To the best of my knowledge, these are the actual dates I have been into the post office to complain or send letters. I have not marked these dates on my calendar, but believe them to be fairly accurate.
Years 2005 through 2007: We had three vehicles during this time and would occasionally park one of our vehicles in front of our mailbox. Nasty notes were left on the windshield or in our mailbox. The notes stated that we were obstructing our mailbox and that our carrier had every right to withhold mail until we moved our vehicle. There were several times that he placed old photocopied penal codes or citations validating that we were in violation and mail was being withheld until we removed our vehicle.
July 2008: I complained to "Dolly" as the mail carrier supervisor or postmaster was not available without an appointment. Dolly (or Dottie) was a former neighbor of mine in early 2000 when I lived on ** (different address). She stated that she would relay the message. The following week, two Netflix DVDs which were delivered were broken in two.
August 2009: My adult son came to live with us for a year. He drove a small Ford Escort and parked it on the street in front of our home, not directly in front of the mailbox but was close to it. Postal Carrier left two nasty notes on my son's car, one was the photocopy of penal codes stating it was against the law for him to block a post box and mail could be suspended. My son was a police cadet at the Brentwood Police Department and was very upset at the note, thinking that his behavior would be reported to the Brentwood Police. We did not second guess the postal carrier, but believed that we all had violated the law, according to his notes.
My son was on a tour and I did not have keys to move his car. Our mail was withheld for almost a week. I had to leave work early to get to the post office before closing to retrieve our mail. Whenever my son would forget and park right in front of our mailbox, our mail was not delivered.
May 25, 2010: We went away for a few days and our house/dog sitter parked on the street in front of our mailbox and received the same threat notices, so she moved her car. When we returned, we went into the post office and spoke with supervisor, Marvin. I stated that he was leaving threat notices on our cars and was also curious to know if he was legally permitted to drive on the sidewalk? He said that the postal carrier was a union employee and it was very difficult to get anything done, so I needed to write a letter first. He said that he would give the letter to the postmaster and she or someone would be in contact with me once my letter was reviewed to let me know of the outcome.
June 11, 2010: My letter to the Postmaster received no reply.
August 15, 2010: I called Orinda Post Office and left a message for the Postmaster. An anonymous voicemail was left at my office (no name given) stating that the letter was received and "disciplinary action is underway". The message left sounded like Marvin, the carrier's supervisor.
Mail was withheld several times over the course of 2 months. Often, 2 days would go by with no mail whatsoever. When mail was received, we noticed the postmark date was older than necessary. We were not sure if our carrier was retaliating because of our complaint letter, or if the mail service was slow.
January 19, 2011: I was driving home from the store and noticed our postal carrier in front of me. He blew right through a stop sign on Ivy and Risa Court, directly in front of Orinda Intermediate School. He did not slow down, just ran right through the stop sign, and then made a right turn onto Risa Court. The time was approximately 3:30 pm and there were children walking from the intermediate school on the sidewalk and in the bike lanes. He did not even look to the right where children were waiting to cross.
Saturday, January 22, 2011: As we were driving up the street, we spotted our postal carrier driving in the opposite direction, going up the hill to Ivy Drive. We turned around and videotaped him going down the hill, past our home, driving on the sidewalk. We went directly into the post office and spoke with Marvin again. He again told us that we were dealing with the union and that our carrier (Manuel **) was a long-term employee and he was able to pick his choice of routes. He has received complaints before, but every time supervisor Marvin goes with him for a "ride along", he behaves and never drives on the sidewalk.
Supervisor Marvin stated that we could e-mail him the video clips along with a copy of the original complaint letter from June and he would "take action". He verified that carrier Manuel ** was a problem carrier and had been written up several times, in fact Marvin stated that Manuel's personnel file was "this thick" (indicating the size by his fingers). I asked for the e-mail address for the Postmaster, but he said she wouldn't be able to view the videotape, that we should forward to his personal e-mail address and he had a way of forwarding it along and would do so. He stated that she would call us after reviewing the letter and videos.
March 3, 2011: I received a phone call from EBMUD (Water Company) that mail was returned with a sticker that said, "Undeliverable". We were delinquent on our water bill because the bill was returned as they assumed we moved.
March 8, 2011: We received a phone call from Chase Credit Card Services that our Visa account was past due because of non-payment, and the bill being returned to their office unopened.
Mail was also sporadically withheld, sometimes 2-days in a row.
Saturday, April 9, 2011: We were having lunch on the front patio and witnessed carrier Manuel ** zipping past our house, driving on the sidewalk, without stopping at our home to deliver mail.
We drove down to the post office and again spoke with supervisor Marvin. I advised Marvin that my next stop would be to the Orinda Police Department. Marvin again stated that he has done all he could do. He said that carrier Manuel just arrived and he was going to check his bag to see if our mail was in there. He came back and said that there was no mail addressed to us.
April 12, 2011: My mail order Rx was not received, but was guaranteed for delivery on this day. We went into the Orinda Police Department and filed a complaint. Officer Grey stated that he could not assist me with carrier Manuel retaliating (withholding mail, returning mail and breaking DVDs), but he could observe the carrier to see if he drove on the sidewalk and issue a citation if he did. He further verified that carrier Manuel was in violation by driving on the sidewalk and creating unsafe conditions for bicyclist, pedestrians and children, as we are next door to Orinda Intermediate School.
We went into the post office again to inform supervisor Marvin that I had been to the police department and we only wanted to receive our mail, unopened and unharmed! At this point, we were sure that our mail was being tampered with and we were being retaliated against. Marvin said that he didn't know what to do. He would recommend removing Manuel ** from the Orinda Post Office, which is what he wanted to do, but his hands were tied. He said that every time he does a "ride along" with Manuel, he obeys all traffic laws and there is no problem. He further stated that another Orinda resident complained about carrier Manuel; I did not understand the details, but something about an accident.
Marvin stated that he has forwarded all of our letters, e-mails, complaints and videos to Maria, the Orinda Postmaster and that if I wanted to meet with her, she was very busy and I would have to take time off work and make an appointment during early morning hours. I work in San Francisco and am at work before the Orinda Post Office opens to the public.
April 18, 2011: A former postal employee referred me to the USPS Postal Inspection office. I called, and after several conversations, was referred to my local USPS Consumer Affairs office. I was told to call Elma **. I called today and left a very detailed message. (Note: 3 weeks have transpired and my call has not been returned.)
April 26, 2011: I left a message for Kim ** with the Consumer Affairs Postal office. (Note: 2 weeks have transpired and no returned call).
May 3, 2011: I called Kim ** with my local Consumer Affairs Postal office and was referred to Lavetta**, assistant to Mr. Oscar **. I was told Mr. ** would be able to assist. I left a very detailed message. (1 week has transpired and I have not received a return call.)
Last week and this week, we have had a total of 3 Netflix DVDs returned to Netflix. We have had an account with them for over 10-years and have never experienced delivery problems on their end. These movie rentals are being opened, placed in a "return to sender envelope" and returned back to them. We are not doing this. Additionally, our mailbox door is left wide open most every day, while other homeowners' mailbox doors are politely shut.
May 7, 2011: Last Saturday, at approximately 12:30 pm, we were driving up Ivy Drive, headed to our home. We saw our mail carrier, Manuel ** crest the top of Ivy Drive in front of us driving towards us. We passed him and made a U-turn to observe if he would again drive on the sidewalk or bypass our home.
We videotaped Manuel driving on the sidewalk as he customarily does! Front and rear right tires are on the sidewalk, while his left front and rear tires are on the asphalt, in the Bike Lane. Manuel drove down Ivy Drive on the sidewalk. He skipped our house completely! He paused approximately 50 feet in front of our home for about a minute (maybe going through our mail and putting it elsewhere). We had mail addressed, stamped and in need of pickup, not only did he not deliver our mail, but he did not stop to pick up the mail in our mailbox. He continued to drive down Ivy Drive on the sidewalk. The sidewalk ends in front of the Orinda Intermediate School bus off-loading and soccer/baseball field, where many children play on weekdays and weekends. When he arrived at the end of the sidewalk, he drove off the curb/sidewalk directly in front of a blind corner (fence with greenery) where children or pedestrians could have suddenly appeared! In the video we took, you can see the USPS vehicle jar as it comes down hard from the sidewalk onto the street.
We went to our mailbox, picked up the mail, which he did not stop to collect, and drove to the Orinda Post Office. The office closed 30-minutes before and after several minutes of knocking on the doors (we could see them behind the counters), we dropped off our mail in the slots, unable to speak to anyone.
We called an hour later and spoke to Manuel's supervisor, Marvin. He told us that there were three (3) other complaints against Carrier Manuel. I explained what had just transpired and that we were certain that we were being retaliated against at this point. We further explained that we have a video proving today's events. Marvin seemed surprised that Postmaster Maria still has not returned our calls or addressed our concerns as he claims he has forwarded everything to her. We asked to have our mail be put on "hold" so that we can pick it up from the Orinda Post Office. At this point, we are afraid of severe retaliation. Obviously, our complaint was not anonymous and he is retaliating against us.
May 9, 2011: I called the Consumer Affairs office again and reached Lavada, who triaged my call in the office. I told her that I called a week ago and nobody returned my call. I told her that we were ready to retain legal counsel as we have had to put our mail on "vacation hold" to stop our carrier from tampering with our mail due to retaliation. She asked a couple of questions and stated that she would have Mr. ** call me back.
May 11, 2011: After another 2-days of not receiving a call back, I called Kim ** office. I explained that I would like to speak with someone who would be able to deal with this issue. I was forwarded to Lavada's direct line. Lavetta remembered my call from Monday. She then said, "Can I ask you something? Do you know your carrier?" I stated that I knew he delivered our mail, but didn't understand what she meant. She said, "This sounds personal to me, I was curious if you had a relationship with him or something? Because why would a postal carrier do these things to you? I just don't understand why he would do this? It sounds strange to me." I replied with, "Why wouldn't he do this?" (I have not fabricated one iota! My partner and I have been the victims here and I shouldn't have to defend myself against someone who is not only violating the law, but certainly some code of ethics of being a "public employee.) I further explained that this has been going on for years and I am tired of spending my time defending my right to be treated with respect, and receive my mail and not be retaliated against.
Lavada was very kind and listened to what I had to say, and patched me through to the Orinda Post Office where we left a message for Marie, the Postmaster. I explained that I was leaving work within minutes and would be home to take her call. Lavada said that I could forward to her my letters of complaint, videos of the carrier driving on our sidewalk and not stopping to deliver mail, or check our mailbox! When I reached home at 5 pm, there was no message from Marie. I drove down to the post office to pick up our mail (which there is only 5 pieces for 4-days of no delivery). I asked to speak with Marie, but she was not in at 5:30.
I drive past Orinda Oaks Park, which is next to our home. Almost daily I see our postal carrier sitting in there in his USPS vehicle, reading or eating (between 4 and 5 PM). I know he recognizes our vehicles as well.
May 12, 2011: I arrived to work and Postmaster left a voicemail from the day before. I e-mailed to Lavada the documents along with the videos.
The e-mail was returned because the USPS mail server could not deliver all of the letters, videos and attachments. I called Lavada to ask if there was another method of delivery. She called back with Marie the Orinda Postmaster on the line and Marie left another message for me that she would be there for "20-minutes". I e-mailed Lavada asking if there was another form of e-mail delivery for all of these documents. She replied to my e-mail that Marie left another message for me, and I should speak with her now. She did not answer my question. I called Lavada back again and stated that I would like to send these documents to her. I now feel Lavada is passing us off, as she told me that Marie the Postmaster was the only one who could help me at this point! I again shared with Lavada that this has been going on for years! Because of the nature of this, I would like to speak with someone who is over the Orinda Post Office. I was told that I could file a complaint with an entity over the local office. Lavada said that I could fax her letters. She said that there are budget cuts and the postmaster is doing all she can, which is why she has not responded over the past several months.
I cannot believe that I have been calling for a month and no response from the USPS, just putting me off or trying to pass me off to the local post office wherein the problem originated.
We don't know what else to do. Our taxes are paying the carrier's salary and we are being retaliated against. Is our carrier a homophobe with issues about our sexual orientation? Or is he simply being mean and spiteful because we have complained? We deserve to receive our mail, unopened, not tampered with and unharmed. Additionally, we have been threatened with bogus notices, as well as anyone who parks in front of our mailbox. Mail delivery has been withheld, and continues to be withheld as well as not picked up from our mailbox. Carrier Manuel continues to drive on a public sidewalk, which is not only against the law and very unsafe, but our taxes are paying for the upkeep on these city sidewalks. They are not meant to withstand a vehicle driving on them. We have already had one problem with our sidewalk and have needed repairs.
At this point, I am requesting that he be removed from our route. For years, he has driven on the sidewalk without receiving any reprimand. He continues to jeopardize the safety of children and pedestrians. He has left nasty notes on our vehicles for the past few years. He has withheld the delivery of our mail. He has placed, "Not Deliverable" stickers on two of our bills. Our Netflix DVDs have been broken. They have also been opened and put back into a "return" envelope without us receiving them! He has driven right past our house without stopping to deliver or pick up mail in the mail box! Ever since we began complaining in person and via mail /e-mail, he has retaliated against us. I do not feel that he will have the respect, courtesy or integrity to deliver our mail, obey traffic laws and not retaliate at this point. This is why our mail continues to be held at the post office. I am very certain that if /when this issue is dealt with or disciplinary action administered, it will only get worse. I hope these problems can be remedied without further retaliation. We do not know what else to do at this point.