I want to begin with Diana, because she deserves to be recognized for exactly the kind of service…read morethe United States Postal Service should want representing it.
I am giving this experience one star, and I want to be very clear why: Diana personally deserves five stars. Unfortunately, Don's conduct was serious enough that I cannot honestly rate the overall experience any higher.
I do not normally use the Rancho Del Oro Post Office. My neighborhood Post Office is on Seagaze in Oceanside, where Michelle has helped me for years. Michelle is professional, kind, helpful, and makes dealing with the Post Office feel like dealing with someone who actually cares about the community. Diana gave me that exact same impression immediately.
I came to Rancho Del Oro only to process a passport application and did not realize an appointment was required. Diana was patient, kind, professional, and genuinely helpful. She explained the process and scheduled me for 11:30 the following day. When I returned, I watched her treat customer after customer with the same smile, patience, and respect she had shown me.
Then I dealt with Don, the passport processing employee.
Don is an older gentleman with a very long gray ponytail, a dingy hat, and an extremely strong cigarette-smoke odor. In the small passport office, the odor was overwhelming enough to make sitting there genuinely uncomfortable.
When Don discovered Diana had scheduled my appointment, he came out in front of customers and loudly reprimanded her, saying passport appointments were booked about a month out and that I would either need to reschedule or wait for a no-show. There was no other passport customer there at the time.
Diana then went into his adjoining office to try to resolve the situation privately.
Don began yelling at her again -- loudly enough that customers throughout the Post Office could hear him.
I cannot stress enough how demeaning, embarrassing, and appalling this was to witness. I felt genuinely terrible for Diana. No employee should be screamed at, berated, or humiliated in front of coworkers and customers for simply trying to help someone.
What struck me most was how comfortable Don appeared behaving this way. I do not know his tenure or seniority, but he gave me the distinct impression of someone who feels secure enough in his position to speak to coworkers and customers however he chooses. No amount of seniority should ever excuse intimidation, humiliation, or contempt.
His attitude toward the passport process was also unnecessarily hostile and condescending. Instead of calmly helping with possible application errors, his manner felt reprimanding and made a routine federal service tense and uncomfortable.
I remained respectful because he controlled whether my passport application would be processed, and I did not want challenging his behavior to jeopardize my appointment.
That alone says a great deal.
Through all of this, Diana remained composed, professional, and remarkably gracious. Before leaving, I went back to her and apologized that she had been treated that way while trying to help me.
She smiled and simply said, "It's okay. Don't worry."
After what I had just witnessed, she was still reassuring me.
That is professionalism. That is kindness. That is dignity.
Diana and Michelle are the type of people USPS should want representing its communities.
Don was the complete opposite.
The yelling, hostility, condescending manner, poor presentation, and overwhelming cigarette odor have no place in a small public-facing passport office.
I sincerely hope the Postmaster and USPS supervisors investigate this incident, speak privately with the employees who work alongside Don, and determine whether this was an isolated incident or part of a larger pattern.
Diana deserves five stars and recognition.
This experience receives one star because Don's behavior deserves accountability.
