china post, suck my ... unnamed body part
i went to the bank this morning to make my monthly deposit. that went well and smooth, except they've added one of those machines that prints out a number for you so that there might be some order in the chaos, and i was reprimanded for not taking one before i approached the counter (there was like one other customer in the bank), and then the lady threw my receipt, which i was supposed to sign, at me without a word, so while i was standing there waiting for her to return my bankbook and atm card, she was looking at my transaction history waiting for me to sign the paper. when she finally looked up and saw i hadn't signed it, she looked annoyed. whatever. i left and went toward the post office to meet up with melissa, my coworker. as soon as i stepped in, i heard the lady behind the counter say something about "laowai," and i knew i was in for trouble. now, i generally have an aversion the post office, as i'm sure you've read many times before, and i don't think i have all that much faith in their delivery capabilities either, considering that half the mail that's sent to me never makes it. sure enough, a short man approached me and began in english, excuse me, last time you did not pay. instantly i remembered my other coworker, reed, telling me that the post office accosted him the last time he wanted to mail something and accused him of shortchanging them. after he told me the story i asked why he'd given up his money so easily when they clearly had no proof other than "last time you were here" and "you're a foreigner" (and given the penchant of chinese to say "all foreigners look alike" i don't know how much credibility i deem giving that last one appropriate). so to this short man i replied, "what are you talking about?" he then said, last time you were here, you sent two packages, did you? now, at this point, i should have just been smart and either played my stupid-foreigner card ("even though you're speaking english, 'ting bu dong' ['i don't understand']" or just outright lied and said, "nope" (you've got the wrong foreigner). unfortunately, i did neither of these. i fell right into the trap, at which point, he said i owed 11 yuan (yes, this is all of $1.50, but it's the principle, dammit) for the two boxes. no, i argued, i already paid, and i have the receipts at home to prove it. he looked confused, so i started explaining in chinese, and then he replied, in english, "what?" which, in my opinion, is just about the most ass-ish response ever. he said, no, you paid for the postage but not the boxes. when i made no motion to take my money out, he followed up with, do you understand? i said, so, the post office made a mistake, and i have to pay? and he said, yes, the post office made a mistake. you should pay because you didn't pay before. OMG, WTF. lame. i was ready to throw a laowai fit in the middle of the post office and bring up the fact that not only is it ridiculous to try to tell people months after the fact that they owe money on something for which you have no proof, but their service SUCKS. but i refrained, and, rather than cause a scene, like an obedient citizen pulled out my 11 yuan. my once-annual trip to the post office is no CANCELED PERMANENTLY (read: NEVER AGAIN will i set foot in a china post establishment), and i'm keeping a 20-foot radius around all china post doorways lest they see me passing by outside and demand more money.