Never ever say "Handle with care"

Today, I almost killed a clerk at my post office. I came there like 10 minutes before their lunch break which I couldn't know. I am not clarivoyant. So, I handed the girl at the counter who already knows me as a regular easy customer, the nicely wrapped-up cel. She first told me to fold it so it'd fit through the slot, but I told her that this one mustn't be bent or folded and handled tenderly. So I put it through the big window-thing. When she was done sticking the stamps on it and stuff and got my payment, I remembered: oops, I forgot to ask for registration. I apologized but still thought it was gonna be ok. After all, the registration process only takes 2 minutes.

Clerk rolls her eyes: "Aaaaaaw no! Not now, it's lunchbreak!"
She smacks the package onto the desk, angrily types down the reg data, tosses the package on the letter balance behind her without turning around to see if she actually hit, tosses me a mad look and BAAAAAAAAAANG slams the registration sticker on the envelope which goes flying into the big box of stuff-to-ship.

I thought I'd said "Handle with care"...
Anyone here had a similar "speechlessing" experience?

I think so...

I was sending a very expensive cel to Germany from the US. This is normally a fairly simple process. I had all the proper forms completed when I arrived.

I sent the cel inside a cardboard sleeve, which was then put inside a small box. My reasoning on this was that if the box was damaged, they probably wouldn't damage it enough to affect the smaller (and more sturdy) inner package.

After the buyer hadn't received it in over two weeks, I called the post office. The box had been returned by customs. It was marked "refused." They did not list a reason. USPS expected me to pay an additional $18.00 to cover the shipment back to me. Keep in mind that it hadn't left the country.

I checked the box and found that customs had not even opened the outer box to see what was inside. I verified this with the postmaster, who opened it with me. I opened the inner package and showed him exactly what was inside, and descibed it in perfect detail. He checked the list of items that can be refused and of course, animation cels are NOT on the list.

So he tells me to send it again. I do so, and the same thing happens. By this time I am VERY upset, since I've now paid for expensive shipping (twice), the return fee and extra packaging. I'm sure the buyer was wondering what was taking so long.

At that point I gave up, and simply labeled the inner package the same way I did the box. I sent that out and it arrived with no problems in about 6 days. >_<

I refused to pay the last return fee, and the postmaster looked the other way. But I still ended up paying a LOT of money to ship that cel.

It was madness. I'm glad I no longer live in a small town with only one post office.

$18 within the US O.o Whoa...

I'm moving to Werchter (does "Rock Werchter" ring a bell?) today. I'm looking forward to it, but the landlady mentioned something like, "This village is so small that the post has been obsolete here...."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! I hope the old lady was kidding O.O;;;