And he never asked. Somebody volunteered the information.
Exactly. They made the mistake of letting him know something that would make him feel entitled to tell them how to run their business without any knowledge of the reasons behind why they run their business the way they do. It doesn't matter how he got this info (if he asked or they made the mistake of being honest with him) he still got it and based his complaint on it.
Are you sure? Because a quick search for 'passport' gave me a site where I could find the ten closest applications or all locations within X miles - and checking each result showed me either the hours available, or that on Saturdays it's done by appointment only, or that the location
always accepts applications by appointment only. Oh, it also tells whether they have facilities to take pictures or if somewhere nearby does - but Sam didn't need that feature
.
Am I sure of what? The things you just described don't have anything to do with what I was responding to....which is that a web site can't possibly be reasonably expected to list daily updates to schedules of a special service when you can just call to find out what's available in that posted time window. My hair dresser, doctor and carpet installer don't do that either, and they have one office, not thousands, and it's their main business activity, not an extra service.
No 'right' equipment needed for passport application. Now, if the location also provides photographs and the applicant needs one, the employee needs to know how to operate the camera. I guess 'right people' would refer to the ability to communicate with the public.
Ah, I think I may have assumed there may be some pictures happening here, but if not I amend my statement to the right people, which in his case could simply mean "enough" people. In fact that's exactly what they said they told him: "We don't have enough people". We don't know for sure because not enough details were provided, but perhaps everyone in that PO
is trained to do this, but they simply didn't have enough staff on that day at that time (the day before thanksgiving) to handle his request of 4 passport applications while still handing the flood of mail at the counter. Either way, he wanted them to bring in more staff just to serve him at a certain time. That's where I challenged him.
He understands that. His original vent wasn't that he couldn't get the appointment for the time he wanted, but that he couldn't get the time he wanted because despite the location he chose offering this as a regular service, they knew 3.5 weeks before the date that worked for him - and who doesn't try to make appointments for self-convenience - that they wouldn't have enough staff during some of the hours the normally provide this service.
So, then he obviously
didn't understand that. Everyone who offers anything by appointment is offering it as a "regular" service, whatever that means. They simply couldn't do it at the time he wanted. He was upset with the reason, but admits had they lied to him or simply told him nothing at all he would have been completely accepting of their response that we can't do it at that time.
You responded to his update of his passport search saga.
Exactly, you've proven my point that I wasn't "going back to his feelings of a month ago" as he was claiming, I was responding to his update, and more specifically his response that day to someone else.
Right. We get all that. Sam probably never would've posted a word here about his passort problems (at least until last week) if he'd been told simply, "We don't have anything available that morning; we can take you at 2:30."
Yes, I believe he, myself and at least on other poster has already said that. It was their honesty to him that caused him to
ironically accuse them of "almost like false advertising".
Service. Not "special" service. It's so normal a service, most of the post offices in my area that offer passport application service do it on a walk-in basis.
It's special because people who are normally doing mail work, accepting people at the counter, doing whatever else they do, have to stop doing mail work, and attend to his group of 4 people as they engage in the very specific process of applying for passports. I'm sure he would expect that they give it the proper amount of attention since it's an important process that needs to been done in a way that doesn't miss anything. He said that nobody even answered the phone when he called. Clearly they don't have a lot of extra people hanging out. My local PO has one person in it. One.
. Unless people are mailing themselves to their destinations at the last minute instead of driving or flying. 
