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In this argument, the author claims that the postmasters at two city post offices should exchange assignments to solve the problems of inefficiency and customer dissatisfaction at one city. This conclusion is based on the evidence that laceName w:st="on">PrestolaceName> laceType w:st="on">CitylaceType> post handled more items and received fewer complaints during a two-week study. Plausible at first sight, this argument actually rests on some unsubstantiated assumptions and partially interpreted evidence, which render it unconvincing as it stands. A careful examination as below will reveal how untenable the arguer's conclusion is.

First of all, the mere fact that the laceName w:st="on">PrestolaceName> laceType w:st="on">CitylaceType> post office handled about twice as many items as the laceName w:st="on">LentolaceName> City post office during the two-week study period hardly suffices to demonstrate that Presto office is more efficient than Lento office. Although the two cities are about the same size, there is no guarantee that people in these two cities use post service equally frequently. Perhaps citizens in Presto prefer to write letters in traditional ways while citizens in Lento prefer to use emails. Therefore, the Lento City post office simply did not have as many items to handle as the Presto office. Meanwhile, a study period of two weeks is too short to reveal the actual conditions at two post offices. Perhaps during this period, most staff members at Lento office were on their vacation. Then the inefficiency should be attributed to temporary lack of staff rather than long term inefficiency.

Similarly, fewer complaints regarding the Presto office do not necessarily mean that customer satisfaction is higher in Presto City. It is entirely possible that post service in the Presto City has long been poor that customers even lost interest in complaining any more, since they understood that complaints simply did not work. Moreover, it could also be the specific study period that caused fewer complaints about Presto City. Perhaps in a whole year the numbers of complaints about post office service are the same in two cities. But during the study period, Lento office happened to receive more complaints than they did on average.

Finally, the author asserts that the exchange of postmasters at these two offices can solve the current problems. However, the validity of such an assertion has yet to be established, especially since the author fails to point out the real reason behind inefficiencies and customer dissatisfaction at Lento City office. One rebuttal to this argument could be that employees at Lento City office are generally inexperienced and lack enough training. Consequently, the mere change of leaders can do little to improve service at Lento office when the poor service has less to do with management. On the contrary, service at Presto City office might deteriorate if Lento postmaster fails to provide good management.

To sum up, it is imprudent for the arguer to suggest exchanging postmasters solely on the basis of the evidence presented. To better support his argument, the author would have to provide additional evidence to demonstrate that post service at Lento Office is indeed inferior to that at Presto and that exchange of master can be effective to improve the current situation.

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