USPS: "We can't" culture at its finest. How to restore mail service?

[ecotourist]

Can you imagine having a job you hate and are waiting for the 35 years of work to be over so you don't have to do it anymore. It's called the "golden handcuffs."

Some people don't like what they do and won't go an inch out of their way. But that's just the way a few people are. You'll find them anywhere. They're just more visible when they're your postman.

 

[riff1006]

Oh boy, I feel your pain. I shipped a package on 12/10 to the NYC area. It didn't leave the Houston location till 12/16, Houston being 40 miles away. On it's way to NYC, it seemed to disappear, then was scanned in at Catano, PR, I think on 1/5. It still has not arrived. At least it's been scanned recently. Fortunately the recipient chose the carrier and paid for the shipping himself, so he can't blame me. Still I'm a bit concerned because he purchased $1250 worth of equipment that are in that box. I sure hope it gets there or it could get kind of ugly. He seems like a decent enough dude, and I'm not sure what should happen or what my part in it would be, should it be lost.

 

[racer12306]

Can we see a picture of your mailbox?

The USPS carriers are under more pressure than ever with all the Amazon load they're carrying now. Imagine the amount of time it takes to use a widget to open a mail box, put the mail in and then close it compared to a regular mail stop.

It's always been my understanding that you need to make your mailbox accessible when it snows, couple inches, no big deal, couple feet from plow pushing, big deal.

 

[zzyzzx]

Unionized government employees who can't be fired, and you wonder why you get poor service?

And I also dig out around the mailbox for easy access for USPS.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

We have terrible USPS service here. Luckily, in the modern age, online billpay is a thing and I can just have all of my bills paid. If I had to actively rely on getting a bill in the mail, and then mailing it back out ... I'd be in big trouble.

 

[Cropduster172]

Interesting how Amazon gets packages to your front door consistently with few hiccups.
UPS is pretty good but not as squared away as they once were.
FedEx is definitely not what it once was but still better than USPS...and that's a low bar.

 

[opus1]

We have terrible USPS service here. Luckily, in the modern age, online billpay is a thing and I can just have all of my bills paid. If I had to actively rely on getting a bill in the mail, and then mailing it back out ... I'd be in big trouble.

That depends too. Had a bit of a go-round with ATT last month where their portal was showing my account as being past-due even though my due date was 2 days into the future, and I already checked the bank account and saw that the withdrawal was made. Went back and forth with their chat-bot on how my account can be past-due when it's not even due yet *and* they received payment. Finally got hold of a human who told me that their portal was a mess at that moment but he had access to another system and confirmed that payment was made.

 

[MNgopher]

Without pictures, its not easy to guess what exactly the mail person is working around.

Reality is that most places the homeowner/business is responsible for keeping the mailbox accessible and cleaning out the snow the plows deposit there... At least that's how its been since I was born here anyways... You may have had a carrier who "made it work", but the reality is if they can't access the mailbox easily, that's on you...

 

[twouvakind]

Snow! It's the first one!

The phrase is taken from an ancient book by the Greek historian Herodotus and refers to messengers in the Persian Empire.

The phrase comes from book 8, paragraph 98, of The Persian Wars by Herodotus, a Greek historian. During the wars between the Greeks and Persians (500-449 B.C.), the Persians operated a system of mounted postal couriers who served with great fidelity.

The popular belief that Herodotus’s description of the Persian postal service is about the U.S. Postal Service is a tribute to the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have delivered the mail reliably and dependably, through all conditions, for centuries.

Who knew!? McKim, Meade and White said it.

 

[mk378]

If the usable "edge of the road" (i.e. where a vehicle can drive) has moved due to plowed snow accumulation, your box is no longer in compliance with the required distance from the road. In no way is it the postal service's problem. Either the state or the box owner is responsible to clear the obstruction.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Without pictures, its not easy to guess what exactly the mail person is working around.

Reality is that most places the homeowner/business is responsible for keeping the mailbox accessible and cleaning out the snow the plows deposit there... At least that's how its been since I was born here anyways... You may have had a carrier who "made it work", but the reality is if they can't access the mailbox easily, that's on you...

Yes the same issue that seems to stop all those Amazon deliveries LOL

 

[mk378]

Amazon delivers into roadside mailboxes? Only if they contract with the USPS to do it, and then it will be the same guy that delivers your regular mail.

 

[MNgopher]

Yes the same issue that seems to stop all those Amazon deliveries LOL

Amazon deliveries via their carrier are to my front door, not my mailbox. And if my driveway or walk aren't shoveled out, they can (and have) refused delivery. UPS and FedEx, same story.

 

[ecotourist]

My great grandfather was a postal worker and a "real character". He used to carry the mail between a larger post office and a small rural post office in South Eastern Saskatchewan. One day he was determined to set off in a blizzard to deliver the mail and the town cop who was equally determined to stop him was holding the ends of the reins of his team. So my great grandfather whipped out his knife ("all Finns carried knives"), cut off the ends of the reins and headed out into the storm.

The town cop caught up with him later and made him promise not to carry that knife when he came to town. So the next time he came to town the cop checked - "Was he carrying that knife?" Nope, he was dragging it on a string.

My wife says he's probably more fun to read about than he was to live with.

 

[zzyzzx]

Obligatory:

 

[Egg_Head]

My mailman looks like Jerry Garcia and brings my dog treats. Once we were having a family picnic/luncheon in my yard after my mother's funeral service. He came by to bring the mail and I insisted he have a piece of fried chicken with us.

 

[walterjay]

The postal system has turned into a wreck. We track our packages through them. They get escorted all around the east coast before finally arriving. No wonder they are always losing money.

 

[Hall]

it has always required the mailman to use a device out their window to reach all of the mailboxes due to the state highway and the snow loads

What is this about ? The USPS has regulations about mailbox placement and I never have seen anything that allows for them to use anything that helps them reach.

Around here, people that live on a nearby state route, have small strips for the mail carrier to pull into so they aren't 100% on the road while delivering mail.

 

[PontiacHO]

It’s not just the postal service. Everything is degraded due to this extreme low effort that has been allowed to fester. Called the doctor’s office to cancel my lab tests and had to be transferred 4 times with at least a 5 minute wait on hold between every transfer. “Um, holds on cause I ain’t sure”……

 

[gman2304]

Meh, auction off the USPS facilities to a private equity firm. At least we won't be using taxpayer funds anymore for all this malfeasance and incompetence.

The usps does not use taxpayer money! Google it.