Forwarding and Return Rules
A facility memo gives these rules. (1) A forwarding order is valid for 12 months measured from the date the customer moved, not from the date the order was filed. (2) Items endorsed 'Return Service Requested' are never forwarded; they are returned to the sender with the new address. (3) First-Class Mail and Priority Mail are forwarded at no charge. (4) Periodicals are forwarded for 60 days from the move date, then returned. (5) Packages over 1 lb require a forwarding fee before delivery. Four items sit on the hold shelf:
- Item A: First-Class letter; customer moved 14 months ago; no special endorsement.
- Item B: Periodical; customer moved 100 days ago; valid forwarding order on file.
- Item C: Priority package, 2 lb; customer moved 3 months ago; valid order on file; no fee paid.
- Item D: First-Class letter endorsed 'Return Service Requested'; customer moved 2 months ago; valid order on file.
1. Classify each item as forward, return, or hold-for-fee, citing the rule number that controls.
Read the worked answer
- Item A - return to sender. Rule 1 controls: the move was 14 months ago, so the 12-month forwarding window has expired. No endorsement changes that.
- Item B - return to sender. Rule 4 controls: Periodicals forward only 60 days from the move date, and 100 days have passed. The valid order does not extend the periodical window.
- Item C - hold for forwarding fee. Rule 5 controls: it is over 1 lb and no fee has been paid. Rules 1 and 3 would otherwise allow free forwarding, but the fee condition is unmet.
- Item D - return to sender with new address. Rule 2 controls: 'Return Service Requested' overrides forwarding even though the order is valid and the 12-month window is open.
2. Only three items can be processed before the carrier leaves in 20 minutes. Which three should be processed, and which one should wait? Explain using consequences, not just rule numbers.
Read the worked answer
Process A, B, and D; hold C.
Reasoning:
- A, B, and D all end in a return to sender. That action is final and time-sensitive: once the carrier leaves, those items sit another day and the sender's address-correction cycle is delayed.
- C cannot move until the fee is resolved. Processing it now produces no forward movement; it must be held and the customer notified. Holding it costs no additional delay because the fee step is still outstanding.
So the three items with a completed, irreversible action available should go first.
3. The sender of Item A calls and insists it be forwarded because the forwarding order was filed only last week. Give a response that applies the memo correctly and offers a concrete next step.
Read the worked answer
Explain that the memo measures the 12-month window from the move date, not the filing date. Because the customer moved 14 months ago, the order is expired and the item must be returned.
Next step: confirm the move date on the order with the customer. If the recorded move date is wrong, the order can be corrected and the item re-evaluated. If the date is correct, the sender can obtain the new address through the return endorsement process. Do not promise forwarding based on the filing date.