topic Re: Mail delivery problems in Community Chat

Mail delivery problems

songbird — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 21:00:15 GMT

For the last 7 months or so, we've been getting mail very late. By late, I mean after 5PM till 6:00PM. There were a couple of times after 6:00PM. Such as was the case after labor day. I finally called the local post office. She asked me where I lived and she said they have been short staffed. One of our carrier had left. There is a hiring freeze, so they can't hire someone else. After the other mailman finished their route, one of them gets our mail and then distributes them. The carrier gets over time. They rotate who gets our mail. I guess it makes sense. They really can't do anything about it. Anyway, anyone have a similar problem? What is frustrating is I see the mail truck stopped our our intersection at the usual time between 11:00AM and Noon. But it's the other streets that are getting the mail. Not us.

Re: Mail delivery problems

viva923 — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 21:05:16 GMT

we have had this problem for years many years.

I want to put this nicely. Live on the poor side of tracks so no one wants to come into the developments on this side of town. So when the mailman goes on vacation, or some other day off, we have to wait forever to get out mail. they have to beg people to deliver on our side of town. there have been times, that the head post lady (she is in charge of our postal office here in town) will have to deliver.

Sometimes we don't get our mail till very late been sometimes 8:00PM. During winter months even with regular mail man when he is on, we rarely get mail before 6-7pm.

Re: Mail delivery problems

ALRATIBA — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 21:06:23 GMT

That happens around here occasionally when the usual carrier is on vacation ... as he is now.

I don't even bother going down to check until after 4:00 pm.

Re: Mail delivery problems

gidgetgh — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 21:09:23 GMT

Ours normally comes around 5:30.

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, we routinely get our mail at 10:00 at night and have gotten it later.

Re: Mail delivery problems

songbird — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 21:15:39 GMT

@ALRATIBA wrote:
That happens around here occasionally when the usual carrier is on vacation ... as he is now.

I don't even bother going down to check until after 4:00 pm.

That's whats so confusing. If I forget to check (after 5 or so) it's there the next morning as yesterday's mail.

It's all so annoying. It only started some months ago, when our regular mail person suddenly left. Up till them, no problem ever with the mail. Always delivered at 11:000AM. When this all started during last winter, there was the mailman doing his rounds with a flash light. It was already dark (this was in January) Not so bad in the summer, but coming winter.....really depressing.

Re: Mail delivery problems

Spurt — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 21:20:23 GMT

@songbird

We have a bank of Community Mailboxes as most subdivisions do in our city these days. And we used to get our mail delivered at 6PM or a little later. It was interesting because we got a new Mail Person and the mail is now delivered by 3:00 PM.

A neighbor and I were walking up to our Mail Center and we saw the new Mail Person and complimented her on getting our mail delivered earlier. And what she told us was that she worked with our previous Mail Carrier and she said, "that guy is an idiot!!!!" And that was our answer

Re: Mail delivery problems

BirkiLady — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 21:34:32 GMT

@songbird @Spurt @gidgetgh @ALRATIBA @viva923 Carriers have their own routes. Longetivy has earned them the right to keep those routes, as well as put in for their vacations and time off first. The younger carriers with newer routes (and making less money) usually are the ones willing to fill in with overtime. They are also not as familiar with the various routes of other carriers, but are doing the best job possible under the current circumstances of not hiring replacements. It IS less expensive to pay overtime than to pay full benefits for another employee.

However, it has nothing to do with where you live or the part of town. If your carrier retired, his/her position was not replaced and other carriers are forced to fill in after doing their eight-hour shift. I think most of us have been in the same situation when our carrier has been on vacation. It's annoying to have late delivery, but think how it discombulates his/her entire home life. My heart goes out to their spouse and children!

If I don't pick up my mail until after the late news (in my nightgown and robe), my life is still normal. Their lives are disrupted without their husband/wife and dad/mom home until very late. Children need the security of both parents home on a regular schedule if possible. It seems to be a rough life for conducive family harmony.

Re: Mail delivery problems

Krimpette — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 21:44:48 GMT

I'm an early riser, so I often tend to check my mail first thing in the morning after I come downstairs. Our daily delivery times are very unpredictable. Sometimes between 4:15PM and 5:00PM, but it's not unusual for it to come after 6:00PM. (UPS often comes between 7:30PM and 9:00 PM. Once in awhile, UPS will deliver mid-afternoon, but thst'd not the norm.)

Re: Mail delivery problems

homedecor1 — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 21:48:11 GMT

When I lived up north our mail lady delivered between 4-5. If she was on vacation, someone else took the route. We sometimes got our mail after 7:30 pm. Many complaints they finally put a postal supervisor on the route and it was determined eventhough the "fill in carrier" left the p.o. at 3:30 he/she was not starting the route until 5.

Now, I'm spoiled by "informed delivery" I never have to wait to know what I'm getting but our mail is in the mailbox no later than 11am. If our carrier is off it's around 1. Most the mail is "junk" flyers, etc. anyway because we get everything online.

Re: Mail delivery problems

IslanderGirl62 — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 21:49:05 GMT

I would just be happy they are still delivering the mail. In some towns here, they don't deliver mail at all - all the residents have to go to the post office to pick it up.

Re: Mail delivery problems

BirkiLady — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 22:03:52 GMT

@homedecor1 Informed Delivery is great, isn't it? During the snowy winter months, I let the junk mail sit in the mail box for a couple of days if I'm not going someplace! I'm happy with my knitting or a good book. The carrier who used to worry about me has been promoted to working inside another Post Office within our City. I miss him, but was so pleased he didn't have to drive that little, bitty vehicle in bitterly cold, icy, snowy weather and hot, humid summers! And, since he was promoted, we have another regular carrier for our route. (Much to our surprise!)

It doesn't occur to the new carrier that something might be wrong is someone hasn't picked up their mail . . . seems like a big red flag to most carriers if mail hasn't been stopped, but not this one. To my knowledge, no one has mentioned it. He just doesn't have a clue. Good thing our neighbors all keep in touch!

Re: Mail delivery problems

Spurt — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 22:18:22 GMT

@homedecor1 wrote:
When I lived up north our mail lady delivered between 4-5. If she was on vacation, someone else took the route. We sometimes got our mail after 7:30 pm. Many complaints they finally put a postal supervisor on the route and it was determined eventhough the "fill in carrier" left the p.o. at 3:30 he/she was not starting the route until 5.

Now, I'm spoiled by "informed delivery" I never have to wait to know what I'm getting but our mail is in the mailbox no later than 11am. If our carrier is off it's around 1. Most the mail is "junk" flyers, etc. anyway because we get everything online.

@homedecor1

Our previous carrier was not only late with mail deliveries, but he also ALWAYS put mail in the WRONG mailbox, and I joked as I re-delivered the mail to the RIGHT person, I work part-time for the Post Office I know everyone makes mistakes, but this happened way too often.....

I didnt want my neighbors to suffer if I just batched it up with a note "mail put in wrong box" and put it in an outmail slot and my neighbors not get important mail---like electric bills, credit card bills, jury summons, DMV mail-(probably drivers license renewal), mail from insurance companies with ID CARD ENCLOSED stamped on the envelope etc.

Happy to report GREAT SERViCE from new mail person!

Re: Mail delivery problems

Carol Diane — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 22:31:17 GMT

At one point, we were getting everyone else's mail. I had to laugh....in 1 week we were 5

different ethnicities....Lopez, Chen, Patel, Levine and Romano!

Re: Mail delivery problems

Nataliesgramma — Wed, 05 Sep 2018 22:34:47 GMT

My daughters street didn't get mail for 4 days in a row when their Carrier went on vacation....they couldn't find anyone to do it

The only things that got delivered were Amazon packages

Re: Mail delivery problems

Chicagosuburbangirl — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 00:06:54 GMT

The same situation for me. We get a different mail carrier every day.

Lots of times I get my neighbors mail and deliver it to them while rifling through theirs for mine ( I know this wrong AND illegal) because I'm sure one neighbor just throws it away.

The best scenario is when we go, sometimes for days, with NO mail and then one day a pile shows up that barely fits in my normal sized mailbox.

My dad however is BFF with his every day the same nice guy mail carrier.

Arrgh.

Re: Mail delivery problems

bonnielu — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 00:52:08 GMT

All sorts of mail problems

1. Late delivery

2. Getting neighbors mail

3. Missing mail

4. Mail sent back to originator

5. Mail delivered and left in odd places

6. Mail delivered a few street up the block and around the corner

Tired of making this list getting late... but I could go on and on and on. And if I wanted to write my neighbor a letter it would be sent to distribution center 65 miles away and then sent back to our post office to be delivered.

Not what it used to be.

Re: Mail delivery problems

homedecor1 — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 01:02:59 GMT

@BirkiLady

When our regular lady is off & we have fill-in they don't leave the truck! In fact, I was mad because he jammed my Q packages (the mailing bags) in the mailbox -- I honestly had to work to get them out they were jammed in there so badly😖😖😖

Which brings to mind a funny story:

I knew my curtains were being delivered from my informed delivery. Of course, that day not here. I called Bed Bath & Beyond to report it because I got the email they were "delivered". They sent me another order via overnite Fed Ex.

Always wondered what happened to them (or who got my delivery). A man 3 doors down received them but didn't know because he never went out /in front door just pulled in garage which has door to house. 3 months later he found them!!! Box was soaking wet but he "delivered" them!!!

Re: Mail delivery problems

BirkiLady — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 02:45:16 GMT

@homedecor1 That's hilarious! You know there's a place on Informed Delivery to check if you don't receive the items you are supposed to that day? Mark it so the USPS can track it. That carrier would have had to find his mistake. I believe they take a photo of where packages are left. Three months later - Holy Cow!! Surprised BB&B didn't ask USPS to verify delivery. WOW.

Re: Mail delivery problems

January121 — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 02:45:57 GMT

My mail isn’t delivered until after 4 pm ... sometimes as late as 6pm .... this has been going on for years!!!

Re: Mail delivery problems

software — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 02:47:33 GMT

I live in a formerly rural, unincorporated area of a very large county. The government closed several of the smaller, rural post offices and combined it with the post office in a nearby city. it's been chaos.

For so long I didn't get my mail before 7pm. I felt bad for the carrier, having to fight the traffic and be out after dark in the winter.

Post office must have hired more carriers, I get my mail between 3 & 4 now.

But the delivery is awful. Packages are mis-delivered all the time.

My address is clearly marked on my house, I've had to resort to putting up a sign on my glass storm door to please look at the numbers on my house, with arrows pointing above my door. I often get my neighbor's packages

I have a jumbo size mailbox, I rarely order anything too big to fit. I get tired of running around the neighborhood, looking for my packages.