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I'm not sure where this goes, but I think this is the right forum. I live in a rural area just north of Houston our mail service is horrible, and it's been horrible for a long time. Our carriers are lazy and apathetic. Mail is routinely misdelivered, mail boxes are left wide open, carriers deliver while talking on the cell phone increasing errors, and they just skip days of delivery, so residents have become their own letter carriers. We have started thread after thread on Nextdoor in which the residents discuss losing important mail and asking their neighbors to drop it off at their homes. We have complained to the postmaster so many times we have lost count and nothing is ever done about it.
This issue, combined with widespread package theft, has led my wife and I to decide to choose an alternative method of mail delivery. We discussed various methods, but we hated doing it because choosing a different method meant we would be rewarding the Postal Service for doing a bad job. We looked into e-statements but I don't like getting only e-statements because I overlook them on occasion. And we can't always get e-statements anyway. We looked into renting a PO Box but once again that would be rewarding the post office for their apathy because then we would be paying a bundle for them to deliver the mail just feet from the delivery location instead of a few miles.
Ultimately, saw that the UPS store offers mailboxes at a more competitive rate and they allow the customer to use their physical address. Our packages would also be delivered securely and with a physical address, packages from any company would be delivered. Has anyone used this method of mail delivery? Have you tried another method that works for you?
Private "PO Boxes" have been around for a long, Long, LONG time. There are some more modern updates on those services (mail scanning, mail forwarding, mail bundling and Then forwarding, etc...) for ease of use too. Heck, some of those services will forward a US address to out of country.
I'm thankful that my normal mail carrier is amazing. The subs leave a little to be desired (packages left on an open deck vs a covered porch when the weather is foul), but it's infrequent. Were I in your shoes, I'd be using the Informed Delivery option to see what mail the regional sort center is handling that day, going further up the chain than the Local postmaster (there are 2 or 3 more tiers above them, best have your ducks in a row with proof of issue) and using an alternative address. Hassles and complications with all options.
Funny enough, if you don't mind driving to get your mail, just by not having a mailbox they will hold the mail. I ran into this a few years back when buying a new house... mail carrier didn't bother to tell me in the 6 months I was working on the property that a house-mounted mailbox was no longer acceptable and it Must be a curb mounted unit so I was left with no mail delivery for awhile. I was content to make them sit on the mail for weeks at a time (already doing Informed Delivery, I would have collected when there was need), but my wife just Had to have it delivered daily... so we could deal with the tons of junk that comes every flippin day just so a 1 mile drive need not be suffered the one day in ten that there was Actual mail.
Go pay for the UPS Store for your mail delivery if that makes one happy.
Having been in the delivery business for over 20 years. I see homes with no visible house number. No family name. No house number on mailbox. Not shoveled or plowed of snow in winter. Loose dogs running around ("my dog doesn't bite"].
Go pay for the UPS Store for your mail delivery if that makes one happy.
We looked into renting a PO Box but once again that would be rewarding the post office for their apathy because then we would be paying a bundle for them to deliver the mail just feet from the delivery location instead of a few miles.
I don't know how dug in your heels are on not paying the USPS, but if it were me, I would rent a PO box (at least here the cost is very minimal) and use USPS informed delivery. You get an email every day of your coming mail and you only need to go to the post office on days that you have something of interest. We live in a new subdivision and apparently now the USPS will only deliver mail to a central PO Box in the subdivision. I simply leave my mail in there until I see something good come through Informed Delivery.
I understand your anger with USPS but for me, personally, I feel the same as it pertains to introducing a middle-man to touch my mail. Now you have 2 people who can point the finger at each other on why you didn't get your mail.
The USPS has been losing billions annually for many years, unfortunately, but, I have found that they are incredibly reliable with their daily run and delivery. They seem to get my bills delivered to me timely. Recently, they delivered the wrong mail (neighbor's mail), but that had not happened for years. It is pretty amazing to me that you can mail a letter for 55 cents and it gets there in a couple of days and it can be sent clear across the country. Every bill payment I mail seems to get there.
That said, the USPS hasn't really done anything innovative to compete with UPS and Fed Ex. I did see that they were doing some Sunday package deliveries, but they generally just kind of beat the same drum and stick to the same business model. UPS rules around here for package deliveries and Amazon runs drivers in their personal vehicles. They are extremely good at what they do and they communicate well and make sure the packages are placed carefully where instructed. The USPS occasionally delivers packages, but they are pretty inflexible on where they will place the packages.
If your USPS mail delivery is failing, I would complain to the USPS Inspector General about each time it happens and try to get the quality of the service improved. They used to have special investigators and it is a federal crime to mess with the mail. This applies to USPS employees as well.
The USPS has been losing billions annually for many years
The US Postal Service is doing just fine. But Congress stepped in in 2006 with financial mandates that no other business - public or private - has to do.
"The April 18 editorial “Back to postal reform†attributed the U.S. Postal Service’s financial struggles to “a basic structural problem,†specifying technology that has reduced first-class mail, as well as “rising†costs of employee benefits. But the facts say otherwise. While it’s true that letter mail has declined, technology has led to a rise in package delivery stemming from e-commerce — and the overall result has been sufficient to produce operating profits in three of the past four years, averaging nearly $1 billion annually. That, mind you, without a dime of taxpayer money; by law, USPS relies on earned revenue for its operations. So if USPS takes in more money than it spends on normal business expenses (including health benefits and pensions), why is there red ink? The answer has little to do with technology or employees and everything to do with flawed public policy. In 2006, Congress mandated that USPS do something no other U.S. entity, public or private, is required to do:"
Yet so many web site, authors, writers, opinion pieces, etc. ignore the The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.
A Congress law designed to make the US Postal Service appear as a financial doom entity.
Few dig deeper into the statistics. Most already have their opinions and just seek to justify their opinions. And there are so many web sites and opinion pieces that back up all of these inaccuracies.
Note: The Post Office is mentioned in the US Constitution. For all of those who wish the US Government to follow the intentions of those who wrote the US Constitution.
Who wants facts when tainted opinions will suffice?
I'm not sure where this goes, but I think this is the right forum. I live in a rural area just north of Houston our mail service is horrible, and it's been horrible for a long time. Our carriers are lazy and apathetic. Mail is routinely misdelivered, mail boxes are left wide open, carriers deliver while talking on the cell phone increasing errors, and they just skip days of delivery, so residents have become their own letter carriers. We have started thread after thread on Nextdoor in which the residents discuss losing important mail and asking their neighbors to drop it off at their homes. We have complained to the postmaster so many times we have lost count and nothing is ever done about it.
This issue, combined with widespread package theft, has led my wife and I to decide to choose an alternative method of mail delivery. We discussed various methods, but we hated doing it because choosing a different method meant we would be rewarding the Postal Service for doing a bad job. We looked into e-statements but I don't like getting only e-statements because I overlook them on occasion. And we can't always get e-statements anyway. We looked into renting a PO Box but once again that would be rewarding the post office for their apathy because then we would be paying a bundle for them to deliver the mail just feet from the delivery location instead of a few miles.
Ultimately, saw that the UPS store offers mailboxes at a more competitive rate and they allow the customer to use their physical address. Our packages would also be delivered securely and with a physical address, packages from any company would be delivered. Has anyone used this method of mail delivery? Have you tried another method that works for you?
I live rural as well but the issue here was mail theft when we first built 20 years ago. As we built we had a USPS PO Box here to start the move process. When the mail theft and "Mailbox Murdering" started, shortly after moving in, we shut down all delivery to the physical address from USPS and have all delivered to the PO Box for the last 20 years. I can't remember once where we have since had any mail loss through this USPS arrangement including a 70 pound package of pennies, nickels, and dimes my practical joker Brother (a USPS carrier) sent. That was a funny story along with other packages he has sent. With the exception of items larger than the box (and boxes come in many sizes) the mail is available 24 hours a day.
I have not used the "UPS Drop" type locations but have considered them. However there are multiple problems with these especially in rural areas.
There are not a lot of these around and especially in rural areas so even though the PO is a few miles from the house a UPS drop location is typically much further and out of the way.
These operations are typically contract with UPS and not really a "UPS Store" as one might think. They are "Here Today" and "Gone Tomorrow" if they are not profitable or UPS decides to terminate the contract for any reason. As a result you could wind up changing your box frequently over a 20 year period.
Once your mail has been handed off to one of these drop box locations the USPS is now OUT OF THE PICTURE! Essentially your mail has been delivered and the USPS no longer has a responsibility for what happens to it. Unless you have tracking on ALL of your mail pieces you really have no idea where the loss came from and will not be receiving any assistance from the USPS, and rightly so, for tracking down the theft or loss.
The USPS isn't perfect on movement of even first class mail in their stated times and these locations only add to that. During peak mail seasons and at other high volume times you are at the mercy of the UPS drop location to get all mail posted quickly.
It sounds as if you have two basic issues; one of mail theft which the USPS can not control, and the other being poor rural delivery carriers (RDC). Unfortunately RDC's are considered "Casual" or "Contract" employees of the USPS which means they are not Full Time employees and do not receive the full time pay and benefits. The USPS is not immune to the "Reduce Costs" syndrome and many of these positions for RDC's come with ridiculous performance requirements on them from the USPS. Some of the Rural Routes can pay well and the RDC's take their jobs seriously and do them well! Other routes the USPS has a real problem hiring quality RDC's because they are not at all profitable for the RDC.
I would not put all the blame on USPS and instead would be pressuring them to handle their issues. The USPS will respond if sufficient numbers of neighbors are also actually with you in your complaints to the USPS. Of course you might not like the response as it can result in a total suspension of mail by the USPS and forced use of PO boxes or even cluster boxes at the end of roads. Those are highly unusual steps that would take time so the USPS is more likely going another route first which may improve the quality of RDC work in your area.
As for the electronic statements I'm not a Tree Hugger but do believe it helps in that aspect. It certainly helps reduce the amount of yearly shredding I have to do and the scanning of the important papers for archive. Yes it's possible to miss some dates but that's easy to prevent. Just take a blank 31 day calendar sheet and mark the days with what bills you need to check on in the event you have not received any e-notifications. Put it in a visible location and refer to it routinely when needed. Some businesses lice credit card companies, mortgage, etc., also allow you to select/adjust billing dates to help keep them at set times. We've used that as well not only for this purpose but also to spread out the bills during the month.
Scooby, you might look at US Global Mail (Houston based) to use for your mailing address. They are a mail forwarding service for people who live all over the world, or people who maintain a residence in more than one place. I have used them for several years with no problem.
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