Canada Post, I'm Disappointed in You

It was only a small slip of the mind, which led to a small slip of the pen. I got most of it right. Riverside . . . should have been Riverview. The house number was right, as was the town, province, and postal code. But back the envelope came today in my own mail (of course, I had obeyed the "rules" and put my return address on the envelope).

But it's puzzling to me. From my understanding of reading the Postal Code directory, there are only a few--three or four, maybe five--addresses with each postal code. They will be on the same side of the street (even or odd numbers) and within a certain range of numbers.

So I'm wondering about the person who put that Return to Sender stamp on the envelope I had sent, and checked off "no such address." It's a small town. The letter carrier has been delivering mail to my friend for more than a year at that address. How difficult would it have been to ask a question or two? The postal code is supposed to be a fail-safe system.

But no. It was easier to stamp it Return to Sender without a second thought and send it on its way back.

I am sure it would have been possible to deliver my letter despite the small error. But that would have required some brave soul to step out and think.