A couple of times in my 31 years career, we didn't put the dozen or so extended areas out on the street due to blizzard conditions. In one of those cases, they called us at home, telling us that all of the major arteries leading out of the city were closed. The second time, most of the extended drivers made it to work; out here, lots of guys have 4 wheel drive suv's and trucks. However, the major highways leading out of town were closed, we were offered to go home without pay, or we could work, albeit on an area in town somewhere. Believe it or not, all of us decided to go home. Drifts on the major Interestate highway going through town were 12 feet deep. So, those 75 packages that were on my car that day, should those have been missed, after all we didn't drive down to that driveway to make the decision to not try it? I don't think so. The city was closed down in these instances, there was no mail service, no city, state or federal workers, except for emergency workers. Obviously, ECD should apply.
These are all just numbers we are talking about. If I'm instructed to sheet them as ECD, then that is what I will do. If I make any decision with regard to a package in deference to conditions, then I will sheet it as ECD as well. If my management team decides it's too bad to even leave the building and want me to sheet everything in my truck as ECD, again, I will do that. It's really just numbers so the management team can see what was delivered, and what is coming back to the retain.
As for refunds, due to bad weather and driving conditions, and our obligations with regard to guarantees of service, I think those rules all apply, regardless of what I may sheet a package's disposition.
As for putting enough drivers and areas on the street to make it possible to deliver everything during snowstorms, that is simply unrealistic. I think that must be a suggestion of a metro driver. You couldn't put enough drivers on the street to deliver all of the packages on my area when we get a foot of snow. I don't care if you had 20 package cars and drivers to do my area.