The United States Postal Service, especially in Cambridge, is promoting friendly and convenient customer services more and more. Did you know you can order stamps by mail? Did you know that the Cambridge Post Office locations are open longer hours? Did you know there is a Cambridge citizen postal advisory board?

Cambridge Postmaster Frank Carbonneau is in his fourth year as Cambridge's Postmaster and he aims to please the Cambridge residential and business customers as much as possible. In response to the eleven member Cambridge Postal Customer Advisory Group he expanded the lobby and window hours at the seven post offices in Cambridge. All now begin window service at 7:30 a.m. and the lobby is unlocked at 7:00 a.m. The Main office in Central Square continues serving the public at the windows until 6:45 p.m., in Harvard Square until 6:00p.m.and in Porter Square until 5:30p.m. "I believe this has worked well for customers throughout Cambridge and I welcome affordable, practical suggestions like this one," Carbonneau said.

You can now order stamps by mail and your carrier will bring them to you. A telephone call to any of the Cambridge postal offices will prompt the delivery to you by your carrier of a stamps-by-mail order form, a change-of-address card, hold-the-mail cards, or other postal forms. You must return the order form with your payment to have your supply of stamps mailed to you. Also, if you save new stamp issues and other philatelic products you can call 1(800)STAMP24 and have a catalog sent to you.

A service that specifically targets Cambridge seniors is available during the holiday season. A mobile postal unit visits the senior housing buildings to sell stamps and to pick up your bundle of holiday cards and letters. I will make sure that the mobile unit schedule is printed in NEWSLINES.

If you have complaints about mail delivery or other postal services you should call the Main Post Office at 876-0620 or write to Postmaster Carbonneau at 770 Mass Ave. Cambridge MA 02139. The Cambridge Postal Customer Advisory Group can receive written complaints at P.O. Box 390649 Cambridge MA 02139-0008, or you can call me, Paul Schlaver, at my office (349-6150) since I serve on the Postal Advisory Group.

If you have been a victim of any mail order scam or telemarketing scam that began with a post card or other mailing that was sent to you, the U.S. Postal Service has postal inspectors who can intervene. The Consumers' Council has worked with that office about consumer problems that local residents have brought to our attention. Lastly, I want to point out that the Cambridge Post Office has been a leader in the region by embarking on a recycling program in their buildings. Blue bins are now found in the lobbies and allow customers to put any newspapers, magazines, envelopes or other unwanted mail in them. I hope that you are now adding your advertising mail, envelopes, and other paper items to your curbside recycling bin each week. Just keep a special wastebasket in your house for this paper waste and then transfer it regularly to a paper bag for the recycling bin!

Have a pleasant summer!

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