From Feb. 5 to Feb. 17, the ASUCD Post Office temporarily closed in order to attempt to install new computers. While the ASUCD Post Office Student Director, Soua Moua, only predicted the unit to be closed for three days, complications with the installations led Moua to extend the post office’s closure for two and a half weeks.
Moua said that the main issue the post office faced dealt with the unknown money source for its meter machines. Meters are postages placed onto packages, and in order to print meters, there must be money available in the meter machines. According to Moua, this money must be transferred in from an outside source, usually from the mother company that owns the computers.
According to Janice Corbett, the ASUCD business manager, the post office director orders the money for the meter machines from an account funded by the Davis Main Post Office.
Because the ASUCD Post Office is changing its computer system, Moua said that in order to print meters through the new computers, the source must be alerted of the switch so that the money can be transferred into the newer system.
“Our unit understands how frustrating it is for customers to come by the office and see a sign that does not specify a reason for the close and an exact date when the office will reopen,” Moua said. “It is also frustrating on our end when we do not know exactly when we will get these computers installed. The computers are so close, yet so far.”
After trying to identify the money source for the meter machines, Moua was advised by the postmaster for the Davis Main Post Office to open the facility with the old computers because of the demand from customers.
“We didn’t know we were missing a critical piece of information until we got into the process,” Corbett said. “We thought we had all our ducks in a row; we called everybody and then as we got into it, everybody learned there was a lot more detail into it than anybody knew.”
Moua said that she is trying to reach out to former post office directors, including the original director, in order to remedy the situation.
“All of us are unfamiliar with the new system and did not know this would happen,” Moua said. “The parties who did know about the system are retired or out of reach, and we are currently trying to communicate with these individuals to help us set up this system.”
— Jason Pham
