of security reasons. Paranoid maybe?

chickadee
Re: Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Reply to: #57147 by Chickadee
Dec 16, 2006 12:28pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Lots of people post when they are going on vacation, so other PLBers will know to skip them or to expect a little longer turn around time.
Re: Postal procrastinators
Board: Postals
Reply to: #57147 by Chickadee
Dec 16, 2006 6:37pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Wouldn't have to say you are on vacation. Just tell everyone you are very busy for the next week etc. Everyone will be understanding if they know what is going on instead of being left in the dark