The USPS Spent $180,000 On An Empty Post Office Over Six Years

(stuartpilbrow)

In case you haven’t heard, the United States Postal Service has been in some troubled financial waters in the last few years, to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars it owes the government in payments to its employee pension system. And so the fact that it spent $180,000 on a closed post office for five years must, well, sting the agency a little bit.

Since June 1, 2008, the USPS has shelled out approximately $180,000 to lease space for a 1,500 square foot property in a Pennsylvania town, reports the The Scranton Times-Tribune.

There’s supposed to be a post office in the building, but that hasn’t happened. It’s expected to open June 8, according to the USPS. The lease lasts through 2023.

So why is this post office stuck in a useless limbo, in what would seem like a waste of money at a time when the USPS really doesn’t need to be leaking any more cash?

It sounds like it can all be chalked up to a combination of factors that have all come together to royally mess with the opening: The place was supposed to open sooner than it did (well, of course it was), but financial and safety issues, along with other problems, got in the way.

“The lease started on the building in June 2008 with the expectation to complete the construction to occupy the building for postal operations soon thereafter,” said a spokeswoman for the Postal Service’s Central Pennsylvania and Western New York districts.

But then came a snafu when the township and state Department of Transportation got together to review the design of the building — apparently the site chosen would’ve caused traffic problems and didn’t drain properly. The USPS wasn’t expecting that, she said.

After a bunch of delays in the construction, contractors had a bit of a drainage issue on their hands, as they’d built a berm to carry water along the side of the building was in the place where officials had approved a driveway.

Town officials felt the driveway would cause safety issues as drivers would have to cross two lanes of traffic on the road to get to the post office. That road is often backed up, which would create a nasty situation, officials said.

“People are going to be stopping, and it’s going to back up traffic out onto Northern Boulevard,” the township manager said. “At some point we just said, ‘Hey, somebody is going to get rear-ended or killed.’ €‰”

The USPS and the town later agreed to a deal that would let the post office use an access road owned by the town, if the Postal Service would pay to widen the road and pay some future maintenance costs.

As soon as the building’s owner agrees, it’s on, said the USPS spokeswoman. The agency will finally continue construction and then open the new post office.

While $180,000 is just a drop in the bucket when compared to the $5 billion the USPS lost in fiscal 2013, money is money. Especially considering the USPS was mulling closing and/or combining some locations to save money.

You can follow MBQ on Twitter if you want to talk about snailmail on the Internet: @marybethquirk

U.S. Postal Service pays $180,000 for unopened post office [The Scranton Times-Tribune]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Americans Took A Record 10.7 Billion Public Transit Rides Last Year

(afagen)

Does that headline make the hours you’ve spent taking public transit flash in front of your eyes? Because the fact that we took 10.7 billion public transit rides in 2013, the most since 1957, well that translates to billions of minutes. We did this together, everyone.

Commuting is never fun — whether by car or by rail/bus — but it does save money on gas, and many experts see it as a great way to shrink our carbon footprint. So we’ll take this new report from the American Public Transportation Association (via Business Insider) as a plus.

The overall public transit use got a 1.1% bump between 2012 and 2013, although miles driven also went up 0.3%. Cities like Austin, Philadelphia, Anchorage, Minneapolis, and Portland, Oregon all reported double-digit increases in commute rail services, which had some of the biggest growth.

The APTA sees this as a good sign of economic recovery — the more jobs there are, the more people there are commuting to work. Federal investment also plays a part, APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy said.

“The federal investment in public transit is paying off and that is why Congress needs to act this year to pass a new transportation bill,” he said in the press release.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Volvo Uses Malaysia Airlines Tragedy To Brag About Car Safety, Angers Everyone

(Mike Matney Photography)

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re located. Whether you’re a company marketing canned pasta rings or a Swedish carmaker selling cars in China, the lesson holds true. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever use a tragedy to promote your product. Automaker Volvo learned that the hard way when a post to microblogging service Sina Weibo angered readers, who accused the company of taking advantage of an airline tragedy.

Weibo is immensely popular; for lack of a better comparison, it’s China’s version of Twitter. That means brands post marketing messages there, just like on social media everywhere else. In our opinion, many brands should just not bother to make social media posts at all, unless it’s to provide customer support.

Brands don’t listen to us, though. You’ve probably heard of MH370, the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared entirely over the weekend. Volvo’s social media representatives, who the company says are from an outside agency, apparently wanted to make a nice post about the airline disaster. If you still think of Volvo as a Swedish company or a division of Ford and are confused about why they’re even posting on Weibo, well, it makes more sense than you might think. The Volvo brand is now owned by a Chinese company, and many of the passengers on the Beijing-bound plane were Chinese.

We don’t read Chinese, but the Wall Street Journal tells us that the original message read as follows:

The rescue operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 plane is in full swing. Passenger safety is also a top priority at Volvo Cars, let’s pray together for the 239 lives that were on board of the plane. Bless them, and may a miracle occur.

The message also featured some candles. Isn’t that nice?

(Screengrab by WSJ)

No. No, it isn’t. If you’re going to express condolences as a brand, do that; if you’re going to promote your product, do that, but for gosh sakes, don’t do it in the same message. No one really cares what a car company has to say about an airline disaster, though.

‘Inappropriate and Wrong’: Volvo’s Chinese Social Media Faux Pas [Wall Street Journal]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Production Of Pennies, Nickels Cost Taxpayers $105 Million Last Year

(frankieleon)

We all know that old coins can be very valuable and that saving your change adds up. But did you know that minting the low-value currency creates quite a tab for U.S. taxpayers? That’s because the cost to produce pennies and nickels is nearly twice as much as they are actually worth.

For the eighth year in a row the cost of making pennies and nickels exceeded their face value, costing the U.S. Treasury, and in turn taxpayers, $105 million, the Washington Post reports.

In 2013, cost of minting a penny was 1.8 cents, while the cost to mint a nickel was 9.4 cents. On the flip side, the cost to create a dime was a mere 4.6 cents.

The U.S. Treasury spent nearly $2 for every dollar in nickels and pennies it put into circulation last year. That means for every dollar you have in pennies it actually cost $1.83 to produce and for every dollar in nickels it cost $1.88. Putting the same amount of dimes and quarters into circulation cost the Treasury less than 50 cents.

Production costs for a dollar’s worth of pennies and nickels has always been higher than that of dimes and quarters, since it takes more of the coins to make a dollar. However, the last several years have been particularly hard on the production of pennies and nickels.

Data compiled by the Washington Post shows that coin manufacturing costs rose gradually from 1984 to 2005, when the cost of production for pennies and nickels began to spike.

The change was likely caused by the cost of metals used to produce the low-value coins. Pennies are comprised of copper and zinc, while nickels are made from nickel and zinc. As the cost for the metals rose the U.S. Mint began losing money.

In each of the past three years the Mint has lost more than $100 million on the production of pennies and nickels.

The consistent loss is enough for politicians to take notice. President Obama included a provision in his 2015 budget to assess the future of currency and explore alternatives.

One alternative could include changing the metal used to make the coins. The Post reports that the Canadian nickel is comprised of 95% steel and costs less than their face value.

Another option is to discontinue the use of pennies and nickels. Canada ceased production of its one-cent piece in 2012 and stopped distributing the coin in 2013. However, similar attempts to do so in the U.S. were squashed by the zinc industry and the operator of change-redeeming kiosks like CoinStar.

Pennies have long been the outcast of U.S. currency. The once-valuable buying machine has been devalued so much that most people don’t think twice about retrieving them from after passing through airport security or using them to make a passive aggressive payment.

In 2012, the “Death to Pennies” YouTube video visually laid out why pennies are the bane of most people’s existence. The video took viewers on a journey of how the coin transformed from its glorious copper beginnings to a now semi-worthless piece of metal.

Taxpayers lost $105 million on pennies and nickels last year [The Washington Post]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Amtrak Is Now Officially Taking Applications For Its Writers’ Residency Program

(Phillip Pessar)

What a difference a few weeks and a bunch of writers who want a free roundtrip train ride can make: After Amtrak’s initial writers’ residency stirred up interest at the end of February, Amtrak has officially unveiled its program and is now accepting applications.

Back then, Amtrak had said it wasn’t sure when, if ever, it’d put out a cattle call for applications, and would instead consider writers’ requests on a case-by-case basis.

But seeing as everyone and their mother likes riding and writing on trains (mmm, homophones), Amtrak has changed its tune: It’s accepting applications on its site as of Saturday and will choose up to 24 participants on a rolling basis through March 31, 2015 (of course, anytime the Consumerist staff is R&W (ridin’ and writin’) on any train, we’re paying full fare because that’s how we roll).

Oh, and it’s not just Amtrak’s Residency Program. It’s #AmtrakResidency because all the cool kids use hashtags these days, and Amtrak will definitely want any writers it chooses to use social media during the free two- to five-day trips.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Michigan Woman’s Death Unnoticed For 6 Years Because Her Bills Were On Autopay

Last week, a woman in Michigan who was found dead in the backseat of her Jeep, which was parked in her garage. No neighbors remembered seeing her around since maybe 2008, and the bank started foreclosure proceedings. A contractor making repairs on behalf of the bank found the homeowner, who lived alone and was estranged from family. How could such a thing happen?

It turned out to be a strange perfect combination of thoughtful neighbors, a job requiring lots of travel, automatic bill payments, a nice cushion of savings, and strained family relationships. Reporters pieced together that the woman was laid off from her job in finance at Chrysler in the fall of 2008, and co-workers there were the last people to see her alive.

Her mortgage and utility payments all came automatically out of her bank account, which investigators say had about $54,000 in it at the time of her death. Property taxes were part of her mortgage payments. No one noticed that anything was amiss until the money ran out. Mail was forwarded to a P.O. box, but her bills remained paid. Her car was last registered in 2008,

Neighbors were used to having the woman leave on extended business travel, often to Germany, since Chrysler was then part of Diamler-Benz. She “kept to herself,” as people always say about neighbors they don’t know very well. Neighbors kept her lawn mowed to be nice and keep the street looking nice, even though they assumed that maybe she had moved away.

The woman’s sister, who lives in Boston, admitted that the whole family wasn’t close, but couldn’t even get hold of her when their mother died. The phone kept ringing and ringing…presumably still connected because it was on autopay.

PONTIAC: Woman’s mummified body found in Pontiac garage, neighbors said woman ‘kept to herself’ [Source Media]

“I think there was foul play,” says sister of woman found dead in her garage after six years [WXYZ]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Entire Abandoned Spanish Village Going For The Low Low Price Of Zero Dollars

(jking89)

We’ve heard about white hot real estate, but who knew that could apply to an entire village? Spain has an estimate 2,900 empty villages, hamlets and tiny towns tucked all over the country, including one dating back to the 15th century that’s currently going for the bargain basement price of absolutely no money whatsoever.

Yes, an entire village for zero Euros, no dollars and absolutely no cash. However, whoever buys the town of A Barca must first present a development project for the village, reports the AFP, one that will preserve all its crumbling, moss-covered stone buildings.

It sounds very quaint, if you’ve got the right stuff to take care of it — nestled on a hillside overlooking a river, right near the Portuguese border. Perfect for all those book clubbers looking for their own Eat, Pray, Love experience, right?

The officials overseeing the project say they’re looking for an owner who will focus on tourism.

“Something that would provide work to villagers and local businesses,” said the mayor of a municipality that oversees A Barca.

This particular village, one of thousands scattered across the country, was left empty in the 1960s when a new dam was built. It flooded villagers’ farmland, causing them to either move to larger cities or find better land for farming.

Anyone want to go splitsies? I’ll pay the $0 for the village and my partner can restore all the buildings and pay for maintenance.

You can follow MBQ on Twitter if you’re serious about splitting free real estate: @marybethquirk

Abandoned Spanish villages, given away for free [AFP]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Comcast/TWC Netflix Speeds Improve After Payoff; Verizon Still Hasn’t Bottomed Out

After months of slowed-down data speeds for Netflix users on Comcast and Time Warner Cable’s network, speeds rebounded the very same month that Netflix agreed to pay Comcast money for more direct access to its network.

As you can see from the graph above, generated from Netflix’s monthly report, Comcast customers saw a dramatic turnaround in streaming speeds, going from about 1.5 Mbps to 1.7 Mbps.

Though that is still far off from the 2.1 Mbps speeds Comcast users were seeing before their ISP’s numbers started to tank, it is hopefully the beginning of an upward trend. Of course, there wasn’t really much worse Comcast speeds could get.

What’s interesting is that the Netflix deal wasn’t announced until late February, with only a few days left in the month. Had Comcast eased up on congested peering points in expectation of the agreement being finalized?

Likewise, since no paid peering deal with Time Warner Cable has been announced, we have to wonder if the sudden improvement in TWC’s speeds are tied to its proposed merger with Comcast. Granted, TWC’s speed results have been so erratic that it’s possible this uptick is just a matter of someone using the good duct tape to fix a loose connection somewhere.

Meanwhile, Verizon FiOS speeds have sunk from being the best and steadiest of the three providers to substandard levels. Netflix is reportedly in talks with Verizon for a paid-peering deal of some sort, so those numbers will likely improve; it’s just a question of when — and how bad Verizon will allow the connection to get before customers revolt.

For comparison’s sake, here is how these three providers look compared to Google Fiber, the fastest ISP on Netflix’s charts:

And here are the three providers compared to Google and a few other major ISPs:

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Virgin America Flight Attendant’s Safety Demo Shows That He Can Kick A Lot Higher Than You

(YouTube)

The fascination — if there’s any to be had — with airlines’ safety demonstrations wears off pretty much during the first 30 seconds the first time you hear one. And then once you’ve been through one safety demo, you’ve been through them all. At least, until you’re faced with a high-kicking, dancing and strutting Virgin America flight attendant.

This energetic routine was caught on video and posted on YouTube by a passenger, and it makes me wish everyone was so excited about safety (H/T to New York Daily News). While the video was first posted in January, it’s just now making the rounds on the Internet.

And because the cabin of Virgina America planes already looks like the inside of a club you could never convince me to wait in line for, it doesn’t even seem that out of place. Well, besides the fact that his fellow club patrons are a bunch of grumpyfaces who barely even crack a smile during the whole thing.

The other bummer? You can barely hear the song/safety instructions he’s dancing to. It’s the same song Virgin used in its new safety music video, so you can always sync up the two videos below for an enhanced dancing flight attendant experience.

And I dare you to try that kick jump at the end while standing in the aisle of a bunch of cranky first class passengers.

You can follow MBQ on Twitter if you don’t expect her to do any high kicks: @marybethquirk

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Supreme Court Won’t Hear “I Heart Boobies” Bracelet Case

Back in 2011, we told you about a U.S. District Court ruling that determined the wearing of “I Heart Boobies” breast cancer awareness bracelets by middle school students was protected under the First Amendment. An appeals panel later sided with the lower court, but the school district recently attempted to take its case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, the Supremes shot down that petition.

The to-do over the bracelets began at the beginning of the 2010 school year in Easton, PA. The teachers said they began to notice that students were wearing the bracelets, which read in full “I [Heart symbol] Boobies! (Keep a Breast).”

The school district’s petition to the Supreme Court [PDF] goes into detail about the various ways in which school administrators believed the bracelets to be a distraction and causing problems among the students:

“[D]uring the September through November 2010 timeframe, there were instances of sexual harassment… particularly focused on girls’ breasts. A girl in the 7/8 Building, who was wearing an “I [Heart] Boobies!” bracelet, reported… that boys approached the girls at her lunch table and stated that they ‘love boobies.’ Another girl reported… that, while she was having a conversation with other girls at her lunch table about the ‘I [Heart] Boobies!’ bracelets, a boy interrupted them and stated ‘I love boobies’ and, while playing with fireball candies, chanted ‘boobies, boobies.’ There were also instances that were not reported… in which some boys were ‘immature’ regarding the ‘I [Heart] Boobies!’ slogan and approached other middle school girls about ‘boobies.’ Further, during the same timeframe, there were instances of boys touching girls in an unwanted sexual manner.”

The school’s principal subsequently ruled that the slogan on the bracelets was a “sexual double entendre which is prohibited by the School District-wide dress code policy.”

Some had argued that students should be allowed to wear the bracelets inside-out because the inside of the bracelets only conveyed the URL for a cancer-awareness website, however the school decided that the bracelets were too easily and too quickly turned back to their original state.

However, on the school’s official Breast Cancer Awareness Day, a trio of young women defied the new rules and openly sported the banned bracelet. Two of the girls were suspended for their refusal to remove the bracelets and for refusing to accept alternative ways of expressing their support for the cause without the bracelets. They were also not allowed to attend a school dance because of their actions.

The parents of the two students sued the school district in federal court, where the judge held that because there was nothing inherently sexual or lewd about the phrase, that the school overreached in enacting the ban.

The school district appealed the case to the 3rd Circuit Court, which held that speech “plausibly” containing “social or political” commentary may not be banned, unless the speech is “plainly lewd.” Had the bracelets been merely about “boobies” with no mention of breast cancer prevention, the school district may have had a better case.

In its appeal to the Supreme Court, the school district contended that legal precedent on the issue of the banning of lewd speech in schools does not suggest that “student speech full of sexual innuendo or scatological implications must be tolerated by the Constitution just because an argument can be made to connect them with some political or social cause.”

The school’s lawyers contend that the district did nothing to suppress the message of breast cancer prevention; it only banned one particularly, arguably lewd, version of that expression.

No reason was given for the Supremes’ denial of the district’s petition. Lawyers for the students at the middle of the ban tell USA Today they will petition the District Court judge to make his injunction against the bracelet ban permanent.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist