> It often takes less time and way less mental energy than a phone call.
Really now? Preparing a physical package and dropping it off at a physical location to be picked up and delivered is faster and more efficient than speaking into a wireless device for a few minutes?
> I just drop it off and other people do the delivery for me.
That's what I said. You have to create a physical letter and drop it off. Not everyone can just walk over to their mailbox and stick an outgoing letter in there for the delivery truck to pick up; I have the privilege, but it absolutely hasn't been common everywhere I've lived.
You don't have to drop anything off in order to make a phone call, you don't even have to get up if you already have your phone.
The amount of time I spend doing things costs me opportunities to earn money. So, minimizing time spent performing a single accounting action by writing a letter, while systematically "inefficient" is actually the most efficient financial decision I can make for myself. I am uninterested beyond that.
The USPS maintains a pretty wide network of collection boxes. In a city you'd be hard pressed to not find one very close to you and most large apartment buildings have their own mail drops. There doesn't seem to be any "privileged" access issues here.
Point is.. the differences are so small.. that the decision is going to be made by subjective preference in most cases, and trying to suggest that there's an objectively correct solution is easily disproved.
I was originally addressing a comment that claimed it "often takes less time and way less mental energy than a phone call". I'm not pushing an "objectively correct solution" here, rather the opposite.
For me, as someone with ADHD, the time it takes to do something means absolutely nothing compared to the amount of mental energy it takes to even try. It's different for everyone.
Do you even realize you can send mail from your mailbox?
I can walk to my mailbox and put the little metal flag up in a couple minutes. I can't be put on hold or have the conversation drag on for 40+ minutes, as some in the complaint stated. No need to make this hard.
> Do you even realize you can send mail from your mailbox?
Yes, one of my comments posted three hours before yours described how I can indeed drop off mail at my mailbox to be picked up by the postal service. But before I do that, I have to find an envelope, paper, write or print a letter, seal it and address it and then leave my house to go drop it off at the mailbox. It's within walking distance, but notice the number of steps there are compared to picking up your phone, calling someone up and just saying "cancel my subscription" however many times they require.
And then the retention department pretends to cancel, as they want to be on target for their monthly bonus. Now you can print a copy of your phone call as evidence when you get billed again (oops, you can't). So now you get to deal with the vendor and the credit card company. Very smart time savings!
Really now? Preparing a physical package and dropping it off at a physical location to be picked up and delivered is faster and more efficient than speaking into a wireless device for a few minutes?