Share your bad post office experiences!

[margecat]

Even though I got the moving slip in and have started receiving mail, the house I moved out of still gets mail for ME!!!

And they will, for about 4-5 years, even though the P.O. put a label inside the mailbox saying to forward the previous occupant's mail.  This happened at our house; we regularly got the precious owner's mail for about 4-5 years after we bought her house, which is funny, as her business mail arrived here, too--it was for an animal hospital!

 Strangely appropriate, as we have 9 critters...

 

[Willowy]

Those bulk mailing companies won't give up once they have a name on their list! I bought my house 9 years ago and mail STILL comes for the previous tenants. Sometimes mail comes for people that (the old-timers tell me) lived in a house 30 years ago. Crazy.

One thing that can help is to put a sticker inside your mailbox (on the inside of the door or flap or wherever it can be seen by the carrier) with your address and the names of everybody who gets mail there. Some people don't want to do this for various reasons, but it helps if there's a sub.

 

[spudsmom]

Willowy...curious are you rural or city carrier?
 

 

[Willowy]

I'm actually a clerk :lol3:. But it's a small office so I also carry the city routes when needed (every Saturday and as a sub). I've never carried a rural route. So. . .best/worst of all worlds :tongue2:. I've carried in blizzards, sub-zero temps, 2 feet of unplowed snow, AND in 105-degree weather, thunderstorms, 95% humidity. And I've stayed in the office and sorted mail and dealt with customers. I like the job a lot, all aspects. Much, much better than the awful call center I worked in before. But it is a hard job, mentally and physically.

 

[frankthetank]

I have worked at the Post Office...not a station doing deliveries though, as a clerk at the processing and distribution center, working the machines that distribute the mail to the different stations. I also have multiple family members who work in the stations as carriers.

With that said, my current post office is ridiculous. It is small, 2 carriers, a postmaster and a clerk. I have lived in the same town for 4 years, in two different houses w/ 2 different carries. The first house for 2 years, I had no issues for awhile until we started having packages delivered. We lived on a busy main road and our mailbox was right on the street. The mailman would not get out of his car to actually deliver any packages, if they didn't fit in the box, he threw it on the ground next to the box (right on the rd)...We filed complaints multiple times, and he finally started putting them on the porch. We were sending out packages and doing the carrier pickup where we set it up online and they are to pick them up at the door, but he started refusing packages. I called to find out why, and we had everything done right, the pickup set, the package packages correctly and labelled and he just refused to. The postmaster ended up saying that it is within his right to refuse packages if needed and when i called the general service number they told me that if I had everything done right they can't refuse it and couldn't tell me why he was but could have the postmaster contact me....the same postmaster who said that he could refuse for any reason he wanted.  After many long conversations, he started making the pickups again but I believe he didn't because he was annoyed that we complained about packages being left on the street.

I had packages tracked as delivered that didn't show up, called to find out that when they put them on the truck for delivery the next day they marked it as delivered.

We started having everything possible sent via ups/fedex, with whom we have had no problems.

Moved to a new house, new neighborhood and realized our carrier was a different one. We had a couple things delivered and had no problems. Ordered quite a bit around Christmas time and had no problems...until the last few months. I ordered some clothes, they are delivered in a bag, not a box. They were tracked as delivered but I figured I would get them the next day. They didn't show up, so I gave it another day. No show. I called, and the postmaster tells me that sometimes packages get delivered to a warehouse that gets *thousands* of packages from this post office daily and they put them aside and they get picked up and she knows this is where my package is and will find it for me etc etc. Three days go by, them "looking" for it, before it is found. Postmaster was very apologetic, called often to give updates, or tell me if they had no info just so I knew she was still searching. I didn't give any attitude, I know mistakes happen, and was being patient. It was delivered a few days later, no biggie.

I ordered a gift for my husband on June 25. On June 29th it was "delivered" but not to me. I called, an they said it was mis delivered "somewhere" and they would find it. I still don't have it. I have called back every couple days, the postmaster is refusing my calls and having the clerk talk to me...the clerk just keeps telling me she has no info, feels bad, has nothing to tell me, wil leave a message for the postmaster....who never calls back. They "don't know" where my package is. Two days after it was missing I contacted the company who sent it and they re-sent it via UPS...It got here 2 days later. So I was able to get the items but the original package sent via USPS is somewhere. I am calling again today but don't expect any different news. We sent a complaint in via the USPS website...which we seem to have done a lot, and got a standard "sorry for what happened, we try to take great care in our delivery but sometimes things happen, terribly sorry etc" email fromt he postmaster (same one who seems to never be around to take my calls anymore no matter when I call). but nothing else.

It is frustrating. I do a lot of shopping online...it is convenient, cheaper at times, and fits mine and my husbands work schedules better often times then shopping in stores. However now we have to pay more for shpping to ensure that is doesn't come via USPS and get lost. I ordered contacts last week online and unfortunately the website doesn't tell me how they are shipping so I am hoping they don't come USPS or if they do, that they actually arrive.

I know there are good postal workers, I have lived in other places and never had a single problem with the post office....but my current post office is just nuts. The postmaster knew my old address....idk if she doesn't remember the name from the old address or if she does and this is why she is being rude but she was horrible to me multiple times when I used to call from the old address to complain about packages being damaged from being left at the road, or the times I would see the carrier just drop/throw boxes out of the truck instead of coming to the door. She would pretty much tell me that I was lying and her carriers wouldn't do such a thing. I almost set up a video camera to prove it multiple times because I was getting so sick of being treated like I was making it up. I wish whoever her boss is would do something about it but so far, nothing has been done.

 

[margecat]

I have questions regarding U.S. Post Service post office boxes. I'm interested in renting one because of the package delivery problems with my "official" P.O.; the next town's P.O. is actually much closer and more convenient to me.  Could someone answer them for me? I'd appreciate it!

1.  Most of the stuff I have to sign for is very small; it's usually jewelry, so it comes in quite small boxes, or usually, tiny padded envelopes.  Any suggestions on which P.O. box size I shoulfdget? If I have it delivered to a box, what is the procedure for knowing that I must sign for it? I normally buy it on eBay; usually, the sellers don't tell you up front if you must sign for it. I usually find out when the peach card is left for me at home.  Does the PO leave it in the PO box for me to find?  If so, can I call them to ask if they have done so, so I know when to stop in?  I'm debating between 2 post offices; one (the closest to work; I work in the same complex) has far better lobby hours, plus I could go there at lunchtime.  However, it's more expensive.  The closest to my house: lousy lobby hours; in fact, I could only get there on Saturdays.

2.  I would like to have only certain mail delivered to the P.O. box, NOT my everyday mail.  Can I do that? I suppose I would need to instruct my eBay sellers to send it to that address?

I really don't want a P.O. box at my "official" P.O.--it's out of my way, and to be honest, I'm phobic about the building and the parking lot. It's up on a big hill, and I always get  dizzy when I get out of my car--and even in the building (you haven't much choice--you have to look at the view through those glass doors).  I do sometimes go there, but, even if I weren't phobic of it, the route there is dangerous in snowy weather.  Also, the main reason is that I don't trust these folks to get things right.

Oh, BTW--I have another package to be re-delivered this week. This should be interesting!

 

[Willowy]

If a package needs a signature, they'll put a peach slip or other marker (we have yellow cards) in your box and you'd have to go in during lobby hours to sign for it.

You can rent a P.O Box at any Post Office. So if the one closer to your work is better for you, that would be fine.

The mail addressed to the box goes to the box, the mail addressed to the house goes to the house. Unless you had the house mail forwarded to the box.

If you'll pick up mail every day or every other day, the smallest should work. Unless you would get a lot of magazines or something.

 

[spudsmom]

Got a good one for ya! Today the UPS guy knocked on my door, said he had a question for me. He said a name and then asked if there was a business being run out of the building next door. Well for years and years it was a restaurant, actually a landmark around here. But since we've lived here our Landlady has been using it for storage and having "yard" sales occasionally. He told me the address, which was correct, and said "Spirit Wolf Leather". That was the last business that rented the place 7-8 years ago!!. Wow! It was a pretty big box, too. I can just imagine somewhere some lady is going to be saying "The PO lost my package...gone without a trace!" Cause when UPS sends a card to that address saying that they couldn't deliver it because.....well that business is UTF. Back to the sender it goes and they have no way of knowing. This happens all the time at the PO. I'll get parcels for someone that got a PO box and the forward has expired....I HAVE to return it to the sender because I work from a DCU, not the actual PO. I have no-one to yell over to ask if so & so still has a PO box. Or someone orders something that will not deliver to a PO box and they don't get street delivery. RTS...we're not Sherlock Holmes!
 

 

[margecat]

Well, the idiots are at it AGAIN.

Scheduled re-delivery for yet ANOTHER parcel; get email confirmation; not on the truck; I ran down the street to flag down the mail carrier, he said he knew nothing about it.

I called the post office, and SCREAMED at them. Literally.  Told them this has been going on for 2 years now--almost every package I have to sign for/get re-delivered has a problem, and I'm sick and tired of it. Their excuse? "It's not your regular mail carrier today." Seriously. Does the mail carrier load sort the mail into those bins, and load them on the truck?  I don't give a rat's behind if he's "not my regular carrier". Is that an excuse for not doing his job properly, or for the rest of the times my regular carrier does this?????  In case you think I'm over-reacting, this has happened about once per montth sometimes more (like this month) for 2 years as of this month. And I order quite a few things via mail. and this is not to mention all of the other errors they make, about once a week, like delivering someone else's mail to us, including packages.

They "lost connection" with me twice during the phone call. I called them back. They claim the parcel will be on the truck later today. Told them I've heard that so many times before, and the parcel was NOT sent out.

On Monday, I will be sending a letter to the Postmaster General, lodging a complaint about this post office. It probably won't do any good, but I don't know what else to do.

 

[Willowy]

The Postmaster General has nothing to do with Post Office operations. He's a figurehead. And not a very good one. Have you tried the complaint form on the website? Or try to find the number for the Master of Post Office Operations in your area.

However, service people don't have to tolerate abuse from customers. At the call center I worked at, we were allowed to hang up on people who were screaming and/or swearing, and deny them further service. I have never hung up on a Post Office customer but I bet we're allowed to if they're being abusive.

 

[margecat]

The Postmaster General has nothing to do with Post Office operations. He's a figurehead. And not a very good one. Have you tried the complaint form on the website? Or try to find the number for the Master of Post Office Operations in your area.
However, service people don't have to tolerate abuse from customers. At the call center I worked at, we were allowed to hang up on people who were screaming and/or swearing, and deny them further service. I have never hung up on a Post Office customer but I bet we're allowed to if they're being abusive.

I was NOT being abusive, nor did I use foul language. I, did, however, make it very clear that I was disgusted with their poor service.  And I don't have to tolerate poor service from THEM--they are there to serve US. They need to remember that. I work for the government myself--and I'm required to perfom my duties well, and consistently.  I can tolerate one or two mistakes; we all make mistakes but this place is beyond ridiculous; surely, even a postal worker can agree to that...

Oh, within 1 hour, the package was delivered. I guess my call made an impact. Every other when I've called to complain when this happened, and they said they would put the package on another truck for later-that-day delivery, it never happened. This is the only time it did.

 

[Willowy]

Screaming was enough to get people flagged at as "abusive customer--service denied" at the call center (don't scream at your cell phone customer service :tongue2. But I guess bad behavior gets rewarded often enough, unfortunately.

Glad you got your package. Next time, try calling the PO directly if you want redelivery. . .the website is frequently down on our end, at least around here. Maybe that happened there, too. Our postmaster is constantly having to bring packages out himself because he wasn't able to get into the website until all the carriers had left. See if that helps.

 

[margecat]

Screaming was enough to get people flagged at as "abusive customer--service denied" at the call center (don't scream at your cell phone customer service

). But I guess bad behavior gets rewarded often enough, unfortunately.
Glad you got your package. Next time, try calling the PO directly if you want redelivery. . .the website is frequently down on our end, at least around here. Maybe that happened there, too. Our postmaster is constantly having to bring packages out himself because he wasn't able to get into the website until all the carriers had left. See if that helps.

And, pray tell, when does the bad behavior of the post office get rewarded?  I hope you remember your comments when you have to deal with a business, etc. that gives you this much trouble.  I suppose the Post Office is sacred--they can do no wrong in your opinion, Willowy. And this is why so many people are turning to UPS and FedEx nowadays.

The website was NOT down--they sent a confirmation of my request each time. Calling these people did no good before. Complaining to the so-called "manager" did no good--I've done it several times. Why don't you just admit that your precious Postal Service has sometimes can be WRONG?

 

[katkuddler]

My problem is this junk.




 

 

[sk_pacer]

My problem is this junk.




 

I live in a very small community and we have a couple of largish weiner roasts every summer and part of the bring list is flyers and other junk mail.