SO annoyed with our mail carrier

[wdw4us2]

Okay, let me start by saying I was a Letter Carrier in Florida for 14 years until 2001.

I understand a lot of the complaints that posters have listed. It is true that there are good and bad carriers - the same as with any other job. I generally delivered the mail when the box was blocked, unless it was the same vehicle for more than 2 consecutive days. I had notices printed by the Postmaster that I would put in the mailbox (with the mail) informing the customer to tell their lawn service, friends, contractors, etc. not to park in front of the mailbox. That usually took care of the problem.

Some of you have mentioned "Why can't the carrier get out and put the mail in the box - it doesn't take that much longer?" Well, an average route has somewhere between 500 - 600 deliveries on it here. Imagine if, say, 50 of them had the box blocked. It would add a considerable amount of time to the carrier's delivery time - which they would have to justify when returning to the office late. Delivery Supervisor's are not the most caring people on the planet. All they are worried about is making their numbers work. Going out of your way to serve a customer does not fall into this category - unfortunately.

Another poster commented about their carrier driving their car to deliver mail. That type of carrier is a Rural Route Carrier who is paid according to the number of deliveries they have and are given a vehicle allowance. Carriers in uniform are City Carriers and are paid hourly and use USPS vehicles.

If anyone is having persistent problems with their delivery for any of the reasons I have seen posted, I suggest the following:

1. Call your local post office and ask to speak to a Delivery Supervisor. Explain your problem and wait a few days to see if it's corrected.

2. If your problem still isn't corrected, call the post office and ask to speak to the Postmaster. Make sure to tell them you have already spoken to a Delivery Supervisor (give their name) and the problem is still occurring.

3. If you still aren't satisfied, write a letter to your U.S. Congressman or Senator. Detail all of the steps you have taken and explain the problem(s) is still occurring. Something will defintely be done to correct the problem. I know this is true because I worked for our Congressman for 5 years before I was a Letter Carrier.

I hope this helps everyone with their mail problems!

 

[TimeforMe]

Mail carriers SHOULD get out of their trucks to deliver the mail because that is what they are paid to do

My DH is a mail carrier so maybe I can speak to some of these remarks.

If you're on what they call a "mounted route" which means your mailboxes are at the end of the curb/driveway or whatever, the mailman is NOT paid to get out of his truck. There is a reason why the mailboxes are there and that's so the mailmen don't get out of the truck to deliver the mail.

 

[judi]

My DH is also a letter carrier. He will go out of his way for his customers but this usually means he gets no lunch break that day. They have scan points they must hit at a certain time during their routes each day, if they don't, they're in trouble. Please remember that they also don't have to deliver if your dog is out and about without a leash. This is a big time for dog bites. Also watch if your children go running out for the mail, they aren't always seen. There are good and bad carriers, just like there are good and bad people in any job. I wouldn't want to have to be out in snow, freezing temps, hot temps, thunderstorms, etc.. Everyone have a wonderful day.

 

[ZachnElli]

I had the problem of living in a new subdivision and not getting my mail but notes. It certainly wasn't me parking in front of my mailbox, it was the builders and it was everyday. They had all the mailboxes across the street, but my side of the street was all built, it was the lots across from us being built on. So the PO decided that all of us on our side of the street had to dig up our mailboxes and move them to our side, we were more than happy to do it!! The mailman was real nasty about it though, I wish they could leave notes on the cars since it's usually not the homeowner doing it!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Ours will usually leave the mail with a nasty note. If it's my car or my guests car blocking I'm ok with that, but sometimes a neighbor's guest will park in front of my mailbox.

Today we had portraits delivered and according to the portrait envelope they can be rolled with the front of the envelope facing outward, but the mailman folded them the opposite way. The seem ok, probably because we got them out right away, but our cars are in the driveway and we are obviously home so why didn't he just knock on our door if he didn't want to roll the correct way?

In general, though, we haven't had any serious issues with the mail carrier.

T&B

 

[mum4jenn]

Our postman drives me nuts too!! Three times in the past two weeks, he has done this. We've gotten 2 certified letters and 1 package with delivery confirmation on it. I was home each time the mail was delivered - car in the driveway. One of the days, I was OUTSIDE IN THE FRONT YARD!!! For each item, we received a "Sorry we missed you note" and had to go to the post office and pick up the item. He's just too sorry to get off his rump and come to the door!!

Our part time carrier does this too. It makes me SOOOO mad. One day I was standing in the driveway about 10 feet from the mailbox and she delivered the regular mail but put the note in the I had registered mail and was sorry we were missed. Then we had to wait for TWO days before we could pick it up at the post office. (It was from the IRS)

 

[gradtchr]

I had to add my MC story. I apparently have two different mail carriers, different days etc.. Anyway I moved into this house recently and because I am getting married soon I have had a lot of packages coming, either for the wedding or gifts. Anyway one of the mail carriers leaves them on the porch in front of the door, and puts the welcome mat over the box. Ok I still see the box no need to try to hide it because it's big and can still be seen. The other guy is apparently a hoot, haven't met him because i work during the day but one of these days I will take time off just to meet this guy. The first one was two weeks ago there was a note in my mailbox on top of my normal mail that said make sure to check behind your recycle bin, there's a package for you it was a big box but very well hidden from public eyes. YEAH!! Yesterday the note read in the pot under the dirt there are two packages waiting for you. We have a big huge flower pot that needs flowers and has a not very full bag of dirt sitting in it that he put the packages in and then covered them with the bag for safety. Now he is getting out of his car to deliver these since they didn't fit in the box but he apparently has a lot of fun trying to find the new hiding place (which he always tells us where is). There will defintely be a tip for him at Christmas, I'm also going to try to find out his name (i know it's a him because I asked a neighbor who said there were two normal carriers) and call his supervisor to leave a compliment I'm loving the service I am getting.

 

[L107ANGEL]

I did both rural and city for about 2 years. It is not as easy as some may think. I have to agree with others, it depends on the type of person you are dealing with. I was doing the rural about 12 years ago when we had some 100+ inches of snow. I did get out of my vehicle on several occasions to get the delivery done, unitll I slipped on the ice once! When I reported incident to supervisor I was berated for doing so. He went as far to say that I better not expect workers comp! I was furious!! I was not really hurt, just sore and I thought I was following "procedure". ( I still did get out of my vehicle on several occasions after).
I do know that the PS is really hard on their carriers and that makes for a very unhappy employee who will become dis-heartened.
Personal note, I have once found my carrier in my driveway (Very Rural area!) sound asleep.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

The mail carrier at my previous house was soooo slow. If 5:00 came and he hadn't finished his rounds yet, he just took the mail back to the post office with him for the next day. So there were lots of days that we didn't get any mail at all.

 

[diznygirl]

I understand the difference between rural and city - but who gets to decide? This isn't exactly a rural area, yet that's what we are classified. And there is a lot of construction still going on in town. Add the 25 mph speed limit in our town and you get a situation where I'm sure it must be very difficult to get done with delivery in a reasonable amount of time.

HOWEVER - that being said - the job is still to deliver the mail, not to see how much they can get away with. These guys don't have to wear uniforms, can smoke while they work and listen to their own music - but in order to be sure they are getting paid for the actual time spent on their job they have to avoid getting out of their truck - this means they can destroy my mail? Or not deliver it at all? That doesn't make any sense. Is this why we hear about mailmen hiding the mail in their garages?

 

[mum4jenn]

I will add though that our regular carrier is a real gem! He is great about holding our mail we we need him to. Also once he forgot to resart our delivery after we returned from a wdw trip and he drove all then way back to the post office and brought us our mail that evening AND it was pouring rain.Our whole county is by rural delivery so he had quite a ways to drive to do that.

 

[suzannews]

I've been outside mowing the grass or sweeping the sidewalk and the mailman will stop in front of a house where the box is blocked and just beep a few times and pull away if no one comes out.

Since living in our house (2 yrs now), we've had about 10 different mail people. The lastest is a lady who drives a regular jeep type but sits halfway in the passenger seat to deliver the mail. She drives up on the grass daily, you can see her tire marks, and broke my neighbors plant edging with her front tire.

 

[Madaboutthemouse]

Our mail carrier has some issues too. We have lived in our apartment for 3 years now and she still delivers mail for the resident from before us. I have written return to sender on the mail numerous times and left it in the box so she knows who lives here. Once, it was a bulk piece of mail and she ripped my return to sender note off the envelope and wrote that the postage on the mail didn't have return guarantee.

She leaves the "sorry we missed you" notes too eventhough I know I was home. We live on the second floor of our apartment building and to deliver a package, she will walk to the middle landing and chuck it to our door. If I'm home, I'll hear them thump against the wall. Luckily, she hasn't done that to anything fragile. Geesh!

 

[chager]

Our first carrier was super and really nice. He even went out of the way to deliver our mail when the construction workers decided to take down our mailbox. The guy that we have had for the last 2 years is strange. One day he is nice and the next he is really mean! I saw him coming one day and had a letter to send out. Now he knows who I am but after taking my letter refused to hand me my mail. He insisted he had to put it in the box. The next time I just happened to be out there chatting to my neighbor and he handed it to me. Go figure! Currently my parents are having problems becuase a neighbor often parks across both of their boxes. They have asked repeatedly for them not to do this. The mail carrier actually YELLED at my mom and told her to move her car!! She told him it wasn't theirs but he just didn't get it. He then refused to hand her mail even though she was standing there waiting for him.
I can understand trash can issues, but sometimes he yells about them too even though they are placed where they are suppossed to be, but the trash people set them in the street.
I miss the original carrier!! I know this guy has had at least a dozen complaints filed against him by various people. I wish someone would move him off this route!! He is scarey and crazy!

On the other hand I grew up with a wonderful carrier that even knew our birthdays! I wish they would give him this route. He was really a caring person even when he wasn't working.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I remember at my parents' house and our first house when the mail carrier came house to house. In our house before this one, the box was on the opposite side of the street--I didn't mind until they started putting the paper there too, and I had to run over there in my robe in the middle of winter. I asked the PO about moving them to our side and got some ridiculous excuse--every other street in the development had mailboxes on both sides.
I never even see our mail carrier now. We are in a culdesac and are the last house on the "straight" part of it. The people who live "in the circle" are not allowed to park in the street because a former resident who was a fireman complained that if they did, a fire truck would not fit there. The sign saying "no parking in from here on" is about 4 feet from my mailbox--meaning if people "in the circle" have a party, or a pile of mulch in their driveway, or are getting the drive resealed, they park in front of my mailbox! Luckily I've never had problem getting mail--it would come down to, should I be a B___ with my mailman, or with my neighbors?
Robin M.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I hate to make you youngsters feel badly but I am sooo old (LOL) that I remember when we used to get mail delivery twice a day AND stamps cost a nickel. Was in the 60's as I remember. My hubby remembers 2 cent stamps but he is a bunch older than me.

Efficiency is NOT the thing that government is good at. I used to be a government employee. Not that the employees do not want to be efficient, mostly, but they have to play by the rules of their leaders. Beats the Pony Express though. (always look on the bright side)

Slightly Goofy

 

[ilovedale3]

Man, I wish I had some of the mail carriers that you guys have. They sound so nice and helpful!

I, on the other hand, have a doofus mail carrier. He really young and delivers the mail in a mini-van so he does the whole lean-over-and-drive thing which is somewhat frightening. He drives around delivering mail with the windows down and horrible rap music with profane lyrics playing at full volume! Yep, there is nothing like being outside working in the yard and having to hear words like B@&*$ and F*#& while he SLOWLY delivers the mail to each house (we live in a cul-de-sac so we sometimes I get to hear an entire song as he makes his way around). He also throws out his cigarette butts into our yard on a daily basis. I've had to stamp out smoldering butts at least twice. Can't wait until it gets good and dry around here... I'll know that our mail has been delivered when the entire yard is engulfed in flames!