US Postal Service

Consumers have a lot of problems with USPS, as the complaints in this section attest.  What's perhaps most unfortunate about this is the hostility displayed by too many postal employees who could care less whether their efforts to serve taxpayers are successful.

USPS • Damaged Mail • Lost Mail • No Mail Delivery • Stolen Mail • Wrong Mail --- • Address Disputes • Change of Address • Dangerous Drivers • Hostility • Prescriptions Mishandled • Privacy Violations • Restricted Substances --- • Priority Mail • Express Mail • Military Mail --- News • Postal Service May Seek Service Cut • Movie Fans Suspect Foul Play at the Post Office

By the way, many consumers routinely leave their outgoing mail in the lobbies of apartment buildings. Not a good idea, as Christopher of Seattle now knows.

Then there's the question of whether the Postal Service is meeting the letter and spirit of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Oh, and some of those postal workers don't drive too well either.

A few of the more recent complaints ...

Anita of Kansas City, MO November 14, 2009

I'd like to report that I'm no longer getting replies from my postman's bosses. I have been trying for years to get a resolution to the problem of my postman's non-delivery and his mis-delivery. No resolution ever comes. I've dealt with several bosses in the USPS. To date, Dave S was the only one who cared whether the mail was delivered properly. Jamie told me from the beginning that nothing would be done about this problem. Mark assured me the problem would be solved.

Since then, I'm missing my professional license and worry that the replacement won't be delivered. Since contacting my local TV station's (NBC) "Call for Action," all communication has ended on the end of the two bosses. If they did their job to start with, I wouldn't have needed to contact an outside source! Now, they refuse to help me, and I still have a haphazard postman. I have requested a name and number of somebody in the postal service to help with this problem, but they are not responding. I will send copies of all my letters to the postal bosses and consumer affairs to the same media who has taken an interest in this story.

Bob of Lansdale , PA November 14, 2009

I recently was informed by our local US Post office of their intent to eliminate all the (very convienent) Electronic Stamp Machines nationally. This may be Their DUMBEST DECISION EVER! Just when we thought they were getting close to the 20th Century...Now, we will all have to wait in long lines again to simply get a STAMP!.....I guess with "genius level" decisions like this....I eagerly await Return of The Pony Express!

Billena of sandy springs, GA November 13, 2009

Ref#CA1OO427743 given to my by a customer service rep within the United States Postal service....... For two years in row aorund the holidays our birthday cards as well as christmas cards and gift cards are being stolen out of our mailbox's In our subdivision called Winding River Village. I tried contacting the post office and they refuse to return my phone call so the provided me with a refrence number which is above. I think this is a criminal matter that someone needs to address. My neighbor is a Veteran of the military so her check was placed in our mailbox and because we were on vacation and did not check the mail until we got back the poor lady had not gotten her check until the middle of the month which caused her all kinds of problems. I went around to my neighbors because i thought we were the only ones that had been effected by the post persons but everyone in the complex has been complaining about items being stolen out of the box or never even reaching the mailbox to my understanding that is a federal offence punishable up to 3 yrs. per offense... Please have someone investigate this for us or atleast ask questions.....Thank You

ashlie of raleigh, NC November 13, 2009

I arrived at my apartment complex mail box area, to find the USPS delivery man still slinging mail into our boxes, at 5:45 PM. I kindly approached the gentleman, and asked if I could get my mail from box# blah. He didn't remove his earplugs to hear me speak; he simply turned around and said, "I can't hand out mail." Mind you, I didn't ask him to hand me anything.

A kind mail delivery person might have locked the main door, and let a woman who has been at work all day, gotten out of her car in the rain to check her mail before heading home, and found that the mail had not yet been completed, unlock her box and check her mail. (I could see the small package I had been expecting all week sitting in my box). But because he "is busy, and behind already." "Alright, I'll wait," I say. Then he, with a down-speaking tone, said "you'll be waiting a long time." I asked if I could please unlock my box and retrieve the mail that had already been placed in my box, and he said no. I told him I had never been treated so rudely by a USPS person (and that's a feat in itself, as they are routinely rude in every post office of which I've ever been a patron). I told him a formal complaint would be filed, and he cockily spouted off his name and route number, and said "I don't care if you do."

I sat in my car waiting for the guy to finish his already late delivery. Several others arrived to pick up their mail, and were turned away. Meanwhile I was calling the USPS service center for Raleigh 27612, trying to reach a supervisor or answering machine, but it just rang and rang. What must have been 20 minutes and 5 gallons of gas later, a woman gets out of her vehicle. She approaches the mail man in much the same manner I had 30 minutes prior, and asks to get her mail. He pushed the main door to the boxes closed and allowed the lady to unlock her box and retrieve her mail.

Fuming, I get out of my car and in front of both individuals I ask "Can I try this again and get my mail since you just allowed another person to get theirs?" He replied, "Did you come up here to argue with me or to get your mail?" To which I replied "I intended to get my mail 30 minutes ago, but when I asked kindly, you were rude to me."

Not liking my telling him exactly how everything had played out, he opened the door again, and said "you won't get your mail now at all." I restated that he had just let someone retrieve their mail in front of my very eyes, and that I didn't understand why he was being such a dick to me. In those words. He became even ruder stating that he had called his supervisor and that he would be arriving any minute. I said that I would gladly speak to his supervisor.

Suddenly he appeared, took me aside and listened to my experience. As others approached their mailboxes, the supervisor kindly explained that the mailman was still delivering but would be finished in about 30 minutes, and they appropriately said, OK I'll come back. The supervisor then walked back around the corner, retrieved my mail, brought it to me, and apologized for the encounter. I told him that had the worker not been so rude, I would have walked away as others had. But at 5:45PM on a 10 hour work day, in the rain, the mail man had met his match in me. The supervisor was very calm and kind, but since the mailman was so blatantly rude to me, and excalated the issue to this point, I feared the guy would do something to my mail in the future, my address that he was now keenly aware of, or my property (my car which he had also seen). I advised the supervisor of that fear, and he assured me that there was nothing to worry about.

My resounding thoughts were: YOU DELIVERY MAIL TO THE PUBLIC BUT MAKE MORE MONEY THAN MOST OF IT. YOU ARE IN A CUSTOMER SERVICE ROLE, LIKE IT OR NOT. DON'T BE AN JERK.

Richard of Brownsburg, IN November 12, 2009

Om 6 November 2009 I mailed via a postal clerk at the wIndow - a first class envelope at the Brownsburg, IN P.O. addressed to Greenwood IN. This envelope was actually and physicallty delivered to the correct address on 12 November 2009 Sux days to go circa 35 miles is UNACCEPTABLE THERE WAS NO NOTATION WHATEVER REGARDING THE DELAY

Feng of NY, NY November 11, 2009

I sent an important mail to my husband on Oct 23 2009 using priority internal mail flat rent. The clerk showed me the mail would be sent to destination in 6-10 days.until now, My husband doesn't received the mail. I want to cry now, I am really worrying about these. All my personal iformations were envoloped in the mail.some files ,I don't have copy. What I can do now?My husband want to visit me on Feb 2009. Without these files, he couldn't get the visa, he couldn't visit me .

Glenda of Plain Dealing, LA November 10, 2009

I work out of town during opening hours of the post office. I received notice of package that was too large for my p.o. box. So, I stopped by on the way to work and rang the bell. This gentleman open the door and fussed at me, refused to give me the package because it would make him late putting up the mail..but he could have given me the package instead of displaying that kind of behavior. In the past, I had been told to ring the bell and they would give the mail to me. Now, I am not receiving some of my mail and other people's mail is being placed in my box. Please look into this matter. I am sure I am not the only person in this same situation.

Anita of Kansas City, MO November 9, 2009

My postman who can't find the right addresses in our neighborhood, has now been instructed to band all my mail with two rubberbands. Somehow they think that bundling my mail in rubberbands will help him find the correct addresses. In the meantime, all my mail is being dog-earred. I don't mind, with exception of cards and photos. I am now having to have some mail sent to other peoples homes, because I cannot trust my mailman to deliver my mail to me. His bosses think the solution is the rubberband. Ah, yes, that will make a huge difference on his delivery to the correct address. Right now, his boss Jamie says he is double checking his work. How long will he be willing to do that for John?

Because, I know from all the years of experience with this postman, that as soon as the double-checking stops, the goof-ups will continue. I have asked them not to allow him to rubberband my cards that may contain photo's. This idiot wraps my single pieces of junk mail with rubberbands. I do not want my cards, letters, and photo's mangled like my bills and junk mail is. I guess with this Raytown post office, I should consider myself lucky just to receive it, regardless of the shape it comes in. I am working on my end to get this problem fixed. The bosses at Raytown post office will not fix this problem for the long haul. They only put a rubberband around it.

Herbert of El Paso, TX November 9, 2009

On the 20th of August I mailed a 33 pound box Insured and signature confirmation required, with a Pro camera outfit, a netbook, an Ipod, a Video camera, and accessories, total value aprox. 1,500. On the 25h of August the box was returned to me because the mailing label had an error, I went to the post office and had a clerk explain the problem, I told him that I would fix the problem, the guy had alcohol breath, he then told me that he would fix it and talk to the mailman, that was the last time I saw that box, I went on my trip and waited over 30 days for this box and it never got there. I have reason to believe the clerk had something to do with this. Are clerks authorized to correct problems with labels on packages?

Carlina of PATERSON, NJ November 8, 2009

I put a business size vanilla envelope in my mailbox to be mailed out. (Very important mail) it was returned postage due___return to sender 512 postage need .95 cents. So in return I wrote on the package, satisfy is it enough now! Rip off ( )circle around it. Your postal worker then wrote on my personal mail, mail it yourself. (How nice) I will take photo the item and mail it to the complaint dept. Thank you.

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