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 ...

Shirley of Raton, NM January 1, 2009

Shirley of Raton NM (01/01/09)
I moved from Des Moines, NM, zip 88418 to Raton in November. I arranged to have my mail forwarded through the post office. According to the postal service, Des Moines does not exist either. Even though it has been incorporated since 1919. To mail a letter from Des Moines to Folsom or Capulin, which are both 8 miles away, the mail is supposed to go to Clayton, Tucumcari, Albuquerque and back to Tucumcari, Clayton and then to Capulin or Folsom. A 600 mile round trip to deliver a letter 8 miles away.

On December 1st, my brother-in-law mailed some Christmas and birthday cards and checks from San Antonio to my address in Des Moines. The cards and checks were for my son, grandchildren and me. He mailed them in a priority mail envelope, return receipt requested. The envelope did not reach Des Moines until the 15th and then had to go back to Albuquerque and then to Raton. I did not receive the prioroty mail envelope until December 30. It took 30 days for that 2 to 3 day priority mail envelope to arrive. The problem in New Mexico is that everything has to go through Albuquerque. Then the postal service in Albuquerque fouls things up a lot of the time.

Nancy of Amherst, OH December 30, 2008

They have a new policy that does not allow products ordered on line to be returned... even if defective or not as advertised. When contacted about the inoperable postal scale I received 3 weeks after I ordered it I was told it isn't policy to help customers and that there was no way I could return the tiny cheap plastic scale that would not do the job even if it wasn't broken.

Cindy of Tacoma, WA December 30, 2008

Cindy of Tacoma WA (12/30/08)
I called the on Tuesday, December 23rd to this Post Office -Saint Johns Pl Brooklyn, NY and spoke with a man and I gave him my tracking number, He told me very rudely that thare was a storm in New York, and the Holidays were here and that I should wait and be patient. I told him here in Washington State we were having a snow storm and that I understood about weather, and holidays, but [he] was very rude and I felt he refused to be nice and help me. He probably was having a bad day, but still, he said his computor was down and couldn't help me with the tracking numbers. He told me to wait a few days, and if I don't get any results to call my local Post office where I mailed it out.

I did call my Spanaway Washington Branch and spoke with a very nice man with an accent, and he told me that there wasn't any news on the trcking, and it was sent out on the 18th and to wait. Today, Tuesday, December 30th I called the Spanaway Branch and spoke with a very nice guy named Bill and he told me that my package was on it's way back to Washington State and perhaps I might have gotten the wrong address, But I feel that sll Postal workers should care about which state that hey work in and help out those patrons who are not from their state with a calm, polite, and helpful attitude.

Thank you Happy New Year!

Michael of South Boston, MA December 29, 2008

Michael of South Boston MA (12/29/08)
Rich a supervisor at the USPS station in South Boston made my wife crys. She called concerning a parcel that is missing. In his sarcastic tone he stated, I don't know what you want me to do about it. Then my wife stated that we have had 4 consumer affairs complaints about the same issue in the past year and his response was, Well no one has spoken to me about it. All of this in a snide and curt tone.

Barbara of San Antonio, TX December 29, 2008

Barbara of San Antonio TX (12/29/08)
Guterra kept me waiting 30 minutes to pick up my mail that was being held. After about the first 5 minutes, another employee said the man who goes after held mail was not back from lunch. Guterra said he had asked another employee to get it. After another 10 minutes, I asked again. He said the employee who was gathering that mail is a carrier with a broken leg. I have never before been treated with this much disrespect by a postal employee.

Considerable waste of my time--50 at the rate which I charge as a clinical social worker in private practice.

Darryl of Atlanta, GA December 27, 2008

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