Category Archives: customer service

just another raggedy post?

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I will freely admit I am a bit salty about Farmer in the Westtown Dell’s latest post. The message is clear even if that is not actually her intent: if you aren’t with her, you’re against her. So is it you can only worship, you CANNOT raise or voice concerns about how things look (you know like the mowing issues), and you can’t say anything else? If you do, is there a shade of shade of inference none too subtly that anyone who has anything other than glowing praise and accolades is a racist?

Come on, really?

See this Instagram post from 2 days ago:

From Farmer Jawn Instagram (Public Post) 3 Days ago

So yes I wrote a post about the way the place formerly known as Pete’s Produce looked. And this was after an email blast to her followers came out. And by her I am referring to Westtown’s New Farmer in the Dell, Ms. Barfield.

That email hit a bad chord in me. I felt as if those of us expressing concern were being chided for expressing valid concerns about how everything looked. Lady, it’s called communication and that is not necessarily one and the same as an Instagram post is it?

So I wrote about it and how I felt. It’s my right is it not? I was not being racist. But I had people saying I was and messages that were vile.

well…ummm….when you want to believe in someone and something but still you just…wonder.

So let’s back up (again.) When they first announced Ms. Barfield was the new farmer, I was welcoming with a couple of basic questions – essentially concerning the Pete’s workers who had worked that farm for in some cases, years, and would she be hiring any of them. Here verbatim is what I said at the time (December 9, 2022) :

I welcome a new farmer to continue the tradition of Pete on this land. BUT with Pete, retiring, a lot of his workers are now unemployed, so I hope since so many of them worked so hard for him for so many years that this new farmer will adopt some of his workers as hers. What I am hearing Westtown School is that might not be so?

FarmerJawn is expanding their agriculture access vision into Chester County

Truthfully, I thought it was kind of cool initially when she was chosen because she was a female farmer. I did not object to the switch to organic farming, but I will still repeat what I initially said because I know organic farmers: it is a BIG process. Going organic and getting organic certification is a lot of hoops, and expensive. I also noted it doesn’t happen overnight.

These are a sampling of the 250 comments on the Instagram post that I found distasteful:

BUT I have a huge problem with the way I feel those of us out here who are essentially being told we are racists because we asked what was going on over there and can anyone understand this? That is wrong. I am not a racist and I have read through all of the 277 comments (or that was how many at last count.) Just because someone is not your race and says “hey I don’t like something happening” that is not racist. People aren’t saying because she is a black farmer or even a female farmer that she is bad or can’t do the job. They are also NOT saying she shouldn’t own farm land. Out here specifically people were referring to how run down parts of the property looked because the freaking weeds weren’t cut along the sides of the road leading into the market area. Sometimes things are just about what people say. Sometime it’s not more or bad or wrong.

People did try to have a conversation about this on this Instagram post. Like one lady said and I quote:

I find what bothers me the most is that conventional farmers such as Pete and others are made to sound as if they are horrible stewards of the earth. I wish you the best but please respect all farming practices. There’s nothing unhealthy about the soil on that farm.

One of the replies this person received was horrible. She was told she had white logic essentially and what the offensive same hell does she mean? Just like the subsequent comment to someone else asking about “your species”? I am sorry was this person an alien?

And then there are the locals who feel they have to literally suck up and say that they are so sorry everyone is so negative and change doesn’t come easily and please forgive everyone for the negativity. The negativity is primarily coming from the supporters of Farmer Jawn. And yes, I agree change doesn’t come easily. But it’s all about how the change is presented.

Let’s review: when Westtown first announced the new farmer of that land people were excited. The land would stay farmed and not become a crop of cheap plastic mushroom houses. Then it was nothing really, including the weeds which didn’t get cut for months. That made people wonder and worry, myself included. I was not racist on my comments and am not a racist but yeah I am damn straight going to react to words like raggedy. And when I have never made the race or sex of this farmer (or any other farmer) an issue, why is she saying that is why people are asking questions?

Newsflash, Ms. Barfield, people asked questions and had understandable concerns considering how well tended the land had been by the last steward of the land even if he wasn’t organic. I will note he wasn’t exactly a straight Round Up farmer, either. He was just a conventional farmer, not organic. But for what it is worth conventional farmers I know do employ a lot of organic practices even if they do not have the organic official status because of the expense of becoming certified organic. This farmer could have played this straight and allayed fears people had. But she really has not in my opinion. And that is why I am finding this Instagram you did offensive to those of us who live here.

And that is the thing of it: you are the new steward of the land but you are unknown except for your social media out here in the community you are entering into. And you have kind of been putting this combative vibe out there. It’s not warranted. Life is difficult enough at times without that. Just because I am white doesn’t make me a bad person does it? So why would you assume I judged you by the color of your skin? I didn’t. And I won’t.

Ms. Barfield. I do not have a problem with either your mission or your vision. I do still wonder if the Westtown land will be too much and too expensive for you long term, but that isn’t wishing you ill or implying you can’t do it. I am not slamming you as a female farmer of any creed or color. What I have a problem with is anyone implying folks have a racial angle if they ask questions about your Westtown farming. That will not engender good will in the community you wish to be a part of.

Farming like gardening is kind of like life, especially when you are cultivating. Because lady, people require cultivation too. I was planning to show up and support you when you announced your August 18th opening. I was happy to hear this. But then came your Raggedyness post on Instagram and those comments. Now, I will get there when I get there.

My business in particular doesn’t matter a hill of beans, and I know that, but what I am saying that may resonate, is that if we had questions or reservations at all, are we really actually welcome as potential customers?

A customer wants to feel welcomed. That’s a pretty simple tenet of customer service.

Ms. Barfield, FarmerJawn, I wish you the best, but I am never one who will mince words when something strikes me as wrong or unfair.

Wishing you all peace.

NBC News 5/14/23

breaking up is hard to do

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One of the topics of conversation this summer all over our area has been trash pick up. The formerly always reliable AJ Blosenski went off the rails.

There is no need to rehash all of our missed pick ups and all of our piles of trash and how hard it is to get them on the phone. Today I only waited half an hour. And waiting half an hour is utterly ridiculous.

A few days ago, I wrote the post to see embedded below.

well hello opdenaker, would you like to dance?

I really wanted things to work out with Blosenski. I really kept hoping that they would fix their issues but when we had to start again this week with streets just arbitrarily being skipped for pick up with no prior notice and not getting notice until two days later after you had left multiple messages and filled out a missed trash pick up request online. This is why we decided we had been patient enough. We’re paying for a service and trash is stinky. So when you have a couple of weeks where the trash is fine and then the exact same problems start to repeat themselves and you’re the customer. the aggravation point isn’t worth it anymore.

So three days ago I called Opdenaker. I did not sit on hold forever before I spoke to a customer service person, and when that customer service person answered the phone, they were polite and friendly, and wanted to speak with me and wanted to be helpful. Essentially everything you want a customer service person to be.

This morning they dropped off our two new cans. They apologized profusely because they were actually a day late from their normal schedule of giving new customers cans but apparently they’ve been getting a lot of new customers because of the mass exodus from AJ Blosenski. And the man that drop the cans off was just so nice.

My husband had called to break up with A.J Blosenski formally. I had called the very nice regional person from Waste Connections that I have been dealing with to let him know. I wanted to extend that courtesy to him because the regional people have been so nice to us, trying to fix our missed deliveries. The Blosenski office told my husband that they would not be picking up our cans until August 28. Yes, almost a month from now.

I couldn’t believe that was true. So I sat on hold today to find out if it was and it was and I was told by the “customer service”person that arguing with him wouldn’t get it picked up faster I mean really? I wasn’t arguing I was however somewhat incredulous that they could have already charged us for the next quarter of service on an account we had canceled. Oh and we have to wait for that to be refunded, and they haven’t yet refunded the missed pick ups that they owed us for previously.

I’m not trying to be a difficult customer on the way out the door, but this is ridiculous. It’s like they are going out of their way to be as unpleasant as possible, and make this as difficult as possible. And it is indeed, a shame, because the regional person I had been dealing with from Waste Connections couldn’t be nicer.

So this is almost closing the door on A.J. Blosenski for us.

The trash photos you are seeing are all different examples of missed pick ups all over the area. There are some corporate acquisitions that go smoothly, this isn’t one of them. I am kind of shocked actually because prior to this we had a great service from them. But I guess the people that work there can’t handle being part of a larger, corporate structure. I hope it gets figured out. But we are moving on.

Oh and Opdenaker is a little less money.

well hello opdenaker, would you like to dance?

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One month ago, I wrote about A J Blosenski which was sold to Waste Connections. My email went all the way up the corporate ladder. I spoke with some really nice people at Waste Connections, whom I thought had straightened out my neighborhood’s trash dilemma but apparently NOT.

Once again AJ Blosenski just arbitrarily skipped recycling in my neighborhood. I don’t do trash left on the street in the summer. I don’t do trash left on the street at any time when you’re paying for a service so I’m actually pissed now.

I was mildly annoyed before but then my husband looked in our account and although Waste Connections said we were going to get credited for the three weeks of missed service we experienced before, we never got a credit and they were happy happy happy to take money today for the next month yet they skipped recycling and didn’t call didn’t email didn’t text. And our service has been reduced to one pick up a week, which is really no big deal, except there was no reduction in cost. There was a vague promises of an extra trash bin, but that never materialized and then there’s the issue of the three weeks of missed prior service we were supposed to get credit for and we never got credit for.

Fool me once shame on you. For me twice shame on me. That being said, Opdenaker, would you care to dance? Yes I am calling them tomorrow. I had checked y’all out before because you offer rather good recycling. Like all other refuse and recycling companies you also have mixed reviews. But you aren’t Whitetail Disposal whom I found incredibly offensive with the hard sell door to door ignore the no soliciting signs during COVID.

I have been pretty good trying to give Waste Connections/ AJ Blosenski a chance to improve after I wrote my last post.

aj blosenski…it’s summer…trash can’t sit

And when you tell customers that you will credit them for services not rendered, that kind of makes you less likely to stay with a company as well.

I am not in the mood for trash issues again.

back to trash….

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OK a trash update. I was asked about this yesterday when I spoke to one of the Waste Connections managers and they asked me how I felt about moving to one day of the week trash pick up. AJ Blosenski currently picks up regular trash on Mondays and Thursdays and recycling is only Mondays. So if I’m reading this letter correctly, they are going to one day a week. The day is to be determined starting at a point in July.

To be honest, I am ambivalent about one or two days of trash, because when we had Republic Services it was only one day a week.

However, if we are going to one day a week, there should be an appropriate reduction in everyone’s bill because we were paying before for two days a week for regular trash.

So that’s the update everyone and I know that they are working with East Whiteland Township to clear the backlog of missed pick ups and other than that I have no new trash news to report today has been all about roosters 🤣

trash talking

trash talking

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The cavalry arrived in my neighborhood yesterday a little before 6 PM

A few days ago I wrote about the problems we’re having around here with A J Blosenski. They used to be like clockwork, no problems, and for whatever reason since they were acquired by their new corporate overlord Waste Connections, there have been growing pains. And staffing shortages and you can’t get people on the phone easily anymore and people are having a hard time all over the region getting their trash picked up.

aj blosenski…it’s summer…trash can’t sit

Now, I think part of this has to do also with Covid and when Republic Services dumped our area. And when Republic left, some of us got notice, maybe a week to 10 days in advance that they were leaving, others got no notice whatsoever. And you couldn’t get anybody on the phone to talk about it and that has been a problem for months leading up to this decision by Republic Services.

I still remember the day when Republic came through after hammering us that we had to return their cans. They told us they were taking their cans back. I guess to move them to other areas but literally we watched as their trash truck picked up our trashcan garbage and all, and just threw all of it into the big back mouth of the truck. It seemed so wasteful to me, especially since a lot of us at very new cans that they had given us not that long before.

And then, even though Republic Services dumped all of their customers in various parts of our region, it took months to get them to stop sending bills which was extraordinarily frustrating. They told you they were breaking up with their customers. You had to find a new hauler and scramble to do so, yet they were still sending you a bill…for services no longer rendered.

So then post Republic break up, we all settled into a nice routine with A.J Blosenski. Then we heard about the corporate acquisition, and since spring hit, it’s been difficult at times to get the trash picked up. Some neighborhoods it was recycling like mine, other neighborhoods, it was trash, and then there were other places all together where everything was missed.

It’s been bad in East Whiteland and I know it’s been even worse in Tredyffrin, and there have even been issues in West Whiteland where they are that township’s designated hauler.

As I had indicated in my prior post, it’s very frustrating to try to get somebody on the phone. And feeling less than satisfied after another missed pick up on Monday I’ve decided to take action on my own. So I literally did Internet research until I came up with a corporate phone number for Waste Connections who acquired A.J. Blosenski.

After I looked up the corporate phone number, I researched to some of the officers of Waste Connections. I researched what their emails were and how to format them. And then I called and had a really nice conversation with a woman down south in the executive offices. After my conversation with her I sent my email outlining all the things that had me going wrong in my neighborhood. They told me that they would make it right.

Yesterday at a little before 6 PM, Waste Connections and AJ Blosenski made good on their promise. They cleared the trash in my entire neighborhood.

I also learned today that hideous Whitetail Disposal has applied for soliciting permit in my township and I’m sure many others. Here’s hoping they know what no soliciting means this time around.

I don’t like Whitetail and I wasn’t the only one that had problems with their door-to-door soliciting. They completely ignored another friend’s no solicitation sign and then when she said no, they came back another day and that was part of their M.O. the last time around. I also remember they asked someone else I know if her husband was home to make the decision. Yeah just call all us ladies Donna Reed, Whitetail (said with major eye rolling.)

Since Whitetail Disposal first broke into this area, what I have noticed, is they leave cans in the middle of the road and they often leave bits of trash in the middle of the road. I always hear about people complaining that they have missed pick ups, and that they are sloppy and inconsistent. Their average rating on Google reviews alone is 2.6 stars out 5. On the Better Business Bureau website also bad reviews. I also found a curious thing on the Attorney General’s website for PA:

Click to access 2021-10-12-Whitetail-Disposal-AVC.pdf

AG Shapiro Announces Waste Removal Company Will Pay Restitution To Eligible Consumers Wrongfully Charged For Container Removal Fees

Whitetail Disposal is only applying for permits to solicit around here again because of the problems A.J. Blosenski is experiencing which is kind of like what Whitetail Disposal reviews are like all of the time. My opinion is they are like opportunistic parasites.

whitetail disposal of perkiominville, pa this post is for you.

So today A.J. Blosenski was featured on NBC10 news with Deanna Durante. It was an honest reporting job of what consumers are experiencing.

I will continue to give A.J. Blosenski a chance. I am not going to say I am not frustrated by the issues that they have been having. But I’ve been reading about people talking about Whitetail disposal for a couple of years now and they have these problems all of the time, so I will stick with who I know at this time.

aj blosenski…it’s summer…trash can’t sit

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A.J. Blosenski got bought out by a big nationwide company called Waste Connections and now it’s a long road of missed pickups. This is after a lot of us got dumped by Republic when they had a meltdown and White Tail just sucks.

We’ve been missing recycling, others straight stinky garbage, and yet even more are missing both. It’s a sheit show. You spend hours calling and get shoved to a voice mail for customer service that doesn’t return phone calls so do they even listen to the messages? I got through twice and essentially was lied to as to when pick up was actually occurring. The trash just sat.

We finally did get a pickup this past Monday but are still behind on pickups so you have to wonder are customer accounts being adjusted properly to account for these issues?

It seems like the once dependable A.J. Blosenski is experiencing merger pains because of their new parent company Waste Connections. It’s summer and while one wishes to be understanding, we’re talking about TRASH. East Whiteland Township looked into it for their residents and this is what they sent out yesterday:

AJ Blosenski Update

Please READ
AJ Blosenski Update – They are experiencing staffing difficulties and have brought on new staff which is undergoing training and certification. They expect to be back in full operation by August. In the interim, they are recovering missed routes as quickly as possible. (Recovering means they use overtime and reroutes to get to missed areas)

They are offering to drop off a larger recycle container to your homes ( 96 gallons) to hold larger amounts of recycles until pickup.

They have advised to have their customers contact them with complaints and requests for the larger recycle bin through their website, as their phone lines are jammed recently.

Contact https://www.ajblosenski.com and use the contact us link which is forwarded to several offices to insure a timely response.

https://www.ajblosenski.com

Ok thank you East Whiteland Township for looking into this…one thing though – AJ Blosenski’s customer service form only works if you choose “General Inquiry” because the “Existing Customer” choice doesn’t actually have a comment box! The work around is the parent company Waste Connections customer service form:

https://www.wasteconnections.com/contact-us/

It might be helpful if consumer affairs reporters looked into the refuse of it all. This is happening in many places. If a large company with MORE resources acquires a smaller company that once worked just fine and now doesn’t, something needs to be fixed.

Happy Saturday.

beyond my ken: why is jackie’s house not jackie’s house?

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Every day this week, I have wanted to wake up, have coffee, and then get into my day. EVERY day it has been something else. Blogging is not my actual job LOL, but you have to try to help when you can.

Recently this nice lady kept tagging me on Twitter. At first I was “yeah whatever” because it happens all of the time and I can’t be everywhere. But she was very nice and told me this crazy tale of someone else essentially taking the deed to HER house, as in stealing and who would think deed poaching happens in Chester County, right? You think of this in cities like Philadelphia. See next two NBC10 Philadelphia stories:

So I listened to this lady Jackie, and introduced her to Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell. He stepped in to help right away, because among other things this lady has a special needs son.

I will give you the tweets and here is a link to some screen shots she has also below:

This seems crazy, but the thing is this: stuff like this happens ALL of the time.

So I thought it was straightened out and this lady Jackie wasn’t losing her house, that they realized she didn’t sell her house to some real estate investment company out of…CHESTER, and more.

Then came this today:

So here are the blown up images from Tweet above:

Look I don’t know what is going on but County Row in Chester County, are your officials in the office? They sign off on things but are they in the various offices enough? I heard that you can do a Right to Know literally on the time records they keep. And Recorder of Deeds has just turned over at the top because Chris Pielli was elected State Rep for example. So Diane O’ Dwyer is Acting Recorder of Deeds, but she was apparently been there a while?

Oh and fun fact the address of this house in Penn Township/West Grove is 367 Woodcrest. So did you know there is also a 367 Woodcrest in Westtown, and a 367 Woodcrest in Tredyffrin?

And what is this Kevin Jackson Group out of Chester? Apparently they show up in Chester County property records also with a property in West Whiteland which they apparently sold?

Look this is so out of my realm of knowledge. But for the love of all that is holy, Chester County helped perpetuate this mess, now they should straighten it out. And how did this random Kevin Jackson Group get her deed in the first place??? Why aren’t they stepping up? What Realtors who do business in Chester County know about this group? Who can help? Who should help? Who needs to come forward?

And this Kevin Jackson Group also shows up in Montgomery County and Delaware County? Have fun, media. (OR YOU SHOULD.)

DEAR CHESTER COUNTY, PLEASE FIGURE THIS THE FREAK OUT! THIS LADY KIND OF NEEDS HER HOME, RIGHT?

All I am doing is paying it forward. This quite literally could happen to anyone. And last word is yu can sign up for Fraud Guard in Chester County PA: https://chesterpa.countygovernmentrecords.com/ChesterRecorder/eagleweb/fraudGuardSignup.jsp

jackie-bought-a-houseDownload

Kevin-Jackson-Group-Westfield-DriveDownload
Kevin-Jackson-Group-WoodcrestDownload
How-is-there-a-tax-claimDownload
Bram-and-Johnson-then-Stem-DeedDownload
montco-KEVIN-JACKSON-GROUP-LLCDownload
DELCO-KEVIN-JACKSON-GROUP-LLCDownload

So now there is more. And this is a horror show and no one will listen, is how it seems?

Let’s start with the whole Kevin Jackson of it all:

So Jackie has been messaging me. She is very open. Her now ex has been removed from property she says since 11/08/19 and there is apparently a PFA….which I saw this evening.

This woman is a VICTIM. This tale is crazy like a made for Lifetime TV Movie crazy.

Now more things:

EVENTSDownload

friends and small businesses

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At Christmas I had a Christmas calamity. I had this beautiful number 3 crock that I use as a planter. I had bought it from the Smithfield Barn a few years ago. It always lived inside the garage against the wall in the winter.

Right before Christmas, when my stepson was pulling one of the cars into the garage, he accidentally smashed it with his tire. I was pretty upset. I love my old crocks.

So I contacted my friends who are in the business of old things that I buy things from and said to let me know if you see an old number 3 crock I’ve had a calamity.

Today I got a text message from one of the folks at Sales by Helen. They were telling me my package was going to be dropped off soon. So I texted back because I hadn’t bought anything. And they said no you’re being gifted something. So then I wondered who was still spreading Christmas cheer right up to the end of Christmas season – well it is not Epiphany quite yet.

Well, it’s John Romani, who owns Sales by Helen.

A perfect old number 3 crock with a note:

I am totally in awe of the gesture of kindness. This is a small business owner in a very uncertain economy and this is why I support local small businesses. No, not for free stuff because they will tell you I am not a free stuff blogger.

This is quintessential of local small businesses. They know their customers, and they remember what their customers are looking for. They are our neighbors and friends as well.

Sales By Helen is a business I have supported since I first went to a Helen sale and met John’s mom Helen, years ago. I have all the things that I bought over the years still today. Not only do they do house sales and estate sales, but they also have online shopping available. And there is complementary delivery within a certain area and shipping.

A random act of kindness on a cloudy day. Thanks John and Company ❤️

Thanks for stopping by.

why small business owners in pa might take up day drinking

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Sigh….it feels like everything is so darn difficult when dealing with Harrisburg. Today was the day that I contemplated taking up day drinking.

The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue used to have small biz owners use eTIDES. But then a few months ago, they announced they were migrating us to the shiny new better than ever myPATH.

Well getting on myPATH which is supposedly so simple is seriously enough to take up day drinking.

I have been trying to get everything set up for well…weeks. Kept getting error messages.

Getting error messages asking you to confirm correct information again and again and again is MADDENING.

Today I was at the end of my rope, when finally after like 4 1/2 hours of bloody god damn error messages, I was allowed into Harrisburg Valhalla. Then fool that I was, I tried migrate eTIDES to myPATH.

Error error danger Will Robinson! Abort abort! Does not compute! System tells me on myPATH that I don’t have access to eTIDES. But hey I go to eTIDES and log on no problem.

Cursing at my computer I go back to myPATH of hell. The eTIDES stuff I was told I didn’t have access to apparently transferred? But maybe not all of it?

Meanwhile at different points of time I tried to call the PA Department of Revenue. Every single time I get this auto message that essentially all of their lines are busy and the call disconnects. Yeah GREAAAAATTTT service. They want us to pay our taxes, file our taxes, but it’s a freaking maze to try to get things to work right and try to get someone on the damn phone.

And let’s talk about eTIDES. It worked fine. It was basic but did what it was supposed to do. I am terrified of myPATH.

Compounding this general feeling of taxpayer helplessness is for years I used GoDaddy Bookkeeping. Which self destructed and pushed all of their users to QuickBooks. I went to GoDaddy Bookkeeping because I hated QuickBooks a few years ago. Now I am stuck in that loop of hell as well.

I am a rule follower. Not a rule breaker. But if you are just trying to do the right thing like your government not at work, and they tell you how nifty marvy something new is going to be, only it’s not? IT PRETTY MUCH SUCKS?

Any oh the press release on November 30th:

New Online Tax System Launches For Business Taxpayers In PA

11/30/2022

Harrisburg, PA — Starting today, business taxpayers will have a new and improved online system to handle their registration, filing and payment obligations for Pennsylvania taxes. With myPATH now available to these customers, this system will be a one-stop shop for all Pennsylvania taxpayers.

“This move to a new system is about contributing to Governor’s Wolf’s goal of improving online services and providing our customers with new tools that will make their lives easier,” Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell said. “This system is already used to process personal income tax returns and payments, as well as rebates on property taxes and rent for older residents and Pennsylvanians with disabilities. It has been very well received by the public, so we are looking forward to expanding this resource for more people in the business community.”

Among the new taxes that can be managed on myPATH are employer withholding tax, sales tax, and corporation taxes. Revenue from these taxes make up a substantial portion of the annual revenue that is collected and deposited into the commonwealth’s General Fund to pay for government operations and services for people in Pennsylvania.

That’s one of the driving reasons the Department of Revenue has been working to launch a new system for the customers who collect and remit these taxes. myPATH is user friendly and designed to work on any device — a computer, mobile phone, or tablet — so that customers can access their accounts from just about anywhere. It is built on software that has been implemented with great success in many other states and countries throughout the world. 

e-TIDES to myPATH Transition

As part of this transition, the Department of Revenue is asking business taxpayers to register for a new account on myPATH. You can find information on what you’ll need for this process by visiting How to Enroll for myPATH.

Once customers are logged in with their new username and password, they will have the option to migrate their existing access from e-TIDES, the previous online system for business taxpayers, to myPATH.

Customers will then have the option to enter their existing e-TIDES username and password (e-Signature account credentials) to access their prior account information that was available in the old system. This should be a seamless process that the Department of Revenue is encouraging business taxpayers to complete as soon as possible.

New System for Registering a Business for PA Taxes

myPATH is also taking the place of the prior Pennsylvania Online Business Entity Registration (PA-100), which was an online platform that businesses used to register for state taxes. Starting today, this registration process will now be done through myPATH’s Pennsylvania Online Business Tax Registration.

Taxpayer Assistance

The department encourages taxpayers to refer to several self-service options available through the department’s website, revenue.pa.gov. These include:

Customers can also contact the department by phone at 717-425-2495, ext. 72841 (PATH1). Agents in the department’s call center will be working overtime and will be available from 8 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning today, November 30.

Department of Revenue Tax Modernization Project

The launch of myPATH and the transition of all the state taxes the Department of Revenue administers into this system is part of an ongoing tax system modernization project. This project has remained on time and on budget since its launch in 2018. Meanwhile, as part of this project the department has decommissioned several prior tax systems that were costly and working on outdated technology. 

“Governor Wolf set a priority early in his tenure of improving customer service and providing a ‘Government that Works’ for the people of Pennsylvania,” Hassell said. “Our work with myPATH is us doing our part to help the Governor achieve this goal. This system will be a great benefit for our customers for years to come.”      

Media Contact: Jeffrey Johnson, ra-press@pa.gov

Now maybe it will get better, but right now it sucks is an understatement. And you can’t get anyone on the phone. The taxman is the biggest boogeyman in anyone’s adult life and it’s the whole trying to be a good soldier of it all. Oh but they have cute little instructional videos on YouTube.

I think I am giving up for the day. My husband told me for everyone’s sanity I should walk away from the computer.

If you need to contact these fine folks in Harrisburg, try to contact the Department of Revenue at (717)-425-2495, ext. 72841(PATH1). Agents at the department are supposed to be available to assist Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 6:45 p.m. (if you can get to a real person.)

They say the only life certainties are death and taxes, but truly…I am feeling like the old guy in front of the old time general store lamenting why we need new fangled modern conveniences. I just do not understand new and improved websites when they do not feel new and improved. Hello abacus?

Sign me frustrated and not a computer Luddite.

hey usps and louis dejoy, where’s the mail??

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This was posted by a friend today:

I hate to sound nostalgic (AKA old!), but I fondly remember when the USPS managed to deliver mail REGULARLY. We — and our neighbors — have had no mail delivered since Tuesday, and that batch included only some of the mail that had been scheduled to land on Monday, when our carrier was also a no-show.

Because you can receive a daily email from USPS that shows images of what is scheduled to arrive in your box each day, it has been rather unsettling to see how many items qualify as missing. Well, the mystery has been solved.

This morning, my husband decided to pay a visit to the actual post office, after efforts to contact a human by phone went nowhere. A worker explained that the postal manager for the West Chester region issued an edict recently to deal with the agency’s short staffing: surreptitiously skipping delivery days. She said the office needs 80 carriers to handle the load: It has 40. As a result, she said we should expect to see a delivery every 2 or 3 days.

I guess the idea of notifying customers about the worker shortage wasn’t part of the plan. Would it really have been too difficult to put a notice in people’s boxes on their lucky delivery day? Perhaps some publicity about this problem would help solve it. Sigh. End of rant, but curious about whether this is happening in other areas.

~ Chester County Resident # 1

Now this is the second such tale in less than a week.

I have you on my mailing list but my mailman hasn’t been seen for five days. I was told that he had health problems but there were no replacements. Also, PO closed in town. So I will try for Christmas card instead.

~ Chester County Resident # 2

My second friend lives in the Borough of West Chester. She works from home and is self employed and well…mail is kind of essential.

So Louis De Joy you plastic arsehole, where’s the mail? Santa might want to deliver the Christmas cards himself I guess?

It’s time for Washington to deal with this. We need our mail. This is happening all over. It’s bullshit.