When my neighborhood post office closed down last year, concerned that my mail might go astray, as it was addressed to my old postal box number, I forked out NIS 400 at the central post office on Jaffa Road to have it delivered to my home for the coming year.
Such arrangements are usually for six months only, and the surly postal clerk initially refused to let me sign for a full year. When she finally got around to dealing with me, she had been on the phone for a long time on a personal call and had a runny nose and no tissues. I always carry several small packets of tissues in my bag, so I gave her one and politely argued the point as her nose kept running. She must have thought that it was worth cultivating me because she eventually gave in, and then said sweetly, “You’ll be back next year to renew it.”
A couple of weeks ago, I received a phone call from someone who wanted to send me a package. Already experiencing poor postal service to my home, I asked for the package to be delivered to the editorial offices of The Jerusalem Post on Jaffa Road, near the entrance to the city.
But last week I received a message from Israel Post on my cellphone informing me that there was a parcel for me to pick up and instructing me to go to Zol Stock on Jaffa Road to claim it, after receiving a second message, which duly arrived. Last Friday, I went to Zol Stock, an interesting discount store with a huge variety of merchandise, which also has an Israel Post branch – which I discovered does not operate on Fridays.
When I inquired about when it does operate, the reply was Sunday-Thursday from 12-6 p.m. Back again on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., I was told that on that particular Sunday, this branch would not open until 2 p.m. Returning yet again at around 5 p.m., I and a long line of other people were told that the computer had broken down and no service could be given until it was repaired. There was no point in waiting. When I asked how long parcels are kept before they are returned to Givat Shaul, which is the main terminal for packages that come in the mail, there was no reply.
Back again at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, I was confronted with a much longer line than before; but after a 15-minute wait, I finally received my package, which turned out to be a book. The address of The Jerusalem Post was clearly marked in large Hebrew letters. But adding insult to injury, the two women in charge of this branch were dismayed by the length of the line and told people to go home because they were closing up shop. Sure enough, they closed at 4 p.m., not caring how many people’s time they had wasted.
Rudeness on the Jersusalem buses
■ IF THAT kind of inconsideration is annoying, think about the number of bus passengers who either fall or are shaken up because the driver brakes too suddenly or starts driving before senior citizens have managed to avail themselves of a seat. There are also bus drivers who refuse to open the bus door once they’ve closed it, even if a bus stop is right next to a traffic light that they are stopped at.
But the worst might be the Rav Kav inspectors who fine anyone who hasn’t swiped their Rav Kav (or scanned the digital code) when entering the bus or light rail. Often, the swipe devices don’t work – whether on local or intercity transport. But even when they do, many people can’t get to them if the bus is crowded. Some inspectors are nice and will take the card and swipe it for the passenger, but others will not accept any excuse – including the fact that it is impossible to electronically swipe the device if it isn’t functioning,
That’s what happened to Roz Levin, 73, from Ramat Hagolan, who suffers from a balance problem and had been to Jerusalem as a Shaare Zedek outpatient.
According to a report by Avishag Zohar in Yediot Yerushalayim, Levin, after undergoing an MRI, was carrying a heavy bag and another object as she entered the light rail and almost fell over. The train was full, and there were no vacant seats. Other passengers rushed to help her and offered her a seat. Levin refused to take someone else’s seat. Then a young woman got up and offered a seat, and the passengers around her told Levin to sit down. Feeling unwell, she sat down and was about to remove her Rav Kav from her purse when the inspector showed up. She tried to explain that she had almost fallen when entering the train, but he was not prepared to listen. The other passengers told him to leave her alone and explained what had happened to her. The inspector phoned his supervisor and subsequently fined Levin NIS 185.50.
Levin’s appeals to the Kfir company – which operates the light rail – yielded no results until she and her daughter posted the incident on Facebook, after which she was notified that she could appeal the fine. Meanwhile, according to Kfir, the camera in the carriage indicated that Levin had boarded the train two stops before her encounter with the inspector and that she was standing on her feet. The inspector had no way of knowing that she had lost her balance earlier on and had therefore acted in accordance with the rules. Why did he ignore all eyewitnesses?
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