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 Proposes Eliminating Saturday Mail • 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 ...

Christine of Simi Valley, CA January 19, 2008

Christine of Simi Valley CA (01/19/08)
My husband sent an insurance payment on Dec. 30, 2007, but it wasn't post marked until Jan. 10, 2008! Due to USPS we have a 10 day lapse in our coverage. I have spoken with my insurance carrier and was informed the post mark is how they calculate the payment as received. So even if they didn't process the payment until Jan. 10th, it would have still been considered received if the post mark was before Jan 1st. It was my understanding that when I place the mail in the mailbox it goes to the post office and is post marked. If this is incorrect, then where in the does it go? I have filled a complaint with the USPS and have yet to hear anything. What are my options?

The only reason we found out about the lapse in coverage was because I hydroplaned on the freeway Jan. 4th, 2008 and smacked the rear of my car (no one else involved). Needless to say I had to call my insurance carrier to report it. It was at that time we where informed the payment was not received and our coverage was no longer in effect. We were to wait a couple of days to ensure it wasn't sitting on someone's desk waiting to be processed. It was finally received Jan. 10th. Now not only do I have to have my car repaired, there's the ambulance, hospital, doctor, radiology and car rental that have to be paid for. All of this is under my insurance policy that took almost 2 weeks to be post marked. I am between jobs and did not budget for this. My car is a 2004 Honda Civic LX coupe. It doesn't even have 50,000 miles on it. The only saving grace is that it is still driveable.

Tonda of Vinita, OK January 17, 2008

Tonda of Vinita OK (01/17/08)
I was employed the USPS and have recently resigned. I have been told by my fellow co-workers that the Postmaster and supervisor have both allowed my confidental employee file be seen and discussed by other coworkers in that office. I feel he has broken the code of ethics for keeping a person personal information confidental and abusing their position to do so.

I feel my personal and work information has been shared with strangers that have no business seeing private information. And that a person in a manager or supervisor status should not be allowed to do so.

Rhoda of Chicago, IL January 16, 2008

Rhoda of Chicago IL (01/16/08)
I purchased a roll of stamps and used my visa card to pay for the purchase. Upon signing the merchant copy, I noticed that my entire credit card number is being printed (not just the last 4 disits as required by law). Now on my copy (customer receipt) only the last 4 digits are printed. I informed the clerk about the error because according to law, a customer's CC number is not to be printed in full on any documents but should be retained in their system in an encrypted format. I asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor did not come out but instead gave me a phone number for consumer affairs to file a complaint. Instead I decided to go online and file my concerns that way.

The consequences is that customers' full credit card numbers are accessible to anyone working in the postal center. This could lead to identity theft and fraud. I would like to know that the postal service is going to correct this considering that all other merchants have to comply to the law.

Melody of Mountain Home, AR January 16, 2008

Melody of Mountain Home AR (01/16/08)
On 12-3-2007, I gave a change of mail address to be effective 12/5, in Mammoth Spring, AR. The new address is a PO Box, in Mt. Home, AR (1-1/2 hr drive!) Allowing 10 business days for foward to take effect, but NO mail has been forwarded. I called every creditor, etc, with the new PO address on 12/6. No mail forwarded. I talked 3 xs with Mammoth who stated data entry put in the wrong PO. My mail was sent to my old address, and then was forwarded to the WRONG PO. 3 times efforts were made to correct/forward to our NEW PO, which have failed. I called the 1-800#, filed complaint, got Conf # that the error was corrected yesterday 1/14/08, but it will take 10 MORE business days for mail to reach me.

I've lost all mail from creditors who HAD the new # but AFTER the billing cycle, bills that had charges when I was forced to call via phone & pay via bank account, car insurance to be cancelled, doctor bill, sent 3 xs and the only reason I found that out was our med ins. company notifies via email of claims filed. Christmas presents ordered via catalog/by phone have not been found nor have been received. Paid for but not recieved. ALL Dec's monthly bank, financial statements, credit cards, etc are lost. WHO has ALL that private information? We don't.

SECOND NIGHTMARE: It was announced in local paper last Friday, the PO of this city (pop 11,000) has been sending mail to another city for postmark then the mail is sent BACK here to be mailed out! Beginning 1st wk of Dec and ending Jan 14! DID the PO notify the public? NO! So, anything mailed OUT during Dec was LATE getting to destinations THROUGHOUT the US. This, too, has been going on for 6 wks! The PO we moved from has done EVERYTHING possible to get to the bottom of this and HELP, but the PO clerks here, sent out the wrong correction form to help possibly get the correction! I have been charged for paying by phone, and had to pay ins monthly premium also via phone because I don't TRUST the mail in the new town since they did not disclose sent out mail was being delayed FOR DAYS! Currently, I mailed the electric bill Jan 7, due Jan 14...IN THIS CITY...and it has not cleared the bank yet! So we have been whammied BY TWO USPS events in 6+ wks and all they can say is, we're sorry if this caused you any inconvenience.

G of Stewartstown, PA January 14, 2008

G of Stewartstown PA (01/14/08)
I am so tired of the US postal service and their excuses. Items I send are constantly lost and the folks at the USPS don't care. Recently I mailed a renewal for a work permit form via cert. mail w/ a return receipt via email. I tracked it to find no info. A few days later the item arrived at my home but no one had signed for it- LIKE I PAID EXTRA FOR. This is so typical of their service. When I called to get a refund of money I spent for this service, I was told it was up to our individual clerk if they felt like refunding the money. When I asked if there was a standard or some guarantee, I was told that it was up to each individual clerk..

I paid for a service that I did not receive.

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