[Assam] The other side of USPS
Chan Mahanta
cmahanta at charter.net
Mon Apr 28 13:10:58 PDT 2008
>"I would compile the facts, and send it to my Congressman. And
>follow up with him/her in two weeks or so."
*** That was what I wrote.
But I also wrote, in response to the question:
>Would you suggest sending a complaint to PMG ?
"I will start with the Post Master of the particular post office,
or of the metro area. They usually respond. I would have taken the
name of the clerk who hung up on you."
*** Here the tone is an affirmative, definite one with the 'will' ,
on my answer to the direct question. But the second guessing
expressed in the next sentence with the 'would' is not that
definitive, as it ought to have been.
*** But the above two issues were NOT where the misunderstanding began.
It was on missing the polite American way of presenting one's choice
of action ---( if it were for me --which is understood) I would do it
like this----as opposed to as an unsolicited advice or as a
directive as in "You should do it like that--".
*** K acknowledged the missed nuance. But attempted to pin the lapse
on the 'will' from a different note.
DD preferred to miss both .
There lies the the difference, or the 'nit-picking' :-).
At 2:47 PM -0500 4/28/08, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
>I won't take any sides (seriously), but will speak nothing but the
>truth about the email that I read on this Net. Also, am not trying
>to be more Amerikan or more Assamese than what I really am, or am
>not trying to be Judge or a Court-Reporter or a defense lawyer or
>anything. :)
>
>But you did say "I would" and not "I will",
>which is equivalent to our:
>
>"Moi huwa-hole kintu gutei ghotona-tur eti-britti khini xaamori loi
>aamaar xomostir MLA/MP loi pothialu-heten. Aaru du-xoptah maan pisot
>kothatu kimaan aag-barhise, xeitu khobor lolu hoi."
>
>And with us being so busy with work and everything, it can easily be
>an overlook and a misunderstanding.
>Here is the quote :
>------------------------------
>"I would compile the facts, and send it to my Congressman. And
>follow up with him/her in two weeks or so."
>
>cm----------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>"In order to make spiritual progress you must be patient like a tree
>and humble like a blade of grass".
>
>
>
>
>
>> Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:05:35 -0500> To: assam at assamnet.org>
>>From: cmahanta at charter.net> Subject: Re: [Assam] The other side of
>>USPS> > Look up:> >
>>http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060902205639AAgKCHr> >
>>Scroll down to OTHER
>>Answers.> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > At 10:44 AM
>>-0700 4/28/08, Dilip&Dil Deka wrote:> > > > To continue the
>>nit-picking on grammar, the proper usage should have been:> > > >
>>*** I would start with the Post Master of the particular post
>>office,> >or of the metro area.........................> > in stead
>>of :> >> >*** I will start with the Post Master of the particular
>>post office,> >or of the metro
>>area............................> >> >Remember "heten" in
>>Oxomiya?> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >At 8:14 AM -0700
>>4/28/08, Krishnendu Chakraborty wrote:> >>My bad. I forgot that you
>>are an Amerikaan and not an> >>Assamese :) Or may be , I thought
>>you have taken up> >>the arduous task of fixing flaws of USPS
>>:-)> >>> >>I am aware of this Amerikaan Mannerism but in
>>my> >>experience I always heard something like - " I would> >>have
>>done this " instead of "I will ..." .> >>Learning never
>>ends.> >>> >>Going to the top indeed help as have been
>>my> >>experience with MTNL, Mumbai (new phone activated in> >>less
>>then 30 minutes once I met the DGM).> >>> >>The good news is, Fedex
>>turned to be much better then> >>USPS in customer Service. They
>>have rectified the> >>duplicate billing issue. Yet to work out the
>>Service> >>Guarantee refund but I am hopeful that Fedex will
>>work> >>it out.> >>> >>I have found a simpler solution than writing
>>to Post> >>Master or Congressman ..... stick to UPS for
>>time> >>sensitive international mail.> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>*** When
>>I wrote "I will write to my Congressman" or> >> "--- to my> >>>Post
>>Master --- " , it is a polite way of saying "you> >>should be
>>doing> >>>that". It is an American mannerism, 'kothaar
>>maat'.> >>> >>>I wish I could help. But I am too bust with too
>>many> >>different> >>>things. I am sure you are quite able to
>>pursue it on> >>your on. Good> >>>luck.> >>> >>>If the Post Master
>>gives you the run-around, which I> >>don't expect> >>>him to, a
>>call to the elected rep. does wonders. A> >>few years back,
>>we> >>>could not get cable in our house. After two years
>>of> >>getting the run> >>>around from the cable company ( because
>>the house> >>sets back more than> >>>the 200 feet or so that they
>>are required to string> >>cables to) I> >>>called our County
>>Councilman's office. The clerk made> >>one call and we> >>>got
>>cable within the next two weeks. Did not even> >>have to pay
>>the> >>>extra fees for 200 yards of cable laying that
>>I> >>anticipated paying.> >>> >>>I told the story to my fellow
>>Board Members of our> >>large neighborhood> >>>association about a
>>a year or so back. Our leader> >>remembered it. He> >>>too had been
>>having the same problem. So he inquired> >>again how> >>>exactly I
>>got results. Told him again. He called the> >>same> >>>Councilman's
>>office, and voila--a month later he
>>had> >>cable.> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>At
>>12:35 PM -0700 4/25/08, Krishnendu Chakraborty> >>wrote:> >>>Thanks
>>C'da. I have sent all details (dates,> >> >locations etc) to you
>>separately. Please keep us> >>>posted on the
>>progress/response.> >>>> >>>USPS domestic service is great but for
>>International> >>>Service I found UPS to be more reliable.> >>>An
>>occassional miss (by USPS, Fedex, UPS , any body)> >>>is perfectly
>>understandable but the attitude of> >>>passing the buck is
>>definitely not acceptable ...> >>>particularly when you are paying
>>such a high service> >>>charge.> >>>> >>>Did you use the same
>>service (GXG) or the regular> >>>Postal Service? How was the
>>delivery ? Did they> >>stick> >>>to
>>commitment?> >>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >I would compile the facts, and
>>send it to my> >>>> Congressman. And follow> >>>> up with him/her
>>in two weeks or
>>so.> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>____________________________________________________________________________________> >>Be
>>a better friend, newshound, and> >>know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.
>>Try it
>>now.> >>http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ> >>> >>_______________________________________________> >>assam
>>mailing
>>list> >>assam at assamnet.org> >>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org> >_______________________________________________> >assam
>>mailing
>>list> >assam at assamnet.org> >http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org> >> >> >_______________________________________________> >assam
>>mailing
>>list> >assam at assamnet.org> >http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org> > >
>>_______________________________________________> assam mailing
>>list> assam at assamnet.org>
>>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
>_________________________________________________________________
>In a rush? Get real-time answers with Windows Live Messenger.
>http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_realtime_042008
>_______________________________________________
>assam mailing list
>assam at assamnet.org
>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
More information about the Assam
mailing list