Complaint Review: United States Postal Service - Holland Ohio

I've lived at the same address for seven years and had the same carrier for that amount of time. So it's not as if she doesn't know me.

So why have several checks for stock dividends vanished? (Fortunately the company does regular audits and notified me that this year's lost checks amounted to $106. They issued a replacement check. They've had to do that in prior years, too.) When I contacted the postal manager, she said her carriers do not lose mail.

Hmmm. Then what happened to my property tax invoice in two separate years? I figured that I was about due to pay my property taxes, so I called the Clerk of Courts. Yes, the statements had been sent out. Nope, never got mine. Twice. The nice people at the Clerk's office agreed to waive the penalty. Thank goodness.

How 'bout my Citibank ATM card? Gone.

Today was the last straw. We have those group "cluster" boxes at the end of the block and my lock was jammed (apparently from the inside...this has happened once before when the carrier--who loads the mail from the back of the box--pushed a box of checks to the very front of the box and blocked the lock mechanism from turning). I was driving away when I spotted her van and stopped her to ask if she could get at the mail or clear it from the back of the box, since I was expecting an important piece of mail. She said, no, she was running late and didn't have time (she was a block and a half away from the box--short blocks).

I explained that I was expecting a check from a friend, and that check along with one from me were to be forwarded to another woman who was in desperate financial need. She answered no again and said that she would be fired if she didn't get back to the office on time. The strange thing was, she spent at least five minutes explaining to me why she couldn't open the box, when it would have taken less than three minutes to go back and do it!

This is the same woman who has time to stop and chat with residents for at least 20-30 minutes on other days. I told her: "I'm sorry but I'll have to make a report of this," she said: "Oh that's OK, go ahead. I won't get fired because of your report, but I will if I'm late." (Mind you this was 1 1/2 hours before quitting time.) I told her I'd call my friend who was expecting the check and explain why it was delayed. (I didn't mention this to the carrier, but this woman has terminal cancer and is completely indigent at this point.) She could ALMOST have cared. I know from prior experience that it's futile to call the manager. Her people never do anything wrong. Wish I had a boss like that, but, too bad for me, I have to work in the realm of reality.

I went to the station itself, as I had a package which needed to be mailed, but when I saw the line reaching from the counter to the door and one person working the counter--verrrrrry sloooooooowwly--I turned about and gave up. After all, it was four in the afternoon and my granddaughter's daycare facility closes at six thirty. I knew I'd never make it to pick her up if I waited to get to the front of the line. And--natch--even though my package was already pre-paid and ready to go out, there was no bin or counter at which to simply drop it off. Nooo. You had to wait in line behind all the people who were mailing 20 separate, insured packages to Thailand. If my company performed like this we'd all be living in cardboard boxes down by the river.

And to think that I actually used to BE a mail carrier "back in the day." Wow. Scary.

Kate

Holland, Ohio

U.S.A.