u/swampwiz

I paid for a rental of a USPS Po Box for 6 months ($96), followed immediately by another 6 months, in 2 separate charges. The clerk told me it would be for 12 months total, but after 6 months, the USPS is saying that there was only 1 charge for 6 months, saying that the 2nd $96 charge was never done, and to tell the CC that the 2nd charge was in error. Even though there was no fraaudulent intent, the USPS's actions are basically fraaud, after-the-fact.

The CC is saying that since I had not alerted them within 60 days, it cannot be disputed. So the question is what to do if the product is a rental, and the vendor doesn't change the terms of the purchased product until after 60 days.

The regular USPS customer service says that as far as the USPS is concerned, there was only 1 charge, but yet at the time of payment, there had been 2 charges, with the clerk saying there were 2 products (consecutive rentals) purchased. I have gotten my US Senator's office involved.

The one thing that buying a house does is limit your option of relocating. It's almost like these days, folks should take the attitude of having a second home as the permanent home (once it can be paid in cash) somewhere not so expensive, and just rent wherever they are going to end up having a job.

I think this has happened to me twice.

I've been hearing stories about the new paradigm of landlords are no longer requiring a deposit, but instead charging an appreciable amount for the application fee. I would imagine that this is being done because the first & last month's rent is by itself ridiculously high so that the addition of the deposit is just something that few folks in the renter class can afford. And of course, there is in the fine print that an applicant can be rejected for a credit score below blah, or any blemish for non-payment of rent or mortgage in the past, blah, blah - so the application fee is now a revenue source for the landlord.

The last time I paid an application fee was in the '00s, and it was a reasonable $50.